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https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/3d-printed-cable-driven-mechanisms-some-strings-attached/
|
3D Printed Cable-Driven Mechanisms – Some Strings Attached
|
Aaron Beckendorf
|
[
"Robots Hacks"
] |
[
"3d printed",
"cable drive",
"cable driven robot",
"compliant mechanism"
] |
One of the most basic problems with robotic arms and similar systems is keeping the weight down, as more weight requires a more rigid frame and stronger actuators. Cable-driven systems are a classic solution, and a team of researchers from MIT and Zhejiang University recently shared some techniques for designing
fully 3D printed cable-driven mechanisms
.
The researchers developed a set of four primitive motion components: a bending component, a coil, screw-like, and a compressive component. These components can work together in series or parallel to make much more complicated structures. To demonstrate, the researchers designed a gripping tentacle, a bird’s claw, and a lizard-like walking robot, but much more complicated structures are certainly possible. Additionally, since the cable itself is printed, it can have extra features, such as a one-way ratcheting mechanism or bumps for haptic feedback.
These printed cables are the most novel aspect of the project, and required significant fine-tuning to work properly. To have an advantage over manually-assembled cable-driven systems, they needed to be print-in-place. This required special printer settings to avoid delamination between layers of the cable, cables sticking to other components, or cables getting stuck in the mechanism’s joints. After some experiments, the researchers found that nylon filament gives the best balance between cable strength and flexibility, while not adhering tightly to the PLA structure.
We’ve seen
cable-driven systems
here a
few times before
. If you’re interested in a deeper dive, we’ve
covered that too
.
Thanks to [Madeinoz67] for the tip!
| 10
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124201",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T06:17:24",
"content": "This is amazing, and I can immediately think of all sorts of applications for it.I am quite confused by four mechanisms, though. Specifically, I am confused that the “Compress Primitive” rotates when actuated while the “Twist Primitive” is only linear motion.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124232",
"author": "Mr. Ed.",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T09:07:12",
"content": "I think it’s just an error in the caption in their video.Anyway this is really amazingly cool, and I love the rather cute demos.",
"parent_id": "8124201",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124482",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T22:09:41",
"content": "There are a lot of instances where the (clearly automated) captioning misinterprets the speaker’s accent, which can be pretty distracting if you are paying attention to the text. “Love” should be “lifelike”, etc.The examples and engineering good, but it’s clear they assumed using a generative text for their presentation didn’t need an editor. It comes across like a press release, not a video about the latest paper in ongoing research.",
"parent_id": "8124232",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124310",
"author": "Justin",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:23:42",
"content": "It seems like that’s just a problem with the video. The actual paper is describing the primitives more in line with what you are expecting:4.3 Screw“The Screw Primitive is structured as a spring that screws around the z-axis while simultaneously shortening its length during actuation. As illustrated in Fig. 6, when the screw primitive is driven, it coincides the behavior of a spring that contracts in length when rotated around its own longitudinal axis.”4.4 Compress“The compressive structure incorporates a cable into a linear track structure. We use a basic Prismatic pair with one degree of freedom, allowing only sliding motion along the z-axis. By pulling the cable, two links compress along the linear track, reducing its length by Δ = 0.5L, effectively halving its original size.”",
"parent_id": "8124201",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124479",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T22:03:45",
"content": "The twist primitive utilizes angular geometry that directs the coiling behavior, while the screw primitive (compression) uses angular cable threading to force rotation, which simultaneously compresses. All of this is visible in the video, I haven’t looked at the paper yet.",
"parent_id": "8124201",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124756",
"author": "Jiaji Li",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:35:01",
"content": "Thanks so much for liking the project — and you’re absolutely right, I totally mixed them up. Appreciate the sharp eye and the heads-up!",
"parent_id": "8124201",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124319",
"author": "Jdams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:40:59",
"content": "This guy should build one of those rotary actuators for tendons you featured recently.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124412",
"author": "ExcitedToSeeWhereThisGoes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T17:50:25",
"content": "Ok. I’ll just say it. I can’t wait to see what this does for the sex toy market.",
"parent_id": "8124319",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124515",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T00:42:30",
"content": "Is there any info on where\\when this will be available?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124520",
"author": "Tony M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T01:24:07",
"content": "Ok , someone must to say it so we can move on: tentacles.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,556.526043
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/testing-a-cheap-bench-power-supply-sold-on-amazon/
|
Testing A Cheap Bench Power Supply Sold On Amazon
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Reviews",
"Teardown"
] |
[
"bench power supply"
] |
We’ve all seen those cheap bench power supply units (PSUs) for sale online, promising specifications that would cost at least a hundred dollars or more if it were a name brand model. Just how much of a compromise are these (usually rebranded) PSUs, and should you trust them with your electronics? Recently [Denki Otaku] purchased
a cheap unit off Amazon Japan for a closer look
, and found it to be rather lacking.
Internals of the cheap bench PSU reviewed by Denki Otaku on YouTube.
Major compromises include the lack of an output power switch, no way to check the set current limit without shorting the output, very slow drop in output voltage while adjusting due to the lack of a discharge circuit, and other usability concerns. That’s when the electrical performance of the PSU got tested.
Right off the bat a major issue in this cheap switching mode PSU is clear, as it has 200 mV peak-to-peak noise on its output, meaning very little output filtering. The maximum power output rating was also far too optimistic, with a large voltage drop observed. Despite this, it generally worked well, and the internals – with a big aluminium plate as heatsink – look pretty clean with an interesting architecture.
The general advice is to get a bench PSU that has features like an output power button and an easy way to set the voltage and current limits. Also do not connect it to anything that cares about noise and ripple unless you know that it produces clean, filtered output voltages.
| 20
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124176",
"author": "Jeff",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T02:38:20",
"content": "I have a similar one 30v 10A . Its ok for simple stuff and is better or just as good as most mid priced units .all in all I would not use it certify anything but but its ok for mucking about semi seriously. If one is looking for low noise specs then maybe non switching power supplies would be better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124179",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T03:22:10",
"content": "There are probably a bunch of rebranded ones that are essentially the same. I started with one that was good enough, then a couple months later it totally crapped out. Without too much to go on, and mains supplied power supply not exactly something I feel comfortable messing with, I bought … another one. Then I picked up a lab quality one at a ham fest for probably $50, maybe $100. It’s massive over kill for what I need so far, but definitely a personal case of buy twice, cried once (the second d cheapo still works) and was also proud of myself once. TL:DR for same $$ thereabouts get a used good one. About zero down side.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124184",
"author": "Stanson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:15:35",
"content": "Used lab PSUs usually need replacement of most electrolytic caps, relays and pots, cleaning all connections and switches to work as intended. And they are hard-to-find things – I spent months to find one in decent condition. And then spent many hours to clean and service it properly. Fortunately I had all wiring diagrams and spare parts.Honestly, today I would prefer to buy cheap Chineese one and add missing filters and features. This will give me much smaller, more effective and more powerful device.Old stuff is nice and have it’s own aestetic value, but it’s not the best choice today. Especially if you buy some cool used lab stuff for cheap and then find out that to make it up and running, you have to find some unobtanium, or original spare part cost more than plane wing, or you have to buy another one for spare parts in hope it will not have the same problem. Of course you could win in that lottery, and get high grade equipment for cheap, but that’s not for certain.",
"parent_id": "8124179",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124195",
"author": "SparkyGSX",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T05:09:14",
"content": "Just adding filters won’t make a crappy supply into a good supply, usually the current control loop is useless, load regulation is horrible and gets worse when you add filters, and some have overshoots during power-on or power-off.Good lab supplies regularly get replaced because of age, or because of simple defects like a broken knob. I recently got a really nice supply from TTI that blew fuses, it just needed 2 new diodes in the PFC rectifier.",
"parent_id": "8124184",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124256",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T10:41:14",
"content": "I have a simple model second hand and yeah, all it needed was a new cord and some cleaning, no problems at all.",
"parent_id": "8124195",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124217",
"author": "hartl",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T07:38:10",
"content": "Don’t waste your time with those good-looking but half-baked switched “lab” supplies. Roll your own with a linear regulator, this isn’t rocket science and once upon a time this was a beginner’s project. The electronics magazines of the past 100 years are full of such constructional articles.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124241",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T09:43:36",
"content": "+1",
"parent_id": "8124217",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8180197",
"author": "Nick Winters",
"timestamp": "2025-09-15T23:51:41",
"content": "William",
"parent_id": "8124241",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124315",
"author": "hjf",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:36:19",
"content": "you can also get the best of both worlds. hack the supply to be a pre-regulator for your linear supply.that said, my bench psu is just a good old fashioned LM338K and it’s served me well for the past 15 years. it has a digital readout for voltage and current provided by a PIC16F877A and a preset knob with 2.5, 3.3, 5, and 12V presets. Last position is variable and it has a 30 turn potthe 877 does one more trick: the transformer I used happened to be a 12+12V one. for voltages under 9V it uses one leg and the center tap (12Vac) over that it uses both legs (24Vac). so in low voltage I’m not burning so much power.originally I meant to make a LM723 based PSU with remote sensing and more current but … things happened and this makeshift 338K became my daily driver",
"parent_id": "8124217",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124238",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T09:29:36",
"content": "I have one of these rebranded units and use it more often than my bulkier rack mount $$$ power supply. It’s fine for quick prototyping and I like it’s small size but I wouldn’t use it supply power to a vfo I’m working on. Nice to see a review and tear down of it. It is a bit annoying to set the current though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124246",
"author": "Samuel Ginsberg",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T09:57:48",
"content": "I have two switched mode power supplies. One, branded “Manson” is good for brute force but the output voltage walks all over the place and has a few hundred mV of noise. The other one is a Riden and it’s surprisingly good for the money. Feature rich, fairly stable and generally nice to use. It does still have 100mV of noise on the output.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124390",
"author": "Kaos",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:36:39",
"content": "I think I have the same Manson power supply. You can get the display more accurate by replacing the 5V regulator on the display with a more accurate one.You can also disable the internal over-voltage trip which gets annoying and lets you get a couple of extra volts out of it. Been a long time, but I think it was snipping a trace at one of the comparators.It has been a pretty solid brute force supply. Great for charging batteries.",
"parent_id": "8124246",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124305",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:01:44",
"content": "I’m kinda surprised we haven’t seen a USB-C PD plus some control and display logic, sold as a “variable bench power supply” in one of these housings yet. Seems like, for lower voltage and current, they’d be trivial to make. Guess I’ll put that one on my build list.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124317",
"author": "hjf",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:37:42",
"content": "but we have:https://hackaday.io/project/194295-pocketpd-usb-c-portable-bench-power-supply",
"parent_id": "8124305",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124327",
"author": "Michael",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:58:13",
"content": "We have, there are builds. I’ve also been eyeing the toolkitrc p200, which is not exactly the same, but a cool device anyway",
"parent_id": "8124305",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124853",
"author": "Conor Stewart",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T22:24:56",
"content": "I would say there are likely better options for cheaper unless you really want the bench power supply form factor.The M6DAC from toolkit RC is dual channel (non isolated) up to 350 W per channel when powered from a DC source and still has proper constant voltage, constant current control, plus it can balance charge batteries. The interface for using it as a bench power supply isn’t quite as user friendly but it certainly isn’t difficult either. Considering it is cheaper I would say it is probably a better choice for most people.",
"parent_id": "8124327",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124343",
"author": "QBFreak",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T14:57:58",
"content": "I have a multi-USB charger with both USB-PD and QC3.0 that I use when I just need to power a device with a barrel jack, or when the main bench power supply is already in use. Though for the USB power supply, I only have fixed value trigger cables for it, nothing to take advantage of PD3.0.My bench is getting a makeover soon, and I’m thinking that I might do something with a spare ATX power supply. There have are times I really could have used multiple voltages, despite lacking in current limiting or even metering. I have a 1980s/90s Motorola adjustable supply when I need that, but it’s single output.I’ve watched too many DiodeGoneWild videos, I don’t really trust anything cheap that uses mains power.",
"parent_id": "8124305",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124421",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T18:04:56",
"content": "Sometimes I use a second hand Amazon switching power supply. Other times I use the one built in to my Chinese rework station.When I work on something old that I think won’t be happy about the noise, I fire up the ancient Heathkit power supply. I hope I don’t have to fix it many more times. Germanium power transistors aren’t as plentiful as they once were.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124454",
"author": "Tom327Cat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T20:20:26",
"content": "I have never found one of them that has a third party listing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124463",
"author": "Eugene Ressler",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T21:02:59",
"content": "I have a $40 (Amazon) one branded Hyelec. It has the output switch and reads the max current setting until loaded. It also seems to do the max rated current and voltage for short periods at least. Never had occasion to go longer. The voltmeter is about 3% different from my (also low dollar) meters. But, especially for the money, I’m pleased so far.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,556.777318
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/llm-ported-to-the-c64-kinda/
|
LLM Ported To The C64, Kinda
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Retrocomputing"
] |
[
"c64",
"commodore 64",
"llama2",
"LLM"
] |
“If there’s one thing the Commodore 64 is missing, it’s a large language model,” is a phrase nobody has uttered on this Earth. Yet, you could run one, if you so desired,
thanks to [ytm] and the Llama2.c64 project!
[ytm] did the hard work of porting the Llama 2 model to the most popular computer ever made. Of course, as you might expect, the ancient 8-bit machine doesn’t
really
have the stones to run an LLM on its own. You will need one rather significant upgrade, in the form of 2 MB additional RAM via a C64 REU.
Now, don’t get ahead of things—this is no wide-ranging ChatGPT clone. It’s not going to do your homework, counsel you on your failed marriage, or solve the geopolitical crisis in your local region. Instead, you’re getting the 260 K tinystories model, which is a tad more limited. In [ytm]’s words… “Imagine prompting a 3-year-old child with the beginning of a story — they will continue it to the best of their vocabulary and abilities.”
It might not be supremely capable, but there’s something fun about seeing such a model talking back on an old-school C64 display. If you’ve been hacking away at your own C64 projects, don’t hesitate to
let us know
. We certainly
can’t get enough of them
!
Thanks to [ytm] for the tip!
| 8
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124150",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T23:31:26",
"content": "LLMs as the FPGAs of our time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124191",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:41:27",
"content": "C64s as the FPGAs of our time.",
"parent_id": "8124150",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124168",
"author": "Mr. Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T01:44:29",
"content": "Very cool, uses the REU, but apparently uses 32-bit floats. Should prolly switch that over to 16- or 8-bit floats.Also: “You will receive one output token approximately every 8 minutes.” 😆",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124190",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:40:48",
"content": "the c64 doesn’t have float hardware, so you’d probably be better off with 16 or 8 bit fixed-point ints.",
"parent_id": "8124168",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124187",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:36:50",
"content": "This is how I describe all LLM: “Imagine a 3 year old Genius, how far would you trust them?” A bit concerning how many companies are turning to them dor content and customer service.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124200",
"author": "Jouni",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T06:08:00",
"content": "I personally trust LLMs more than most the of people on this planet.It is not biased by one source or one agenda.“But the companies can inject biased info into it” – well, don’t use that one. Like you don’t want to use Google as search engine. (actually who uses web search anymore)",
"parent_id": "8124187",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124378",
"author": "Chris J",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:11:44",
"content": "Aren’t LLM as bias as there training data. I’ve read dozens of stories of sexist or racist AI’s, that were inadvertently feed the wrong training data. I think [Miles] 3 year old metaphor is apt, you can teach the AI to believe what you want.",
"parent_id": "8124200",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124823",
"author": "fanoush",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:49:21",
"content": "“seeing such a model talking back on an old-school C64 display”It could use S.A.M. Reciter to say it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,556.823484
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/tablet-suspension-system-avoids-fatigue-at-bedtime/
|
Tablet Suspension System Avoids Fatigue At Bedtime
|
Seth Mabbott
|
[
"home hacks",
"Tablet Hacks"
] |
[
"3d printed",
"ESP32",
"stepper motor",
"suspension"
] |
You know how it is. You’re all cozy in bed but not quite ready to doze off. You’re reading Hackaday (Hackaday is your go-to bedtime reading material, right?) or you’re binge-watching your latest reality TV obsession on your tablet. You feel the tablet growing heavier and heavier as your arms fatigue from holding it inches above your face. You consider the embarrassment you’ll endure from explaining how you injured your nose as the danger of dropping the tablet gradually increases. The struggle is real.
[Will Dana] has been engineering his way out of this predicament for a few years now, and with the recent upgrade to his
iPad suspension system
he is maximizing his laziness, but not without putting in a fair amount of hard work first.
The first iteration of the device worked on a manual pulley system whereby an iPad was suspended from the ceiling over his bed on three cords. Pulling on a cord beside the bed would raise the bracket used for holding the iPad out of the way while not in use. This new iteration takes that pesky cord pulling out of the user’s hands, replacing it with a motorized winch. A spot of dark ink on one of the cords in combination with a light sensor helps to calibrate the system so that the ESP32 which controls it always knows the proper limits of operation.
Of course, if, like [Will], you’re using an ESP32, and your room is already fully controlled by a voice interface, you may as well integrate the two. After all, there is no sense in wasting precious energy by pressing buttons. Utter a simple command to Alexa once you’re tucked in, and it’s time for hands-free entertainment.
We’ve covered several of [Will]’s previous creations, such as his
Motorized Relay Computer
and
Harry Potter
-inspired Sorting Hat
.
| 12
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124118",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T20:38:24",
"content": "No screen in the bedroom !Only books and condoms…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124119",
"author": "John Schuch",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T20:50:08",
"content": "Absolutely!Should be titled “How to make sure you can’t sleep for s–t”.Or … “How to stay single forever.”",
"parent_id": "8124118",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124124",
"author": "baz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T21:02:10",
"content": "fairly sure i saw an indian guy doing this in the 90s with a laptop and a roll of duct tape",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124146",
"author": "Daniel Matthews",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T23:22:15",
"content": "Cool project, bad habit. Pivot focus to help people in hospital etc.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124188",
"author": "Miles Co",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:39:07",
"content": "Always counterbalance the device to neutral. Then if drive fails it won’t fall.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124189",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:40:21",
"content": "Always counterweight, then it can’t fall on your face if the drive system fails.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124252",
"author": "Ronnie",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T10:29:35",
"content": "….an idea for a wake-up clock rears its ugly head….",
"parent_id": "8124189",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124313",
"author": "BW",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:26:35",
"content": "There’s a mechanical version of this already used in hospitals, costs around $500:Cuzzi DW630W",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124346",
"author": "QBFreak",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T15:05:51",
"content": "Some years back I had a treatment regimen for something where I was supposed to lay immobile (excepting my limbs) on my back in bed for three days. Anticipating the absolute boredom, and lacking in a decent mobile device to use like this, I got a projector mount and attached a monitor to it (after properly reinforcing the ceiling).Since then, as poor health has confined me to bed on numerous occasions, I have found it to be invaluable. When I moved, I made sure to set it up again in the new place.To compliment it, I have a wireless keyboard and mouse, but I also took one of those 433MHz wireless buttons and attached it to an RP2040 board running the KMK keyboard firmware. I use the button to advance pages when I’m reading books on the PC via the overhead monitor. It’s much more comfortable than the mouse for long term use.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124387",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:27:46",
"content": "Presentation remotes are $10 and have 3 buttons and volume buttons.The ones I buy are configurable with the software, including long press functions.I read with ADD, so I need a back button :)",
"parent_id": "8124346",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124396",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:59:37",
"content": "As others have pointed out, this is fundamentally a bad idea. A Pavlovian response to this is your mind being awake while you lie in bed. These kind of things have been found to decrease the amount of sleep people get and this appears to maximize the effect.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124792",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:07:55",
"content": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Ted_Kaczynski_2_%28cropped%29.jpg/800px-Ted_Kaczynski_2_%28cropped%29.jpg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,556.973626
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/hacking-different-sized-nozzles-for-anycubic-printers/
|
Hacking Different Sized Nozzles For AnyCubic Printers
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"3d printer",
"Anycubic",
"Nozzle"
] |
If you’ve got a popular 3D printer that has been on the market a good long while, you can probably get any old nozzles you want right off the shelf. If you happen to have an AnyCubic printer, though, you might find it a bit tougher. [Startup Chuck] wanted some specific sized nozzles for his rig,
so set about whipping up a solution himself.
[Chuck]’s first experiments were simple enough
. He wanted larger nozzles than those on sale, so he did the obvious. He took existing 0.4 mm nozzles and drilled them out with carbide PCB drills to make 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm nozzles. It’s pretty straightforward stuff, and it was a useful hack to really make the best use of the large print area on the AnyCubic Kobra 3.
But what about going the other way? [Chuck] figured out a solution for that, too. He started by punching out the 0.4 mm insert in an existing nozzle. He then figured out how to drive 0.2 mm nozzles from another printer into the nozzle body so he had a viable 0.2 mm nozzle that suited his AnyCubic machine.
The result? [Chuck] can now print tiny little things on his big AnyCubic printer without having to wait for the OEM to come out with the right nozzles. If you want to learn more about nozzles,
we can help you there, too
.
| 11
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124101",
"author": "Hansmann",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T18:13:23",
"content": "Don’t get the point?The Anycubic Kobra 3 I have bought from Anycubic directly has regular off-the-shelf nozzles. Same ones I have already used 10 years ago for 3D printing. You can get a sorted 6 piece set fr9m 0.2 to 1.0 diameter for 5 Euros off eBay.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124692",
"author": "chaz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:35:39",
"content": "Kobra 3 max uses a different nozzle than all the rest. Not back compatible.",
"parent_id": "8124101",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124103",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T18:29:30",
"content": "Sounds like a good reason to avoid buying an AnyCubic printer.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124160",
"author": "Conor Stewart",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T00:57:12",
"content": "Yeah, different sized and material nozzles are a very common thing now, there is no excuse for anycubic to not offer lots of nozzle options or make it compatible with an existing system like the V6.",
"parent_id": "8124103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124597",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T10:08:34",
"content": "I have the AnyCubic S1C. The hardware is amazing, but the software is a reason not to buy it.You have to use the AnyCubic Next software. It’s OrcaSlicer turned closed source with some silly branding on it and it uses the AnyCubic web thing to connect through an account to your printer. It’s a pain to use. I’m glad the hardware is great but honestly, I’m not a fan of this printer because of the software. I tried running OrcaSlicer and it has a preset for the printer but it can’t connect to it.The software refuses to run on my Linux machines, so what I currently do is run a Windows virtual machine just to use the software. And don’t think that works by itself. It turns out, you can’t use a VPN while using the software, so I also have to turn off my VPN for who knows why. Probably to spy on me.It’s that I was able to get a brand new S1C, worth 600 euro’s, for 200 and the closest competitor is the Bambulab P1S that’s 850 euro’s, which I can’t afford and is also locked down. So I’m keeping my AnyCubic but I’m not very happy with it. When it prints it’s great. But getting there is a pain.",
"parent_id": "8124103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124697",
"author": "TheQuickestFox",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:53:12",
"content": "Install Rinkhals and most of these complains evaporate.The community has already fixed the artificial problems AnyCubic somehow created for no good reason :)Very cheap replacement hotends are also already available on AliExpress or Amazon now.",
"parent_id": "8124597",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124323",
"author": "Martin Palmer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:50:58",
"content": "You can buy these well under USD$2 each delivered on AliExpress , a full range of standard sizes, 0.2mm-1mm and in Brass or Hardened steel… This is totally unnecessary hassle (spend hundreds of dollars in time to save $20 for a full set delivered to your door) and also really misleading article.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124324",
"author": "Martin Palmer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:52:41",
"content": "You can buy them off AliExpress, full range, both brass and hardened and they are inexpensive… This is a total waste of time",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124331",
"author": "Dustin",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T14:17:48",
"content": "I have a kobra 2 Mac and it does not have any special nozzle. F om everything else I have read they just use standard replaceable ones",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124698",
"author": "TheQuickestFox",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:54:45",
"content": "Kobra 3 Max and the S1C they started to bond the hotend and nozzle together with thermal compound. So they ceased being replaceable parts.There are available drop in replacements on AliExpress and Amazon now though, so it’s kinda moot.",
"parent_id": "8124331",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124787",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:02:55",
"content": "When drills and taps are outlawed, only outlaws will have drills and taps.That kind of BS only works for Veblen goods.You know, Hermes/Rolex/Apple 3d printers…Can’t drill and tap a jewelry grade diamond one piece hotend/nozzle.",
"parent_id": "8124698",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,556.620102
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/water-drops-serve-as-canvas-for-microchemistry-art/
|
Water Drops Serve As Canvas For Microchemistry Art
|
Navarre Bartz
|
[
"Art",
"chemistry hacks",
"Science"
] |
[
"art",
"Chemistry",
"microchemistry",
"micromolecular",
"science"
] |
If you’re like us and you’ve been wondering where those viral videos of single water drop chemical reactions are coming from, we may have an answer. [
yu3375349136
], a scientist from
Guangdong,
has been producing some high quality microchemistry videos
that are worth a watch
.
While some polyglots out there won’t be phased, we appreciate the captioning for Western audiences using the elemental symbols we all know and love in addition to the Simplified Chinese. Reactions featured are typically colorful, but simple with a limited number of reagents. Being able to watch diffusion of the chemicals through the water drop and the results in the center when more than one chemical is used are mesmerizing.
We do wish there was a bit more substance to the presentation, and we’re aware not all readers will be thrilled to point their devices to Douyin (known outside of China as TikTok) to view them, but we have to admit some of the reactions are beautiful.
If you’re interested in other science-meets-art projects, how about
thermal camera landscapes of Iceland
, and given the comments on some of these videos, how do you
tell if it’s AI or real
anyway?
| 3
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124864",
"author": "Johno",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T23:59:18",
"content": "I spent some time wondering if they were just very good renderings – very pretty. I’d love to run some of these reactions, but it always feels wrong to order 100g+ of a material just to mix a few grains… Feels ripe for a group-buy or similar",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124951",
"author": "Lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T10:07:35",
"content": "I hear you. I would also like to discourage the average person from buying potassium dichromate in a quantity they won’t use. It’s pretty toxic, somewhat of a hazard, and needs to be disposed of properly.",
"parent_id": "8124864",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124930",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T08:00:28",
"content": "Oh thats great. I’ve been looking for the original creator ever since I saw many of the reposts on social media. I’ve stumbled upon a TikTok account that had these videos posted and I assumed them to be the original. I don’t wanna post the name to give them any more undeserved attention but they were also showing many other creative and pretty chemical reactions I now think are also reposts.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,556.869223
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/3d-printed-downspout-makes-life-just-a-little-nicer/
|
3D Printed Downspout Makes Life Just A Little Nicer
|
Tyler August
|
[
"home hacks"
] |
[
"3d print",
"abs",
"drainage",
"rainwater"
] |
Sometimes, a hack solves a big problem. Sometimes, it’s just to deal with something that kind of bugs you. This hack from [Dillan Stock] is in the latter category, replacing an ugly, redundant downspout with an
elegant 3D printed pipe
.
As [Dillan] so introspectively notes, this was not something that absolutely required a 3D print, but “when all you have a hammer, everything is a nail, and 3D printing is [his] hammer.” We can respect that, especially when he hammers out such a lovely print.
By modeling this section of his house in Fusion 360, he could produce an elegantly swooping loft to combine the outflow into one downspout. Of course the assembly was too big to print at once, but any plumber will tell you that ABS welds are waterproof. Paint and primer gets it to match the house and hopefully hold up to the punishing Australian sun.
The video, embedded below, is a good watch and a reminder than not every project has to be some grand accomplishment. Sometimes, it can be as simple as keeping you from getting annoyed when you step into your backyard.
We’ve seen rainwater collection hacks before;
some of them a lot less orthodox
. Of course when printing with ABS like this, one should always keep in mind the
ever-escalating safety concerns with the material
.
| 12
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124858",
"author": "Danubistheconcise",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T22:53:42",
"content": "I would think something more UV resistant like ASA would be wiser for this kind of application. Doesn’t ABS get brittle with long term UV exposure?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124969",
"author": "eMpTy-10",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T11:57:45",
"content": "Probably partly why he primed and painted it",
"parent_id": "8124858",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124917",
"author": "Misterlaneous",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T06:49:48",
"content": "I’m more concerned that heavy rains will overwhelm the singular downpipe and pour over the edge of the gutters",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125002",
"author": "FeRDNYC",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T13:54:10",
"content": "That looks like a roughly 4″×2″ tube — assuming it feeds into a 4″ diameter drain, you’d probably need something close to a monsoon to overflow it. Though I suppose it really depends how much roof area is draining into those gutters.",
"parent_id": "8124917",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124957",
"author": "Zach",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T10:50:13",
"content": "Love the design, nice job",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124984",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T12:54:45",
"content": "Removing annoyance from your daily life, especially things that piss you off daily (rightly or wrongly) every time you see it / it hits you in the shin when you leave in the dark, is absolutely the best use case for 3D printing. probably.nicely done.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125045",
"author": "Dustbuster7000",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T16:35:17",
"content": "Compared to a flexible tube, this design is:Better lookingLess prone to cloggingRestricts the flow less, so likely has a higher capacityActually fits in the space between the wall and post without being distortedKeeps the maker amused and occupiedNot pointless. Just not what you would do. Not the same thing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125353",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T13:53:24",
"content": "as someone who does a lot of 3d printing, comments regularly that you shoulda used bulk material with just 3d-printed brackets, and also just did the gutters on my house a year ago…i am here to do the thing, like a wind up doll with a preprogrammed dance.gutters aren’t that complicated. you don’t needany3d printing. i’m wishing the best to this, and maybe it’s anchored well enough that even as it becomes brittle it won’t tend to fail. but it sure smells like it will fail.i’m not sure what kind of metal that square downspouting is, but usually it’s aluminum. even steel that thin is easy to cut. it’s so easy to work with. you can cut it to whatever angles you want. you can put a bit of sheet metal like flashing in between. you can fold the flashing into whatever shape you want. you can attach them to eachother with rivets, and/or a superlative glue like lexel.iow, you can use all components that are actually chemically and mechanically stable. products that are meant to be used outside.anyways, i did have this exact problem…my downspouts went to separate trenches so to save a trench i had two come together in almost exactly this way. i just used a short segment of straight, a factory-built bent segment, and a bit of flashing to make the bracket where it connected to the existing vertical pipe. it will last forever.knowing it will last forever, when it comes to something like this, is worth more than having a hack that for all you know might get lucky and survive more than a year or twoi think the ethos i’m trying to get across is that if you’re doing gutters, it’s a good idea to think like a gutter guy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126388",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-10T19:12:34",
"content": "When the only tool you have is a 3d printer……you job is to go buy basic hand tools.A hammer, CORDED drill, drill/driver bits, miter saw/box, and hacksaw can be had for <$50 TOTAL.I know this because I have this argument ALL THE TIME, and I literally bought them to give to someone as a “congratulations you are an adult” gift less than a month ago.In this case, also some metal snips.I genuinely don’t understand people who have zero tools.I used to know plenty of them.You don’t need to know how to rebuild an engine.But calling you landlord and waiting 3 days to fix a door knob that is loose is STUPID.(Yes. This happens…)Unless the point of an exercise is to solve a problem without the correct tools, then you use the correct tools.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8126391",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-10T19:18:54",
"content": "tangent :)i’ve always been a corded drill supremacist, basically because when i was learning tools i discovered that every cordless drill has a dead (nicad) battery pack on it. add in the cost and i hate cordless tools. and so i understood like tradesmen would use cordless tools because it’s worth the overhead to them to maintain a fleet of charged batteries but everyone else it’s just a hassle. when i want a cordless saw i use a hand saw.but specifically for gutters, i didn’t want to futz with cords while spending my day going up and down the ladder. so i bought the harbor freight cordless drill which has a frighteningly low cost and a lithium pack that effectively doesn’t self-discharge. i’m not exactly a convert but honestly i do kind of like my first cordless drill :)",
"parent_id": "8126388",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,556.573026
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/round-displays-make-neat-vu-meters/
|
Round Displays Make Neat VU Meters
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Parts"
] |
[
"audio",
"VU meter"
] |
You can still get moving-needle meters off the shelf if you desire that old school look in one of you projects. However, if you want a more flexible and modern solution, you could use round displays to simulate the same thing,
as [mircemk] demonstrates.
At the heart of the build is an ESP32 microcontroller, chosen for its fast clock rate and overall performance. This is key when drawing graphics to a display, as it allows for fast updates and smooth movement — something that can be difficult to achieve on lesser silicon. [mircemk] has the ESP32 reading an audio input and driving a pair of GC9A01 round displays, which are the perfect form factor for aping the looks of a classic round VU meter. The project write-up goes into detail on the code required to simulate the behavior of a real meter, from drawing the graphics to emulating realistic needle movements, including variable sweep rates and damping.
The cool thing about using a screen like this is the flexibility. You can change the dials to a different look — or to an entirely different kind of readout — at will. We’ve seen some of [mircemk]’s projects before, too,
like this capable seismometer
. Video after the break.
| 11
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124801",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:12:52",
"content": "As far as VU meters go, that choppy refresh rate makes it impossible to tell whether it’s actually tracking the level with any accuracy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124824",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:53:16",
"content": "Still good for a casual project.",
"parent_id": "8124801",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124890",
"author": "Flotsam",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T03:51:46",
"content": "*A PPM enters the chat…",
"parent_id": "8124801",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124981",
"author": "sjm4306",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T12:48:13",
"content": "The adafruit library is really not meant for fast smooth animations. I had to write my own display driver library to support two spi displays when I made my digital vu meter.",
"parent_id": "8124801",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124816",
"author": "hugh crawford",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:35:12",
"content": "If it is programmed to display the peak reading of each interval , that’s a good thing. Otherwise you would miss the transient peaks.It’s sort of like chronometric tachometers on racing cars. They don’t cost ten times as much just because they look cool.Search for chronometric tachometer videos, it’s fascinating how the mechanical ones work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124854",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T22:34:38",
"content": "Thanks for indicating the LHS display with an L and the RHS display with an R.This helps avoid any confusion…Joke appart, nice project and lots of efforts but the final rendering is kind of disappointing : classic VU needle display are far more readable and cooler imho.Here the display is far too jerky to be pleasant to look at.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124889",
"author": "Christian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T03:49:27",
"content": "Nice idea. Needs a better graphics library, something that can blend pixels, Adafruit is too basic.The displays can do 240×240, that matches the photo of the real gauges. ESP32 has enough ram to handle a 240x240x16bit buffer. Could pre-blend all the dial positions, but the ESP should have enough cycles to draw a needle on the fly.Or not old school and use LVGL….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsTP7zljSBg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124893",
"author": "Christian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T03:54:58",
"content": "Here is the pre-render example, nice….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZTx7T9uwA4",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124898",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T04:37:51",
"content": "Or use a real analog meter on top of an e-ink display, as posted right here on Hackaday last year:https://hackaday.com/2024/11/25/e-ink-screen-combined-with-analog-dial-is-epic-win/Do they make round e-ink displays?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125079",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T18:48:36",
"content": "They would look even better if they were real LC displays.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125549",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-08T07:06:08",
"content": "The monochrome models, I mean. The cool ones.",
"parent_id": "8125079",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,556.720779
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-bobblehead/
|
Keebin’ With Kristina: The One With The Bobblehead
|
Kristina Panos
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Slider"
] |
[
"bobblehead",
"Christopher Latham Sholes",
"little tikes keyboard",
"monoblock split",
"QWERTYFEST MKE",
"sandwich",
"Victor index typewriter"
] |
No, see, it’s what’s inside that counts. Believe it or not,
[nobutternoparm] retrofitted this innocent, adorable little tikes® so-called “Kidboard” rubber-dome keyboard into a mechanical marvel
. Yeah! No, it wasn’t exactly pure, unadulterated fun, nor was it easy to do. But then again nothing worth doing ever is.
Image by [nobutternoparm] via
reddit
For one thing, the PCB ended up being a bit too wide, so the bottom half of the case is a bit mangled. But that’s okay! Onward and upward.
Next problem: a real PCB and mechanical switches (Gateron Baby Kangaroos) are a lot taller than the previous arrangement. This required spacers, a mounting plate, and longer screws to hold it all together. Now imagine lining all that up and trying to keep it that way during assembly.
And then there’s the keycaps. Guess what? They’re non-standard because they’re for rubber domes. So this meant more adapters and spacers. You’ll see in the gallery.
So we know it looks great, but how does it type? Well… [nobutternoparm] gives the feel a 4/10. The keycaps now have too many points of contact, so they bind up and have to be mashed down. But it’s going to be a great conversation piece.
With a Little Luck, You Could Fly On Wings
Before you ask, unfortunately, Wings doesn’t seem to be open-source, at least not as of this writing. But
based on the comments in the reddit thread
, [MoreFruit3042] seems willing to build them for some undisclosed cost.
Image by [MoreFruit3042] via
reddit
That touch pad supports multi-touch gesture operations, so right there, you don’t have to use the mouse as much. And although it’s hard to tell from this picture, there is 6° inward angle between the halves and a 6° front-to-back incline, both of which are designed to match the natural angles of hands.
I really dig the lowered thumb clusters and the fact that they aren’t overloaded with keys. There are low-profile Kailh Chocs under there, which makes for quite a slim keyboard.
Wings runs QMK, has RGB lighting, and supports real-time key-mapping with VIAL. Be sure to check out the build video below.
The Centerfold: A Truly Ergonomic Meal
Image by [Dexter_Lim] via
reddit
Again, very little detail to go off of here
, but the keyboard is a
totem
. Couldn’t even tell you what’s in the right hand (left hand, if you go by the handle orientation) mug. Water, I suppose. But being a two-fisted drinker myself, I can really appreciate this setup, And although the sammy isn’t really my type, the extreme tenting on it is a nice touch.
Do you rock a sweet set of peripherals on a screamin’ desk pad?
Send me a picture
along with your handle and all the gory details, and you could be featured here!
Historical Clackers: To the Victor Go the Spoils
Image via
The Antikey Chop
The Victor was patented in 1889 and produced until 1892 by the Tilton Manufacturing Company of Boston, Massachusetts. It was invented by Arthur Irving Jacobs.
Probably the most noteworthy factoid about
the Victor Type-Writer is
that it was the first production typewriter ever to employ a daisy wheel. This significant achievement showed up in typewriters all throughout the 1970s and 80s. My IBM Wheelwriter 5 uses a daisy wheel, as do my Brother machines.
The Victor is of course an index typewriter, as evidenced by the lack of keyboard.
To use it
, you would simply move the guide to the letter you wanted, which moved the daisy wheel simultaneously. Then you’d press the innermost left-hand key to swing the hammer and strike the daisy wheel against the paper. The outer left-hand key is the Space bar.
Victors were 8″ by 12″ in their footprint and weighed around 5.25 lbs. They came with wooden cases that were either rectangular or contoured to the shape. The Victor cost $15,
which is close to $500 in 2025 money
.
Finally, There’s Gonna Be a Christopher Latham Sholes Bobblehead
Image via
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum
So, this happened.
Someone went and made a Christopher Latham Sholes bobblehead
. You know, the guy who is responsible for the QWERTY layout.
I’m not sure if this is an honor or an insult. But hey, at least it will probably resemble Sholes more than would one of those Funko things. Plus, it’ll actually
do
something.
Here’s hoping the bobblehead itself looks like this image at least in part. One can only wish that there will be a typewriter involved. (Doesn’t there almost have to be?)
This thing is currently available for pre-order
for the low price of $35. You can either have it shipped, or you can pick it up at QWERTYFEST MKE (that means Milwaukee, WI), being held October 3-5.
So what’s the connection? Sholes hailed from Milwaukee, where was a noted newspaper publisher, politician, and of course, a successful commercial typewriter inventor. Do I want one of these? I may or may not be nodding my head right now.
Got a hot tip that has like, anything to do with keyboards?
Help me out by sending in a link or two
. Don’t want all the Hackaday scribes to see it? Feel free to
email me directly
.
| 5
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124775",
"author": "Rick",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:49:35",
"content": "Moar liek chicken head amrite? XD",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124985",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T13:00:10",
"content": "I’d pay $35 for a Keebin’ with Kristina bobblehead.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125434",
"author": "Kristina Panos",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T19:25:31",
"content": "How about $120ish? I may or may not have looked into custom bobblehead production.",
"parent_id": "8124985",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125190",
"author": "Derek Tombrello",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T00:20:57",
"content": "Funnily enough, my wife used that exact same keyboard in our small engine shop for YEARS and only just this Christmas upgraded to an “adult” wireless mouse/keyboard combo!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125435",
"author": "Kristina Panos",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T19:25:45",
"content": "That’s awesome!",
"parent_id": "8125190",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,556.670955
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/creative-pcb-business-cards-are-sure-to-make-an-impression/
|
Creative PCB Business Cards Are Sure To Make An Impression
|
Matt Varian
|
[
"PCB Hacks"
] |
[
"business card",
"pcb business card"
] |
Business cards are a simple way to share contact information, but a memorable design can make them stand out. [Jeremy Cook] has been experimenting with adding artistic finishes to PCBs, and has recently
applied what he’s learned to make some unique business cards
. His write-up consolidates some great resources to get you started in making your own PCB business cards, as well as PCB art in general
To make his cards stand out, he designed them to serve as functional tools beyond sharing contact information. He created two designs: one incorporates an LED and a coin cell battery holder, while the other includes drafting tools, such as a ruler, circle stencils, and a simplified protractor.
While the classic PCB solder mask is green, many board houses now offer alternative finishes and colors to enhance designs. He tested and compared the offerings from various manufacturers, highlighting the importance of researching fabrication options early, as different providers offer a variety of finishes. His creative approach shines in details like using through-hole pads as eyes in a robot illustration, making them stand out against a halftone dot pattern.
If you’re looking for more inspiration, be sure to check out the
winners of our 2024 Business Card Challenge
.
| 8
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124702",
"author": "Jeremy Cook",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:14:54",
"content": "Thanks so much for the awesome writeup Matt!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124740",
"author": "Nick w",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:03:08",
"content": "They’re going to be even more impressive in the US now that they have doubled in price",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124784",
"author": "Jeremy Cook",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:57:21",
"content": "Seriously. I’ve got a stockpile for a while.",
"parent_id": "8124740",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124829",
"author": "El Gru",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:16:32",
"content": "As a giveaway – cool.As a business card – fail.If you get the chance to give a physical card to another person and not make a lasting impression without an annoyingly shaped hard object, then you should not get that person’s business.If you are mailing those goodies to hundreds of potential customers that have never heard of you or met you, they might work.It also might be I am completely wrong here and the only one hating business cards that do not match the standards in all three dimensions and are not made from paper.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124973",
"author": "Jeremy Cook",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T12:01:46",
"content": "They come pretty close to matching normal business cards dimensionally.",
"parent_id": "8124829",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124859",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T22:54:01",
"content": "I don’t really understand the point of the round holes, other than to make the card lighter.It should have included a bottle opener instead.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124974",
"author": "Jeremy Cook",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T12:02:58",
"content": "Bottle opener isn’t a bad idea, though not sure it would hold up. Round holes are supposed to be for drawing circles, but seems like that may not be obvious.",
"parent_id": "8124859",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125050",
"author": "Anathae",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T16:47:56",
"content": "It might be that a drawing tool like a circle template is only obvious if you have seen or used them or are able to see uncommon uses. I appreciate the design, but I know I am an unusual individual.",
"parent_id": "8124974",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,556.920711
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/what-happened-to-www/
|
What Happened To WWW.?
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Featured",
"History",
"Interest",
"Misc Hacks",
"Original Art",
"Slider"
] |
[
"Tim Berners-Lee",
"web",
"website",
"www"
] |
Once upon a time, typing “www” at the start of a URL was as automatic as breathing. And yet, these days, most of us go straight to “hackaday.com” without bothering with those three letters that once defined the internet.
Have you ever wondered why those letters were there in the first place, and when exactly they became optional? Let’s dig into the archaeology of the early web and trace how this ubiquitous prefix went from essential to obsolete.
Where Did You Go?
The first website didn’t bother with any of that www. nonsense! Credit: author screenshot
It may shock you to find out that the “www.” prefix was actually never really a key feature or necessity at all. To understand why, we need only contemplate the very first website, created by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN in 1990. Running on a NeXT workstation employed as a server, the site could be accessed at a simple URL: “http//info.cern.ch/”—no WWW needed. Berners-Lee had invented the World Wide Web, and called it as such, but he hadn’t included the prefix in his URL at all. So where did it come from?
McDonald’s were ahead of the times – in 1999, their website featured the “mcdonalds.com” domain, no prefix, though you did need it to actually get to the site. Credit: screenshot via Web Archive
As it turns out, the www prefix largely came about due to prevailing trends on the early Internet. It had become typical to separate out different services on a domain by using subdomains. For example, a company might have FTP access on
http://ftp.company.com
, while the SMTP server would be accessed via the smtp.company.com subdomain. In turn, when it came to establish a server to run a World Wide Web page, network administrators followed existing convention. Thus, they would put the WWW server on the www. subdomain, creating
http://www.company.com
.
This soon became standard practice, and in short order, was expected by members of the broader public as the joined the Internet in the late 1990s. It wasn’t long before end users were ignoring the http:// prefix at the start of domains, as web browsers didn’t really need you to type that in. However, www. had more of a foothold in the public consciousness. Along with “.com”, it became an obvious way for companies to highlight their new fancy website in their public facing marketing materials. For many years, this was simply how things were done. Users expected to type “www” before a domain name, and thus it became an ingrained part of the culture.
Eventually, though, trends shifted. For many domains, web traffic was the sole dominant use, so it became somewhat unnecessary to fold web traffic under its own subdomain. There was also a technological shift when the HTTP/1.1 protocol was introduced in 1999, with the “Host” header enabling multiple domains to be hosted on a single server. This, along with tweaks to DNS, also made it trivial to ensure “www.yoursite.com” and “yoursite.com” went to the same place. Beyond that, fashion-forward companies started dropping the leading www. for a cleaner look in marketing. Eventually, this would become the norm, with “www.” soon looking old hat.
Visit microsoft.com in Chrome, and you might think that’s where you really are… Credit: author screenshot
Of course, today, “www” is mostly dying out, at least as far as the industry and most end users are concerned. Few of us spend much time typing in URLs by hand these days, and fewer of us could remember the last time we felt the need to include “www.” at the beginning. Of course, if you want to make your business look out of touch, you could still include www. on your marketing materials, but people might think you’re an old fuddy duddy.
…but you’re not! Click in the address bar, and Chrome will show you the real URL. www. and all. Embarrassing! Credit: author screenshot
Hackaday, though? We rock without the prefix. Cutting-edge out here, folks. Credit: author screenshot
Using the www. prefix can still have some value when it comes to cookies, however. If you
don’t
use the prefix and someone goes to yoursite.com, that cookie would be sent to all subdomains. However, if your main page is set up at
http://www.yoursite.com
, it’s effectively on it’s own subdomain, along with any others you might have… like store.yoursite.com, blog.yoursite.com, and so on. This allows cookies to be more effectively managed across a site spanning multiple subdomains.
In any case, most browsers have taken a stance against the significance of “www”. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge all hide the prefix even when you are technically visiting a website that does still use the www. subdomain (like
http://www.microsoft.com
). You can try it yourself in Chrome—head over to a www. site and watch as the prefix disappears from the taskbar. If you really want to know if you’re on a www subdomain or not, though, you can click into the taskbar and it will give you the full URL, HTTP:// or HTTPS:// included, and all.
The “www” prefix stands as a reminder that the internet is a living, evolving thing. Over time, technical necessities become conventions, conventions become habits, and habits eventually fade away when they no longer serve a purpose. Yet we still see those three letters pop up on the Web now and then, a digital vestigial organ from the early days of the web. The next time you mindlessly type a URL without those three Ws, spare a thought for this small piece of internet history that shaped how we access information for decades. Largely gone, but not yet quite forgotten.
| 59
| 22
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124663",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:02:07",
"content": "Ummm, most of us go to hackaday.com/blog since you moved it and we don’t like it…Ok, well, I do anyhow…. :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124672",
"author": "Rog Fanther",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:26:05",
"content": "Same here. And as it is saved in the browser open tabs, no need to go to the first page anyway.",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124699",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:55:03",
"content": "One of us have just found out what the most of us is apparently doing. What is the advantage?",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124701",
"author": "Ø",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:59:49",
"content": "+1",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124754",
"author": "Denis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:31:28",
"content": "+1",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124773",
"author": "phnx",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:35:46",
"content": "yup… …and either the entire minority showed up or I’m not near as alone as I thought I was.",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124791",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:07:33",
"content": "Minority, in the sense that most people hit hackaday.com/home vs hackaday.com/blog, but the race is much tighter than you might think!Yesterday’s stats, for instance: 57% home, 43% blog.",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124832",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:25:59",
"content": "Another interesting stat would be how many click through to the blog within 10 seconds.",
"parent_id": "8124791",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124847",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T21:53:05",
"content": "Great point, add those up and 🤷🏼♂️.I only go to Blog myself, and rarely end up on the home page 😆",
"parent_id": "8124832",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125278",
"author": "eroomde",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T07:34:22",
"content": "Yes this a thousand times. I only ever go to the frontpage in error and look for the blog link as quickly as possible.",
"parent_id": "8124832",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125284",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T08:06:25",
"content": "I do… neither? Thanks for the RSS feed, may it persist indefinitely :D",
"parent_id": "8124791",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125304",
"author": "phuzz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T09:54:22",
"content": "I think I’ve only manually browsed to Hackaday a handful of times. 99% of the time I get here via RSS.",
"parent_id": "8125284",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124868",
"author": "Blog is the way",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T01:07:48",
"content": "+1",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124992",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T13:27:55",
"content": "I also hand type “hackaday.com/blog” each time I visit (3-5 times a week)As for is the home better or worse, that’s an other story.It’s not because I don’t use something that it’s bad.",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125188",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T00:11:18",
"content": "I had forgotten I was even doing this, looks like there’s a lot of that.",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125856",
"author": "Zai1208",
"timestamp": "2025-05-09T01:06:15",
"content": "I actually like the default page as it gives me some old articles I may have missed from a day or two ago due to how frequently HaD published articles",
"parent_id": "8124663",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124683",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:55:01",
"content": "As a designer –We drop off the www prefix whenever possible both from the actual websites and from printed materials.However, if companies have an unusual TLD (.info etc, or some clever TLD doma.in trick) then we often do include the www so people recognise it as a web address. Users mainly recognise .com and .org, and in the UK .co.uk and .org.uk as domains (and hence websites). Beyond that, we found recognition drops sharply.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124686",
"author": "Kenny",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:00:40",
"content": "One thing to note is that whilehttp://www.hackaday.comcan be a CNAME, hackaday.com cannot, which is unfortunate and part of the reason why www can still sometimes be seen.Browsers also often strip it when displaying URLs in their address bar for brevity.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124690",
"author": "soward",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:21:40",
"content": "There was also a reluctance to actually assign an A record to the domain itself by many network admins ( and/or some tools in use ), not to mention other services which might live on a particular host and a lack of software to filter/route by port or service. Likewise there was a very small number of people who pushed ‘http’ as the preferred hostname instead of ‘www’, since that tracked with all the others in use at the time ( ftp, smtp, pop, gopher, etc. )",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124745",
"author": "D",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:06:55",
"content": "We pointed “home” to the user machine for home pages on ~username folders, which was already hosting gopher home docs.“www” went to a different server setup just for trying out this new httpd thing by hosting our own “yellow pages ad”, and later is where we put all the ‘virtual hosts’Later “secure” went to yet a different server, because SSL certs were expensive, and used it for many things like the setting portal, billing, and the signup page.But you’re right, we never had an A/cname record on the root domain, and our network guy was adamant about it. I never knew why.",
"parent_id": "8124690",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124830",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:16:49",
"content": "If there is a problem with the MX record, won’t MTAs use the A record to deliver mail? I wonder if that’s why.",
"parent_id": "8124745",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124714",
"author": "Gilliam Vespa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:27:03",
"content": "paragraph 4, sentence 3. smTp vs typo smPt.“while the SMTP server would be accessed via the smpt.company…”(deleting this comment is totally reasonable, haha)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124724",
"author": "DereK Tombrello",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:39:48",
"content": "Those of us with dyslexia didn’t even notice ¯_(ツ)_/¯",
"parent_id": "8124714",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124794",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:10:09",
"content": "I thought I fixed that. Maybe I only got one of them? Will do!",
"parent_id": "8124714",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124734",
"author": "Alexander Pruss",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:49:23",
"content": "I also tend to leave out http:// or https:// when typing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124737",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:53:38",
"content": "Me, too. I blame https here, the forwarding from http to https not always work.So leaving it out lets the browser or server figure out what’s correct.When using wayback machine, however, I DO enter the exact URL most of the time.",
"parent_id": "8124734",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124834",
"author": "fluffy",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:28:02",
"content": "I purposefully don’t forward from http to https, because I want to support users who are stuck on older browsers or infrastructure that isn’t friendly to modern https, and I only require https for things that require login or security. Unfortunately this can end up causing a lot of subtle (and thankfully minor) problems of their own.Technically http and https can result in completely different websites which is a “fun fact” I’ve taken advantage of in the past, but a lot of webcrawlers assume that both sites will be equivalent to one another, so it’s a bad idea to do that if you care at all about having both sites be indexed.",
"parent_id": "8124737",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124735",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:49:30",
"content": "Hi, I’m still typing www. – it’s a cultural thing.I just don’t like to degenerate so much like all the people surrounding me, I suppose..Btw, back in 1997, the children’s program, on German TV, still thought kids to type in http:// first, then addhttp://www., then the name of the homepage, then the suffix.I miss this level of culture.Nowadays, people nolonger even say “my internet connection doesn’t work” but “my internet is broken”. 🙄😮💨",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124776",
"author": "Kaiser",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:49:45",
"content": "They actually say “my wifi is broken” …",
"parent_id": "8124735",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124798",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:10:43",
"content": "Hi there! In Germany, we have no “wifi”, just WLAN.. ;)",
"parent_id": "8124776",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124749",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:17:50",
"content": "And here I thought this article was about how not only AIs and other ad content spam/slop fills more and more of the net with trash but how most users today– don’t link when they reference something.– have never learned “how to ask for help on (the internet / in text form)”[1].– just post their spam questions/content without even trying to search first.– are forced to use platforms that are unsuitable for the task (NO! Reddits are not forums).[1]*[Justin Pot – “How To Ask Questions Online & Actually Get Answershttps://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-ask-questions-online-actually-get-answers-opinion/(from 2012!)* Alex Eames – “How to ask for (and receive) technical help on the internethttps://raspi.tv/2017/how-to-ask-for-and-receive-technical-help-on-the-internet* wikiHow – “Formulating Your Question”https://www.wikihow.com/Ask-a-Question-on-the-Internet-and-Get-It-Answered#Formulating-Your-Question* Eric Steven Raymond / Rick Moen – “How To Ask Questions The Smart Way”http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html(“Copyright © 2001,2006,2014” – Web 0.0 warning)* and here’s a video: Ask for help like a pro! – DevConf.CZ 2023https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkjGUNELwlE",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125051",
"author": "Maave",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T16:50:04",
"content": "reddit is totally a type of internet forum. Now Discord on the other hand …",
"parent_id": "8124749",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125458",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T21:34:21",
"content": "Hmm – to me some required aspects for something to be a forum are these:continuous threads – you may display a tree structure, maybe even hide downvoted replies (but NEVER OPs) but always all replies in chronological order.OPs never change position depending on their vote ratio.An old thread getting a new reply must get to the front/top again (reddit is a ridiculous mess of the same questions/posts again and again (at least if it’s actually used as a forum-replacement and/or the mods don’t care)). Maybe with an addition sort option but chronological order of OPs (not just last replies).Less/no social media voting BS that influences visibility (maybe for replies).",
"parent_id": "8125051",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125460",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T21:36:01",
"content": "lol…. those ^^ where four separete points but HaD won’t display 1. 2. 3. 4.?! wtfonetwothreefour^^ there should be 4 points again.",
"parent_id": "8125458",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124767",
"author": "thw0rted",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:21:52",
"content": "I have bad news for everybody. “Most” users don’t type “http”, or “www”, or even “.com”. They type thenameof the website into the URL bar, then either select the highlighted browser history entry from autocomplete, or hit enter, get a search page from the default provider (which is absolutely definitely Google), then click the top link. “Most” users don’t type domain names at all.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124769",
"author": "thw0rted",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:23:41",
"content": "Ah crap this is actually worse than what I just wrote — “most” users visit the site by taping the app they installed on their phone the first time they visited the website and it popped up “Floopr is better in the app!” 😭😭😭",
"parent_id": "8124767",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124848",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T22:06:54",
"content": "And it isn’t better in the app, its worse. I exclusively buy old Android cellphones for my personal use, and debloat them.I pay for youtube* but have the app disabled/un-installed because it was draining half my battery before noon even if I never opened it (come on guys, write better code). I do run into brain dead web design, from boxes I can’t click because they are under my “taskbar” to Cinemark blocking me for ‘suspicious activity’ if I visit their site with ‘desktop mode’ turned on in Chrome. I think they fixed that one, maybe.Same for all Samsung apps, including Galaxy Store and any carrier bloat. Once my carrier app helpfully disabled my wife’s WiFi (it was stupidly attempting to connect to a neighbor’s hotspot and failing,). This cost us 1.9GB of Data. And no my wife is not very technically literate, but they push this tech on everyone now. Last time I tried to do flip phones I bought my own new online, was going to buy 4 lines if service too. The lady said that they weren’t allowed to activate them. They were 4G phones too. It’s a racket.It’s not that bad as a family plan, and I find the ads offensive to my sensibilities and intelligence.",
"parent_id": "8124769",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124805",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:17:03",
"content": "“Most users” don’t even know what theworld wide webis.They don’t even know the difference between a website, a web browser and an, ugh, “app”.I blame the smartphone for the mental degeneration.In the 90s and early 2000s, the desktop PC users weren’t as quite as dumbed down yet.I mean, there certainly were “DAUs” (German term, means dumbest assumable users) for years.But those guys could at least handle paperworks, still.They just couldn’t think in an abstract way.",
"parent_id": "8124767",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124863",
"author": "Nerdelbaum Frink",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T23:55:56",
"content": "It’s not mental degeneration (what a weird thing to say). It’s that it’s just more easily accessible without needing to know those things. It’s a bit arrogant to ridicule people who don’t know the terminology. It would be like someone ridiculing you because you took a commercial flight and don’t know an the technical details of flying an aircraft. You don’t need to know those things unless it interests you, and so you don’t know those things.",
"parent_id": "8124805",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125313",
"author": "C",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T11:28:12",
"content": "I think it is disrespectful of users that they are no longer interested in how the technology works. They can easily look it up.",
"parent_id": "8124863",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125568",
"author": "phnx",
"timestamp": "2025-05-08T07:58:50",
"content": "I was working in a house a couple weeks ago and upstairs heard one new homeowner say to the other ‘but we don’t have wired Internet, we have wifi!’… …as I’m looking at their ISP router with open ports and a bundle of not-terminated cat6 going to various locations throughout the house.So… At the very least, they signed up for a service they don’t understand the capabilities of and bought a new house from a builder who had network wire pulled throughout.People call up an ISP, someone shows up, drills a hole, runs a wire and plugs in a magic box that lets their phone google things.…worthy of ridicule at every turn.",
"parent_id": "8124863",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124836",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:54:36",
"content": "I have seen coworkers type “Google.com” into … Google.I didn’t know I could restrain myself that much.",
"parent_id": "8124767",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125059",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T17:11:53",
"content": "Be grateful.The alternative is they start a support ticket to get someone to type it for them.",
"parent_id": "8124836",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125571",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-05-08T08:12:06",
"content": "The IT Crowd taught me that if you Google Google, it breaks the Internet",
"parent_id": "8124836",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124839",
"author": "En Bee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T21:06:47",
"content": "“Few of us spend much time typing in URLs by hand these days” WHAT?!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124852",
"author": "Jon Mayo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T22:24:50",
"content": "I remember when apple.com redirected you tohttp://www.apple.com. I guess it was trying to make a point.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125326",
"author": "Shaun",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T12:23:37",
"content": "It’s not so long ago that microsoft.com had no ipv6 record but www. did. Something about history rhyming ..",
"parent_id": "8124852",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124856",
"author": "Andrzej Swietek",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T22:49:17",
"content": "For CDN network www is necssary for load balancer",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124873",
"author": "Lord Kimbote",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T01:37:05",
"content": "I forgot the last time I typed www. in a browser. Probably in Netscape, ca. 2000.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124875",
"author": "Niels",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T01:47:09",
"content": "The only reason I (and I guess any website builder that ever generated a sitemap) enforce www and https is simply because for a webcrawler it is a different page to include or exclude www and https. Allowing a pointless slash at the end of your URL (often added by crawlers), also makes it technically an other page than the one without a slash.You do get Google penaltie-points from having lots of identical pages on your site, so enforcing one way is is important!Note that most PHP+Apache and PHP+Litespeed sites actually give a full page answer (which is then ignored by the browser) when using http. The browser reacts on the Location: header, but the content is served too. This is because the most common way to enforce https is by a RewriteRule in .htaccess and not with a redirect. Press F12 and click the network tab, and type in a php’ domainname without https, and click on the first traffic, and check the content ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124958",
"author": "zoobab",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T11:05:37",
"content": "+1 to download all HaD articles via FTP!It eases mirroring and preserving multiple copies of the content across the internet.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125690",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-08T15:21:07",
"content": "I’ll burn them on CD and mail them to you! :)",
"parent_id": "8124958",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125013",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T14:48:14",
"content": "Hackaday should have gopher and gemini feeds.Given the nature of the site it really should.That could be an excuse to bring back the www. Well, not a reason you would HAVE to but you could.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125040",
"author": "C",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T16:17:56",
"content": "The reason it stayed long after it was needed was simple.QR codes didn’t exist so urls in print had to be recognizable as a url. People had to memorize them or write them down so they could visit the website at a later moment when they had access to a PC.Search engines sucked so a lot of urls were spread by word of mouth too.If you see a url without https:// and without www it is not always clear for everyone it is a url.Especially if the top level domain isn’t .com but something weird like .me (montenegro).The convention of starting a web address with www makes it recognizable as a url in print.“In any case, most browsers have taken a stance against the significance of “www”. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge all hide the prefix even when you are technically visiting a website”This false! I use firefox and it doesn’t hide www. What a useless feature to lie to the user about the url. It’s probably to dumb things down.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125111",
"author": "Bo-Erik Sandholm",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T20:18:36",
"content": "As a early member in the it/networking profession starting before DNS was in use and emails where forwarded with sendmail and uucp my address was ..!mcvax!enea!erix!bosseIn the early times with our first internet connection we where running one computer for each network service, each computer with stripped down os and all unnecessary services turned off.This of course made each service having individual A address, this was easy for us as our company received a B address range.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125142",
"author": "Billy",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T21:12:17",
"content": "For grate justice, downlaod are app!!! and make shure to liek and subscribe!!1!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126699",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-12T00:05:44",
"content": "Not having to click through useless garbage to get to the only relevant content on the site?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126700",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-12T00:08:30",
"content": "You know that almost all browsers let you ctrl-enter to surround whatever you typed in the url bar with http:// and .com right?This has been a thing since early Netscape Navigator.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8128030",
"author": "Andreas",
"timestamp": "2025-05-15T11:46:23",
"content": "reminds me ofhttp://no-www.org:)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.339547
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/rayhunter-sniffs-out-stingrays-for-30/
|
Rayhunter Sniffs Out Stingrays For $30
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Cellphone Hacks",
"Security Hacks",
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"cellular",
"IMSI",
"imsi catcher",
"phone",
"rayhunter",
"stingray"
] |
These days, if you’re walking around with a cellphone, you’ve basically fitted an always-on tracking device to your person. That’s even more the case if there happens to be an eavesdropping device in your vicinity. To combat this,
the Electronic Frontier Foundation has created Rayhunter as a warning device.
Rayhunter is built to detect IMSI catchers, also known as Stingrays in the popular lexicon. These are devices that attempt to capture your phone’s IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity) number by pretending to be real cell towers. Information on these devices is tightly controlled by manufacturers, which largely market them for use by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Rayhunter in use.
To run Rayhunter, all you need is an Orbic RC400L mobile hotspot, which you can currently source for less than $30 USD online. Though experience tells us that could change as the project becomes more popular with hackers. The project offers an install script that will compile the latest version of the software and flash it to the device from a computer running Linux or macOS — Windows users currently have to jump through a few extra hoops to get the same results.
Rayhunter works by analyzing the control traffic between the cell tower and the hotspot to look out for hints of IMSI-catcher activity. Common telltale signs are requests to switch a connection to less-secure 2G standards, or spurious queries for your device’s IMSI. If Rayhunter notes suspicious activity, it turns a line on the Orbic’s display red as a warning. The device’s web interface can then be accessed for more information.
While IMSI catchers really took off on less-secure 2G networks, there are developments
that allow similar devices to work on newer cellular standards
, too. Meanwhile, if you’ve got your own projects built around cellular security, don’t hesitate to
notify the tipsline!
| 37
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124622",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T11:46:48",
"content": "This probably doesn’t work for cell repeaters on 4g or 5gEach time the change the G they make a new “stingray”So this likely will not work on a lot of 4g and 5g networks at least in the USASince the federal government versions can do the encryption and decryption too",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124623",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T11:50:32",
"content": "Your phone cannot tell when it’s connected to a stingray or not, so it’s best to use your own custom encryption and obfuscationSo if they get yo phone signal, the data is just gibberishBut then with most people using smartphones they can install remote access Trojan to spy on GPS, listen to you microphone, and watch that cameraBetter have os Kernel protection against that, disable camera and microphone until I want to use emThe GPS says whatever I want it tooBut they can also watch the LCD with a fast enough rat",
"parent_id": "8124622",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124624",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T11:53:38",
"content": "Remember you don’t need to be close to a stingrayYou can be 5 or 10 mile away and it’s still listeningPhone always connects to the strongest cell tower by design",
"parent_id": "8124623",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124625",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T11:55:56",
"content": "And people should know that stingray aren’t necessarily a selective device, it taps everyone’s phone that’s in the areaAnd federal agents have to stay up all night sifting thru all of it to see if they got what they looking for",
"parent_id": "8124624",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124628",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T12:00:19",
"content": "Or they just go to the phone company and ISP with a court order and they simply just hand over all your data decrypted and plaintext, that’s when encryption and obfuscation become usefulNot hiding illegal shit, just to piss off thay mitm even moreU güd wit dat CPU?",
"parent_id": "8124625",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124691",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:22:32",
"content": "In the US, with a judge’s permission (for now anyway) they just call the phone company and get everything they need. The stingray isn’t even really needed. The phone companies always hand over the data. If you’re going to engage in activities that are frowned upon, especially kidnapping, smuggling, narcotics, gun running and other conspiracy, find a way to do it without a cell phone, or better yet, open a donut shop instead. The stingray hunter is a cool but useless gadget in any context I can think of.",
"parent_id": "8124625",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125197",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T01:03:58",
"content": "@Andrew How wonderfully naive. That’s not how these things are used in practice.Why? Once they have them nobody can give up the urge to use it and justify the expense.This means lots of unnecessary surveillance anywhere they can find an excuse to set it up, bonus points for being able to have a permanent installation “because there is so much traffic” and justify buying more.",
"parent_id": "8124624",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124670",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:24:06",
"content": "Of cource your phone can tell if it’s connected to a genuine cell or not. Your IMSI allows you to speak on the network. No IMSI, no network. No call, no SMS, no data. So when you connect to a stingray, either it’s set up to allow all connections in and offer pseudo data (that would be a huge cost for operating the stingray to actually serve data for all potential cellphone), or it’s not (more likely). Then you’ll be connected but all further communication attempt would fail (since the stingray can’t query your answering machine, can sustain a call, can’t forward your data), so the phone WILL know it.BTW, even the “fallback” to 2G hack is highly detectable. The phone knows it’s being throttled, but MAINLY, it knows no one is answering as it should.With roaming technologies (where your phone can talk to multiple cell tower at the same time), it’s a bit harder, but not by much. A cell that’s connected but doesn’t send any data after being sent an IMSI is devious by default and could be flagged as such. The phone should warn you in that case and trigger a report to the authorities. Yet, if you’re moving fast, it’s possible you can attach to a distant cell and by the time you’ve sent your credentials, be too far from the cell tower anymore to communicate. That’s the only case an IMSI catcher could be mistaken for a genuine tower. But that would imply very very low transmission power for the catcher, so very unlikely to be selected by the phone if any valid cell tower is around, so it’s still quite safe.",
"parent_id": "8124623",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124693",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:37:50",
"content": "You really think the United States federal government can’t wire tap your phoneWithout you knowing?",
"parent_id": "8124670",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124694",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:38:40",
"content": "Just because you don’t know of the the modern technologyProbably because it’s classified information…",
"parent_id": "8124693",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124695",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T15:40:19",
"content": "One way is to just dumps everything on the phone line with stingray and passthroughThen just go to the phone companies that service the areaAnd they all can decrypt it tooMultiple ways…",
"parent_id": "8124693",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124728",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:44:03",
"content": "Yeah right bud. :Eyeroll:Nothing you have said is valid. How exactly are you going to do “os kernel protections” How many android phone kernels have you built? You do realize most phones use very old kernels with lots of hacks.You really think disabling devices in software actually disables them? KEK",
"parent_id": "8124623",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124987",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T13:05:58",
"content": "“Yeah right bud. :Eyeroll:Nothing you have said is valid. How exactly are you going to do “os kernel protections” How many android phone kernels have you built? You do realize most phones use very old kernels with lots of hacks.You really think disabling devices in software actually disables them? KEK”Android 14 has that built-inDisable mic, disable camera, and no app can use it not even face unlock or Google assistantCoughThe pull down menu in quick settings…Must be an iPhone user that doesn’t have updated security patches",
"parent_id": "8124728",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124964",
"author": "dcnpat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T11:42:07",
"content": "You think if they can remotely install a Trojan to let them use your phone’s camera and microphone, some kernel level control is going to allow you to stop them? You think that your GPS spoofing program prevents someone at that level from getting your location?The only way to prevent a “bad actor” from using your camera or mic is to physically disconnect the camera and mic from the phone. They never needed gps to report your location, just 3 or 4 cell towers.",
"parent_id": "8124623",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124986",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T13:02:29",
"content": "Y’all guys have no idea how many governments agents I’ve managed to send thru loopsYeah I know how to actually run secure network and radio transmitter🙄.eyerollsDo you know what a military combat communication squadron is capable of.Obviously not,eyerolls",
"parent_id": "8124964",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125035",
"author": "Cheese Whiz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T16:02:46",
"content": "I knew John McAfee wasn’t really dead!",
"parent_id": "8124986",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125199",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T01:11:51",
"content": "GPS spoofing is the easiest things to do on this list, but they still know what tower you connected to, so utility is restricted.As for the rest, mic/etc. disabling cell data will actually work, especially on older connections where there is no effective way to pretend not to use it.TLDR; turn off your phone and remove the battery when you aren’t using it if this is a serious concern, which needn’t involve the state.",
"parent_id": "8124964",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124661",
"author": "mouse",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:00:37",
"content": "Yes, but this can still prove who was in an area. Run this at a protest and get a list of malcontents. Maybe run it lower powered on each side of a protest and see who was nearer to one side or another, and then if something happens see who was close. Then you have a list of people to get the dl photos for to matching them to the security photos. Or run that list and see if there were any foreign students at a protest who you could lean on them because of visa problems…It’s not just the data.",
"parent_id": "8124622",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125201",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T01:16:28",
"content": "It’s not proof, but yeah you have the right idea because all that’s necessary is an accusation, as we have seen lately. This is never about criminal activity, but surveillance.",
"parent_id": "8124661",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124626",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T11:56:05",
"content": "Seems a bit pointless given the phone companies just give the police the data from the real towers when asked…?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124632",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T12:03:29",
"content": "Depends not all police have stingraysIf you suspect a stingray on your phoneYou probably have the FBI, cia, or federal government agency watchingThe police have to lease sting rays from the military, they down own em, they have a detailed NDA contract on how it supposed to be legally used.And they charge the state 100x the bomb cost for emJust remember north Carolina paid 250,000 USD just for one lease, and that was the old modelThey don’t actually cost that much to build",
"parent_id": "8124626",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124633",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T12:04:50",
"content": "100x the BOMNot 100x Manhattan project cost, they can’t afford",
"parent_id": "8124632",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124780",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:51:51",
"content": "I can’t recall the date, IIRC it was early 0s.The DC cell networks (all of ’em, same day, strange that.) stopped working for most of a day.All the different three letter agencies and foreign governments running stingrays screwed it up real good.Government stingrays have IMSI (and all the security) and will forward data to actual towers or their own backhaul (depending on generation and model).But when the ‘actual tower’ the stingray is using for backhaul is also a stingray?Theory is:That all the stingrays formed some sort of interagency rivalry circle ping.Nobody that knows for sure can say.Why not go to the cell companies with a warrant?Not even FISA judges will sign a warrant for the NSA to bug the NRO (substitute alphabet soup at will).But they do spy on each other, everyday…Splitters!One of the joys of having so many American ‘intelligence’ agencies fighting over a limited pool of freshly printed money/power/influence.",
"parent_id": "8124632",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124635",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T12:07:43",
"content": "Also if they serve a warrant they have to tell you that they have a warrant to seize that data etc….If not it’s illegal, and can be considered wiretapping and stealing cables, invasion of privacy",
"parent_id": "8124626",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125202",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T01:20:47",
"content": "They can site almost anything as justification and don’t even have to mention you specifically. And if it is illegal? Good luck attempting to use that information anywhere of you have already been picked up as a “dissident”, or whatever the flavor of the year is.",
"parent_id": "8124635",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124662",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:01:02",
"content": "heh i absolutely don’t care about my privacy but if i did, instead of carrying more devices, i would carry fewer.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124718",
"author": "MW",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:30:28",
"content": "Yep. Or none.",
"parent_id": "8124662",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124922",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T07:13:15",
"content": "They did a number on people it seems: As they still mistake privacy for secrecy. Privacy is a human right. And nothing wrong about keeping e.g. trade secrets either. The state is encroaching and the watchdogs need to be leashed and kennelled again. If you cannot solve it via classical legal police work it should never be court admissible.Better thing to say: I got nothing that incriminates me, but still bugger off. My private life is private, period.",
"parent_id": "8124662",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124750",
"author": "targetdrone",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:20:53",
"content": "The old stingrays could intercept calls, and more secure protocols like 5G prevent that. However, the value for modern Stingrays is they can collect the IMSIs from all the cellular devices in its proximity, especially from 4G and older devices. Think of the ramifications of having a list of all the people at a protest event or a political rally.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124763",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:07:18",
"content": "IMHO, the real trouble is not with the stingrays, but with who is using them and to what ends.Meaning, just like “ghost g**s”, there could be them bad guys faking they are the good guys under disguise to catch the bad guys, and we wouldn’t know for sure.Call me paranoid, but I’d very much rather NOT use my cell phone for things like banking or placing orders. If they (bad guys) want to know my info, they probably already have it just the same, but why making sure it is spread even wider.In my other HO, it is just a matter of time someone sets up a ChatGPT bot to generate thousands of fake “profiles” in all kinds of shoddily written systems, hoping at out of few thousand one may appear legit and work for some while before being detected and shut off. To me that’s a far larger and more complex threat ever thought of, and stingrays are actually the atomic level kind of threat compared with the systemic approach at the large scale (ie, beyond molecular level). I am also pretty sure this had already been thought of, created and tested, and probably the initial targets weren’t average Sams, but rich folks that are not in the news, say, the tax-avoiding shady “owners of the offshore accounts”, which is easier – no IRS would run any background checks to make sure. But eventually it will boil down to my level, just I wouldn’t know when and how.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124865",
"author": "Babsq",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T00:06:35",
"content": "Thank you for saying “these days” as opposed to “nowadays 🤮”. You’ve restored my faith.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124871",
"author": "Ject",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T01:17:43",
"content": "Now we just need a stingraylocator. Maybe a drone that flies around with one of these and homes in by signal strength.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124872",
"author": "Ject",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T01:22:52",
"content": "To all those saying “what’s the point”. Well clearly there’s some point, or the police wouldn’t be using them all over the place.Just one idea: getting data from the cell phone company creates a paper trail. If you’re going to track people under legally dubious circumstances better to just set up a stingray and don’t share who you’re tracking or why.The people and/or courts cannot object to a violation of the constituion if they don’t know about it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124927",
"author": "RoganDawes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T07:34:36",
"content": "I got one of the Verizon Orbic hotspots new in box from an eBay seller for $11.96 with free shipping (in the US). Although that was 2 months ago, so maybe the hackaday effect will change that availability.Have yet to do anything with it, so maybe the fact that it is from Verizon will prevent it being useful? No idea if it is network locked or not.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125084",
"author": "RoganDawes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T18:52:15",
"content": "Spent some time poking at it, after installing RayHunter on it. Yes, it is network locked. It also has some weird setup where after connecting via adb, and running /sbin/rootshell, there are still things that you don’t have permission to do, like opening a socket, or running “chown”. Something about running via setuid that it doesn’t like. I haven’t been able to figure that out yet, although I did install dropbear (static binary), and start that from an initscript to get a proper full root shell.Oh, and of course it is an acient Linux kernel:Linux mdm9607 3.18.48 #1 PREEMPT Sat Sep 19 17:38:58 CST 2020 armv7l GNU/LinuxSigh!",
"parent_id": "8124927",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8183175",
"author": "RoganDawes",
"timestamp": "2025-09-23T08:26:48",
"content": "Clarification: It may not be network locked, but there doesn’t seem to be any overlap with my local network frequencies, so it is unusable in practice in South Africa.",
"parent_id": "8125084",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125066",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T17:38:26",
"content": "Can a phone without a sim still be tracked? Thinking of the phone as a head to a lora node. Plenty of old phones around still capable of bluetooth, and wifi. Could meshtastic be a more secure option yhan burner phones?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.239421
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/05/the-convoluted-way-intels-386-implemented-its-registers/
|
The Convoluted Way Intel’s 386 Implemented Its Registers
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"classic hacks",
"Reverse Engineering"
] |
[
"80386",
"ken shirriff",
"x86"
] |
The fact that modern-day x86 processors still pretty much support the same operating systems and software as their ancestors did is quite a feat. Much of this effort had already been accomplished with the release of the 80386 (later 386) CPU in 1985, which was not only the first 32-bit x86 CPU, but was also backwards compatible with 8- and 16-bit software dating back to the 1970s. Making this work transparently was anything but straightforward, as [Ken Shirriff]’s
recent analysis of the 80386’s main register file
shows.
Labelled Intel 80386 die shot. (Credit: Ken Shirriff)
Using die shots of the 386’s registers and surrounding silicon, it’s possible to piece together how backwards compatibility was implemented. The storage cells of the registers are implemented using static memory (SRAM) as is typical, with much of the register file triple-ported (two read, one write).
Most interestingly is the presence of different circuits (6) to support accessing the register file for 8-, 16- or 32-bit writes and reads. The ‘shuffle’ network as [Ken] calls it is responsible for handling these distinct writes and reads, which also leads to the finding that the bottom 16 bits in the registers are actually interleaved to make this process work smoother.
Fortunately for Intel (and AMD) engineers, this feat wouldn’t have to be repeated again with the arrival of AMD64 and x86_64 many years later, when the 386’s mere 275,000 transistors on a 1 µm process would already be ancient history.
Want to dive even deeper in to the 386? This isn’t the first time
[Ken] has looked at the iconic chip.
| 4
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124677",
"author": "william payne",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:44:19",
"content": "does the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D have the same isa as the pentium n6000?AI Overview.No, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the Intel Pentium Silver N6000do not have the same Instruction Set Architecture (ISA).They belong to different processor families and generations,meaning they execute instructions differently.is ease of changing hardware designed with software becoming an issue?AI Overview .Yes, while the trend toward software-defined hardware offers flexibility,ease of changing hardware designs can become an issue if thesoftware is not updated to accommodate the changes. Thecomplexity of integrating hardware and software, includingfirmware updates and adapting software to new hardware,can lead to problems if not managed effectively.N6000 low-power, low-cost now installed on Lenovo PC withlarge memory capacities … running Windows 11 home.Exanple: N600, 12/128/256 GB laptop for $205.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124921",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T07:08:39",
"content": "If you don’t have to say something for yourself, don’t just paste answers from a stochastic parrot.",
"parent_id": "8124677",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125095",
"author": "cnlohr",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T19:42:37",
"content": "I read most of this post, and it didn’t sit right so I came back today to comment, william payne, please don’t do this in the future. The behavior does not sit right with me, to ask a question to an AI that is tangentially connected to the content and then reply what bot said.I’m not connected to hackaday, just a reader, but I wanted to give feedback that this is not a positive social behavior.",
"parent_id": "8124921",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125669",
"author": "cal5582",
"timestamp": "2025-05-08T13:58:06",
"content": "thats probably a bot account.",
"parent_id": "8125095",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,557.491014
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/04/lancing-college-shares-critical-design-review-for-uk-cansat-entry/
|
Lancing College Shares Critical Design Review For UK CanSat Entry
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"hardware",
"Space"
] |
[
"Arduino Nano Every",
"atmospheric conditions",
"BE880 GPS module",
"blender",
"BMP388 sensor",
"ChatGPT",
"gantt chart",
"RFM69HCW module",
"telemetry data",
"temperature",
"UK CanSat Project"
] |
A group of students from Lancing College in the UK have sent in their
Critical Design Review
(CDR) for their entry in the UK CanSat project.
Per
the competition guidelines
the
UK CanSat project
challenges students aged 14 to 19 years of age to build a satellite which can relay telemetry data about atmospheric conditions such as could help with space exploration. The students’ primary mission is to collect temperature and pressure readings, and these students picked their secondary mission to be collection of GPS data, for use on planets where GPS infrastructure is available, such as on Earth. This CDR follows their
Preliminary Design Review
(PDR).
The six students in the group bring a range of relevant skills. Their satellite transmits six metrics every second: temperature, pressure, altitude reading 1, altitude reading 2, latitude, and longitude. The main processor is an Arduino Nano Every, a BMP388 sensor provides the first three metrics, and a BE880 GPS module provides the following three metrics. The RFM69HCW module provides radio transmission and reception using LoRa.
The students present their plan and progress in a Gantt chart, catalog their inventory of relevant skills, assess risks, prepare mechanical and electrical designs, breadboard the satellite circuitry and receiver wiring, design a PCB in KiCad, and develop flow charts for the software. The use of Blender for data visualization was a nice hack, as was using ChatGPT to generate an example data file for testing purposes. Mechanical details such as parachute design and composition are worked out along with a shiny finish for high visibility. The students conduct various tests to ensure the suitability of their design and then conduct an outreach program to advertise their achievements to their school community and the internet at large.
We here at Hackaday would like to wish these talented students every success with their submission and we hope you had good luck on launch day, March 4th!
The backbone of this project is the LoRa technology and if you’re interested in that we’ve covered that here at Hackaday many times before, such as in
this rain gauge
and
these soil moisture sensors
.
| 2
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124678",
"author": "Lacen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:45:24",
"content": "As a Broadwater Manor and a CanSat alumnus I was very surprised to see Lancing College pop up on the Hackaday front page! Congratulations to the team!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124817",
"author": "JanZ",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:35:47",
"content": "I wonder, if the GPS part would work. The available civil receivers have by law a speed limit, which doesn’t allow to use them in fast flying objects like missiles or satellites. So a very special receiver could be necessary…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.377713
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/04/train-with-morse-master/
|
Train With Morse Master
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"classic hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] |
[
"morse code",
"morse trainer"
] |
Morse code can be daunting to learn when you’re new to the game, particularly if you need it to pass your desired radio license. However, these days, there are a great many tools to aid in the learning process. A good example is the
Morse Master from [Arnov Sharma]
.
The Morse Master is a translator for Morse code, which works in two ways. You can access it via a web app, and type in regular letters which it then flashes out as code on its in-built LEDs. Alternatively, you can enter Morse manually using the physical key, and the results will be displayed on the web app. The Morse key itself is built into the enclosure using 3D printed components paired with a Cherry-style keyboard switch. It’s perhaps not the ideal solution for fast keying, with its limited rebound, but it’s a quick and easy way to make a functional key for practice purposes. If you want to go faster, though, you might want to upgrade to something more capable. We’d also love to see a buzzer added, since Morse is very much intended as an auditory method of communication.
We’ve seen some other great Morse code trainers before, too.
If you’ve trained yourself in this method of communication, don’t hesitate to share your own learning tips below.
| 15
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124530",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T02:17:21",
"content": "Learning Morse Code visually is a terrible, terrible idea. I can’t believe that anyone would ever take this seriously as a tutor. Audible and visual reception are two completely different processes. How many times does any expect to be receiving Morse Code by sight?? Besides, there are all kinds of free websites and apps that will take text and produce audible Morse Code for you at different speeds, different tones, and even with with adjustable Farnsworth weightings. I wrote one myself with JavaScript that does all of that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124541",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T03:34:41",
"content": "This is Hackaday. Someone here is probably already working on a visual-to-audio hack that will buzz in time with das blinkinlights.",
"parent_id": "8124530",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124575",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T07:50:14",
"content": "I’d probably be more likely to communicate using Morse using a flashlight than hearing it.",
"parent_id": "8124530",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124708",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:20:09",
"content": "“How many times does any expect to be receiving Morse Code by sight??”This is HAD so count on all readers of age and obscure industries to answer this question. Marine lamps is the only thing that comes to my mind.",
"parent_id": "8124530",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125023",
"author": "ziggurat29",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T15:30:22",
"content": "covert communications by toggling the scroll lock lamp on the keyboard?",
"parent_id": "8124708",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125115",
"author": "Agewalker",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T20:20:46",
"content": "Military groups use it all the time, Morse code flashers allow you to communicate while maintaining radio silence.",
"parent_id": "8124530",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124533",
"author": "Mr. Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T02:33:33",
"content": "When you’re trapped in a sinking submarine, you’ll wish you learned Morse code.Also I initially read this as Horse Master. 🏇",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124585",
"author": "-- .-. . -..",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T08:58:41",
"content": "The Morse Whisperer 😃",
"parent_id": "8124533",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8147847",
"author": "Sjoerd",
"timestamp": "2025-07-11T07:00:27",
"content": "Horse Master might be the sequel",
"parent_id": "8124533",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124539",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T03:29:31",
"content": "LCWO for the win here. I’ll just add don’t even waste time learning to send initially. It’s certainly way more fun but soooo much easier than receiving. Once LCWO gets tedious just get on the darn air already. There is no shortage of people willing to go extra slow for you and be very supportive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124547",
"author": "Fl.xy",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T04:55:43",
"content": "Long before the advent of Arduino, Jerry Ziliak recorded a set of audio tapes that practically programs Morse code into your brain. I had tried so many methods that just weren’t sticking but once my Elmer gave me those tapes that all changed. It almost seemed like some sort of CW hypnosis but after a couple weeks I was able to understand the W1AW transmissions seemingly overnight (https://www.arrl.org/w1aw-operating-schedule, great for learning properly spaced and timed code). I think there is probably some place to still find Zillak’s work out there. While this project is really cool, you really can’t beat learning by listening.Design challenge for Arnov: make an Iambic paddle version. Keep up the good work!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124879",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T02:35:30",
"content": "Before audio tape, they had machines that used paper tapes with Morse code punched into it.",
"parent_id": "8124547",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124607",
"author": "Antron Argaiv",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T10:42:35",
"content": "The original Morse Master was an 8748 design, programmed with a sequence of lessons. You learned a few characters, added them to the ones you had already learned, and then learned some new ones. It appeared in the Feb 1987 issue of QST. It’s what I used to learn the code, and I highly recommend it. There’s absolutely NO visual component to it at all, just push the button and it sends the lesson you’ve selected on the thumbwheels. I found it easier to use than a PC-based tutor.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124738",
"author": "SeattleSipper",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:56:12",
"content": "See also Morserino32, presently undergoing an evolution to a new platform now that the older processor has been retired.https://morserino.groups.io/g/main",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125224",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T03:28:57",
"content": "https://morsecode.world/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.540792
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/04/hackaday-links-may-4-2025/
|
Hackaday Links: May 4, 2025
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links",
"Slider"
] |
[
"assay",
"demo hell",
"ESA",
"gold",
"hackaday links",
"humanoid",
"Kosmos 482",
"reverse ATM",
"robot",
"solar",
"soviet",
"space law",
"sun",
"titanium",
"venus"
] |
By now, you’ve probably heard about
Kosmos 482
, a Soviet probe destined for Venus in 1972 that fell a bit short of the mark and stayed in Earth orbit for the last 53 years. Soon enough, though, the lander will make its fiery return; exactly where and when remain a mystery, but it should be sometime in the coming week. We talked about the return of Kosmos briefly on this week’s podcast and even joked a bit about how cool it would be if the parachute that would have been used for the descent to Venus had somehow deployed over its half-century in space.
We might have been onto something
, as astrophotographer Ralf Vanderburgh has taken some pictures of the spacecraft that seem to show a structure connected to and trailing behind it. The chute is probably in pretty bad shape after 50 years of UV torture, but how cool is that?
Parachute or not, chances are good that the 495-kilogram spacecraft, built to not only land on Venus but to survive the heat, pressure, and corrosive effects of the hellish planet’s atmosphere, will at least partially survive reentry into Earth’s more welcoming environs. That’s a good news, bad news thing: good news that we might be able to recover a priceless artifact of late-Cold War space technology, bad news to anyone on the surface near where this thing lands. If Kosmos 482 does manage to do some damage, it won’t be the first time. Shortly after launch, pieces of titanium rained down on New Zealand after the probe’s booster failed to send it on its way to Venus, damaging crops and starting some fires. The Soviets, ever secretive about their space exploits until they could claim complete success, disavowed the debris and denied responsibility for it. That made
the farmers whose fields they fell in the rightful owners
, which is also pretty cool. We doubt that the long-lost Kosmos lander will get the same treatment, but it would be nice if it did.
Also of note in the news this week is a brief clip of
a Unitree humanoid robot going absolutely ham
during a demonstration — demo-hell, amiright? Potential danger to the nearby engineers notwithstanding, the footage is pretty hilarious. The demo, with a robot hanging from a hoist in a crowded lab, starts out calmly enough, but goes downhill quickly as the robot starts flailing its arms around. We’d say the movements were uncontrolled, but there are points where the robot really seems to be chasing the engineer and taking deliberate swipes at the poor guy, who was probably just trying to get to the e-stop switch. We know that’s probably just the anthropomorphization talking, but it sure looks like the bot had a beef to settle. You be the judge.
Also from China comes a report of
“reverse ATMs” that accept gold and turn it into cash on the spot
(apologies for yet another social media link, but that’s where the stories are these days). The machine shown has a hopper into which customers can load their unwanted jewelry, after which it is reportedly melted down and assayed for purity. The funds are then directly credited to the customer’s account electronically. We’re not sure we fully believe this — thinking about the various failure modes of one of those fresh-brewed coffee machines, we shudder to think about the consequences of a machine with a 1,000°C furnace built into it. We also can’t help but wonder how the machine assays the scrap gold — X-ray fluorescence? Ramann spectroscopy? Also, what happens to the unlucky customer who puts some jewelry in that they thought was real gold, only to be told by the machine that it wasn’t? Do they just get their stuff back as a molten blob? The mind boggles.
And finally, the European Space Agency has released
a stunning new image of the Sun
. Captured by their Solar Orbiter spacecraft in March from about 77 million kilometers away, the mosaic is composed of about 200 images from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager. The Sun was looking particularly good that day, with filaments, active regions, prominences, and coronal loops in evidence, along with the ethereal beauty of the Sun’s atmosphere. The image is said to be the most detailed view of the Sun yet taken, and needs to be seen in full resolution to be appreciated. Click on the image below and zoom to your heart’s content.
| 14
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124507",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T00:13:30",
"content": "Kosmom 482 looks kind of like a sperm",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124511",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T00:23:58",
"content": "It’s going to be so disappointed when it finds out about the Soviet Union.",
"parent_id": "8124507",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124540",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T03:33:48",
"content": "I can’t be the only one to see a face in that sun, right?!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124543",
"author": "Snarkenstein",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T04:13:20",
"content": "Well, NOW you’re not!",
"parent_id": "8124540",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124546",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T04:52:19",
"content": "And it sure isn’t a happy face…",
"parent_id": "8124540",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124806",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:17:37",
"content": "You were not.",
"parent_id": "8124540",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125389",
"author": "Yurisan Del Sol",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T16:45:31",
"content": "Emogi-like face, yes :)",
"parent_id": "8124540",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124545",
"author": "Then",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T04:38:09",
"content": "What does “good seeing” mean in the kosmos pics?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124550",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T05:13:12",
"content": "It’s the viewing conditions the photos were taken in. Clear skies, low atmospheric distortion, yada yada.",
"parent_id": "8124545",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124552",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T05:17:43",
"content": "Those “ATMs” are a scam. Oh, it probably does what it says on the tin, but those things never return anything near market rates. Also, it seems like a perfect place to fence your stolen goods…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8136814",
"author": "Then",
"timestamp": "2025-06-09T11:51:25",
"content": "There are thousand of these in Shanghai for trash. One can will give you about 0.001 usd.",
"parent_id": "8124552",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124652",
"author": "FEW",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T13:29:29",
"content": "XRF could work well enough for identifying gold… but Raman spectroscopy is a vibrational spectroscopy method, and wouldn’t give a spectrum for metallic gold. Maybe you’re thinking of SERS, where gold nano-particles cause an enhancement of signal from nearby molecules due to plasmon resonance or electronic field structural enhancement.Those ATMs don’t sound like a great thing for the user. Thanks for the interesting stories as usual!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125426",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T18:58:45",
"content": "I have heard that XRF often confuses gold for tungsten. Would probably have trouble melting it though.",
"parent_id": "8124652",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124796",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:10:31",
"content": "Robot just wants to play on those hand drums in the background (UFO shaped things).Why all Ai robots need a radio based kill switch.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.596451
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/04/all-band-radio-records-signals-plays-mp3s/
|
All-Band Radio Records Signals, Plays MP3s
|
Tyler August
|
[
"Radio Hacks"
] |
[
"AM/FM",
"audio",
"dsPic",
"longwave",
"medium-wave",
"mp3",
"radio",
"shortwave"
] |
In these days of everything-streaming, it’s great to see an old school radio build. It’s even better when it’s not old-school at all, but packed full of modern ICs and driven by a micro-controller like the dsPIC in [Minh Danh]’s dsMP3 build. Best of all is when we get enough details that the author needs two blog posts —
one for hardware
, and
one for firmware
— like [Minh Danh] has done.
This build does it all: radio, MP3 playback, and records incoming signals. The radio portion of the build is driven by an Si4735, which allows for receiving both in FM and AM — with all the AM bands, SW, MW and LW available. The FM section does support RDS, though because [Minh Danh] ran out of pins on the dsPIC, isn’t the perfect implementation.
Just look at that thru-hole goodness.
The audio section is a good intro to audio engineering if you’ve never done a project like this: he’s using a TDA1308 for headphones, which feeds into a NS8002 to drive some hefty stereo speakers– and he tells you
why
he selected those chips, as well as providing broken-out schematics for each. Really, we can’t say enough good things about this project’s documentation.
That’s before we get to the firmware, where he tells us how he manages to get the dsPIC to read out MP3s from a USB drive, and write WAVs to it. One very interesting detail is how he used the dsPIC’s ample analog inputs to handle the front panel buttons on this radio: a resistor ladder. It’s a great solution in a project that’s full of them.
Of course we’ve seen
radio receivers before
, and
plenty of MP3 players
, too — but this might be the first time we’ve seen an electronic Swiss army knife with all these features, and we’re very glad [Minh Danh] shared it with us.
| 10
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124556",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T05:54:28",
"content": "Considering the dsPIC family hasn’t been properly supported in over 7 years, I’d say it is pretty old school.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125406",
"author": "floofin",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T17:40:53",
"content": "Last dsPIC compiler update is from February 2025, IDE supporting this dsPIC is from March 2025. It well alive and supported.",
"parent_id": "8124556",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124577",
"author": "Heind",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T08:24:22",
"content": "Nice build, the beeps would drive me mad though!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124629",
"author": "Mark Topham",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T12:02:04",
"content": "I’m pretty sure if you can build this you could tweak the beep into a food ack you’d prefer.",
"parent_id": "8124577",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124631",
"author": "Mark Topham",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T12:02:46",
"content": "Feedback you’d prefer. Damn autocorrect ate me lunch",
"parent_id": "8124629",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124715",
"author": "Cheese Whiz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:28:49",
"content": "Although I do like the concept of a “food ACK”, like a belch?",
"parent_id": "8124631",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124746",
"author": "Egghead Larsen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:12:26",
"content": "+10",
"parent_id": "8124715",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125366",
"author": "Eggbert",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T14:48:33",
"content": "Can you program this to decode CQUAM Motorola analog AM stereo broadcasts?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125510",
"author": "mdanh2002",
"timestamp": "2025-05-08T02:13:19",
"content": "Minh Danh (ToughDev) here. Even in its heyday, AM stereo was never really popular outside of North America, Brazil, Japan and maybe Australia. I don’t know of any hobbyist-friendly component that can decrypt AM stereo signals nowadays. The Si4735 does not support AM stereo (FM stereo is supported).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142871",
"author": "14RC185",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T03:21:06",
"content": "Merci pour cet article passionnant ! Voir le dsMP3 de Minh Danh allier radio AM/SW/FM, enregistrement de signaux et lecture MP3 dans un seul montage, c’est vraiment bluffant. Bravo pour la qualité du build et la richesse de la doc 👏En tant que passionné de radio et opérateur de Radio-DX.com, je ne peux qu’apprécier ce genre de projet qui pousse la passion encore plus loin !",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.430258
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/04/pcb-renewal-aims-to-make-old-boards-useful-again/
|
PCB Renewal Aims To Make Old Boards Useful Again
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"PCB Hacks"
] |
[
"KiCAD",
"reuse"
] |
We’ve all made a few bad PCBs in our time. Sometimes they’re recoverable, and a few bodge wires will make ’em good. Sometimes they’re too far gone and we have to start again. But what if you could take an existing PCB, make a few mods, and turn it into the one you really want? That’s what “PCB Renewal” aims to do, as per the
research paper from [Huaishu Peng] and the research group at the University of Maryland
.
The plugin quantifies resource and time savings made by reusing an old board.
The concept is straightforward — PCB Renewal exists as a
KiCad plugin
that can analyze the differences between the PCB you have and the one you really want. Assuming they’re similar enough, it will generate toolpaths to modify the board with milling and epoxy deposition to create the traces you need out of the board you already have.
Obviously, there are limitations. You’ll never turn a PlayStation motherboard into something you could drop into an Xbox with a tool like this. Instead, it’s more about gradual modifications. Say you need to correct a couple of misplaced traces or missing grounds, or you want to swap one microcontroller for a similar unit on your existing board. Rather than making brand new PCBs, you could modify the ones you already have.
Of course, it’s worth noting that if you already have the hardware to do epoxy deposition and milling, you could probably just make new PCBs whenever you need them. However, PCB Renewal lets you save resources by not manufacturing new boards when you don’t have to.
We’ve seen work from [Huaishu Peng]’s research group before, too, in the form of
an innovative “solderless PCB”
.
| 13
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124410",
"author": "suhwan hong",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T17:47:16",
"content": "Good job to Zeyu & Advait, cool seeing our lab being featured on one of my favorite websites :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124413",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T17:51:27",
"content": "I’m sorry but this is just silly",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124442",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T19:34:04",
"content": "This might be useful in some highly specific situations but in general putting effort into modifying PCBs isn’t work it. However, if the deposition machine can be miniaturized then it might be useful for modifying a PCB for espionage reasons.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124638",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T12:27:26",
"content": "There’s literally an entire industry out there that disagrees with you.Getting PCBs reworked is surprisingly cheap: I screwed up an FPGA design that required removing a BGA, cutting a trace, and wiring a new trace to a previously unconnected pad.Got a quote for it. About $300/board in single qty. Way, way cheaper than another assembly run.Just depends. I’ve probably done some small amount of ECOs on every board I’ve done over the past year, just because I’ve been overloaded and fixing small stuff is faster than making sure everything is perfect.",
"parent_id": "8124442",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124451",
"author": "Le Roux Bodenstein",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T20:14:07",
"content": "I am finding it really hard to come up with situations where this might be useful. Maybe a useful research direction would be to look into improved ways to recycle the material in boards, like getting the copper back out and finding uses for the FR4 substrate.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124467",
"author": "Oliver",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T21:25:38",
"content": "I’d reccon the fabhouses already do this when they etch away the copper they surely must re-use it? I think I read about the possibility anyway. If so, throw in your scrap and bob’s you uncle …",
"parent_id": "8124451",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124493",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T22:38:42",
"content": "Seems like it sound be reasonably possible at an industrial level to cycle directly back into board manufacturing, but of course you would have to get someone to sink the cost of making that integration. And that might be closer to the actual purpose of this research, pointing at the waste",
"parent_id": "8124451",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124605",
"author": "RST000",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T10:40:33",
"content": "Usefulness aside, it’s quite creative in my opinion. I feel like finding an application may require the same sort of abstract thinking.",
"parent_id": "8124451",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124470",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T21:34:59",
"content": "$50/mL for that conductive “epoxy” (actually “ink”, according to the vendor) though… Ouch.Really limits the application space.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124536",
"author": "NFM",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T02:53:18",
"content": "Yeah, when I can click my mouse a few times and order another set of 100mm x 100mm boards from China, shipped for less than $20, I’m not going to be wasting time trying to rework bad boards on the off chance they can be coerced into operation with a bunch of bodges.Especially at that price for the conductive epoxy.Neat idea though, maybe it will lead to a discovery or technique that is more useful.",
"parent_id": "8124470",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124877",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T01:59:16",
"content": "“I’m not going to be wasting time trying to rework bad boards”There’s no reason you have to do this with bare boards. Could be a fully-assembled board you pull off components from a section of the board.Ain’t $20 in that case.",
"parent_id": "8124536",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124518",
"author": "None",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T01:10:43",
"content": "with so cheap which is the cost of pcb from china vendors it not worth it. disposal the bad and order a new one.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125037",
"author": "rolenthedeep",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T16:05:04",
"content": "While the actual technique of automated PCB rework shown doesn’t seem to be of any practical use, the analysis could be pretty useful.It would be pretty useful to have a program to compute ideal bodges in small-run production. It’s mildly annoying to comb through the PCB to find a good spot to cut a trace or attach a jumper or wedge in a new component. It’s not hard, but it takes time. It’d be really cool if I could make a change to my schematic and it suggested how best to alter existing boards to match.I think many of us have reused boards that are “close enough”, like some custom microcontroller board but you put different peripherals down and reroute some traces by hand. It’d be a lot easier if your computer could generate a list of required changes for you.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.746201
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/04/electric-catamaran-sails-high-seas-of-inland-canada/
|
Electric Catamaran Sails High Seas Of Inland Canada
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"green hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] |
[
"boat",
"catamaran",
"electric",
"plans",
"solar",
"woodworking"
] |
There are a number of plans for DIY boats available online, so [Phil] went in search of one for a custom catamaran to travel the inland waterways of Canada. But none of the plans he found had options for electric motors so he modified one popular plan to include not only that, but plenty of other unique features as well
throughout a long series of videos
.
This isn’t [Phil]’s first electric boat, either. His first was a monohull with a long canopy above, providing shade for the occupants and a platform to mount solar panels. But that one was top heavy and unstable, so he pivoted to this catamaran design instead which has the perk of not only stability but a small draft. The plans were modified to use a similar propulsion system, though, but mounting the heavy panels on the roof of this boat was much less problematic. The roof itself retracts, and also includes some mosquito netting to enclose the cabin. He’s also added a head which is situated inside one of the hulls and has doors which fit into the retractable roof structure as well.
For navigating the peaceful inland waterways of Canada like the famous Rideau Canal, the Trent Severn Waterway which [Phil] frequents, or even quiet Ontario lake towns like
Bobcaygeon
we can’t imagine a better way to go that a peaceful, small electric boat like this one.
As summer rolls around in the northern hemisphere we’ll hope to see other solar electric boats like these out on the water, like this
smaller electric-assisted kayak
or
this much larger solar electric houseboat
.
| 4
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124436",
"author": "mip",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T18:52:35",
"content": "At Boote-Forum there are also project logs of people having built a B Kohler design.One person sadly passed away during his built, but there are two projects which are thriving.Seehttps://www.boote-forum.de/showthread.php?t=260166andhttps://www.boote-forum.de/showthread.php?t=270028",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124496",
"author": "Matt Cramer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T23:13:07",
"content": "We have a lake nearby where only electric and muscle power is allowed (you could theoretically bring a sailboat, but the trees block most of the wind). I towed around it a lot during 2020 in a rubber raft. Bringing this would definitely raise a few eyebrows. It’s way bigger than anything I’ve seen on that lake.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124667",
"author": "DerAxeman",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:13:11",
"content": "Anybody remember the saying electricity and water are a bad combination?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8132807",
"author": "BradCon Electrical Services Inc.",
"timestamp": "2025-05-28T03:49:14",
"content": "Such exciting innovation! Seeing electric catamarans navigate Canada’s inland waters shows how clean tech is transforming boating. It’s inspiring to watch sustainable solutions take the lead—can’t wait to see more eco-friendly vessels on the water!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,557.634851
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/knowing-whats-possible/
|
Knowing What’s Possible
|
Elliot Williams
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants",
"Slider"
] |
[
"creativity",
"examples",
"hackaday",
"ideas",
"possible"
] |
Dan Maloney and I were talking on the podcast about his memories of the old electronics magazines, and how they had some gonzo projects in them. One,
a DIY picture phone from the 1980s
, was a monster build of a hundred ICs that also required you to own a TV camera. At that time, the idea of being able to see someone while talking to them on the phone was pure science fiction, and here was a version of that which you could build yourself.
Still, we have to wonder how many of these were ever built. The project itself was difficult and expensive, but you actually have to multiply that by two if you want to talk with someone else. And then you have to turn your respective living rooms into TV studios. It wasn’t the most practical of projects.
But amazing projects did something in the old magazines that we take a little bit for granted today: they showed what was possible. And if you want to create something new, you’re not necessarily going to know how to do it, but just the idea that it’s possible at all is often enough to give a motivated hacker the drive to make it real.
As skateboard hero Rodney Mullen put it
, “the biggest obstacle to creativity is breaking through the barrier of disbelief”.
In the skating world, it’s seeing someone else do a trick in a video that lets you know that it’s possible, and then you can make it your own. In our world, in prehistoric times, it was these electronics magazines that showed you what was possible. In the present, it’s all over the Internet, and all over Hackaday. So when you see someone’s amazing project, even if you aren’t necessarily into it, or maybe don’t even fully understand it, your horizons of what’s possible are nonetheless expanded, and that helps us all be more creative.
Keep on pushing!
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
!
| 13
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124047",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:32:16",
"content": "I really like these “Perspectives” style articles. I hope the HaD team keeps making them. They are either encouraging, and thought or discussion provoking.A big part of what we do as hackers is see what is possible, either on a personal level, a budget level, or a technological level. It can also be a form of play, or art though. I commend the hackers pushing the limits toward science fiction, but I absolutely love projects that have personality or a creative twist.The recent and goofy type writer post helped me solve a serious problem in an interesting and otherwise extremely cost prohibitive system. A lot of people didn’t like the video due to the colorful personality, but a solution to a different problem hit me like a wave while watching it. I am actually going for it – the theory checks out! Seeing examples of people thinking differently about a technological challenge, even if the source of inspiration is impractical or not immediately useful enriches me. These goofy things open up mental pathways for me to see solutions to real problems and play with the unknown more confidently.For many systems we have taken a wrong turn. Or maybe in some cases a practical turn due to barriers that existed 50 years ago that no longer exist. Creating something from sci-fi is profound. But the first step is creating the sci-fi! A lot of sci-fi ended up being just for fun, sure it’s impressive when its fathomable, but the unfathomable suspended disbelief is the pool this all grew from.Many of our greatest discoveries/inventions came from accidents, someone doing something objectively stupid at the right place and time, someone saying screw you to their rigid professor, a strange collaboration across technical disciplines, a “dirty-trick”/”cheap-hack”, a dream, etc.I wrote all of this to request that we celebrate the cutting edge, but also, the weird and wacky. They are an ouroboros for me. Everyone has something to offer, and it is our co-creative spirit that drives all these things toward progress.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124083",
"author": "aleksclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:35:27",
"content": "I am totally in agreement with the benefits of celebrating and exploring the wild and wacky! I suspect some of the pushback comes from dishonest representation though, and I think that is equally valid. It’s one thing for me to tell you about the time when I decided to try to mop the kitchen floor by attaching wet mops to my rollerskates, and we can both have a chuckle. It’s quite another for me to post a video “Is this the ultimate mopping hack?” that’s 20 mins long, in an attempt to get some views.On the gripping hand, I’d absolutely watch “here are the 20 ways I tried to solve problem X that didn’t work out” so long as it was relatively respectful of my time – most video content is absolutely lower in content density over time than a blog post with some pictures. That’s honestly why I’ve been reading HaD for well over a decade – I get a few pictures, and a text overview that’s enough to spark the ideas, without having to deal with what passes for “engaging” video content in whatever year.",
"parent_id": "8124047",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124072",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T15:44:23",
"content": "On the matter of “how many were built”, I think there are two answers. Of the non-trivial builds I suspect very few were built by hand, but sometimes quite a lot were built from the board or kit offered for sale (usually right there in the article). For instance, I doubt very many people scratch built Steve Ciarcia’s “Trump Card”, a Z8000 computer on an ISA card for the IBM PC. On the other hand, I imagine at least a few were made using the “partial kit” sold by Sweet Micro Systems. I also think a whole lot more were bought as assembled and tested boards from the same outfit. :-)There was a while in there when I thought Popular Electronics might be in the PC board business.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124110",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T19:40:08",
"content": "yeah and the flip side is true…now that so many ‘hacks’ are obviously not only possible but trivial, viewing them doesn’t change the viewer",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124137",
"author": "Fl.xy",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T22:49:21",
"content": "Wow, this was a really good take, Elliot. I love digging through the old magazines for inspiration. worldradiohistory.com is a wonderful resource for such publications. Predating the 80/90s magazines, Hugo Gernsback produced some incredible works, such as Electrical Experimenter, that are sure to induce nostalgic awe.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124205",
"author": "El Gru",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T06:36:57",
"content": "One part of hacking is using things outside of what the original creators intended the thing to be.Hacking is working beyond the defined possible.",
"parent_id": "8124137",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124207",
"author": "El Gru",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T06:41:12",
"content": "… and the Hackaday comment systems works beyond the expected – randomly attaching replies intended for the main thread to some post.",
"parent_id": "8124205",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124236",
"author": "|•H|a|D•|",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T09:16:49",
"content": "The above reply was pwned by HaD Cr3W using an 0Day from “Now That’s What I Call Exploits – Volume 1”#+-“,. HaD Cr3W 2025, ExPecTorAtE uS .,“-+#",
"parent_id": "8124207",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124193",
"author": "Ian Mackereth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:53:15",
"content": "I had a friend who’d ask me to explain tech things when I was drunk. I’d free-associate the details I didn’t know and was right more often than I would’ve been sober. He thought it’d be interesting to ask me to explain how not-yet-existent things worked, then patent the results. I must check to see how his fusion-powered flying car company is doing…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124368",
"author": "metalman",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T15:39:38",
"content": "knowing whats possible is a good start, it’s trickier cousin is knowing what is implimentableand of course actualy starting somewhere….anywhere…and building momentum is how the possible gets donepragmatism is your BFF",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124723",
"author": "BigBadSubaru",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T16:38:34",
"content": "When I was in high school in the late 90s I stumbled across some old Electronics Now magazines my electronics teacher had stashed away, from the early 90s. In the stack was an article spanning several issues going over the build of the “Lawn Ranger” which was a robotic lawnmower. You would mow around the edge of the lawn as well as around any obstacles such as trees, and then the robot used a row of IR LEDs and phototransistors to follow the cut edge. You would either use a normal mower to mow the edge, or there was an additional control box you could build and steer the robot around the lawn.It used I believe a Z80 CPU, and although it had a full bill of materials, you had to either buy a pre-programmed EPROM from a listed company, or you had to download an image from a BBS and burn it to your own chip. I wasn’t able to locate the company, the BBS was long gone, and Electronics Now didn’t have a copy of the file on their BBS or FTP site :( but since I was in the third-year advanced electronics class, among other things we used the parallel port on old computers (I had an IBM XT clone, 8088 with an 8MB RAM expansion card that was the entire length of the case and a 25MB hard drive) through an isolation board to control motors and read from sensors and such. So I worked out how to use the parallel port to do what the onboard controller would have done, only problem was this was 1999 and aside from some limited BASIC stamps, microcontrollers barely existed, and single-board computers that would run off a battery were either a laptop ($$$$$ even for an ancient one) or some industrial stuff that was also $$$$$$$ so I decided to try to do it with a Commodore 64 instead, but didn’t quite get the Commodore BASIC stuff learned in time to build anything. I Still have the magazines somewhere and have often considered what it might take to build a better-working modern version using an Arduino or a Pi Pico to control it…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125449",
"author": "KC",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T20:39:39",
"content": "One of the billionaires trying to revive the airships made a comment during an interview that has always stuck with me. Can’t find the exact quote but it was something along the lines of “We don’t hire experienced engineers because they haven’t learned what’s impossible yet.”I think of that quote every time I hear some industry dinosaur say “its just not done that way because reasons…”. Engineering principles are great foundational data sets, but they shouldn’t be used to box in imagination. Burt Rutan is the perfect example of this.That said, the OceanGate Titan submersible is an excellent example of when principles are flatly ignored.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8133455",
"author": "AeroEng",
"timestamp": "2025-05-30T02:27:54",
"content": "Speaking of Rutan, that’s exactly why Scaled Composites mostly hires new grad engineers. I was hired there 13 years ago as a new grad. I am so thankful that that was my first job rather than somewhere like Northrop (despite the fact that Northrop owns Scaled, they generally let Scaled operate as an independent entity).",
"parent_id": "8125449",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,557.69017
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/getting-started-with-attiny-configurable-custom-logic-ccl/
|
Getting Started With ATtiny Configurable Custom Logic (CCL)
|
John Elliot V
|
[
"ATtiny Hacks",
"hardware"
] |
[
"attiny",
"ccl",
"CIP",
"Configurable Custom Logic",
"core independent peripherals",
"tinyAVR"
] |
In the Microchip tinyAVR {0,1,2}-series we see Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) among the Core Independent Peripherals (CIP) available on the chip. In this YouTube video [Grug Huhler] shows us
how to make your own digital logic in hardware using the ATtiny CCL peripheral
.
If you have spare pins on your tinyAVR micro you can use them with the CCL for “glue logic” and save on your bill of materials (BOM) cost. The CCL can do simple to moderately complex logic, and it does it without the need for support from the processor core, which is why it’s called a core independent peripheral. A good place to learn about the CCL capabilities in these tinyAVR series is
Microchip Technical Brief TB3218: Getting Started with Configurable Custom Logic (CCL)
or if you need more information see a datasheet, such as the
ATtiny3226 datasheet
mentioned in the video.
A tinyAVR micro will have one or two CCL peripherals depending on the series. The heart of the CCL hardware are two Lookup Tables (LUTs). Each LUT can map any three binary inputs into one binary output. This allows each LUT to be programmed with one byte as simple 2-input or 3-input logic, such as NOT, AND, OR, XOR, etc. Each LUT output can optionally be piped through a Filter/Sync function, an Edge Detector, and a Sequencer (always from the lower numbered LUT in the pair). It is also possible to mask-out LUT inputs.
In
the source code that accompanies the video
[Grug] includes a demonstration of a three input AND gate, an SR Latch using the sequencer, an SR Latch using feedback, and a filter/sync and edge detection circuit. The Arduino library [Grug] uses is
Logic.h
from
megaTinyCore
.
We have covered CIP and CCL technology here on Hackaday before, such as back when we showed you
how to use an AVR microcontroller to make a switching regulator
.
| 20
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124019",
"author": "Tim Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:08:56",
"content": "I haven’t done many projects with it yet, but it seems to do what it says on the box. Some highlights:Peak current mode SMPS (make a flip-flop, combine with high speed comparator, DAC for peak current setpoint)Hardware-adjacent (I mean, it still needs software setup) on/off function, fault/safety latch, etc.; masking timer outputs for power control, SMPS, motor drive, etc.Sigma-delta ADC receiver (sample the input on a divided clock, count interval with one timer, count positive samples with another timer via Event system; and some holdoff/blanking to get the count exact, no over/under around start/finish)External analog delay (timer, comparator, Events) to trigger ADC, make an equivalent-time sampling ADC (spoiler, the XMEGA+ ADCs only have a few MHz analog bandwidth, you’ll have to add an external low-aperture sampler to do more)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124025",
"author": "John Elliot V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:21:16",
"content": "Nice one. Thanks Tim!",
"parent_id": "8124019",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124092",
"author": "Maes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T17:06:54",
"content": "One thing I couldn’t find in hardware is if timer interrupts have to be cleared in software when using said interrupts as inputs to the CCL blocks or if they self-clear.Piping a TimerB in 16-bit mode to a plain toggle flip-flop would make an easy 16-bit tone generator instead of the more common arduino library implementation with an 8-bit period and 8-bit compare value set at half the period.",
"parent_id": "8124019",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124093",
"author": "Maes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T17:08:29",
"content": "Can’t edit post; meant ‘couldn’t find in the datasheet or tech brief’, not ‘couldn’t find in hardware’",
"parent_id": "8124092",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124023",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:18:20",
"content": "I really wish more microcontrollers had a small amount of configurable logic like this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124026",
"author": "John Elliot V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:29:07",
"content": "On-chip custom logic is increasingly common. Microchip picked up the CCL tech when it acquired Atmel then integrated it into its AVR line. For PIC micros similar features are available with Configurable Logic Cell (CLC) and Configurable Logic Block (CLB) tech.",
"parent_id": "8124023",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124045",
"author": "D VB",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:30:42",
"content": "CLB is similar to CCL. But CLC are far more limited (but also easier to use)",
"parent_id": "8124026",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124383",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:15:19",
"content": "CLBs and CLCs have proper timing spec’d in the datasheets as well, even if most of them are typical. They’re slow but not insanely slow. You can get them to 30 ns in/out (which is, y’know, painful, but not absurd).My instinct is that the CCLs have to be far worse, because the I/O’s are just slower on the AVRs (~10+ ns slew rate).",
"parent_id": "8124045",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124089",
"author": "Maes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:59:38",
"content": "There’s also the Cypress/Infineon PSoCs that have a LOT of configurable logic built-in, including a good chunk of configurable analog circuitry, but they’re less beginner-friendly than Attiny parts.",
"parent_id": "8124023",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124112",
"author": "fiddlingjunky",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T19:50:25",
"content": "I think we’ll be seeing it more and more, especially after how successful the RP2040’s PIO has been. It’s a relatively silicon cheap way allow people to offload a ton of grunt work from the processing core(s).",
"parent_id": "8124023",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124043",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:27:01",
"content": "Well you could technically do the same with any MCU with a large enough eepromBasically use it like a cpld or oldDepends how the CPU core can access and pass data to eeprom, basically include custom glue logic there, possibly add a few new hardware instructions or speed up existing onesIf you use the eeprom at a lut or truth table and not just to remember something, set address (data input) then Based on that get some data on the output data lines, and sometimes contention of the data lines can be useful, write All FF and let eeprom pull low simply polling addresses on eeprom, can be faster than using a CPU instruction, increment a counter can take fewer clock cycles instead of a more complicated instruction",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124048",
"author": "John Elliot V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:32:56",
"content": "That’s a fun idea. I’m going to put on my TODO list to compare performance of CCL LUT with EEPROM LUT.",
"parent_id": "8124043",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124050",
"author": "John Elliot V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:36:26",
"content": "My initial research suggests that the EEPROM method will be in the order of 4x to 12x slower than CCL.",
"parent_id": "8124048",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124076",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:04:28",
"content": "Where did you findanyinfo on the CCL’s propagation delays? Or are you just looking at if it’s clocked?",
"parent_id": "8124050",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124079",
"author": "John Elliot V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:20:30",
"content": "I asked ChatGPT:https://chatgpt.com/share/68164198-6788-8006-8b69-7a9338d04a8fThe numbers passed the sniff test. I will do more research and experimentation when time allows.",
"parent_id": "8124076",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124097",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T17:42:35",
"content": "I mean, they might pass the sniff test, but if you keep asking, you’ll find that it just made $#!+ up.“The propagation delay of the Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) Look-Up Tables (LUTs) is not explicitly specified in the ATtiny1614/1616/1617 datasheet. However, based on the general characteristics of the CCL module, the LUTs have a typical propagation delay of approximately 50 nanoseconds. ”then after asking it where it got this number from, you get (after ‘I guessed based on the fact that some other dude said PICs have a similar prop delay’)” Experimental observationsDevelopers who’ve benchmarked pin-to-pin propagation (e.g., input pin through CCL to output pin) have observed changes on the output pin within ~50–60 ns after the input edge — using logic analyzers or oscilloscopes.”followed by:“I apologize for any confusion earlier. Upon further review, I have not found specific instances where developers have benchmarked pin-to-pin propagation delays in the Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) of AVR microcontrollers. ”It also then bafflingly suggested (my favorite!) “For example, even basic gates (like AND/OR/NOT) in other digital logic circuits on similar CMOS processes (like those in CPLDs or low-end FPGAs) often have similar timing characteristics (tens of nanoseconds).”apparently ChatGPT is like, living 30 years in the pastObviously you can figure out the propagation delay if it’ssynchronousbut if you’re just trying to use it to replace, say, a multiplexer, you need to know the in/out propagation time with everything in bypass.so the correct answer is????sigh.",
"parent_id": "8124076",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124098",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T18:00:45",
"content": "Just to be clear, the reason I’m asking is simple:Tonsof CPLDs are becoming obsolete and no longer manufactured. CPLDs in general (because of their structure) have much more consistent in->out delays, typically 7 nanoseconds or less (lol chatgpt). FPGAs can be a bit longer if you choose the in/out pins poorly, but if they’re adjacent (in the fabric, not the actual pins) it’s going to be sub-10 ns.Even a CPLD though is stupidly overkill if you just want to replace, say, 3 muxes and an and gate or something dumb. Renesas has these “GreenPAK” devices they call ‘SPLDs’ which I originally thought were justperfectfor this. Stupidly bought them and tried using it… and promptly found the prop delays were O(50-100 ns). Making them near useless to replace single-gate logic with prop delays of 2-3 ns, and nowhere near capable enough to replace the CPLDs.Semtech used to have these I2C GPIO expanders which had cheapo “PLD” functionality as well (probably used for keyboard matrix processing, etc.) – they’re no longer manufactured, but I had some. Except… prop delays of 25 to500nanoseconds (from voltage ranges).But at least those guysgaveprop delays. Sigh.",
"parent_id": "8124076",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124099",
"author": "John Elliot V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T18:03:28",
"content": "Yeah there’s some hand waving involved. If you want ballpark numbers see t_pd in e.g. here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7400-series_integrated_circuits#FamiliesIn the context of those numbers ChatGPT’s claim that basic LUT operations are ~50ns seems to stack. Also that the CCL is faster than the processor core and EEPROM stacks with my intuition. If you want exact numbers I don’t know where to find them (yet) and I haven’t got any experimental results (yet).",
"parent_id": "8124076",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124100",
"author": "John Elliot V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T18:09:42",
"content": "FWIW, I understand your frustration at not having clear t_pd for CCL features in the datasheets. In the absence of a spec we’d need to do some experiments.",
"parent_id": "8124076",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124104",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T18:30:36",
"content": "No, that’s what I mean. Tpd for a basic logic gate in any remotely modern CMOS is sub-10ns (ok the Schmitts are above that but that’s the Schmitt).Honestly speaking I don’t understand how they get 50 ns async delays in a modern process. I mean, theydoon some of these guys, but hell if I know how.",
"parent_id": "8124076",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,557.866766
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/03/ratcheting-mechanism-gives-tendons-a-tug/
|
Ratcheting Mechanism Gives Tendons A Tug
|
Ian Bos
|
[
"Medical Hacks"
] |
[
"arduino",
"biomechanics",
"biomedical engineering",
"chicken",
"Cutting and Machining"
] |
A common ratchet from your garage may work wonders for tightening hard to reach bolts on whatever everyday projects around the house. However, those over at [Chronova Engineering] had a particularly unusual project where a special ratchet mechanism needed to be developed. And developed it was, an absolutely beautiful machining job is done to create a
ratcheting actuator for tendon pulling
. Yes, this mechanical steampunk-esk ratchet is meant for yanking on the fleshy strings found in all of us.
The unique mechanism is necessary because of the requirement for bidirectional actuation for bio-mechanics research. Tendons are meant to be pulled and released to measure the movement of the fingers or toes. This is then compared with the distance pulled from the actuator. Hopefully, this method of actuation measurement may help doctors and surgeons treat people with impairments, though in this particular case the “patient” is a chicken’s foot.
Blurred for viewing ease
Manufacturing the mechanism itself consisted of a multitude of watch lathe operations and pantographed patterns. A mixture of custom and commercial screws are used in combination with a peg gear, cams, and a high performance servo to complete the complex ratchet. With simple control from an Arduino, the system completes its use case very effectively.
In all the actuator is an incredible piece of machining ability with one of the least expected use cases. The original public listed video chose to not show the chicken foot itself due to fear of the YouTube overlords.
If you wish to see the actuator in proper action check out the uncensored and
unlisted video here
.
Thanks to [DjBiohazard] on our
Discord server
tips-line!
| 3
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123956",
"author": "Naxes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T08:16:27",
"content": "I’m starting to think my YouTube recommendations algorithm moonlights for Hackaday.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123985",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T11:19:34",
"content": "I know what you mean. It’s weird how often I’ll watch a video and then later see it on Hackaday.",
"parent_id": "8123956",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124198",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T05:40:29",
"content": "+1I am having deja vu moments seeing stuff on HaD one or two weeks later and asking myself: “didn’t HaD already got this already?”.",
"parent_id": "8123956",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,557.914086
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/a-neat-e-paper-digit-clock-or-four/
|
A Neat E-Paper Digit Clock (or Four)
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"clock hacks"
] |
[
"clock",
"e-paper",
"sprite_tm"
] |
[sprite_tm] had a problem. He needed a clock for the living room, but didn’t want to just buy something off the shelf. In his own words, “It’s an opportunity for a cool project that I’d rather not let go to waste.”
Thus started a project to build a fun e-paper digit clock!
There were several goals for the build from the outset. It had to be battery driven, large enough to be easily readable, and readily visible both during the day and in low-light conditions. It also needed to be low maintenance, and “interesting,” as [sprite_tm] put it. This drove the design towards an e-paper solution. However, large e-paper displays can be a bit pricy. That spawned a creative idea—why not grab four smaller displays and make a clock with separate individual digits instead?
The build description covers the full design, from the ESP32 at the heart of things to odd brownout issues and the old-school Nokia batteries providing the juice. Indeed, [sprite_tm] even went the creative route, making each individual digit of the clock operate largely independently. Each has its own battery, microcontroller, and display. To save battery life, only the hours digit has to spend energy syncing with an NTP time server, and it uses the short-range ESPNow protocol to send time updates to the other digits.
It’s an unconventional clock, to be sure; you could even consider it four clocks in one. Ultimately, though,
that’s what we like in a timepiece here at Hackaday
. Meanwhile, if you’ve come up with a fun and innovative way to tell time, be sure to let us know
on the tipsline!
[Thanks to Maarten Tromp for the tip!]
| 3
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123947",
"author": "Zamorano",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T07:25:36",
"content": "Way cool! One day these displays will be borderless and maybe even have the ability to be wrinkled a bit to make them indistinguishable from real paper.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124052",
"author": "Sammie Gee.",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:41:54",
"content": "Tangentially (ie, not really) related – “… Neither my wife or me wear watches ….” – get a Casio DW-5600 on them ebays for something like $60 including S&H. Lasts if not forever, then long enough. Charge once in the full sunlight, runs for something like 6+ years non-stop on ONE CHARGE. Mine has been running non-stop since 2005 when I bought it. Same watch. Same battery. I only replaced the rubber band that tore apart. Oh, also turn off the signal and the alarm. Unlikely you’ll use either. Obviously, atomic watch that sets itself. Water-safe. If Boulder, CO stations goes offline (unlikely, but it might – various musks have all kinds of wrong ideas), one can program ordinary ESP32 to fetch NTP time signals and broadcast them locally to these atomic watches.Something like that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125062",
"author": "speck",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T17:23:12",
"content": "If all 4 digits are the same electrically, maybe have them take turns fetching from the NTP server to spread the load across all batteries…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.159688
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/a-gentle-introduction-to-impedance-matching/
|
A Gentle Introduction To Impedance Matching
|
Aaron Beckendorf
|
[
"Radio Hacks"
] |
[
"impedance",
"impedance matching",
"smith chart"
] |
Impedance matching is one of the perpetual confusions for new electronics students, and for good reason: the idea that increasing the impedance of a circuit can lead to more power transmission is frighteningly unintuitive at first glance. Even once you understand this, designing a circuit with impedance matching is a tricky task, and it’s here that [Ralph Gable]’s
introduction to impedance matching
is helpful.
The goal of impedance matching is to maximize the amount of power transmitted from a source to a load. In some simple situations, resistance is the only significant component in impedance, and it’s possible to match impedance just by matching resistance. In most situations, though, capacitance and inductance will add a reactive component to the impedance, in which case it becomes necessary to use the complex conjugate for impedance matching.
The video goes over this theory briefly, but it’s real focus is on explaining how to read a Smith chart, an intimidating-looking tool which can be used to calculate impedances. The video covers the basic impedance-only Smith chart, as well as a full-color Smith chart which indicates both impedance and admittance.
This video is the introduction to a planned series on impedance matching, and beyond reading Smith charts, it doesn’t really get into many specifics. However, based on the clear explanations so far, it could be worth waiting for the rest of the series.
If you’re interested in more practical details, we’ve also covered
another example
before.
| 10
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124078",
"author": "BrendaEM",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:17:15",
"content": "I will never feel confident at this, and I seem to have no choice but watch the video. I need some Liquid Courage, first, or something from around the house. I should throw some money at the problem, and get a NanoVNA, and keep messing with it. I could test some copper foil butter files—err distributed elements.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124570",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T07:03:11",
"content": "Right with you there and I’d been been intending to brush up on it all winter. Let us both find the motivation to down a pacifier and sit down with the hardware for a solid evening in the coming months.",
"parent_id": "8124078",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125881",
"author": "Björn",
"timestamp": "2025-05-09T05:51:35",
"content": "I bought the NanoVNA and watched IMSAI guy’s and w2aew videos on the subject. Now I feel at least comfortable around a VNA.But I think this video and the second he have made is a little better on explaining the smith chart. But it can be because I have watched the other videos as well.",
"parent_id": "8124078",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124115",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T20:13:02",
"content": "This, and the videos he says will follow, is important RF information that a lot of radio amateurs lack, as shown by comments under other hackaday articles on things like antennas, transmission lines, and matching networks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124149",
"author": "BrendaEM",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T23:27:32",
"content": "…and after reading my comments, too. Oddly, I have a General Licience, and probably will go back for my extra.The thing to remember is: RF design isn’t black magic–oh no, that’s not quite true:https://youtu.be/eyA2lWQrxwg?si=Q_wTBtW9Gl4-I1eW&t=1011",
"parent_id": "8124115",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124167",
"author": "Alan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T01:25:39",
"content": "Once you have a basic grasp of (antenna) impedance matching, the next topic should be: RF amplifiers.I have an old Motorola data book on microwave transistors, but a modern video would start with a PDF.2 metre ham gear can usually get away with lumped elements to match input and output. For 70cm or higher, this leads into stripline / microstrip design, with pcb tracks acting as impedance matching stubs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124181",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T03:29:55",
"content": "That Swiss guy with the funny accent (his description not mine) has a great few videos on this where he compares real vs counterfeit antennas and goes through smith plots and stuff. I believe he uses a tinyVNA to do so but I could be wrong about that.I still have to revisit this topic from time to time but biggest take away for me is that even a 2-3dB loss is about HALF as much of your power not getting out. Yikes. All the low loss expensive cable means nothing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124297",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T12:50:17",
"content": "I’ve loved Smith charts ever since I was forced to learn how to use them for an electromagnetic compatibility class in EE college. As long as you can understand the math behind it, they’re a very useful tool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125883",
"author": "Björn",
"timestamp": "2025-05-09T05:56:33",
"content": "In this video(and the second one) I think it’s one of the main point that you don’t need to know the mathematics behind the smith chart to use it. The chart is designed so that you don’t need to make lengthy calculations.",
"parent_id": "8124297",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124417",
"author": "wb7ond",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T17:58:00",
"content": "Simsmith is a graphical Smith Chart simulation program that can assist with impedance matching without delving into deep math… You can import your antenna impedance from a simulator like EZNEC and apply matching components. You can also import measurements from your NANOVNA into Simsmith and subtract out the feedline, or experiment with various matching. The new improved Simsmith is called SimNEC…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.119859
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/prusa-mini-nozzle-cam-on-the-cheap/
|
Prusa Mini Nozzle Cam On The Cheap
|
Heidi Ulrich
|
[
"3d Printer hacks",
"digital cameras hacks",
"Lifehacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"camera",
"endoscope",
"endoscope cam",
"Nozzle",
"nozzle camera",
"PETG",
"prusa",
"Prusa Mini",
"usb"
] |
Let me throw in a curveball—watching your 3D print fail in real-time is
so much
more satisfying when you have a crisp, up-close view of the nozzle drama. That’s exactly what [Mellow Labs] delivers in
his latest DIY video
: transforming a generic HD endoscope camera into a purpose-built nozzle cam for the Prusa Mini. The hack blends absurd simplicity with delightful nerdy precision, and comes with a full walkthrough, a printable mount, and just enough bad advice to make it interesting. It’s a must-see for any maker who enjoys solder fumes with their spaghetti monsters.
What makes this build uniquely brilliant is the repurposing of a common USB endoscope camera—a tool normally reserved for inspecting pipes or internal combustion engines. Instead, it’s now spying on molten plastic. The camera gets ripped from its aluminium tomb, upgraded with custom-salvaged LEDs (harvested straight from a dismembered bulb), then wrapped in makeshift heat-shrink and mounted on a custom PETG bracket. [Mellow Labs] even micro-solders in a custom connector just so the camera can be detached post-print. The mount is parametric, thanks to a community contribution.
This is exactly
the sort of hacking to love
—clever, scrappy, informative, and full of personality. For the tinkerers among us who like their camera mounts hot and their resistor math hotter,
this build
is a weekend well spent.
| 2
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123915",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:51:46",
"content": "USB endoscope cameras are also nice for CNC positioning. Very quick and easy way to set zero with about 0.1 mm accuracy – enough for a lot of purposes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124034",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:56:03",
"content": "heh – i’m not a fan of using 3d printers as youtube content creation devices. to put it lightly. at some level i feel like the hack is a social hack — you’re hacking the audience — “made you look”. the neato factor is just the revealed reality that a most impressive productive force can be manipulated into a passive observer.but those cheap endoscopes are amazing! when i was a kid, my dad had a plastic straw from some restaurant, with a small neon bulb hanging out of it. i can still feel the stale masking tape that was holding it together…and we would use that to inspect like the dark corners of a piece of equipment on the workbench. and now i have a whole dang camera with its own headlight, on a flexible stick. just a fantastic development.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.07108
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/smart-speaker-gets-brain-surgery-line-out/
|
Smart Speaker Gets Brain Surgery, Line-Out
|
Tyler August
|
[
"digital audio hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] |
[
"3.5mm audio",
"audio dac",
"smart speaker"
] |
Sometimes you find a commercial product that is almost, but not exactly perfect for your needs. Your choices become: hack together a DIY replacement, or hack the commercial product to do what you need. [Daniel] chose door number two when he realized his Yamaha MusicCast smart speaker was perfect for his particular use case, except for its tragic lack of line out.
A little surgery and a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) breakout board solved that problem.
You can’t hear it in this image, but the headphones work.
[Daniel] first went diving into the datasheet of the Yamaha amplifier chip inside of the speaker, before realizing it did too much DSP for his taste. He did learn that the chip was getting i2s signals from the speaker’s wifi module. That’s a lucky break, since i2s is an open, well-known protocol. [Daniel] had an Adafruit DAC; he only needed to get the i2s signals from the smart speaker’s board to his breakout. That proved to be an adventure, but we’ll let [Daniel] tell the tale on his blog.
After a quick bit of OpenSCAD and 3D printing, the DAC was firmly mounted in its new home. Now [Daniel] has the exact audio-streaming-solution he wanted: Yamaha’s MusicCast, with line out to his own hi-fi.
[Daniel] and hackaday go way back:
we featured his robot lawnmower in 2013.
It’s great to see he’s still hacking. If you’d rather see what’s behind door number one, this
roll-your-own smart speaker
may whet your appetite.
| 4
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123818",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:59:13",
"content": "an adafruit DAC ? what Fruit is it ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123884",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T00:04:07",
"content": "In his write up, he says it’s the PCM5102 I2S DAC breakout.I have fixed the capitalization issue as well, thanks.",
"parent_id": "8123818",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124032",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:49:00",
"content": "man, yamaha and built-in speakers&s….i’ve got a yamaha keyboard (e-piano) that is pretty good all around but its built in amplifier functions as a compressor, it compresses the dynamic range of what you play. so the quiet notes are almost as loud as the loud notes. it’s one of the “digital piano” line, not one of the kids’ toys or portable synths, so it’s a real disappointment. even running it through a $1 garage sale guitar amp with a lot of hiss and distortion improves the artistic expression of the instrument.a real frustrating and apparently continuing lapse in yamaha’s engineering. they get so much right and then put the worst amplifier for the purpose? like, the responsiveness of the action on this piano is impressive, and they went through all of that work to then run it through a compressor in the last stage…wtf",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124203",
"author": "Mark Thompson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T06:32:28",
"content": "Sounds like (ha) a bean counter wanted to save pennies. They’ve probably got engineers crying about thismake a very concise write up of the issue, with data in appendicesinclude solution (ie what they should have done, ideally with an idea of price difference)send to both CEO of Yamaha and of that departmentA reasonable chance that a query from the top gets a change for future models",
"parent_id": "8124032",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,558.265942
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/3d-printed-spirograph-makes-art-out-of-walnut/
|
3D Printed Spirograph Makes Art Out Of Walnut
|
Tyler August
|
[
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"router",
"spirograph",
"woodworking"
] |
Who else remembers Spirograph? When making elaborate spiral doodles, did you ever wish for a much, much bigger version? [Fortress Fine Woodworks] had that thought, and
“slapped a router onto it” to create a gorgeous walnut table.
This printed sanding block was a nice touch.
The video covers not only 3D printing the giant Spirograph, which is the part most of us can easily relate to, but all the woodworking magic that goes into creating a large hardwood table. Assembling the table out of choice lumber from the “rustic” pile is an obvious money-saving move, but there were a lot of other trips and tricks in this video that we were happy to learn from a pro. The 3D printed sanding block he designed was a particularly nice detail; it’s hard to imagine getting all those grooves smoothed out without it.
Certainly this pattern could have been carved with a CNC machine, but there is a certain old school charm in seeing it done (more or less) by hand with the Spirograph jig. [Fortress Fine Woodworks] would have missed out on quite the workout if he’d been using a CNC machine, too, which may or may not be a plus to this method depending on your perspective. Regardless, the finished product is a work of art and worth checking out in the video below.
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time
we’ve seen someone use a Spirograph to mill things.
It’s not the first
giant-scale Spirograph we’ve highlighted, either
. To our knowledge, it’s the first time someone has combined them with
an artful walnut table
.
| 9
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123777",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:11:44",
"content": "They were fun with those multicolor pens.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123779",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:16:48",
"content": "I can’t be friends with anyone who doesn’t understand why someone would do this without using a CNC.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123813",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:48:03",
"content": "I would not go that far. But I did see this video several days or a week ago, and he mentions himself several times that he should have done it on a CNC, but he does not have one (yet). If he does 2 or 3 similar projects to this, he probably gets tired of this and buys a CNC machine anyway.A table like this would have been impressive if it was made 200 years ago, at a time when the only available tools were a hammer and a chisel. And up to some handfuls of years ago it still would have made sense to do this with a spriograph. But now, even though he put many hours into it (how many?) the end result still looks like it’s made with a CNC machine, with little added value (to me).But still, for some people the beauty is in (the effort?) of doing it. Some people make elaborate “paintings” by laying individual grains of sand next to each other, and make beautiful intricate artworks. And as soon as it’s finished they wipe it off the table. (or was this with pencil, those round things, I forgot their name). There is also “diamond painting” which was apparently some kind of rage a few years ago. Such activities are all pretty harmless, and probably more beneficial then playing computer games.",
"parent_id": "8123779",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124753",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T17:23:16",
"content": "I just wish people would stop 3D printing flat stuff. A decent laser cutter would have knocked that out in an hour. Even the much-maligned K40 (of which I have 3) would have done it in under a day.",
"parent_id": "8123813",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123847",
"author": "alex",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:49:08",
"content": "In the interest of being pedantic, he did use a CNC. The CNC (3d printer) made the jig",
"parent_id": "8123779",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123797",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:01:29",
"content": "This is spectacular! I’ve done something similar, albeit with CNC, and cleaning up the little fuzz on the backs of each cut was by quite a bit the most difficult part. His sanding jig is so cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123855",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:07:14",
"content": "My wife’s Gammill longarm quilting machine has an accessory called the “Design Center” that is capable of moving the (motion triggered stitching via x, y encoders) machine around in spirographic patterns, thus quilting in those patterns. It’s pretty cool but certainly not capable of something as big as the subject table. It’s capable of moving a pretty high mass machine around, so could probably move a router. Maybe with an enlarging pantograph setup, I could replicate the table. On the other hand, there’s no way I’m doing that much sanding.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123957",
"author": "Janky Switch",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T08:19:53",
"content": "I love this 🙂It reminds me of Specimens of Fancy Turninghttps://publicdomainreview.org/collection/fancy-turning/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8145097",
"author": "Craig Daymon",
"timestamp": "2025-07-03T21:13:44",
"content": "It has made me think of one thing resulting a distant cousin sort of design. I have turned Saueracker Shells before on the lathe. It would certainly be one such design that would make a great part of a table, or as Lisa Chemerika did in this really stunning wall hanging (the Saueracker Shell being the central disc, not the surround). As a tabletop would mean a very large turning, this may be far safer to do on a CNC though you can find YT videos of large ones being made.https://canadianwoodworking.com/project/turn-a-saueracker-shell/I think she provides enough info to make one yourself, and sufficient to program it on a CNC. Otherwise, Mike Darlow’s 3rd (think it’s the 3rd) book on woodturning explains it",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.313341
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/supercon-2024-turning-talk-into-action/
|
Supercon 2024: Turning Talk Into Action
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"cons",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Slider"
] |
[
"2024 Hackaday Supercon",
"cons",
"talk"
] |
Most of us have some dream project or three that we’d love to make a reality. We bring it up all the time with friends, muse on it at work, and research it during our downtime. But that’s just talk—and it doesn’t actually get the project done!
At the 2024 Hackaday Supercon, Sarah Vollmer made it clear—her presentation is about turning talk into action. It’s about how to overcome all the hurdles that get in the way of achieving your grand project, so you can actually make it a reality. It might sound like a self-help book—and it kind of is—but it’s rooted in the experience of a bonafide maker who’s been there and done that a few times over.
At the outset, Sarah advises us on the value of friends when you’re pursuing a project. At once, they might be your greatest cheerleaders, or full of good ideas. In her case, she also cites several of her contacts in the broader community that have helped her along the way—with a particular shoutout to Randy Glenn, who also gave us
a great Supercon talk last year
on the value of the CAN bus. At the same time, your friends might—with good intentions—lead you in the wrong direction, with help or suggestions that could derail your project. Her advice is to take what’s useful, and politely sidestep or decline what won’t help your project.
Next, Sarah highlights the importance of watching out for foes. “Every dream has your dream crushers,” says Sarah. “It could be you, it could be the things that are being told to you.” Excessive criticism can be crushing, sapping you of the momentum you need to get started. She also relates it to her own experience, where her project faced a major hurdle—the tedious procurement process of a larger organization, and the skepticism around whether she could overcome it. Whatever threatens the progress of your project could be seen as a foe—but the key is knowing
what
is threatening your project.
Sarah’s talk is rooted in her personal experiences across her haptics work and other projects.
The third step Sarah recommends? Finding a way to set goals amidst the chaos. Your initial goals might be messy or vague, but often the end gets clearer as you start moving. “Be clear about what you’re doing so you can keep your eye on the prize,” says Sarah. “No matter what gets in your way, as long as you’re clear about what you’re doing, you can get there.” She talks about how she started with a simple haptics project some years ago. Over the years, she kept iterating and building on what she was trying to do with it, with a clear goal, and made great progress in turn.
Once you’re project is in motion, too, it’s important not to let it get killed by criticism. Cries of “Impossible!” might be hard to ignore, but often, Sarah notes, these brick walls are really problems you create actions items to solve. She also notes the value of using whatever you can to progress towards your goals. She talks about how she was able to parlay a Hackaday article on her work (and her previous 2019 Supercon talk) to help her gain access to an accelerator program to help her start her nascent lab supply business.
Sarah’s previous Hackaday Supercon appearance helped open doors for her work in haptics.
Anyone who has ever worked in a corporate environment will also appreciate Sarah’s advice to avoid the lure of endless planning, which can derail even the best planned project. “Once upon a time I went to meetings, those meetings became meetings about meetings,” she says. “Those meetings about meetings became about planning, they went on for four hours on a Friday, [and] I just stopped going,” Her ultimate dot point? “We don’t talk, talk is cheap, but too much talk is bankrupting.”
“When all else fails, laugh and keep going,” Sarah advises. She provides an example of a 24/7 art installation she worked on that was running across multiple physical spaces spread across the globe. “During the exhibit, China got in a fight with Google,” she says. This derailed plans to use certain cloud buckets to run things, but with good humor and the right attitude, the team were able to persevere and work around what could have been a disaster.
Overall, this talk is a rapid fire crash course in how she pushed her projects on through challenges and hurdles and came out on top. Just beware—if you’re offended by the use of AI art, this one might not be for you. Sarah talks fast and covers a lot of ground in her talk, but if you can keep up and follow along there’s a few kernels of wisdom in there that you might like to take forward.
| 0
| 0
|
[] | 1,760,371,558.443535
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/hackaday-podcast-episode-319-experimental-archaeology-demoscene-oscilloscope-music-and-electronic-memories/
|
Hackaday Podcast Episode 319: Experimental Archaeology, Demoscene Oscilloscope Music, And Electronic Memories
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts",
"Slider"
] |
[
"Hackaday Podcast"
] |
It’s the podcast so nice we recorded it twice! Despite some technical difficulties (note to self: press the record button significantly
before
recording the outro), Elliot and Dan were able to soldier through our rundown of the week’s top hacks.
We kicked things off with a roundup of virtual keyboards for the alternate reality crowd, which begged the question of why you’d even need such a thing. We also looked at a couple of cool demoscene-adjacent projects, such as the ultimate in oscilloscope music and a hybrid knob/jack for eurorack synth modules.
We dialed the Wayback Machine into antiquity to take a look at Clickspring’s take on the origins of precision machining; spoiler alert — you can make gas-tight concentric brass tubing using a bow-driven lathe. There’s a squishy pneumatic robot gripper, an MQTT-enabled random number generator, a feline-friendly digital stethoscope, and a typewriter that’ll make you Dymo label maker jealous.
We’ll also mourn the demise of electronics magazines and ponder how your favorite website fills that gap, and learn why it’s really hard to keep open-source software lean and clean. Short answer: because it’s made by people.
Where to Follow Hackaday Podcast
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
YouTube
Check
out our Libsyn landing page
Download the zero-calorie MP3.
Episode 319 Show Notes:
News:
There’s A Venusian Spacecraft Coming Our Way
You Wouldn’t Steal A Font…
Sigrok Website Down After Hosting Data Loss
What’s that Sound?
Fill out this form for your chance to win
!
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
Weird And Wonderful VR/MR Text Entry Methods, All In One Place
Just a moment…
Clickspring’s Experimental Archaeology: Concentric Thin-Walled Tubing
Amazing Oscilloscope Demo Scores The Win At Revision 2025
osci-render
Tripping On Oscilloshrooms With An Analog Scope
Crossing Commodore Signal Cables On Purpose
Look! It’s A Knob! It’s A Jack! It’s Euroknob!
Robot Gets A DIY Pneumatic Gripper Upgrade
Vastly Improved Servo Control, Now Without Motor Surgery
Remembering Heathkit
Quick Hacks:
Elliot’s Picks
A New And Weird Kind Of Typewriter
Terminal DAW Does It In Style
Comparing ‘AI’ For Basic Plant Care With Human Brown Thumbs
Dan’s Picks:
Quantum Random Number Generator Squirts Out Numbers Via MQTT
Onkyo Receiver Saved With An ESP32
Quick And Easy Digital Stethoscope Keeps Tabs On Cat
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Libogc Allegations Rock Wii Homebrew Community
The DIY 1982 Picture Phone
| 4
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8124109",
"author": "Greg",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T19:18:28",
"content": "It would be cool if you could add the link to the show notes in the podcast description, so that we could go directly from our podcast app to the show notes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124802",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:13:38",
"content": "Yeah! Libsyn makes me jump through hoops to do it, and I’ve been trying to remember to do it lately.This time I forgot, and discovered that it’s impossible to change it after it published.Will try!",
"parent_id": "8124109",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124965",
"author": "David Plass",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T11:45:26",
"content": "Even better, a link to the podcast from hackaday.com somewhere… I always wind up having to type the whole url manually",
"parent_id": "8124109",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8127750",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-14T16:49:29",
"content": "This week’s is always at hackaday.com/podcast. Does that help?",
"parent_id": "8124965",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,558.219018
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/preparing-for-the-next-pandemic/
|
Preparing For The Next Pandemic
|
Navarre Bartz
|
[
"Medical Hacks"
] |
[
"bird flu",
"contact tracing",
"Disease",
"epidemiology",
"flu",
"infectious diseases",
"medicine",
"pandemic"
] |
While the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t an experience anyone wants to repeat, infections disease experts like [Dr. Pardis Sabeti] are looking at what we can do
to prepare for the next one
.
While the next pandemic could potentially be anything, there are a few high profile candidates, and bird flu (H5N1) is at the top of the list. With birds all over the world carrying the infection and the prevalence in poultry and now dairy agriculture operations, the possibility for cross-species infection is higher than for most other diseases out there, particularly anything with an up to 60% fatality rate. Only one of the 70 people in the US who have contracted H5N1 recently have died, and exposures have been mostly in dairy and poultry workers. Scientists have yet to determine why cases in the US have been less severe.
To prevent an H5N1 pandemic before it reaches the level of COVID and ensure its reach is limited like earlier bird and swine flu variants, contact tracing of humans and cattle as well as offering existing H5N1 vaccines to vulnerable populations like those poultry and dairy workers would be a good first line of defense. So far, it doesn’t seem transmissible human-to-human, but more and more cases increase the likelihood it could gain this mutation. Keeping current cases from increasing,
improving our science outreach
, and continuing to fund scientists working on this disease are our best bets to keep it from taking off like a meme stock.
Whatever the next pandemic turns out to be,
smartwatches could help flatten the curve
and surely hackers will rise to the occasion to fill in the gaps where traditional infrastructure fails again.
| 69
| 21
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123678",
"author": "Sloppy Moses",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:17:09",
"content": "My, aren’t we edgy. Go back to 4chan.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123730",
"author": "BrightCandle",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:24:47",
"content": "We did a terrible job with the Covid pandemic, especially since people think its over when it isn’t and the World Health Organisation still call it a pandemic. We just swept it under the rug along with all the Long Covid sufferers. You can still catch Covid and die, you have quite a concerningly high chance of developing Long Covid after every Covid infection, and you average 2 of those a year. I do find talking about a current event like its historical while talking about how well we will treat a future pandemic as somewhat ironic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123760",
"author": "alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:46:12",
"content": "It’s not longer has public health emergency status.Eradication was never likely.",
"parent_id": "8123730",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124797",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:10:36",
"content": "Only insane morons believed in eradication and they are still around and running much of several country’s healthcare systems. Very bad situation.",
"parent_id": "8123760",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123784",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:27:25",
"content": "we have to balance many fears at once. unfortunately we can’t get perfect safety. we can’t even really defeat a single hazard. so yeah covid goes on, and so do we.",
"parent_id": "8123730",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123806",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:23:12",
"content": "Just like other flus and Pneumonia, covid is here to stay. That’s life. Like the flu, most of us had it, move on.",
"parent_id": "8123784",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123832",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:20:28",
"content": "It’s no longer a pandemic, it’s endemic, we have to live with it now.",
"parent_id": "8123730",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123864",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:24:20",
"content": "Who’s “we”? New Zealand and Norway did a great job to protect their citizens. The US and Sweden, not so much.",
"parent_id": "8123730",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123740",
"author": "Otis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:50:16",
"content": "EXACTLY!!!There is no human entity, just human Cubics – as in 4 different people in a 4 corner stage metamorphic rotation. Cubeless education – is a deadly evil. Cubeless educators are evil bastards. Humans are dumb, educated stupid, and evil. They don’t want to know Nature’s Cubic Order of Creation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123743",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:53:11",
"content": "Agree!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123748",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:08:55",
"content": "Get all one’s shots while insurance is still paying for it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123805",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:20:32",
"content": "Or not. Should be up to individual, not the government. That was what was wrong with the Covid flu. A balance is needed. Life is a risk, deal with it – don’t whine about it.",
"parent_id": "8123748",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123881",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T23:46:26",
"content": "By getting vaccinated you help reduce the spread and severity of the disease. This is especially important for protecting others in society who can’t take the vaccine due to age, medical conditions, immunocompromised, etc.I see that you might want to choose to be unvaccinated, but you should acknowledge other people’s rights to shun you.Fortunately for you, smarter, caring people vaccinated you against childhood diseases when you were very young.",
"parent_id": "8123805",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124014",
"author": "Braino",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:01:15",
"content": "that is the exact attitude that brought back measles. Darwin in action. Nice.",
"parent_id": "8123805",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124215",
"author": "kovo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T07:22:57",
"content": "same goes for seatbelts no? it is up to you if you die in crash no? unless it is not mainly to protect you as with everything. Nobody give a @#IT if you kill your self, if someone else die because of your stupidity that is another question. Same principle as speach right applies here, your right ends when someone else rights start.",
"parent_id": "8123805",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124500",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T23:39:10",
"content": "Not really. If you don’t wear a seatbelt then your unrestrained body becomes a meat missile which will travel on and potentially cause further damage to other people. Laws are there to protect people from people like you.",
"parent_id": "8124215",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126276",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-10T09:56:36",
"content": "Amazingly, my intelligent rebuttal of your dumb comment was also deleted.Basically, the law exists to make stupid people wear a seatbelt so that they don’t become a meat missile and kill someone else when they are ejected from a vehicle during a crash.",
"parent_id": "8124215",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123879",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T23:27:03",
"content": "Or live in a country with public healthcare.",
"parent_id": "8123748",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123782",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:25:45",
"content": "for example: a wall provides security, or it can trap you. a wall can even starve you. are you for or against walls?it’s not the tools that are orwellian but rather the system built around them. it’s reasonable to fear how systems will relate to tools. nuance is a tool i’d try to use to understand systems, but perhaps i’m alone in that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123940",
"author": "Stuart",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T06:49:50",
"content": "I’m for walls that I control.",
"parent_id": "8123782",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123970",
"author": "Christopher de Vidal",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T10:02:00",
"content": "Let me just be very clear: I also am not taking any experimental bird juice, either.",
"parent_id": "8123940",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123971",
"author": "fra",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T10:07:18",
"content": "“..it’s not the tools that are orwellian but rather the system built around them…”I live in Italy, I saw how ruthlessly it happened with the measures in the Covid period, in my little one I analyzed what the mechanisms that have explicitly explicit and unconscious have been, but well I know that for some reasons it is useless to discuss it, therefore I only take inspiration from this sentence to highlight one of the various aspects I had observed, that is, the subtle technique that could be defined as a satanic with which Ideas/ethical/morality/common sense to shore up a desired orientation that normally disconnects them as by its nature has free it. Religion had come to mimic, not only by appealing to love for the neighbor (and grotesquely denying themselves criminalizing and punishing with multiple ways those who were replaced with various epithets) but alerting liturgies and staged rituals, naturally secular but which followed the Christian ones. I borrow the words taken from a book by Denis de Rougemont (they concerned another context):“What is truly diabolical is not so much to do evil as baptizing it well, when you do it. It is emptying all the words of their meaning, turning them and reading them on the contrary, according to the custom of the black masses. It is reverse and ruin from the inside the criteria of the truth. And finally, it is a matter of depositing the lie, preferably, in a word of truth!”",
"parent_id": "8123782",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123838",
"author": "mayhem",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:32:18",
"content": "I like science. In my world science is empirical and results can always be repeated. Some examples, 1 volt through 1 ohm flows 1 amp of current, 10 volts through 10 ohms flows 1 amp of current, 1 BTU will raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree F., Only so many conductors are allowed in half inch conduit, 1 ton of cooling requires 400 CFM of airflow. Medical science is not science and delves more into witchcraft or something of that nature. Create a new drug, test it on 100 persons, It cures 78, does nothing to 13, and kills 9. Side effects include it make the noses fall off some people, It causes some peoples taint to get infected, and it may cause strokes. What a great success now sell it to the plebes. In my world that is not science. I think the scamdemic that was covid opened my eyes to this phenomona even more because the Gov’t kept saying “follow the science” and then changed the recommendation every so often.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123863",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:24:06",
"content": "“Medical science is not science…” Whoever convinced you of that is your enemy. Seriously.",
"parent_id": "8123838",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124062",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T15:11:09",
"content": "Technically, medical researchers use scientific thinking when possible. The catch is they can not do the “experiment” part of the method. They have to sneak up on a conclusion using proxies and simulations and statistical sampling.",
"parent_id": "8123863",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124456",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T20:26:38",
"content": "Unless one is Josef Mengele",
"parent_id": "8124062",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124813",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:25:43",
"content": "What?I’m sorry Charles, it’s medical experiments for you!Of course they do medical experiments, carefully monitored, expensive experiments.FDA studies are experiments, control groups and everything.Before that, animal models.All ‘experiments’.",
"parent_id": "8124062",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124017",
"author": "Braino",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:06:07",
"content": "we all agree. But that’s not applicable here. The covid vaccines didn’t directly cause harm, and greatly reduced severity in the 20% prone to infection, and cause a sore arm at worst in most people. Yes 1 million got sick and died, but that number much lower (about10x) than the rate before the vaccine.",
"parent_id": "8123838",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124060",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T15:03:15",
"content": "This I think is not true unless the 20% are mostly over 65, obese and hypertensive or have other serious problems with immune system or blood vessels. People under 30 had close to zero risk and children virtually impossible to get the disease or carry it. Exceptions for conditions like cystic fibrosis or chem therapy. Closing the schools and shutdowns were some kind of power trip after “flatten the curve” was extended into insanity. The data was all there to see in the CDC death certificate data base all analyzed and graphed and updated weekly on their web site. The same was shown in the earlier Italian data. I was following it closely from the beginning and my mind was boggled by the policy making that went against the data at every turn. The teacher unions went completely ballistic and went mad with power.It all reminded me of AIDS education and advertising campaigns telling children AIDS is a deadly heterosexual disease, and here are some free condoms.",
"parent_id": "8124017",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124814",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:30:39",
"content": "I think kids will have fun.Condoms make great water balloons.3 tampons tied together and soaked in hot water and ketchup are now ‘middle school bolas’.Best use of education money!",
"parent_id": "8124060",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123854",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:06:12",
"content": "Sweet Mother of Sagan these comments are a (sadly quite predictable) utter mess of conspiracy theories.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123869",
"author": "FOO",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:41:42",
"content": "Worth remembering that, even by the CDC’s worst-case estimates (as of Sept 2020), the IFR was very low for the younger segments of the population:0-19yrs: 0.003%20-49yrs: 0.02%50-69yrs: 0.5%70+yrs: 5.4%https://archive.is/edmyCAnd, if you remove those without co-morbidities, the younger segments of population are statistically insignificant (May 2020):https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/predicted-covid-19-fatality-rates-based-age-sex-comorbidities-and-health-system-capacity.pdfAlso worth remembering that, in the US (and many other countries) deaths caused by clearly extraneous factors (e.g. a car crash) were still classified as SARS-CoV-2 deaths at that point in time if there was measured infection. So, the real figures would likely be lower.",
"parent_id": "8123854",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123899",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T02:37:55",
"content": "This reads like a dressed-up-in-citations version of the second and third lines of the narcissist’s praye: And if it did, it wasn’t that bad; And if it was, that’s not a big deal.No matter how you slice it, excess deaths for those years were enormously up, and just because a person has a comorbidity doesn’t mean it’s okay for them to die. Honestly, your whole comment feels like a giant exercise in the Just World Fallacy.",
"parent_id": "8123869",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124085",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:43:49",
"content": "But it DOES mean those who are obese or in chemo, etc. can isolate themselves. A national shutdown and closing of the schools was insanity. Plastic shields everywhere and special HVAC filters and masks and all that? Stupid. Don’t lick doorknobs, wash hands frequently and before touching face/nose/eyes? Yes. Everyone is exposed eventually, many times. The early data from Italy then the US showed children are basically immune and not carriers. Maybe their artery walls have cells that are different from an adult. Maybe they produce something that bonds with the site the virus uses and blocks it, like some blood pressure medicines? I have not kept up on that angle. So why all the hubbub bub?A police association web site was posting photos of all the officers who died from the virus. They were strikingly similar in physical appearance. (And as FOO wrote, any one in law enforcement or emergency medical can tell you, Covid was listed on death certificates anytime it was detected. There was Federal money associated with the count.",
"parent_id": "8123899",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124194",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T05:07:55",
"content": "You do realise that immune people can carry and transmit the virus? Plus, the general public can only understand simple rules. If everyone is expected to mask up and socially distance it’s easier than listing exceptions. You are then left with a few outliers who will still spread the virus and cause deaths, but far, far fewer than if you made a checklist or flowchart for individuals to decide eligibility.Besides, you are alive now in a functioning society because most people did the right thing. You’re welcome.",
"parent_id": "8124085",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124316",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:37:39",
"content": "Andrew: The idea that you could evade the virus by standing 6 feet part or wearing a mask or save other people by doing the same is magical thinking. Just look at the results. States that did not shut down had no increases. It was there in the data in the very beginning. The State and Federal government responses were hysterical and political, not medical. The effect on children was unforgivable.From the NIH: “There was no significant association between a state’s openness score and the rate of excess mortality rate in 2020. However, our analyses also demonstrate that there were potent adverse effects of these lockdown measures on both unemployment rates and employment growth.”",
"parent_id": "8124085",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124449",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T20:07:51",
"content": "Charles. I know you’re trying to be edgy, but at the time we didn’t know.The virus killed a lot of people, and would have killed a lot more, if measures had not been taken. What measures? We didn’t know, so we tried all of them. Afterwards, we can see which ones were effective, and which had unintended consequences. But, you don’t get to say, now, that we shouldn’t have done whatever because we know, now, that it didn’t work. You also shouldn’t be surprised that some humans took advantage of the situation for personal gain.",
"parent_id": "8124085",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123958",
"author": "Stuart",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T08:20:42",
"content": "It is no conspiracy theory that the state is rubbish at everything, yet 99% of the population somehow expects them to have all the answers and to be able to fix it all.",
"parent_id": "8123854",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124005",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T12:38:41",
"content": "“the state is rubbish at everything”What millionaire in the teevee was paid by what billionaire to convince you of that (and also that lowering THEIR taxes will be good for YOU, somehow, what a crazy coincidence).The idea that governments are inherently incompetent is propaganda created to get people to vote against their own interests and allow profit -motivated people to buy public resources/institutions and sell their services back to us at higher price and lower quality.Seriously, just use some common sense. If this “I’m from the government and I’m here to help” bogeymen nonsense was true, we’d have at least a few examples of nations where they severely pared down government and it led to improved outcomes. We do not.It’s also just SUCH a transparent con.",
"parent_id": "8123958",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124818",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:37:23",
"content": "States that significantly pared down their government and it led to improved outcomes?The entire Warsaw pact.All the previously ‘ruled by kings/the pope’ nations of Europe.Japan.Germany.Italy.The fact you don’t see that isyourmajor defect.",
"parent_id": "8124005",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123982",
"author": "SteveW",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T11:15:18",
"content": "Yeah, I had hoped that HAD would be immune to this nonsense, but they’ve all come crawling out of the woodwork to resist the awful notion that we should organize to minimize the impact of a disease.",
"parent_id": "8123854",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124120",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T20:53:58",
"content": "https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Salem_HypothesisCrystallizes my intuition on the phenomenon.",
"parent_id": "8123982",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123856",
"author": "BLMac",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:11:46",
"content": "I presume you’re volunteering to be subject to the ‘cure’…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123861",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:22:23",
"content": "So do education and access to contraceptives, maybe we should try that instead of pandemics?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123862",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:22:58",
"content": "Actually “contact” tracing. They did it in New Zealand and it was very effective.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123876",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T23:09:44",
"content": "I’m unclear on how contact tracing would have directly inhibited the spread of a disease. By “unclear”, I mean I don’t get it at all as an effective preventative. I feel like I don’t like it, but maybe that’s because I don’t understand it?",
"parent_id": "8123862",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123878",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T23:26:18",
"content": "I’ll explain like you are five. Let’s say Patient A presents with Covid. You trace all of Patient A’s contacts for the previous time period about the length of the incubation period. You tell them they have been in contact with a Covid case, and either force them to quarantine, or ask them to quarantine. It’s an effective preventative measure because it stops people who may be infectious from infecting others, because now they know.If you know you are, or may be, infected you can take steps to protect others, by self-quarantining, wearing a mask, enforcing social distancing, and other simple measures. Unless you are a selfish idiot, of course.",
"parent_id": "8123876",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124000",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T12:25:21",
"content": "You forgot to explain that of course those measures and quarantines are not applicable to the authorities and friends, since they are special (and after all you want to have a birthday party eh).",
"parent_id": "8123878",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123882",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T23:46:58",
"content": "Yes! Make polio great again!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123900",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T02:43:19",
"content": "The most alluring aspect of any conspiracy theory is the idea that you, personally, are so clever as to be “in” on some amazing secret knowledge that even highly educated people aren’t. That you, personally,somehow have it ALL figured out, by virtue of some completely un-investigated inherent genius that just goes unappreciated by the world at large, allowing you to discover the truth of the world that thousands of millions of trained scientists, working diligently for decades, were just too deluded to figure out.“Have a good long think about that.”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123919",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:57:01",
"content": "How about we take your comments with a huge grain of salt? Unless you have done a huge amount of research and experimentation, and published your results in a widely-published, peer-reviewed medical journal.Also, your government already has the capacity to track your every movement at all times.We know how viruses work. We know how vaccines work. Initially we didn’t know the specifics about how Covid worked, and how it could be confounded. But, we figured it out, and millions of people are still alive today because of the vaccine. Luckily for you, you are one of them. Unluckily for us, you learned how to post nonsense on the internet. Assuming you’re not a bot, of course, stirring up discontent.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124448",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T20:02:21",
"content": "No! I haven’t given up! I wear a tinfoil hat to stop the tracking rays.",
"parent_id": "8123919",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123932",
"author": "RT",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T06:18:47",
"content": "With RFK Jr. in charge, your children won’t have to worry about ingesting petrochemicals, like Red 40 and Yellow 5, everytime they eat breakfast cereal since the US is finally joining the rest of the world and banning them.With RFK Jr in charge, drug company reps will no longer be sitting on the FDA advisory committees intended to regulate them.With RFK Jr in charge, the HHS will no longer be funding illegal gain-of-function research at shady Chinese biolabs that leads to a pandemic which kills millions.With RFK Jr in charge, parents will beable to decide if their child is injected with an experimental vaccine, not the government.With RFK Jr in charge, the US will finally join the rest of the world and ban drug companies from marketing directly to consumers (brought to you by Pfizer).If these empty labs are the same ones that gifted COVID to the world then we can do without their “science”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123959",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T08:22:10",
"content": "With RFK Jr in charge you are experiencing a resurgence of measles, and an increase in child mortality from flu. The children won’t have to worry about much once they’re dead.",
"parent_id": "8123932",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123934",
"author": "RT",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T06:30:48",
"content": "Ya, I know, right! It’s simple people, take the COVID vaccine and you won’t get sick! Take the boosters and you won’t get myocarditis either!Ivermectin is horse dewormer!Trust the science people!(brought to you by Pfizer)Here’s some science – 280 studies worthhttps://c19ivm.org/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123961",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T08:39:03",
"content": "And there you are.Anyway, here’s some science:https://www.factcheck.org/2022/09/scicheck-clinical-trials-show-ivermectin-does-not-benefit-covid-19-patients-contrary-to-social-media-claims/",
"parent_id": "8123934",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123991",
"author": "Winston",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T11:55:21",
"content": "The Great Spillover Hoax27 Apr 2025https://brownstone.org/articles/the-great-spillover-hoax/For many years, there has been an emerging orthodoxy in epidemiological circles that viruses are jumping from animals to humans at a growing rate. That’s the key assertion, the core claim, the one that is rarely challenged.They cite many papers in the literature but looking at them further, we find only models, assertions, claims rooted in testing bias, and many other sketchy claims.What I found was a fog machine.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124010",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T12:47:47",
"content": "Could my random googling based on no training at all in biochemistry or epidemiology be wrong?No, it’s the hundreds of highly educated scientists working on these problems every day who are wrong.-Armin Tamzarian (paraphrased(Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’-Isaac Asimov",
"parent_id": "8123991",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124102",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T18:24:48",
"content": "For every expert there is an equal and opposite expert. -A.C. ClarkeScience is the belief in the ignorance of experts. -R. Feynman",
"parent_id": "8124010",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124143",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T23:10:11",
"content": "As a scientist, I trust science. I certainly wouldn’t trust anyone who says “I, alone, possess the truth.”",
"parent_id": "8124010",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124152",
"author": "BAR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T23:37:04",
"content": "Dr. Fauci gets to say “I AM science!”[Citation needed]",
"parent_id": "8124010",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123992",
"author": "Winston",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T11:56:13",
"content": "These days, bioweapons can be developed by most any intelligent person using CRISPR. That’s the actual reason for all of the gain-of-function research, preparing for that, but it’s dual use and can also be used to develop weapons. Since lab leaks are EXTREMELY common, the supposed preparation for a pandemic can CAUSE one. Sound familiar?Laboratory Escapes and “Self-fulfilling prophecy” EpidemicsBy: Martin Furmanski MDScientist’s Working Group on Chemical and Biologic WeaponsCenter for Arms Control and NonproliferationFebruary 17, 2014IntroductionThe danger to world or regional public health from the escape from microbiology laboratories of pathogens capable of causing pandemics, or Potentially Pandemic Pathogens (PPPs) has been the subject of considerable discussion including mathematical modeling of the probability and impact of such escapes. The risk of such releases has generally been determined from estimates of laboratory infections that are often incomplete, except for the recent 2013 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report, which is a significant source of recent data on escapes from undetected and unreported laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs).This paper presents an historical review of outbreaks of PPPs or similarly transmissible pathogens that occurred from presumably well-funded and supervised nationally supported laboratories. It should be emphasized that these examples are only the “tip of the iceberg” because they represent laboratory accidents that have actually caused illness outside of the laboratory in the general public environment. The list of laboratory workers who have contracted potentially contagious infections in microbiology labs but did not start community outbreaks is much, much longer. The examples here are not “near misses;” these escapes caused real-world outbreaks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123993",
"author": "Winston",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T11:58:36",
"content": "Forgot the link:https://armscontrolcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Escaped-Viruses-final-2-17-14-copy.pdf",
"parent_id": "8123992",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124820",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:43:34",
"content": "Long ago, in a discussion of forcing 3d printers to ‘not print guns’.I suggested that they should identify particularly virulent DNA sequences and store hashes in CRISPR machines.Finding those nasty minimum identifiable sequences will be a bitch.But possible, vs the 3d printed gun part problem.",
"parent_id": "8123992",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124031",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:48:02",
"content": "As the (still ongoing) public scandal with the insulin in the US shows, we are woefully unprepared for anything substantial. Insulin pricing is still in the wazoo, and the local organized ***** aka “Congress Lobby” still does not allow importing non-US-made stuffs (meaning, not paying legalized bribe to the organized *****) in any substantial quantities truly needed. Oddity has it, the original insulin patent was made public by the inventor, so that ordinary people can afford insulin.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124320",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:43:03",
"content": "The development of Insulin mass production was another matter entirely. It is a very colorful and informative story.",
"parent_id": "8124031",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124033",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:54:44",
"content": "Confounding factors or not, the excess deaths during the COVID years are unmistakeable. Estimates are in the 10-20 million range over two years. Yeah, that’s a factor of two, so yeah, there is a confidence interval. But the confidence intervalstartsat 10 million excess deaths.https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021Frinstance.And that’s with all of the precautions / quarantines / etc that people and nations took. Without, it would have certainly been worse.You can argue about what steps would have been reasonable, personally or as a globe, to save 15 million lives. Or 10 million or 20 million, plus salt. But that is the magnitude that the pandemic took on. It’s hard even to comprehend, honestly.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124800",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T19:12:47",
"content": "“Total retards who inadvertently created the last pandemic and completely botched the response prepare to do the exact same thing again, are still smug and reddit-brained despite total incompetence”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125036",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T16:02:57",
"content": "Wondered when you and HaHa would show up and spout nonsense. At least you guys are consistent.",
"parent_id": "8124800",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,558.547272
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/this-week-in-security-airborne-evilnotify-and-revoked-rdp/
|
This Week In Security: AirBorne, EvilNotify, And Revoked RDP
|
Jonathan Bennett
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] |
[
"AirBorne",
"CVEs",
"rdp",
"supply chain attack",
"This Week in Security"
] |
This week, Oligo has announced
the AirBorne series of vulnerabilities in the Apple Airdrop protocol
and SDK. This is a particularly serious set of issues, and notably affects MacOS desktops and laptops, the iOS and iPadOS mobile devices, and many IoT devices that use the Apple SDK to provide AirPlay support. It’s a group of 16 CVEs based on 23 total reported issues, with the ramifications ranging from an authentication bypass, to local file reads, all the way to Remote Code Execution (RCE).
AirPlay is a WiFi based peer-to-peer protocol, used to share or stream media between devices. It uses port 7000, and a custom protocol that has elements of both HTTP and RTSP. This scheme makes heavy use of property lists (“plists”) for transferring serialized information. And as we well know, serialization and data parsing interfaces are great places to look for vulnerabilities. Oligo provides an example, where a plist is expected to contain a dictionary object, but was actually constructed with a simple string. De-serializing that plist results in a malformed dictionary, and attempting to access it will crash the process.
Another demo is using AirPlay to achieve an arbitrary memory write against a MacOS device. Because it’s such a powerful primative, this can be used for zero-click exploitation, though the actual demo uses the music app, and launches with a user click. Prior to the patch, this affected any MacOS device with AirPlay enabled, and set to either “Anyone on the same network” or “Everyone”. Because of the zero-click nature, this could be made into a wormable exploit.
Apple has released updates for their products for all of the CVEs, but what’s going to really take a long time to clean up is the IoT devices that were build with the vulnerable SDK. It’s likely that many of those devices will never receive updates.
EvilNotify
It’s apparently the week for Apple exploits, because
here’s another one, this time from [Guilherme Rambo]
. Apple has built multiple systems for doing Inter Process Communications (IPC), but the simplest is the Darwin Notification API. It’s part of the shared code that runs on all of Apple’s OSs, and this IPC has some quirks. Namely, there’s no verification system, and no restrictions on which processes can send or receive messages.
That led our researcher to ask what you may be asking: does this lack of authentication allow for any security violations? Among many novel notifications this technique can spoof, there’s one that’s particularly problematic: The device “restore in progress”. This locks the device, leaving only a reboot option. Annoying, but not a permanent problem.
The really nasty version of this trick is to put the code triggering a “restore in progress” message inside an app’s widget extension. iOS loads those automatically at boot, making for an infuriating bootloop. [Guilherme] reported the problem to Apple, made a very nice $17,500 in the progress. The fix from Apple is a welcome surprise, in that they added an authorization mechanism for sensitive notification endpoints. It’s very likely that there are other ways that this technique could have been abused, so the more comprehensive fix was the way to go.
Jenkins
Continuous Integration is one of the most powerful tools a software project can use to stay on top of code quality. Unfortunately as those CI toolchains get more complicated, they are more likely to be vulnerable,
as [John Stawinski] from Praetorian has discovered
. This attack chain would target the Node.js repository at Github via an outside pull request, and ends with code execution on the Jenkins host machines.
The trick to pulling this off is to spoof the timestamp on a Pull Request. The Node.js CI uses PR labels to control what CI will do with the incoming request. Tooling automatically adds the “needs-ci” label depending on what files are modified. A maintainer reviews the PR, and approves the CI run. A Jenkins runner will pick up the job, compare that the Git timestamp predated the maintainer’s approval, and then runs the CI job. Git timestamps are trivial to spoof, so it’s possible to load an additional commit to the target PR with a commit timestamp in the past. The runner doesn’t catch the deception, and runs the now-malicious code.
[John] reported the findings, and Node.js maintainers jumped into action right away. The primary fix was to do SHA sum comparisons to validate Jenkins runs, rather than just relying on timestamp. Out of an abundance of caution, the Jenkins runners were re-imaged, and then [John] was invited to try to recreate the exploit. The
Node.js blog post has some additional thoughts
on this exploit, like pointing out that it’s a Time-of-Check-Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) exploit. We don’t normally think of TOCTOU bugs where a human is the “check” part of the equation.
2024 in 0-days
Google has published
an overview of the 75 zero-day vulnerabilities that were exploited in 2024
. That’s down from the 98 vulnerabilities exploited in 2023, but the Threat Intelligence Group behind this report are of the opinion that we’re still on an upward trend for zero-day exploitation. Some platforms like mobile and web browsers have seen drastic improvements in zero-day prevention, while enterprise targets are on the rise. The real stand-out is the targeting of security appliances and other network devices, at more than 60% of the vulnerabilities tracked.
When it comes to the attackers behind exploitation, it’s a mix between state-sponsored attacks, legal commercial surveillance, and financially motivated attacks. It will be interesting to see how 2025 stacks up in comparison. But one thing is for certain: Zero-days aren’t going away any time soon.
Perplexing Passwords for RDP
The world of computer security just got an interesting surprise, as
Microsoft declared it not-a-bug
that Windows machines will continue to accept revoked credentials for Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) logins. [Daniel Wade] discovered the issue and reported it to Microsoft, and then after being told it wasn’t a security vulnerability, shared his report with Ars Technica.
So what exactly is happening here? It’s the case of a Windows machine login via Azure or a Microsoft account. That account is used to enable RDP, and the machine caches the username and password so logins work even when the computer is “offline”. The problem really comes in how those cached passwords get evicted from the cache. When it comes to RDP logins, it seems they are simply never removed.
There is a stark disconnect between what [Wade] has observed, and what Microsoft has to say about it. It’s long been known that Windows machines will cache passwords, but that cache will get updated the next time the machine logs in to the domain controller. This is what Microsoft’s responses seem to be referencing. The actual report is that in the case of RDP, the cached passwords will never expire, regardless of changing that password in the cloud and logging on to the machine repeatedly.
Bits and Bytes
Samsung makes a digital signage line, powered by the MagicINFO server application. That server has an unauthenticated endpoint, accepting file uploads with insufficient filename sanitization.
That combination leads to arbitrary pre-auth code execution
. While that’s not great, what makes this a real problem is that the report was first sent to Samsung in January, no response was ever received, and it seems that no fixes have officially been published.
A series of
Viasat modems have a buffer overflow in their SNORE web interface
. This leads to unauthenticated, arbitrary code execution on the system, from either the LAN or OTA interface, but thankfully not from the public Internet itself. This one is interesting in that it was found via static code analysis.
IPv6 is the answer to all of our IPv4 induced woes, right? It has Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) to handle IP addressing without DHCP, and Router Advertisement (RA) to discover how to route packets. And now, taking advantage of that great functionality is
Spellbinder, a malicious tool to pull off SLACC attacks
and do DNS poisoning. It’s not entirely new, as we’ve seen Man in the Middle attacks on IPv4 networks for years. IPv6 just makes it so much easier.
| 2
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123669",
"author": "x0rpunk",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:05:16",
"content": "Most exploits are JIT type confusion and UAF. Which means all those hardware assisted page policies(NX), offset randomizing in userland and kernel(ASLR and KLSR), and control-flow enforcement technologies(CET, CET_SS, XFG) are just being laughed at by security researchers and APTs..Zero plans for JIT besides partial PAC type stuff that is already bypassed and good ol’ patch the branching when something if found..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123997",
"author": "Éléanore",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T12:15:34",
"content": "Small mistake at the beginning of the article — it’s AirPlay, not AirDrop, both are 2 different protocols with different objectives and functioning.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.58899
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/is-this-the-truck-weve-been-waiting-for/
|
Is This The Truck We’ve Been Waiting For?
|
Tyler August
|
[
"car hacks"
] |
[
"automotive industry",
"electric cars",
"electric truck"
] |
Imagine a bare-bones electric pickup: it’s the size of an old Hilux, it seats two, and the bed fits a full sheet of plywood. Too good to be true? Wait until you hear
that the Slate Pickup
is being designed for DIY repairability and modification, and will sell for only $20,000 USD, after American federal tax incentives.
Using the cellphone for infotainment makes for a less expensive product and a very clean dash. (Image: Slate Motors)
There are a few things missing: no infotainment system, for one. Why bother, when almost everyone has a phone and Bluetooth speakers are so cheap? No touch screen in the middle of the dash also means the return of physical controls for the heat and air conditioning.
There is no choice in colors, either. To paraphrase Henry Ford, the Slate comes in any color you want, as long as it’s grey. It’s not something we’d given much though to previously, but apparently painting is a huge added expense for automakers. Instead, the truck’s bodywork is going to be injection molded plastic panels, like an old Saturn coupe. We remember how resilient those body panels were, and think that sounds like a great idea. Injection molding is also a less capital-intensive process to set up than traditional automotive sheet metal stamping, reducing costs further.
That being said, customization is still a big part of the Slate. The company intends to sell DIY vinyl wrap kits, as well as a bolt-on SUV conversion kit which customers could install themselves. The plan is to have a “Slate University” app that would walk owners through maintaining their own automobile, a
delightfully
novel choice for a modern carmaker.
With a color wrap and an SUV add-on, it looks like a different beast. (Image: Slate Motors)
Of course, it’s all just talk unless Slate can make good on their promises. With rumors that Jeff Bezos is interested in investing, maybe they can pull it off and produce what could be a Volkswagen for 21st century America.
Interested readers can check out the
Slate Motors website
, and preorder for only $50 USD. For now, Slate is only interested in doing business within the United States, but we can hope they inspire copycats elsewhere. There’s no reason similar vehicles couldn’t be made anywhere from Alberta to Zeeland, if the will was there.
What do you think? Is this the perfect hackermobile, or have Slate fallen short? Let us know in the comments.
We’ve covered electric trucks before, but t
hey were just a bit bigger
, and some of
them didn’t use batteries
.
| 172
| 49
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123546",
"author": "Benedikt Reinartz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T11:34:58",
"content": "I wish all the best for this car to reach the market. Reminds me of the Sono Sion though. I peronally lost a few hundred euro with this due to preorder but I’m ok with that. I was aware of the risk. But my point is that this was also a great product and it was really viable but I think in the end there were too many stones put in the way by other car manufacturers and mybe political players.Hope the us has better investors for such an idea!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123547",
"author": "Hugo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T11:35:14",
"content": "I absolutely love this and really hope they bring it to the UK. I hope they’ve also given the same level of consideration to upgrading the powertrain down the line too, and that that’s also designed around modularity and maintainability.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123548",
"author": "JW",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T11:43:06",
"content": "Yay for actual physical controls!Fumbling to change songs or set the temperature or whatever on a touchscreen where you actually have to look away from the road instead of having a physical control to touch and physical feedback is madness. I hate the stupidity of modern car makers who think that a touchscreen is oh-so-futuristic and stuff.It sounds like a product I really would think about, was I in the market for a two seater.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123550",
"author": "had37b8e5c7066e",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T11:48:30",
"content": "I believe NCAP has started deduction points on the safety rating if some common controls are not physical buttons",
"parent_id": "8123548",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123783",
"author": "Whistler",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:26:06",
"content": "Don’t celebrate to much. They offload import functions to a smartphone app",
"parent_id": "8123548",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123785",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:30:07",
"content": "You think this means less fumbling to change songs?It’s not an old radio with physical buttons. It’s no radio.TFA suggests just using your phone with bluetooth speakers.That’s going to be worse than an in-dash touch screen!I’m find with their idea of no radio included as a standard option.Just give it speakers and a double-din hole with the requisite cables in back of it.They could even skip the speakers, just have holes where speakers can be mounted and wires pre-ran. Let the buyer pick.. they can deck it out with the loudest, fanciest set they can afford.. or just a couple cheap, old-fashioned, sounds like a tin can jobs or anything in between.Same with the antenna. I bet a lot of people wouldn’t even bother. Just give me a couple or more 50 ohm wires leading into the 2-din hole and out to some place(s) where antennas could be mounted on the truck. Then the user can mount a cheap stubby on there for local FM if they care to, or a big fancy ham array.. or anything in between.",
"parent_id": "8123548",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123888",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T00:57:51",
"content": "…or just let the user do without. I don’t listen to anything at all when I drive, and I want the vehicle as simple as it can be, while providing the bare necessities. (The first time I tried to post this, it went in the bit bucket somehow. Let’s see if it works this time.)",
"parent_id": "8123785",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124269",
"author": "Geert van Dijk",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T11:23:54",
"content": "Sure, and adding those holes and running wires increases production complexity and cost, which is exactly the point of this vehicle.",
"parent_id": "8123785",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124608",
"author": "mre",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T10:48:59",
"content": "yeah as long as there are mounting provisions for things like speakers and a dash unit, they dont have to provide anything as standard. If they want to call it a maker/DIY/kit truck, then they can keep it simple and cheap.Honestly, they dont even need to pre-run wires. As long as they have clean channels which can easily be fished through, or the interior panels are easily popped off to run cables and then similarly easily reinstalled.",
"parent_id": "8123785",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123549",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T11:43:16",
"content": "Whether it is good or terrible is really a question of whether it can work without any phone present as an “infotainment” system. If it can run standalone, no dependency on phones, apps, clouds or anything else outside of itself, then wonderful. The trouble is that so many companies instead use digitalised technologies to make things worse, some now even sell cameras which won’t operate without a phone connected to them. If this new pickup is avoiding that trend and actually going for true versatility, independence and repaiarability then it will be a great commercial success for finally giving buyers what they’ve all been asking for. And I think the first mod someone might design is a hydrocarbon fuelled (diesel, petrol, wood?) to sit on the flat bed and let you fill up quickly then recharge the batteries while you drive, diesel-electric can be extraordinarily efficient for rail locomotives, far more so than diesel direct-drive, the same hopefully applies to road vehicles. A hydrogen fuel cell mod with a similar focus, fill up with chemical fuel, then have this chemical fuel “burned” so as to power a generator and recharge the battery, could be another good idea. Either of these becomes, to some extent, a plug-in-hybrid design which gives you the advantages of an electric car (can recharge at home overnight between short trips which might not need the generator to kick in at all) but also avoids the problems of a pure electric car (lack of range, long charge times to re-“fuel”). Provided you can refuel quickly with an actual fuel, then an electric drive train might be quite good for tough “road” conditions too, possible for far more precise control of torque and speed and adapting them in realtime, than with a more mechanically complex classical drive train.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123773",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:05:10",
"content": "The whole point of the no-infotainment system design is for it not to require any computers at all for the user interface to run. They’ve made that quite plain. As for hydrocarbon propulsion, if it’s done it will have to remain a hack; the whole reason they can consider building a hilux-sized truck instead of a nouveau American monster is that it’s immune to COLA calculations which make it cheaper to enlarge the wheelbase than to try for the ever-tightening mileage targets for smaller vehicles, which would make a Ranger-sized gas pickup have terrible acceleration and no towing capacity at all.",
"parent_id": "8123549",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123551",
"author": "Carl Vehse",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T11:50:31",
"content": "Now do the same thing for a truck with an ICE.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123555",
"author": "little_kek",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:06:04",
"content": "Is it spy-free (no cell modem?) If so, I’m interested. Not a big EV person, but the cost seems reasonable.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123796",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:01:13",
"content": "No cellular modem; that is also offloaded to the cell phone you connect to it. (OTA firmware updates will supposedly be available via the app on a phone.)",
"parent_id": "8123555",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123559",
"author": "Joseph Eoff",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:15:52",
"content": "Can we apply the same concept to an electric car?I don’t need (and don’t want) all the fancy crap stuffed into cars these days.I just need a battery powered box that is safe to drive. Two or four seats, driveable on the highway.My wife and I wanted to buy an electric car to use some of the power our solar panels generate. It turned out that an electric car would cost way lots more than a gasoline powered car.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123562",
"author": "Duncan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:21:22",
"content": "The various Chinese electric cars are heading in that direction. European safety standards are a bit more of an effort than the US market, but it’s certainly doable",
"parent_id": "8123559",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123613",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:46:54",
"content": "Most Chinese electric cars are headed for or already in huge junkyards in China! The EV business there is similar to the Ghost Cities. The Bank of China makes loans to Party members who start an EV company, company bankrupts and Party officials order the bank they control (BofC) to forgive the loans. Persons who started the company move money to Malaysia – and to party members who approved the process. Where the Party is involved nothing is as it seems. (The key to understanding China is that all decisions by party members are based on fear of the people. They are outnumbered 20 to 1 and a repeat of the purges of the Cultural Revolution is their primary concern.)",
"parent_id": "8123562",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125572",
"author": "Anonbob",
"timestamp": "2025-05-08T08:13:03",
"content": "They game the system whilst we pretend we are still in control of the game.It’s hilarious watching it unfold over the last 20yrs whilst people blinding watch it going by.",
"parent_id": "8123613",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123661",
"author": "Dustin Hollis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:17:25",
"content": "It’s a fully electric rear wheel drive vehicle. It can also become a four seater SUV.",
"parent_id": "8123559",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123690",
"author": "Maave",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:44:52",
"content": "aw crap, I didn’t catch the “RDW” part. I don’t want to drive this in the winter.",
"parent_id": "8123661",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123702",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:54:25",
"content": "EVs don’t have weight in the frontYes there are other minor issues, but the biggest FWD advantage is increased traction due to weight over the driven wheels, and that doesn’t apply.",
"parent_id": "8123690",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123752",
"author": "fiddlingjunky",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:27:54",
"content": "It’ll still have 45+/-5% weight in the front. AWD will never not be an advantage over 2WD (with the exception of fully open diffs on the AWD vs some form of LSD on the 2WD) on low traction conditions. That said, for this vehicle and the uses I have for it, I prefer the low cost design and would just stick winter tires on it as I do with all my vehicles.",
"parent_id": "8123702",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123798",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:02:00",
"content": "Yeah, I was just referring to FWD vs RWD rather than 2WD/AWD. Normally I would say “and the RWD traction issue’s overblown anyway” but most people are terrible drivers.",
"parent_id": "8123702",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123695",
"author": "TimT",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:48:43",
"content": "Unfortunately with the impaired driver lockout systems due to roll out in 2026 they are only going to be packing more and more fragile electronics into cars (ICE or EV). These are “passive” systems that will use cameras / microphones / etc. to monitor the driver and shut down if he/she appears drunk (or presumably sleepy?). And with the “remote shutdown” mandate which will allow “authorities” to remotely kill your car, that means all cars will have a cellular / internet connection. So this will at best be a total privacy invading dumpster fire since they’ll have audio and video inside the car which can be transmitted to (or hacked by) God knows who…",
"parent_id": "8123559",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123731",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:28:26",
"content": "“…And with the “remote shutdown” mandate which will allow “authorities” to remotely kill your car…”Classic Big Brother: Impose sweeping regulations that will allow spying and centralized control on an entire population of peaceful, law-abiding people… meanwhile, anyone who actually plans on committing a crime needing a get-away car will simply unscrew the coax to the cell antenna.",
"parent_id": "8123695",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123768",
"author": "blacksmithtb",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:01:25",
"content": "Or just drive an old car?",
"parent_id": "8123731",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124082",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:26:09",
"content": "I’d love to believe that pre-2026 cars will run literally forever, but I live in the real world with like, entropy and stuff.",
"parent_id": "8123768",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123890",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T01:18:48",
"content": "That’s why I’ll never own a car newer than about 2007. (What I’m driving now is quite a bit older. I also don’t use a cell phone.)",
"parent_id": "8123695",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124007",
"author": "Theodork",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T12:45:15",
"content": "Yo Garth, by chance are you looking at this on a compooter?",
"parent_id": "8123890",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125871",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-09T03:19:09",
"content": "Yep, a PC with a wired internet connection, full-sized wired keyboard with cupped, full-travel keys, wired mouse, and wired monitor. The printer and scanner are wired, too. The only phone I use is the wired landline phone in front of me. I have a dedicated digital camera that I upload pictures to the PC using a cable, for processing and archiving and emailing or posting on my website.",
"parent_id": "8124007",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124161",
"author": "Dom Ata",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T01:11:33",
"content": "From USA Today: Nothing in the infrastructure bill gives any law enforcement or third party access to any information on vehicles or control of any technology installed in vehicles,” Strassburger told USA TODAY in an email.There is also no automotive technology in existence or in development that could be considered a “kill switch,” Strassburger said.Strassburger’s organization is involved in a public-private partnership with the transportation agency to develop an alcohol-detection system for vehicles. He said there will be procedures in place to prevent third parties from accessing any data collected by the technology in development.",
"parent_id": "8123695",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123561",
"author": "frozen rabbit",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:20:45",
"content": "$500 ’94 Ranger, 375k miles, daily for 13 years…. the ‘future’ can get wrecked……",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123564",
"author": "g2-c133535210f76855393e13f95c9684ee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:22:04",
"content": "And all of the downsides externalised for our grandkids to deal with…",
"parent_id": "8123561",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123566",
"author": "Chris J",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:23:20",
"content": "It probably gets better MPG than most new SUVs….",
"parent_id": "8123564",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123772",
"author": "frozen rabbit",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:04:15",
"content": "HOW? Even with minor maintenance, I have less than $2k invested in 13 years of transport.",
"parent_id": "8123564",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123845",
"author": "Ject",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:47:57",
"content": "Do you want to bet on whether his carbon footprint is lower than owning and junking 3-4 “green” cars in that same time period instead?",
"parent_id": "8123564",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123891",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T01:23:52",
"content": "I’m just waiting for someone to condemn me for driving a 1988 with a 460 engine, so I can tell them it uses only a tiny fraction as much as their small car, because only drive about five hundred miles a year. Forget the miles per gallon, and look at gallons per year. And I’m not concerned with carbon footprint. The climate alarmists lie continually in order to get control of the people.",
"parent_id": "8123845",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124086",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:45:38",
"content": "“The climate alarmists lie continually in order to get control of the people.”When I was in college, the ‘reference CO2’ level you needed to calibrate sensors to (e.g. ‘outdoor air’) was 350 ppm. It’s now 400 ppm (and even that’s dated!). As in: the hardware/software stuff I did in collegewill not worknow because the outdoor air has too much carbon dioxide in it.I actually agree with you that regulations are more focused on simultaneously encouraging people to update vehicles rather than actually reducing carbon emissions, and you can think people are “alarmist” but thinking that carbon emissions aren’t important is just nuts.I mean, jeez, just ignore the climate issues, over time it’s going to get harder to keep indoor air levels low enough for people’s brains to work well without friggin’ CO2 scrubbers.",
"parent_id": "8123891",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125873",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-09T03:42:02",
"content": "Pat, if CO2 levels fall below 250ppm, plants begin to die. Greenhouses even use CO2 generators to promote plant growth. CO2 is a great fertilizer, helping us to grow more food. The first alarm that the earth would not be able to produce enough food for the growing population came in the 1790’s. Since then of course food production has skyrocketed, largely due to diesel-powered farm machines, but also because of increased atmospheric CO2 content. The planet is 15-20% greener now than it was in 2000, and much of that greening is in arid areas, contradicting the assertions of the global-warming alarmists that increased CO2 would expand the deserts. There has actually been a slight downtrend in hurricane activity over the last century though. The hottest decade on record was the 1930’s, and the hottest day on record in the US was June 7, 1933, over 90 years ago, when the eastern half of the US was over 100° and a lot of people and livestock died from the heat. Today a lot more people die from cold than heat. Sea levels appear to rise in some areas, but fall in other areas, because the land sinks or gets pushed up. Most of the Pacific islands are actually growing, not shrinking. The Maldives were supposed to be under water by now, and instead they just opened up a bunch of new resorts in the last couple of years. Climate has been changing for thousands of years, and will continue to change, no matter what man does. Every so-called “authority” claiming that man is responsible for some kind of climate emergency is one that has a political agenda of taxation and control. Over at least the last four decades, we’ve been told over and over that we only have 12 years left; but the time comes and goes and nothing happens. Al Gore said the Arctic would be ice-free by 2015, and instead, the ice thickened up after he said that. We keep hearing that this event or that event is “unprecedented;” yet it’s just that people are more aware, because of people posting their cell-phone videos (which they couldn’t do until recently) and they’re accessible all over the world in minutes (thanks to the internet and recent high-speed connections) and that the liberal media are driving an agenda. Everything they say is “unprecedented” is actually within the normal ranges of variability. So where is this supposed “climate emergency”?? Obama said in 2013 that 2012 was the hottest year on record; but the satellite data did not support that assertion. The NOAA has been caught fraudulently downward-revising past records to make it look like current temperatures represent an increase, when they don’t. I could go on like this for hours, or just refer you to sources of real science, not sources that have a political agenda or bow to one to get funding.",
"parent_id": "8123891",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124162",
"author": "Dom Ata",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T01:14:12",
"content": "Drove a new 23 Standard transmission Ranger for 20 years. Until I couldn’t find a rebuilt transmission…",
"parent_id": "8123561",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123565",
"author": "Josh Magg",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:22:36",
"content": "I love almost everything about this – but why couldn’t they just put in a standard single-DIN stereo slot and provide space for standard automotive speakers? I had to do the “Strap a Bluetooth speaker to the dash” thing before and it sucks, but it seems the alternative for this is to buy their proprietary in dash speakers. Also, I am a dinosaur who still wants an AM/FM radio receiver…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123892",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T01:25:09",
"content": "How ’bout screwing a bracket under the dashboard for a radio, like people did many decades ago?",
"parent_id": "8123565",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124206",
"author": "Jason",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T06:39:15",
"content": "I would imagine a single or double DIN adaptor plate would be one of the most popular mods on their store or you could get one printed up.",
"parent_id": "8123565",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123567",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:23:23",
"content": "It’s a cool car. I love the idea. But to be honest, I wouldn’t buy it. I live in the most densely populated country when looking at electric car chargers and it’s problematic for the people who own them. It’s too expensive to drive compared to a normal car. The range of this is, for what it is, extremely short. The range is 150 mile / 240 km in perfect condition, so realistically it’s more like 150 km with a brand new battery considering no one drives absolutely perfectly to save fuel/charge and traffic is a thing too. And what does it do after a few years? Tesla has it figured out but when you look at the Fiat 500E that’s pretty much useless after 3 years because the batteries only last such a short time, or the Zoe, that also has major battery issues after only a few years, this makes it a huge financial gamble.“$20,000 USD, after American federal tax incentives”That’s false advertising. They are advertising that price, but in reality it’s 28k. If it was 20k with a powerful plug in hybrid system, I’d almost be begging to buy it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123593",
"author": "0xdeadbeef",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:09:59",
"content": "and traffic is a thing tooThat’s where EVs are better than their gas counterparts – lots of braking = energy recovery for the battery.",
"parent_id": "8123567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123619",
"author": "flipperpi",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:08:21",
"content": "Hey I’ve owned my 2013 Fiat500E for over a decade now and I haven’t noticed a decrease in the battery life nor range. Your quote of “the Fiat 500E that’s pretty much useless after 3 years because the batteries only last such a short time” is the most ridiculous ill-informed comment that I’ve read in a long time. The Fiat500E’s lithium-iron batteries are liquid-cooled (like a Tesla) and they will most likely outlast the lifetime of my car. Seriously, you should delete your whole post as it’s filled with inane, slanderous garbage.",
"parent_id": "8123567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123629",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:26:08",
"content": "Slander refers to speech. Libel is for writing.",
"parent_id": "8123619",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123632",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:31:33",
"content": "Thank you (long-ago former tech editor walks away satisfied).",
"parent_id": "8123629",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123657",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:10:59",
"content": "nononono you need to do it in the spiderman language",
"parent_id": "8123629",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123644",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:58:02",
"content": "A lot of Fiat 500e’s are being scrapped due to battery issues. Great that you got lucky, but most people aren’t. Friend had one as a lease and when it was new he couldn’t even reach 150km on a charge (advertised as 185km), after 3 year when the lease was over, the range dropped to 75km on a charge. The car was scrapped after he returned it. This is sadly extremely common with these cars and why they are so incredibly cheap with a low odometer. That’s why Fiat stopped production several times due to the low demand. After the initial run of these cars, less and less people wanted one due to these common issues.You are probably angry that I write this because you like your car and it’s great that you got lucky. Some people drive a Renault for 20 years without issues. It’s rare, but it’s great when that happens. Exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis. But to call what I wrote, what the vast majority of people agree with, insane or slander, isn’t great. Don’t be angry at the truth, try to be nice and civil about it. It’s better for you.",
"parent_id": "8123619",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123679",
"author": "flipperpi",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:21:34",
"content": "Again, your bias shows through…and your constant exaggeration. I have a real-world sample/experience. I also know others that own the vehicle and have had no problems. I tried to do research online, but there are no figures posted for percentages of cars with battery issues. I delved into some forums and noticed that some posters referred to an incorrectly calibrated battery level display. The batteries weren’t failing, the gauges/sensors were off. EV batteries (like the Fiat 500E’s) typically lose about 1% of range/efficiency per year and my car appears to be much more healthy than those figures. All cars have issues, but this is not an epidemic with the Fiat – you quoted: “A lot of Fiat 500e’s are being scrapped due to battery issues. Great that you got lucky, but MOST people aren’t.” Most? That implies a majority (over 50%). I stick by my initial post. You are spreading a lot of misinformation, although another poster did correctly point out that it’s not slander – it is actually libel.",
"parent_id": "8123644",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123694",
"author": "DereK Tombrello",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:48:39",
"content": "It sounds like he has “real world experience,” too. Two things can be true at once. There are always people who have positive experiences with products with which others have horrendous experiences. Why is it that we are supposed to take your word over his? Your opinion is just as valid as his and vice-versa.As a matter of fact, a simple search on “A lot of Fiat 500e’s are being scrapped due to battery issues” returns PLENTY of results backing up what HE is saying.That the problem today.. anyone who disagrees with you MUST be “spreading misinformation.”",
"parent_id": "8123679",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123897",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T02:16:53",
"content": "I can’t speak from any experience with EVs; but I’m quite knowledgeable about the bicycle industry—or what it was ten years ago before I quit paying attention because I didn’t like the directions the industry was taking. There was one bike manufacturer in particular who sold only online, at low prices, enticing newcomers who didn’t understand there were legitimate reasons for buying a better, major brand from a reputable dealer with real shops and showrooms. All kinds of stories of terrible experiences with this manufacturer that sold only online were cropping up on a popular forum, and someone would invariable pipe up and say, “I got one, and I have not had any trouble with it!” My response was, “That only proves the failure rate is not 100%. That’s not very useful information.”",
"parent_id": "8123679",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123737",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:37:50",
"content": "I have no horse in this race but, ever hear the phrase, “your mileage may vary?”Just because your experience is stellar doesn’t mean another person’s will be. Battery life is tied to all sorts of variables that can differ wildly from one location, clime, driver, and use-case, to another.It’s my observation that most people predisposed to purchase EVs have decided in advance that the experience WILL be wonderful, whether it actually turns out to be or not.",
"parent_id": "8123619",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123640",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:46:44",
"content": "It’s called information. Nothing I said was wrong.",
"parent_id": "8123567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123656",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:08:59",
"content": "I mean you said that “Tesla has it figured out” so yeahthat’stotal garbage",
"parent_id": "8123640",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123691",
"author": "Oliver",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:44:58",
"content": "Where did you get the zoe battery knowledge from? Zoe’s for the most part are rental batteries and so renault cares a lot about quality batteries. Also I dont rrally hear anyhing about battery issues on zoe’s.Disclaimer, im a zoe owner.",
"parent_id": "8123640",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123801",
"author": "decker",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:06:47",
"content": "I agree your information is grotesquely inaccurate about EV battery life. I have a 2016 Fiat 500e that I use as a daily driver. The car is black and I park in Californian sun during summer so I am sure there is some battery degradation but your 3 years estimate of life is a beyond a joke. It has been about 9 years and the battery is going strong even though I often am heavy on the accelerator and don’t try to be conservative when driving. The car was never any good outside of city street driving, as going over 50mph (or highway speeds) will drop the estimated ‘MPG’ to half or less. Even so, I do use it on the freeway for my daily commute. In my family’s pool of cars are also my Tesla M3 which I use for long trips and an Ioniq 5, but I still use the Fiat 500e as the daily due to the small size and zippy-ness in LA traffic. The Slate’s range of 150 will likely also likely be limited to local road speeds as going on the freeway will likely halve it just like the Fiat 500e or if there is a heavy load in the truck bed. That said, I already put my $50 down and am looking for some space to add another EV to the pool.",
"parent_id": "8123640",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123641",
"author": "Narcolapser",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:53:12",
"content": "Spot on. That is valuable and accurate information you are spreading. I to would be very interestes if it was a hybrid.",
"parent_id": "8123567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123658",
"author": "Chris Elz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:11:09",
"content": "Don’t know about OP but where I live (edge of Boston) electricity is really expensive and gas is (relatively) cheap so it is in fact more expensive to drive an EV than an efficient ICE car or hybrid.",
"parent_id": "8123567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123734",
"author": "Observer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:31:27",
"content": "Consider that’s your situationnow… Wait until EVs proliferate/dominate. You won’t be able to afford heating your house in the winter–that’s FUD, it’s the basic law of [limited] supply and [increased] demand.",
"parent_id": "8123658",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125878",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-09T05:01:16",
"content": "Hybrid? Probably looking for a Maverick then.I hear they are 25k in base trim (work truck spec)",
"parent_id": "8123567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123568",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:26:16",
"content": "Once it’s done its rounds in testing I would take this over a Tesla any day especially a Cyber Truck.The only gripe I have is I wish it were all wheel drive, I’d pay extra for that. The ethos behind the vehicle matches my own when it comes to cars. I don’t want a distracting dash, I don’t need 80 cameras and LIDAR, I want to know how to repair my vehicle when its reasonable to do so, I don’t want doors/trunks/hoods closing automatically. I don’t want any feature of my vehicle to be based on a subscription, the internet, and especially not a chat bot, all of that is literally on my phone.I hope an unenshittified sedan comes out soon too. I think this company or at least these designers have a real head on their shoulders. I hope it achieves its goals. My family has been belaboring upgrading a vehicle in this era. Now we at least have something to wait for.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123633",
"author": "Kalten",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:34:48",
"content": "I’d rather nail my scrotum to a buffalo than give money to Tesla.",
"parent_id": "8123568",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123639",
"author": "rumpel",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:46:01",
"content": "That’s called animal cruelty, and it’s prohibited.– Unless you’re big business and claim to feed the masses, then it would be considered “modern farming”. Using a certain budget for greenwashing you may nail your whatever to any animal. Or at least any since there are no dogs anymore (all eaten).",
"parent_id": "8123633",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123898",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T02:20:45",
"content": "I’d like to have an EV that’s only a couple of steps above the Sebring Vanguard Citicar or the 1970’s.",
"parent_id": "8123568",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123569",
"author": "aleksclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:30:54",
"content": "I’d buy it, if it came in a v4 configuration",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123648",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:03:31",
"content": "My fondest wish for this thing would be a range-extending genset you can stuff in the “frunk” for long trips, like Edison Motors is doing but removable when not needed.",
"parent_id": "8123569",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123575",
"author": "tbt10f",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:41:32",
"content": "The bed on a Slate isn’t exactly as plywood friendly as they are making it out to be. It is barely over 4′ wide, but that’s measured over the wheel wells. Also, the bed is only 5′ long, and even with the tailgate down there will be quite a bit of wood sticking out of the back. Add to that the sheet teetering on the wheel wells it doesn’t sound to me like a fun trip from the hardware store. If you want to throw some other sheet goods like drywall in the back it will absolutely have to be supported with an elaborate frame of some sort.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123579",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:47:35",
"content": "So what you are saying is give us a platform like the old world trucks and a set of walls like a K truck? I mean. You got a point.",
"parent_id": "8123575",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123605",
"author": "Grumpy Old Coot",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:22:24",
"content": "There are two things about the Slate that are a non-starter for me:1. Size of the bed. A 4×8 sheet of plywood, lying flat in the bed, should not extend beyond the tailgate when the tailgate is down. A K-truck type bed would be awesome.2. ‘Everything is an app on your phone.’3. PEV only at this time. Haven’t seen any mention about solar charging options, etc.",
"parent_id": "8123579",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123617",
"author": "ThoriumBR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:05:27",
"content": "Agree. But this is modular, there’s even a “SUV kit” so a longer bed should definitely be possible.Onboard maps are terrible, media centers too, so most people will install an aftermarket media unit, or use Waze/Gmaps anyway, and stream music from the phone via Bluetooth. If it have mounts for speakers, it’s fine for me.Solar charging is a gimmick. The area of the truck isn’t enough to fully charge a large USB powerpack, let alone a truck. It adds weight, adds cost, complexity, and will not save any reasonable charging time.",
"parent_id": "8123605",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123674",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:09:51",
"content": "why the heck is “everything is an app on your phone” a non-starter??Have youseenthe garbage software that car manufacturers put out? And those things are directly connected to the car’s controls! There was literally a case where a remote software exploit could actuate stuff on a Jeep – while it was driving!I feelsaferwithout that crap interfacing to the car.",
"parent_id": "8123605",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123769",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:01:34",
"content": "This, and also, I’d rather replace my phone than try to update my vehicle. I don’t have number, but I suspect that the more electronics there is on the dashboard of a vehicle, the lower its resale value, since electronics goes obsolete faster than anything else. I can understand treating the battery as a “replace on purchase” for used electrics, but trying to replace the info-operating-tainment system because of proprietary crap will be a complete nightmare, and cars won’t be drivable without it.",
"parent_id": "8123674",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123800",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:06:05",
"content": "The infotainment thing in cars is a modern disaster. We went from having totally standardized radio slots that you could customize crazily to “you get this and nothing else.” Oh, plus they all suck. I have yet to come across one of them that I didn’t think had at least one issue that wasn’t massively annoying and stupid.It’s just totally nuts. The idea of replacing the infotainment crap with something standardized and exchangeable is just awesome, and needs to be pushed more.",
"parent_id": "8123674",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123594",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:11:31",
"content": "That sounds exactly as plywood-friendly as my 1994 Toyota pickup which is to say “not quite”.",
"parent_id": "8123575",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123596",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:13:36",
"content": "My Ranger has slots in the bed where you can insert 2×4 lumber to properly support plywood over the wheel wells. I’m sure Slate could do something similar.",
"parent_id": "8123575",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123602",
"author": "Thovthe",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:18:05",
"content": "Could.Let’s wait to hear if that’s a did.",
"parent_id": "8123596",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123627",
"author": "Dielectric",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:21:50",
"content": "Given the drivel marketing stuff on their website (measuring volume in daschunds, really?), no one who knows anything about actually doing truck stuff has come near this turkey.",
"parent_id": "8123602",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123654",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:08:28",
"content": "There are easy work arounds too. When my son owned the truck, he didn’t realize what the slots were for and made a couple of simple wooden frames to support plywood.",
"parent_id": "8123602",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123750",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:17:25",
"content": "It is a “did.” You can look at pictures of the truck to easily see the slots above the wheel well.",
"parent_id": "8123602",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123636",
"author": "DougM",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:39:36",
"content": "Get it in SUV trim, put a roof rack on it, problem solved.",
"parent_id": "8123575",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123582",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:49:55",
"content": "They will sell a few as long as it has over 220mi range, same as newer Leafs. All day delivery or work truck. Even a commuter",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123646",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:01:35",
"content": "Base model is only 120 mi, but the extended range battery can be added after purchase and doubles it to 240 mi. (Minus whatever percentage we need to discount from the marketing. Maybe its 100 mi and 200 mi in real-world conditions. We’ll see!)",
"parent_id": "8123582",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123583",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:50:19",
"content": "Even people down south will say it looks way better than a cyber truck",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123700",
"author": "DereK Tombrello",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:53:20",
"content": "What makes you think that “people down South” think a Cyber Truck looks good? As a “person down South” – aka a redneck, aka a country boy – I think that the Cyber Truck is ugly as hell. I also think that this looks like a plastic model toy.",
"parent_id": "8123583",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123736",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:35:33",
"content": "Clancy might be referring to New Zealanders.B^)",
"parent_id": "8123700",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123935",
"author": "Bruce Fraser",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T06:31:28",
"content": "We drive Hiluxes, mate :)",
"parent_id": "8123736",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124055",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:46:45",
"content": "Can you read?“Clancydaenlightened says:May 2, 2025 at 5:50 amEven people down south will say:it looks way better than a cyber truck”Well duh this actually looks like a truck unlike a cyber truck, Elon musk isn’t the truck or pickup driving type it seems…",
"parent_id": "8123700",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124057",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:49:41",
"content": "If the cyber truck actually looked more like this one it probably would have actually sold more.",
"parent_id": "8124055",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124058",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:52:47",
"content": "“I ain’t driving to the moon Elon, I’m driving to the hardware store and some off-road and then to the liquor store later on, then might tow a boat or a trailer full of shit”Some things diesel and gas do better still",
"parent_id": "8124057",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123589",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:57:57",
"content": "These weirdos, the CEOs of the companies, go like “Is THIS the car/truck you want? No, you need overpriced gas-guzzling SUV instead! No, wait, you want THIS cheap truck? Okay, but you don’t NEED this, you need overpriced gas-guzzling SUV repackaged as truck! You still want this? Okay, let’s see, no, it will take 15 years to design and develop one, meanwhile, buy this overpriced gas-guzzling SUV repackaged as obese sedan! You still want this?”Meaning, the feedback from the average Sam to the CEO’s brain has been destroyed in the early 1990s and hasn’t properly recovered since.What I (average Sam) NEED is a $15K car/truck/van. Simple. Reliable. As few parts as possible. I don’t give **** if it is ICE, EV or anything in between (hybrid). Plenty of spares. Assembled in all 50 US states, no exception. No fake “dealers” bull****g me with their teaser prices they never have. Direct sales, like Saturn. I literally drive to the assembler plant to pick up my new Sam’s basic car/truck. $15K, not “teaser $20K price that baloons into $30 at the dealer and I cannot order the expensive gotchas to be removed to lower the price”.$15K is what most average Sams can afford to buy with no loan, cash paid on delivery. If they can scrape together a $10K kind, even better. That’s why parts should be 100% made in the US, in all 50 states, CEOs should be starting from there and see where it goes. Basic car, not uber-doober-souped-up-nobody-asked-for-Cadillac-sold-for-the-price-of-Bentley. We, average Sams, can figure out our own customization after the sale.Sorry about the vitriol; last good affordable and RELIABLE sedan I had was meager Buick Century off a lease. Lasted very, very, VERY long while. Those $14K I paid in 1995 were just right back then, and Century was a good solid thing before GM destroyed it together with other good things, Pontiac Bonneville, etc etc.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123600",
"author": "Thovthe",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:16:48",
"content": "“$15K is what most average Sams can afford to buy with no loan, cash paid on delivery.”Most average Sams take the financing on something bigger and that’s what the companies want.",
"parent_id": "8123589",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123675",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:11:04",
"content": "you apparently don’t know many average Sams",
"parent_id": "8123600",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123681",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:28:28",
"content": "$15K in cash is the absolute upper limit. I’d very much rather see $10K advertised price paid at the dealer lot instead, taxes and all.Meaning, $15K should buy some kind of basic car with all the options included, no haggling. There should also exist $10 sub-variant that will be truly “base model” that the stealerships usually advertise, again AVAILABLE TO THE AVERAGE SAM, not hidden away so he cannot buy one directly.Entire “dealership network”, ie, US Congress-guarded unnatural monopoly had long outlived its original purpose – cater to the average Sam’s needs. Right now it mostly offers what it wants to sell, not what I have been asking for for decades. The difference grew into quite a chasm over the decades, and it is one of the reasons we should stop buying from them, but we can’t they guard their turf quite well – almost as good as the trucker’s union guards any attempts at returning cargo rail lines where they are needed the most (intrastate).Regardless, from what little I know about how car parts are made, it is not airplane making, the tolerances are quite forgiving, and if CEOs cannot get the next Lee Iaccoca to bootstrap 100% US-made $15K car, they they are not worthy the million dollar salaries, maybe they should be paid janitor wages instead.Markets used to take care of the dead companies, but we no longer have proper markets in the US, but mostly carefully fenced communist parties guarding their “5-year investment plans” socialism for themselves. The results are quite predictable, and I’ll stop at that.",
"parent_id": "8123600",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124174",
"author": "Carlos V",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T02:37:00",
"content": "If you’re basing that $15K number on the $14K you paid for the Buick in 1995, you are not taking into account inflation. Inflation over the last 30 years is about 2X, so that same Buick would be closer to $30K in today’s dollars. Put another way, you’re basically saying that they should’ve sold you that Buick in 1995 for $7K instead of $14K. Sounds like a bad deal for the automaker if not outright a negative return.",
"parent_id": "8123681",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123608",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:31:21",
"content": "Inflation would put that $14K at $28K today… which is right about the price of the pickup in this article. And it’s new, instead of used!",
"parent_id": "8123589",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123642",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:55:59",
"content": "The official inflation stats say that 14K USD in 1995 would be the equivalent of about 29K USD today, in terms of purchasing power.This company seems to be aiming for exactly what you want: basic, customization after the fact, and as-cheap-as-possible while made in the USA. They just can’t make your price point, unfortunately. (And as you can see in these comments, a lot of people seem to bet they’ll miss their own price point.)",
"parent_id": "8123589",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123676",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:13:52",
"content": "Right, and I meant “$15K in today’s monies”. Which would have been around $9K back then.I merely mentioned Buick Century as a reliable average Sams’ sedan that can easily serve as a mid-size truck platform. GM had metal dies for the Century unibody since early 1980s, so they really milked that platform almost as long as Ford has been milking their Fiestas.Translation – the fig GM/Ford/Stellantis care. They are in the biz for making money with more money. Cars is a byproduct.",
"parent_id": "8123589",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123753",
"author": "TerryMatthews",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:27:56",
"content": "Oh my absolute favorite commercials are ones that feature employee pricing. You notice they never run a commercial for the same vehicle with standard asshole from the street pricing. And employee pricing is getting worse since most of those ads are for leasing a vehicle lol. Just shitgoblins shitting on shit they are.",
"parent_id": "8123589",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123590",
"author": "AbraKadabra",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:00:58",
"content": "When you have a truck, everyone is your friend – when they have to move or run errands.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123709",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:00:20",
"content": "I know this is a common complaint but it’s honestly one of the reasons I love having a small pickup. I like helping people, especially if it’s something the would struggle to do themselves.",
"parent_id": "8123590",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123599",
"author": "JayT",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:16:46",
"content": "A UTV is cheaper, but harder to license on the streets (well, possibly – this truck hasn’t gotten approval yet, so it may be just as difficult) and comes in a variety of configurations including 4 wheel drive. They generally have a much higher towing capacity, and can be had in 4 seat configurations.Maybe we should just find a way to allow UTVs to be licensed on the street. Don’t get me wrong, I love the simplicity of this, but I wish it came in about 10 grand cheaper.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123606",
"author": "Chris Elz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:23:52",
"content": "Couldn’t they have just put in a single-DIN slot and space for 2 standard 6.5″ speakers in the doors, so you can DIY a stereo install with off-the-shelf affordable standard car audio components instead of cludging a Bluetooth speaker to the dash or buying their proprietary in dash speaker system?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123610",
"author": "Rusty Cans",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:36:34",
"content": "Door speakers are an option.",
"parent_id": "8123606",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123650",
"author": "Chris Elz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:03:57",
"content": "Yeah but looks like they’re proprietary, and are Bluetooth devices paired to your phone. I’d really like a reliable AM/FM radio with ergonomic physical controls that works independently of my phone, that also has Bluetooth capability.Just let me install a $50 head unit from Crutchfield…",
"parent_id": "8123610",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123687",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:37:55",
"content": "If this is popular, Crutchfield will probably offer an installation kit to put the radio under the dash or somewhere.",
"parent_id": "8123650",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123860",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:22:00",
"content": "This is a problem industry-wide with consumer vehicles: a scandalous shortage of DIN slots and why aren’t things labelled as “DIN” like they used to be. DIN, I say!",
"parent_id": "8123687",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123792",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:45:22",
"content": "Have you ever taken apart a single-DIN radio made after 1985 or so? You could lease all that empty space to a small family. They already make cellphone holders for vehicles and it would be easy for someone to make a cheap iPod knockoff (I have one from China the size of a key fob, and it works fine) and mount it with Velcro. There are far better options than speaker and radio caverns which were standardized when most car radios still used vacuum tubes.",
"parent_id": "8123606",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123609",
"author": "freedomunit",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:36:12",
"content": "I would buy immediately if it was an ICE, absolutely the perfect vehicle for me otherwise",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123612",
"author": "b",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:40:34",
"content": "This will be my first car if it isn’t vaporware and the price doesn’t go up considerably. It’s like they designed it to my exact specifications.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123620",
"author": "BT",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:08:27",
"content": "“Is This The Truck We’ve Been Waiting For?”Yes. But in the UK ☹️",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123858",
"author": "Jason",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:21:15",
"content": "Same here in Australia there are still so many old small Hilux and Courier/B-series utes around because hate the Rams and large F-series trucks that don’t even fit in a single parking space.",
"parent_id": "8123620",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124825",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:02:16",
"content": "They’ll make a ‘white van’ version.Everybody knows the brits are bunch of thieves, hence pickup trucks ‘non-starters’.",
"parent_id": "8123620",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123624",
"author": "Noah",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:15:00",
"content": "Is This The Truck We’ve Been Waiting For?electricNope.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123651",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:05:19",
"content": "Found the Republican.",
"parent_id": "8123624",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123704",
"author": "DereK Tombrello",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:55:21",
"content": "So if you don’t like electric vehicles, you must be a Republican. With binary thinking like that, no wonder you lost the election.",
"parent_id": "8123651",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123920",
"author": "Steve Balmer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T05:07:11",
"content": "Nah, i bet hes -binaru.",
"parent_id": "8123704",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123921",
"author": "Steve Balmer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T05:07:56",
"content": "Non-Binary",
"parent_id": "8123920",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123889",
"author": "Noah",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T01:13:30",
"content": "Uh, definitely not but an EV isn’t practical right now for my lifestyle and area. But thanks for trying!",
"parent_id": "8123651",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123626",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:16:19",
"content": "obvious vaporware. people innovate in design when they’re freed from the burden of actually building anything",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123637",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:41:02",
"content": "Agreed. Looking at their marketing fluff, it’s obvious they don’t know what they’re doing. I hope they learn, and I hope they pull this off, but the odds are so stacked against them. Number one danger sign: you don’t just “add an SUV body to the back” – that changes so many safety aspects of the vehicle it’s ridiculous. The way to do it is old Bronco style – build an SUV that can have the roof and back seats removed. The first challenge – seat belt anchor points, and you can’t get away with not having shoulder belts anymore.I wish them luck, I really do. And if this thing comes to market even at $28K, I’ll be pleasantly shocked. My rule of thumb is it will be double the press release price.",
"parent_id": "8123626",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123660",
"author": "maxzillian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:15:01",
"content": "The SUV conversion is a bit more than just the top. There’s also a stamped steel “roll bar” structure that gets bolted in to protect the rear seat passengers. I suspect this also has the provisions for shoulder belt anchors.",
"parent_id": "8123637",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123663",
"author": "arifyn",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:29:10",
"content": "While I also worry that they’re marketing vaporware, or at least haven’t solved a lot of the hard problems yet, I don’t get your “number one danger sign” – theyareessentially designing something like an old Bronco or first-gen 4runner, they’re just not including the roof and back seats with the base model. The various configurations all have to pass modern safety regulations and they’re clear that they’re building with those in mind.The SUV version has a roll cage with included rear air bags and shoulder belt anchor points. Presumably the base truck has adequate attachment points for the rear seat and roll cage.And this is a solved problem in production vehicles – modern small vans (ford transit etc) have no trouble offering optional rear seats, and modern jeep wrangler / ford bronco still have removable rear tops along with rear seats in many cases.",
"parent_id": "8123637",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123638",
"author": "aleksclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:43:12",
"content": "I’ve seen one in the wild so IDK about vaporware",
"parent_id": "8123626",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123645",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:59:14",
"content": "That depends on your definition of vaporware. They have prototypes that have been spotted on the open road, so it’s not pure vapour. OTH it’s not yet under mass production, and I know some people might cry “vapourware” unless units ship, and that’s fair.If I put down a deposit and didn’t get a truck, I’d call it “vapourware” too, no matter how many prototypes were seen in the wild.",
"parent_id": "8123626",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123786",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:31:44",
"content": "heh i am entirely using a kind of ad hominem reasoning here to parse it but. kit-bashing an existing car with a one-off custom shell to convince people you’ve made a prototype has already been done before :)",
"parent_id": "8123645",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123643",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:56:54",
"content": "It’s only an ad if we’re payed for it!I just thought it was neat.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123659",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:13:39",
"content": "there’s a science experiment that says black body radiators get hotter. if they were going for a single colour the best one for usability is white or silver. as it is, you won’t be able to sit in it on a summers day.I think they’re on the right track though.i saw trump on the tv whining that us in the eu won’t buy their autos. I don’t have much sympathy for him because us autos are a bad joke, they’re oversized, mpg too low, they don’t pass eu safety standards. it’s like they don’t even know the us auto industrial complex is so corrupt they made a fleet of albatrosses that don’t have a market.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124826",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:05:45",
"content": "Bet you drive a German car…Chump.Japan is where you go for good cars.",
"parent_id": "8123659",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123662",
"author": "I_failed_cpp",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:24:59",
"content": "pump & dump …",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123680",
"author": "SurrealistWasteland",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:23:48",
"content": "“150 miles of range”That’s unfortunate, will there ever be an electric pickup that can tow anything across any state besides Delaware? I wouldn’t be surprised if this thing only gets 60 miles range pulling a trailer with any kind of load on it.What kind of market wants or needs these things? Just bring REAL Hiluxes to the states please.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123705",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:57:21",
"content": "I daily drive a small pickup and I would like one of these if it actually comes to market.There are reasons to use a truck that don’t involve pulling a trailer. Admittedly most days I don’t do anything that I couldn’t do with a sedan but I am a lot of people’s “friend with a truck” when they need to move bulky items like furniture. I could still do that with an electric. And if I ever did need to haul something larger I could still do it with fast chargers.",
"parent_id": "8123680",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123787",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:34:19",
"content": "a lot of people need a ton of range every day and a lot of people don’t. that’s the whole premise, that existing vehicles serve part of the market very well but leave other parts with a poor fit",
"parent_id": "8123680",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123984",
"author": "Chris McDonald",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T11:18:10",
"content": "It’s certainly not a tow vehicle. It’s a daily driver that you can load more than groceries into the back of. On average most people drive far less than 150 miles a day. Honestly with a bare bones truck like this your not going to want to spend more than 2 hours a day inside of it.For me this is my dream truck. I would like to see a bare bones radio/bluetooth built in. Hell even my kids power wheels trucks have bluetooth speakers these days.I personally have zero interest in an F150 or Cybertruck. I drive 43 miles a day and have a van for road trips. This would be the perfect thing to commute to work on a daily bases and be able to pickup building materials, furniture or other toys along the way.With the full family in tow I need a van. But I don’t need to be lugging around the van on a daily bases commuting to work.",
"parent_id": "8123680",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123682",
"author": "none ra",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:29:16",
"content": "Looks awesome, and I would buy one if I were looking for a new vehicle. No need to overhype though..“and the bed fits a full sheet of plywood.”No. It doesn’t. Your thumbnail pic for this story shows that it doesn’t. No one would accept that explanation for any truck that size making this claim. It is wide enough to fit plywood widthwise, and with the tailgate down it can carry plywood. But its bed does not fit a full sheet. It fits about 3/4 of a sheet lengthwise.The rest of it is great though. I’ve been saying, and commenting for years now that we should have at least some availability of a simple utility vehicle. Not just gluing a fancier tablet to the dashboard and calling it the next years model. Theres a lot of jobs where that is desirable.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123692",
"author": "Ian C>",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:47:24",
"content": "It’s less than half the price of Telo Trucks’ MT1 mini-truck, but not as aesthetically pleasing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123706",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:57:32",
"content": "If you are going to make a truck … make a truck. A 4×4 truck is made to haul/pull things for many miles up/over/crawling around in the mountains/on the farm or to job sites, or wherever. Not just fill the bed with a single golf bag… Anyway, this doesn’t look like that vehicle. Of course that is my perception of a ‘truck’ in my locale. My ’97 Dodge full size meets that criteria. On new trucks, leave off all the electronic do-dads. Use your phone for the electronic/entertainment side of things if that is your thing. Keep it Simple…. and reliable, to get you there and back.One thing going for above truck it has a normal cab. Not a big four door like you find now-a-days. I don’t mind an extended cab so you throw things behind the seats, or maybe a couple of kids, but a full car like area is just excessive in my opinion.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123794",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:58:10",
"content": "For just driving around, I have cars for that. For example in the last 3 years, I’ve only put 900 miles on my truck as I only use it, when I need ‘a truck’. I get better mileage that way.",
"parent_id": "8123706",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123922",
"author": "Oliver",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T05:12:17",
"content": "Thats nice, but what about people that can only afford a single vehicle, not plural, this do not get to choose which of their flewt vehicles to use?",
"parent_id": "8123794",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124827",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:07:46",
"content": "Sucks to be them!",
"parent_id": "8123922",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123726",
"author": "Dylan Turner",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:17:41",
"content": "Unfortunately, EVs are an immediate non-starter in the US.We don’t have the infrastructure to support them.The requirements for owning an EV:– Vehicle itself– Tesla chargers supporting your vehicle (bc let’s be real, there aren’t many non-Tesla EV chargers at the moment)– Living in a city that has chargers around– No desire to road trip more than 400 mi or so or to anywhere where there won’t be EV chargers like in your city– A house with a garage to install a charger– A charger installed in your houseIn other words, you have to be a wealthy urbanite to afford to use an EV.That’s not difficult enough for there to benomarket for EVs, but Slate is trying to sell itself as a cheap and fixable truck, but the cost to EVs isnotin the vehicle itself. Mainly, it’s in having to buy a house and where you have to live.Generally speaking, people that need a truck or SUV are not gonna be in the EV market.The EV market is premium with premium people. They aren’t gonna want a cheap vehicle. They want a stupidly rich and fancy car they can show off. Goodness knows that’s the Tesla approach, and it’s why it has been successful. It’s why the Cybertruck sold even tho it is widely considered to be one of the ugliest vehicles ever – bc it’s for rich people to show their wealth.So imo, this thing can’t succeed bc it’s for a market that doesn’t exist.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123749",
"author": "Dielectric",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:16:47",
"content": "Friend, you need to get out more. Every day I see more EVs on the road, driven by absolutely normal people. They’re not all flashy Cybertrucks or Rivians either, just Kias and Hyundais doing normal car things, all day every day. I have yet to see someone weeping at the side of the road because they overextended, either.",
"parent_id": "8123726",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123751",
"author": "Thomas",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:26:50",
"content": "“A Slate comes with everything you need to charge at home, no need to buy anything extra. With the included charging cable, you can charge using a regular household outlet. If you have access to a 240-volt outlet (the kind of outlet used for dryers, stoves and other appliances), you can charge faster with Level 2 charging. Many EV owners choose to purchase an optional wall-mounted charging station, which can add convenient features like cable storage and Wi-Fi connectivity, but you don’t necessarily need one to charge at home. ”https://www.slate.auto/en/charging",
"parent_id": "8123726",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123937",
"author": "Greenerwheels",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T06:34:25",
"content": "$10k for a low mileage buy back Chevy bolt with 259 miles of range and a brand new battery.",
"parent_id": "8123751",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123755",
"author": "fiddlingjunky",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:31:53",
"content": "Judging by the number of EVs I see on the road nowadays, the entire premise of your comment is patently false.",
"parent_id": "8123726",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123763",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:53:34",
"content": "I suppose it depends on where you live in the US. Kaliforia may have more EVs. Around here in MT it is rare. “Oh, look isn’t that an electric car?” . Like sighting a bear :) . Agree with most of above for our ‘area’. For the town only people maybe there is a market for them. Gives them the warm fuzzies I guess to own one.",
"parent_id": "8123726",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123901",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T02:46:57",
"content": "Yep. Here in the Los Angeles area, there are lots of electric cars. You may frequently see three Teslas in a row on the freeway, or in a parking lot. There are other brands too of course. We don’t have to worry about sub-freezing weather here though, weather which batteries don’t do well at all in. The company I work at has about a dozen people. The CEO, the president’s wife, and two of the techs all have Teslas.",
"parent_id": "8123763",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124041",
"author": "tbt10f",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:21:17",
"content": "I live in rural Utah and we have a surprisingly amount of Tesla and some other EV vehicles on the local roads. I guess people must buy them, then once they drain out and can’t be charged they just have them towed to the scrap yard then buy a new one according to your logic.",
"parent_id": "8123763",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124155",
"author": "LoneStar",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T00:32:19",
"content": "Lots of Teslas in Texas, not just in Dallas Center. They mostly have a pretty good reputation, independent of any politics.",
"parent_id": "8123763",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123874",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T23:02:10",
"content": "Clueless much??",
"parent_id": "8123726",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124274",
"author": "daveb",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T11:38:08",
"content": "You only need specialty chargers when you want to charge fast. The richie ritches get convenience for their $. EVs can be charged with regular household current which is more available than even gasoline. If you have nowhere to go and a lot of time to get there you can even do it with your own solar panels. ..and its a heck of a lot easier to do that than drilling and refining your own oil.By far the majority of car trips in the US are somethiung like under 40 miles per day. We can wipe out these with convenient and cheap EVs without stressing the system at all and without the need for specialty chargers. ..though we will get a lot of those chargers in the bargain for convenience anyway.",
"parent_id": "8123726",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124664",
"author": "Dylan Turner",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T14:07:57",
"content": "EVs can be charged with regular household current which is more available than even gasolineStill need to be rich enough to own a house",
"parent_id": "8124274",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123729",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:23:15",
"content": "No!I am NOT waiting for an EV, pickup or otherwise.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123744",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:55:05",
"content": "Yes I’m being a smartass but also asking out of ignorance:__ are there trucks thatdon’t____ “and the bed fits a full sheet of plywood”?If it was “the length to width ratio of the bed is equal tophi” that might make me go “hmmm” but “It’s 4 feet wide”? It’s got metal on the top and rubber on the bottom. It’s a truck.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123758",
"author": "fiddlingjunky",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:33:52",
"content": "If it keeps all its promises, I might actually get one. I wish it was more cabover so that a 4×8 sheet could lie flat with the tailgate down, but as long as it has a reasonable, if not perfect, method, I only do that a few times a year.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123761",
"author": "LKHFGSG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:49:00",
"content": "Thailand got or was supposed to get a $12,000 toyota truck with a modular bed.I assume it came out because it was announced over a year ago. We can’t have that though because it’s too cheap and everyone will buy one. Ford and chevy would cry.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123766",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:57:30",
"content": "as long as it’s grey.I wonder how much that will add to insurance costs.Oddly enough people with pink or yellow vehicles pay a tiny bit less in their insurance. (Ok the resale value sucks, because only a microscopic subset of people want to actually own a pink or yellow car/van/trunk)The logic of the insurance companies is that historically and statistically, because they standout other drivers actually see them and, less people crash into them. And because they standout, they are less likely to be stolen.Grey only, will probably mean that insurance will be a bit more.It is not the kind of information that insurance companies advertise, because if everyone drives around in pink or yellow vehicles, they will no longer standout.Oh and any minuscule saving in insurance, is totally dwarfed in relation to the much lower resale value.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123893",
"author": "Whatever",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T01:32:07",
"content": "Gray allows for the use of more recycled material with minimal pigment addition required. And all it would take is carbon black to even it out.",
"parent_id": "8123766",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123791",
"author": "Steven Clark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:43:42",
"content": "I think it needs a longer bed to be a functioning truck. 4×8 (or at least with the tailgate down and a fence up) would be nice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123793",
"author": "Kelly",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:56:14",
"content": "“Real” truck owners have toolboxes, a center console for the laptop, a gun rack, trailer hitch etc. – I don’t see any provisions for this. It’s like a nicey show truck, not something practical, outside of the box literally.“fake chinese dodge ram” youtube videos pretty much sum it all up, kinda hilarious.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123850",
"author": "Ject",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:51:24",
"content": "I would consider it. I honestly love the cybertruck, but the 80k pricetag and the “smart” features are a non-starter for me.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123867",
"author": "jawnhenry",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:29:09",
"content": "Title–“Is This The Truck We’ve Been Waiting For?”If Slate recognizes that this vehicle ‘ticks most all the boxes’ for a lot of people, and responds with an option which (a) has a bed which carries a “lay-flat” 4′ X 8′ sheet of construction material, and (b) has a rugged (a la Toyota / Kia) 4-cylinder ICE prime mover, then the answer is, “Yes; this is the truck / vehicle I’ve been waiting for.” Would buy one—and right now—without blinking.The ‘SUV add-on’ is anextremely nice, really very elegantoption (as is theCOMPLETE lackof being a ‘smart-phone on wheels’).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123912",
"author": "philosiraptor117",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:36:21",
"content": "I pre ordered. this is the least egregious deal on a new vehicle in a LOOOONG time, will pair nicely with my 3rd gen tacoma, perfect little commuter, everything i need including my employment exists in a 20 minute radius, this will allow me to extend the life of my tacoma by decades, while supplementing my day to day activities with cheap transport with good carry capacity. huge win",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124066",
"author": "Eric Smith",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T15:19:16",
"content": "IF, and that’s a big if, the government got out of the way, we could have the Toyota IMV 0. Everything good about the Slate, at nearly half the cost, and with the might of Toyota behind it, for reputation/parts/repair/warranty. Barring that unlikely event though, I hope these guys make it to production, and it turns out even 80% as good as it sounds now.",
"parent_id": "8123912",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124008",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T12:46:10",
"content": "My only question, the one that determines if this is an US trabant or something actually good to have is ‘does it have the constant tracking?’Does it have a cell-modem? Does it have builtin GPS in that modem-setup? Does it needs that to supposedly do ‘updates’?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124063",
"author": "Eric Smith",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T15:15:29",
"content": "For an dual-use every-day pickup… the things I see as NEEDED are 1) just over 4’x8′ bed, to fit full sheet goods. and the matching 1000lbs cargo capacity (approximate weight of a full bed of plywood). 2) 300 mile minimum range 3) ~3000 lb tow capacity (reasonable non-carhauler trailer) 4) “modern” drivetrain and reasonable creature comforts (power steering, hvac, and the option of a bluetooth capable radio/nav unit) 5) the ability to park in a ‘normal’ car parking space (less than 6 feet wide, and less than 18 feet long). Keep it under $25,000, and you have the modern equal to the mighty 80’s toyota 1/2 ton pickup (hilux for those not in America). Doesn’t need to be huge, doesn’t need to be pretty… it’s a TRUCK! Let it match the job. Works as a truck, drives sort of like a car, and isn’t a rolling pissing match.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124067",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T15:21:52",
"content": "Whole lot of plywood full sheets being bought and transported. Funny, I dont see that much stocked at the orange and blue store as I am led to believe by this article. Ranger has a mini bed, but I bungee cord plywood to the top like a tonneau cover.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124080",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:21:48",
"content": "I don’t see how they can meet that price point and still have a competitive EV. Something is being skimped on, and it’s not the stereo, paint job, or soft-controls. Reminds me of the Yugo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124166",
"author": "Dom Ata",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T01:22:30",
"content": "Too bad the millions of us who don’t have a driveway and park on the right-hand side of the street can’t charge it without risking having the cable sideswiped by a passing vehicle…Come on designers, put the port on the front or back instead! Nissan had it right until 2025. The Ford Van was good too. And, some German cars as well.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124499",
"author": "Charlotte",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T23:38:24",
"content": "I was very excited when I first heard of Slate… But it’s being backed and funded by Jeff Bezos. Immediate loss of interest. I don’t want to subscribe to my car and if Bezos gets his fingers in it, it’ll only run on Amazon electricity somehow.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124557",
"author": "JP",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T05:59:11",
"content": "Lets hope it doesnt go the way of the Xbus.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.850562
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/02/pinoutleaf-simplifying-pinout-references/
|
Pinoutleaf: Simplifying Pinout References
|
Matt Varian
|
[
"PCB Hacks"
] |
[
"documentation",
"pcb",
"pinouts"
] |
We all appreciate clear easy-to-read reference materials. In that pursuit [Andreas] over at Splitbrain sent in his latest project,
Pinoutleaf
. This useful web app simplifies the creation of clean, professional board pinout reference images.
The app uses YAML or JSON configuration files to define the board, including photos for the front and back, the number and spacing of pins, and their names and attributes.For example, you can designate pin 3 as GPIO3 or A3, and the app will color-code these layers accordingly. The tool is designed to align with the standard 0.1″ pin spacing commonly used in breadboards. One clever feature is the automatic mirroring of labels for the rear photo, a lifesaver when you need to reverse-mount a board. Once your board is configured, Pinoutleaf generates an SVG image that you can download or print to slide over or under the pin headers, keeping your reference key easily accessible.
Visit the
GitHub page
to explore the tool’s features, including its Command-Line Interface for batch-generating pinouts for multiple boards. Creating clear
documentation
is challenging, so we love seeing projects like Pinoutleaf that make it easier to do it well.
| 10
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123500",
"author": "Nikolai",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T08:05:36",
"content": "I had an idea a while ago. Make something like “Enlarged PCBs” Basically same PCBs, but enlarged for “aging electronic hobbyists”.And should be not just enlarged. Butt have some kind of standard.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123576",
"author": "Shoe",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:42:12",
"content": "Have a look at the Pimoroni Pico Jumbo, a 3.5x scale Pico. It is fully functional, as it has a standard sized Pico mounted on it, so all of the giant pads are linked to the corresponding Pico pin. I think they made it as a bit of a gag, but it could be genuinely useful for demo purposes.You could do the same for most other boards you use, and just design a jumbo host board for it which looks the same.",
"parent_id": "8123500",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123611",
"author": "Al",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:38:52",
"content": "My butt has been enlarged enough already!",
"parent_id": "8123500",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123735",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:34:49",
"content": "Maybe you should look at some industrial PLCs. Great for automation/data collection. Everything is assembled with screw terminals and fairly robust. Even Arduino has a PLC version.Biggest downside PLCs are their cost.",
"parent_id": "8123500",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123503",
"author": "Kerry Waterfield",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T08:25:06",
"content": "You mean something like this :)https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/pico-jumbo?variant=42095185854547",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123540",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T10:54:33",
"content": "Oh, wow, this is nice. I hope this becomes a standard and people distribute both images of the putouts and the files. Would be super helpful when you’ve got piles of microcontroller variants with different pinouts.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123595",
"author": "Aqib Idrees",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:12:07",
"content": "This is absolutely genius, why did I not think of this!!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123667",
"author": "JanW",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:56:12",
"content": "It would be awesome to mark two diagonal pins in the boards picture so it auto-scales to the parameters given. Maybe in a future version.I like the idea very much!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123677",
"author": "Aaron E",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:14:24",
"content": "I love this. Ever since seeing PigHixxx’s pinout documentation way back in the day, I’ve thought about building something exactly like this – visual pinout generation that makes it easy to work with a module and get going with a prototype. This is fantastic!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124012",
"author": "IT-Wizard",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T12:55:35",
"content": "I had an idea to use this kind of approach to create a program to automatic generate web interface for esp32 or other web oriented SBC.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.63228
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/single-board-z80-computer-draws-inspiration-from-picasso/
|
Single-Board Z80 Computer Draws Inspiration From Picasso
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"News"
] |
[
"picasso",
"RC2014",
"z80"
] |
Picasso and the Z80 microprocessor are not two things we often think about at the same time. One is a renowned artist born in the 19th century, the other, a popular CPU that helped launch the microcomputer movement. And yet, the latter has come to inspire a computer based on the former.
Meet the RC2014 Mini II Picasso!
As [concretedog] tells the story, what you’re fundamentally looking at is an RC2014 Mini II.
As we’ve discussed previously
, it’s a single-board Z80 retrocomputer that you can use to do fun things like run BASIC, Forth, or CP/M. However, where it gets kind of fun is in the layout. It’s the same fundamental circuitry as the RC2014, but it’s been given a rather artistic flair. The ICs are twisted this way and that, as are the passive components; even some of the resistors are dancing all over the top of one another. The kit is a limited edition, too, with each coming with a unique combination of colors where the silkscreen and sockets and LED are concerned. Kits are available via
Z80Kits
for those interested.
We love a good artistic PCB design; indeed,
we’ve supported the artform heavily at Supercon and beyond
. It’s neat to see the RC2014 designers reminding us that components need not live on a rigid grid; they too can dance and sway and flop all over the place like the eyes and or nose on a classic Picasso.
It’s weird, though; in a way, despite the Picasso inspiration, the whole thing ends up looking distinctly of the 1990s. In any case, if you’re cooking up any such kooky builds of your own, modelled after Picasso or any other Spanish master, don’t hesitate to
notify the tipsline.
| 19
| 13
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123474",
"author": "PodeCoet",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T05:12:34",
"content": "The layout of the PCB, misaligned component outlines and warped text is giving me seriously uncanny AI vibes, but it seems like the real deal. Well done?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123492",
"author": "alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T07:34:44",
"content": "Why do I love this?? I’ve never gotten surrealist art but do like this.It’s absolutely delightful.",
"parent_id": "8123474",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123671",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:06:10",
"content": "Agreed. I am in no way suggesting the author of the article has faked anything, but if I saw this picture in a different context (say, the endless scroll of garbage click bait we see after a lot of online articles), I’d be 100% sure it was AI generated.I wonder if this will become a new art form. Human imitation (or perhaps even satire) of AI output.",
"parent_id": "8123474",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124476",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T21:50:45",
"content": "It’s not new, just usually not intersecting with spaces like this. I remember quite a few books aimed at young enthusiasts having at least a couple examples, and occasionally boards in serious hardware being intentional art peices.",
"parent_id": "8123671",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123815",
"author": "Peter",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:51:27",
"content": "Chips at funny angles, it’s just a way of making you think that a Z80 plus ROM, RAM and a bit of Logic is a great computer. Build a proper computer with real I/O, SD card storage, keyboard interface, BASIC interpreter and VGA output",
"parent_id": "8123474",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124473",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T21:44:28",
"content": "No need for cynicism, it’s just a bit of fun.",
"parent_id": "8123815",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123477",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T05:24:32",
"content": "As someone that has to deal with EMC compliance daily, it makes my “that’s a big nono” pending rape sense twitch but really it’s a Z80 running basic probally works fine fine even if it was dead bugged on a sheet of cardboard lol",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123498",
"author": "KR3ATOR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T07:59:47",
"content": "It almost looks like he shook the case and the IC’s randomly piled up at the bottom. I like it!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123588",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:55:46",
"content": "Meanwhile the boss be like:“What dafuq is dis? Never pass fcc and compliance tests!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123591",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:01:46",
"content": "Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a soldered barrel connector jack that wasn’t black.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123652",
"author": "Mack",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:07:01",
"content": "Fixture came loose? No man, I was trying to make something unique. You just lack vision!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123664",
"author": "sjm4306",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:42:41",
"content": "Careful … all the electrons are gonna fall out!!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123666",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:46:17",
"content": "At work we used to make a lot of boards that were 40cm in diameter, round, with a central DUT so all the circuitry around it needed to be more or less symmetric to the DUT. That meant a radial layout. One of my chaotic coworkers went with it and didn’t have a single rectilinear trace on the boards she designed. The whole thing was polar. They were so difficult to reroute if you had to revise the board, but they were striking looking.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123703",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:54:25",
"content": "“It’s a single-board Z80 retrocomputer that you can use to do fun things like run BASIC, Forth, or CP/M.”Or MP/M and MP/M II, the power user versions of CP/M! :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123741",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:51:00",
"content": "I would be more impressed if the routing was the result of an optimization of traces, signals, etc., and not made that way “for the sake of art”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123767",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:00:44",
"content": "I like it. I keep meaning to buy a z80 kit. Maybe this will be the time. Unique. I see company is located in GB (as prices are in pounds or euros I think).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124046",
"author": "Graham Bartram",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:31:45",
"content": "As a professional designer I love it but as an Autistic I can only feel the rage of seeing heresy!🤣",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124077",
"author": "Davidmh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T16:13:32",
"content": "That is not Picasso. More like Kandinsky meets Munch, specifically The Scream.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124477",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T21:51:45",
"content": "Mean, but not exactly uncalled for. I don’t really blame you in this context.",
"parent_id": "8124077",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,558.906067
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/blurry-image-placeholders-generated-with-minimal-css/
|
Blurry Image Placeholders, Generated With Minimal CSS
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Software Hacks"
] |
[
"css",
"image render",
"lqip"
] |
Low-quality image placeholders (LQIPs) have a solid place in web page design. There are many different solutions but the main gotcha is that generating them tends to lean on things like JavaScript, requires lengthy chunks of not-particularly-human-readable code, or other tradeoffs. [Lean] came up with
an elegant, minimal solution in pure CSS to create LQIPs
.
Here’s how it works: all required data is packed into a single CSS integer, which is decoded directly in CSS (no need for any JavaScript) to dynamically generate an image that renders immediately. Another benefit is that without any need for wrappers or long strings of data this method avoids cluttering the HTML. The code is little more than a line like
<img src="…" style="--lqip:567213">
which is certainly tidy, as well as a welcome boon to those who hand-edit files.
The trick with generating LQIPs from scratch is getting an output that isn’t hard on the eyes or otherwise jarring in its composition. [Lean] experimented until settling on an encoding method that reliably delivered smooth color gradients and balance.
This method therefore turns a single integer into a perfectly-serviceable LQIP, using only CSS. There’s even a separate tool [Lean] created to compress any given image into the integer format used (so the result will look like a blurred version of the original image). It’s true that the results look
very
blurred but the code is clean, minimal, and the technique is easily implemented. You can see it in action in [Lean]’s
interactive LQIP gallery
.
CSS has a lot of capability baked into it, and it’s capable of much more than just styling and lining up elements. How about
trigonometric functions in CSS
? Or from the other direction, check out implementing a CSS (and HTML) renderer
on an ESP32
.
| 9
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123483",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T06:16:21",
"content": "I bet the reason for the mystery of values getting rounded beyond 6 digits is that it is stored as 32 bit float at some point for some reason.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123485",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T06:28:34",
"content": "Lazy loading is a terrible UX, by all means we should have opted for low (maybe 70% quality) highly compressed webp/avif and then just load the original jpeg/png with 100% quality.Also this is not about the format itself, but that blurred images really do not communicate any meaning at all. I remind the oldsters here: On the early web, did you prefer images loading line by line, or that progressive effect where the full size appears and then iteratively rasterizes from pixelated to unpixelated in multiple steps?As an example:[https://www.davidhboggs.com/blog/conversion-optimization/use-progressive-jpegs-to-reduce-loading-times-of-your-web-pages-2781-thread.html]We could have just been smart with new formats: Include multiple previews with little to no overhead. In the end where you have the extra code doesn’t matter. Inside the file itself always appeared more logical to me.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123493",
"author": "Arjen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T07:37:23",
"content": "CSS is render blocking. That means that while your stylesheets are loading the page will remain blanc. That is why you need to be really careful with concepts like these. The idea is pretty cool though!",
"parent_id": "8123485",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123655",
"author": "El Gru",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:08:46",
"content": "I want to see an image when it is fully loaded. Before that: emptiness.If you want to show big pics, then use a system that shows thumbnails.Progressive is the worst: everyone has to deal with and transfer even more data and it looks really bad.",
"parent_id": "8123485",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123745",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:01:51",
"content": "What you want (respectively) is not a standard for the world. There are people in 3rd world countries that would be happy with pixelated images whilst they read.Look at the image in the article, the blurred image of the drawn cat. Then the blurred version of the drawn cat. Go out and ask someone to guess what it will look like if unblurred? Right, nothing. It is just a black blob on a blue background.Transfer more data? Quite the opposite, progressive jpegs are usually 3-10% smaller than baseline. I was speaking hypotheticals for new image formats. But I see the subject may have run its way beyond my intended idea to spark positive discussion and new ideas.",
"parent_id": "8123655",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124018",
"author": "El Gru",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:06:42",
"content": "It’s all fine – I have dealt with images for the internet when the internet in Central Europe was so slow that your 3rd world countries today would consider it unsable. And today the main load is usually not images but JavaScript, and that must be loaded before anything useful can happen.So .. just show the images but design the page in a way that can deal without or with thumbs for loading on demand – if you are concerned about slow connections. For those minimalistic static or pure server-side rendered pages are still the only solution.Fun fact: sending each image only once in a really big size but with brutal compression is the overall most efficient method. Like 2560×2560 at 30 to 50% jpeg. Oh, and don’t forget to remove all metadata, especially the xmp block from the files.",
"parent_id": "8123745",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124129",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T21:49:08",
"content": "I was so happy when you announced you were traveling all over the ‘”3rd world” and doing a poll on what people wanted in web pages.But seeing it was the ‘3rd world’ that must have been 35 years ago now? Since that word was abandoned with the end of soviet communism. So perhaps views have changed? So pack your bags and go do an update. TIA",
"parent_id": "8123745",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123833",
"author": "helge",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:23:36",
"content": "Foveated preview images would have been lovely. That way the preview could minimize distraction, delivering key details faster with some intention and beauty.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foveated_imaging",
"parent_id": "8123485",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123604",
"author": "AbraKadabra",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:21:51",
"content": "Thumbs Up. Lynx-ify the web for low band width browsing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,558.951071
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/printable-pegboard-pc-shows-off-the-rgb/
|
Printable Pegboard PC Shows Off The RGB
|
Tyler August
|
[
"computer hacks"
] |
[
"3d print",
"pc"
] |
Sometimes it seems odd that we would spend hundreds (or thousands) on PC components that demand oodles of airflow, and stick them in a little box, out of sight. The fine folks at Corsair apparently agree, because they’ve released files for an
open-frame pegboard PC case on Printables
.
According to the write-up on their blog,
these prints have held up just fine with ordinary PLA– apparently there’s enough airflow around the parts that heat sagging isn’t the issue we would have suspected. ATX and ITX motherboards are both supported, along with a few power supply form factors. If your printer is smaller, the ATX mount is per-sectioned for your convenience. Their GPU brackets can accommodate beefy dual- and triple-slot models. It’s all there, if you want to unbox and show off your PC build like the work of engineering art it truly is.
Of course, these files weren’t released from the kindness of Corsair’s corporate heart– they’re meant to be used with fancy pegboard desks the company also sells. Still to their credit, they
did
release the files under a CC4.0-Attribution-ShareAlike license. That means there’s nothing stopping an enterprising hacker from remixing this design for the ubiquitous SKÅDIS or any other perfboard should they so desire.
We’ve covered
artful open-cases before
here on Hackaday, but if you prefer to hide the expensive bits from dust and cats, this
mid-century box might be more your style
. If you’d rather no one know you own a computer at all, you can always do the
exact opposite of this build, and hide everything inside the desk
.
| 19
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123446",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T01:08:30",
"content": "In the 1990s I made this using nails and drywall. It did not look as nice. No RGB either",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123491",
"author": "Eric",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T07:12:28",
"content": "RGB was barely a thing in 1990s. Blue LED was invented in mid 90s and they were still a bit expensive, I remember spending $1 per blue LED. A tri-color LED were available by end of 90s but smart LED wouldn’t be around for many more years.",
"parent_id": "8123446",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123689",
"author": "FeRDNYC",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:42:20",
"content": "Yup. I’m not quite old enough to remember when LEDs only came in red, but I remember how rare amber was early on. Then later, green appeared, and we had an embarrassment of THREE colors.Took forever to get to blue. Then once it happened, manufacturers went completely crazy with it and EVERYTHING had blue LEDs.",
"parent_id": "8123491",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123653",
"author": "Mack",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:08:22",
"content": "Bet it worked great though.",
"parent_id": "8123446",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123923",
"author": "tomxp411",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T05:15:18",
"content": "I never did that, but I’ve hosted more than one PC inside of a cardboard box…",
"parent_id": "8123446",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123449",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T01:24:35",
"content": "Why would anyone want their computer out in the open like that? They must not have cats.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123467",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T03:54:59",
"content": "Or radio receivers.",
"parent_id": "8123449",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123471",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T04:45:50",
"content": "The cases with a side window are bad enough for RFI. At least PCs are a lot quieter now since most of the signaling is differential and voltages are a lot lower.",
"parent_id": "8123467",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124126",
"author": "Mcfly",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T21:09:47",
"content": "The reason is because it (arguably or subjectively) looks cool. I can’t think of a practical reason.",
"parent_id": "8123449",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124381",
"author": "MobileJAD",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:12:26",
"content": "I personally dont have any pets in my room, so I have never had any issues running open air PCs before, and my thermals have always been great doing so. If I were to consider a ‘pegboard’ PC I would probably place it on my desk behind my monitor, too bad that I dont own a 3D printer tho.",
"parent_id": "8123449",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123475",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T05:15:58",
"content": "A 32×16 steel sheet metal pegboard cost 29.99 at lowes why the ever living crap would it buy a crap desk at a premium (cause gamer) then spend the next 6 months printing pegboard out",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123476",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T05:18:41",
"content": "And yea no shit a “case” that supports atx will fit an itx bboard guess what it will also fit uATX and some mini AT boards as well … just like every ATX case ever",
"parent_id": "8123475",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123686",
"author": "FeRDNYC",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:37:22",
"content": "You… you don’t print the pegboard. You print the various doodads that mount the components TO the pegboard. Most PC parts do not come with pegs attached. Corsair will sell you an expensive desk with pegboard attached, but as the article says, nothing stopping you from using your own pegboard.",
"parent_id": "8123475",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123631",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:30:13",
"content": "i just think it’s so awesome that my pc is in the basement and i never have to see it and it digests basement dust instead of human dust. (there’s a lot less dust and it’s a lot less sticky / fuzzy)over the moon that i have a pile of small computers in my livingroom that are completely hidden behind and under crap",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123647",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:01:43",
"content": "Day 670 of telling people to use ThinITX PIO motherboards.For $80-100 you get a 12th-14th gen motherboard with a “Parrallel” PCIe slot at the top of the board (no risers needed for vertical mount)Also 20v input and 12v output (up to 160w GPU) built in.I was running a 12500t and 4060 from a 240w Gallium Nitride Alienware laptop brick in a 2L case, with enough empty room I could have fit the brick inside too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123649",
"author": "Kisar.Sosae",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T15:03:46",
"content": "I already have my 2 PC box on a sitting on a shelf from:https://www.wallcontrol.comAnd I need to upgrade my PC anyway…now I don’t need to buy an expensive case?Or will I be tempted to accidentally use the interior of my PC as a shelf itself?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123781",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T19:20:39",
"content": "haha i have one of the 2003 antec ‘full tower’ style cases with some modern tiny micro-atx?? MB in itand i do indeed use the inside of my pc as storage…a little nest of leftover cables and crap. something for my ssd to rest on",
"parent_id": "8123649",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123683",
"author": "FeRDNYC",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:30:11",
"content": "OK, but why was it photographed in someone’s (very nice) garden?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124130",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T21:52:13",
"content": "Well.. it’s always hard to get good lighting on black material in photographs.Perhaps that’ll work as an explanation?",
"parent_id": "8123683",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,559.005135
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/make-your-own-telescope-right-down-to-the-glass/
|
Make Your Own Telescope, Right Down To The Glass
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Space"
] |
[
"astronomy",
"mirrors",
"telescope"
] |
Telescopes are great tools for observing the heavens, or even surrounding landscapes if you have the right vantage point. You don’t have to be a professional to build one though; you can make all kinds of telescopes as an amateur,
as this guide from the Springfield Telescope Makers demonstrates.
The guide is remarkably deep and rich; no surprise given that the Springfield Telescope Makers club dates back to the early 20th century. It starts out with the basics—how to select a telescope, and how to decide whether to make or buy your desired instrument. It also explains in good detail why you might want to start with a simple Newtonian reflector setup on Dobsonian mounts if you’re crafting your first telescope, in no small part because mirrors are so much easier to craft than lenses for the amateur. From there, the guide gets into the nitty gritty of mirror production, right down to grinding and polishing techniques, as well as how to test your optical components and assemble your final telescope.
It’s hard to imagine a better place to start than here as an amateur telescope builder. It’s a rich mine of experience and practical advice that should give you the best possible chance of success. You might also like to peruse some of
the other telescope projects we’ve covered previously
. And, if you succeed, you can always tell us of your tales
on the tipsline!
| 14
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123411",
"author": "prfesser",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T20:52:13",
"content": "Grinding, polishing, and figuring a telescope mirror is enormously rewarding. I did my first 8″ just over 50 years ago, and the idea that I could make an item accurate to millionths of an inch with primitive equipment was compelling. The quality obtained is largely if not solely dependent on the time and thought spent on the work.Unfortunately, a plethora of substandard scope components have hit the markets, and there is no way to tell the quality until one has actually used the scope. Moreover, the cost of a mirror kit surpasses the cost of a (cheap) finished mirror.(The cheap short-tube 6″ scopes that plague the internet are to be avoided. They depend on an optical system that is rarely of decent quality. You may enjoy your first look at the moon, Jupiter, and Saturn, but will quickly become dissatisfied by the fuzzy images of most other objects.)Still, for anyone truly interested in astronomy and observing, I would strongly advise either buying an expensive but high-quality optical system, or take the time and effort to make it yourself. The thrill of first light through a mirror made with one’s own hands is not to be forgotten.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123426",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T22:47:00",
"content": "I’ve always wanted to grind my own mirrors. For other projects too. Mostly because mirrors, and optical components, are so expensive. Do you know of any good guides aside from stellafane, or is that about all anyone would need to know?",
"parent_id": "8123411",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123469",
"author": "Tibz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T04:00:27",
"content": "Check out this old video on John Dobson and his telescope grinding classes from back in the dayshttps://youtu.be/snz7JJlSZvw?si=VkWbSTI0PTcKQdFW",
"parent_id": "8123426",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123502",
"author": "Wells Campbell",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T08:23:16",
"content": "Check out Cloudy Nights, good website for amateur astronomy whether you buy borrow or build. The amateur telescope maker (ATM) forum seems to have a few ongoing mirror grinding projects at any given time, and there are many completed threads in the archives. Often these are first-timers asking all kinds of questions as they go, with quite a few very seasoned advanced amateurs and a few professional mirror makers who are happy to give advice and guidance. Reading a few of them will give you a good idea of the scope (I know, I couldn’t think of a better word…) of grinding a mirror, as well as some highly detailed specific challenges that arise during the process. There are also some amazing projects of reflectors approaching meter-class in there, with teams contributing to the builds. Those tend to move a bit slower naturally.I’m putting the finishing touches on a 17.5″ f/4.5 Newtonian (disclosure: I bought the mirror used, but built everything else, and actually I found the mirror in the classifieds) and while I’m not quite ready to commit to grinding my own right now, I think there’s a pretty good chance I will end up getting into it in the future.",
"parent_id": "8123426",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123447",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T01:10:03",
"content": "Agreed, sometimes things like this are not about saving money.",
"parent_id": "8123411",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123443",
"author": "me",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T00:36:54",
"content": "The classic is “how to make a telescope” by Texereau. Available on Amazon. Your local library might have a copy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123607",
"author": "Ettore Bombino",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:29:15",
"content": "Absolutely! I built my first Telescope when I was 15 yrs old,( I’m now 74) I remember ordering Jean Texereau’s book from Edmund Scientific and grinding my first mirror, a 150mm (6 in) scope but I mounted the square tube scope on an equatorial mount I bought from a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society.",
"parent_id": "8123443",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123458",
"author": "tony",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T02:24:44",
"content": "I would love to build my own telescope, maybe one day… oh! and I definitelly love the webpage style!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123461",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T02:44:26",
"content": "Starting in the 1920’s Scientific American magazine had a monthly series called “Amateur Telescope Making” edited by Albert Ingalls. It became a three volume set “The Amateur Telescope Builder.” It covered the entire process of astronomy instrumentation from simple telescopes to spectrographs and wide field scopes. The magazine series is available in good libraries in paper or digital files.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123470",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T04:09:17",
"content": "Between the 1920’s and 1940’s some rural farmers, with good technical skill and clear skies, found telescopes, astronomy, and ham radio, excellent pastimes to fill their non-working hours. This is well documented in the articles mentioned above. Some builders document their metal cast equatorial telescope mounts as well as home-built observatories.",
"parent_id": "8123461",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123628",
"author": "adobeflashhater again",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:24:34",
"content": "I can remember seeing some observatories in rural areas and on a couple of farms.Summer trips to the shore or wherever.As a kid, it seemed odd that a farmer would have this really short “silo”, then as I got older, I realized what the door on top was for. Most of them are gone or rusted into oblivion amongst the weeds and blackberry bushes, or are now turned to housing developments and shopping centers.I even got to visit one of the low wall, roll-back roof sites (they had three permanent mounts), at a private school some 50 years ago.That one’s long gone also.Thanks for bringing back some of the better memories of my youth, everyone!",
"parent_id": "8123470",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123615",
"author": "Edgar D Glas",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:50:25",
"content": "Stellafane is an amazing place, even for non-astronomer makers. Many of the early members worked on the local railroad, so many of the STM observatories have re-used railroad hardware.The Simoni Observatory, home of the Cook-Considine Spectrohelioscope uses a geared circumferential rail to turn the turret. Also the Clubhouse has a built in telescope that is accessed by a rollout roof. My brother is a member having both built a telescope and done over 15 years of volunteer work for the annual conference/star party.Good folks (even my brother!)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124037",
"author": "Jeff Hutton",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T14:07:49",
"content": "I built my first telescope at about 14 years of age. I reveled in the mechanics but not in making of optics. Luckily my friend, the late Dick Wessling, a great “glass pusher”, made my optics for me. Check out ‘first proze’, Stellafane, 2011.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8141775",
"author": "Kristina",
"timestamp": "2025-06-24T06:18:33",
"content": "I love all of your stories. I watched a guy on YouTube grind his lens. I didn’t feel confident I could do what he was doing and not leave a ton of scratches but I have a kiln and I got glass like he would get that people discarded and I want to give it a shot. Hubble has some pretty reasonably priced telescopes but I want a huge one, as big as I can get. Even dig a hole in the ground and have it project out of the ground. That might help with the lens heating up too, I don’t know. I don’t know much at all about building them but I can say if you find a website with someone who has built one, they are usually very friendly and happy to help.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.162118
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/libogc-allegations-rock-wii-homebrew-community/
|
Libogc Allegations Rock Wii Homebrew Community
|
Tom Nardi
|
[
"Featured",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks",
"Original Art",
"Slider",
"Software Development"
] |
[
"gamecube",
"nintendo",
"reverse engineering",
"sdk",
"wii"
] |
Historically, efforts to create original games and tools, port over open source emulators, and explore a game console’s hardware and software have been generally lumped together under the banner of “homebrew.” While not the intended outcome, it’s often the case that exploring a console in this manner unlocks methods to run pirated games. For example, if a bug is found in the system’s firmware that enables a clever developer to run “Hello World”, you can bet that the next thing somebody tries to write is a loader that exploits that same bug to play a ripped commercial game.
But for those who are passionate about being able to develop software for their favorite game consoles, and the developers who create the libraries and toolchains that make that possible, the line between homebrew and piracy is a critical boundary. The general belief has always been that keeping piracy at arm’s length made it less likely that the homebrew community would draw the ire of the console manufacturers.
As such, homebrew libraries and tools are held to a particularly high standard. Homebrew can only thrive if developed transparently, and every effort must be taken to avoid tainting the code with proprietary information or code. Any deviation could be the justification a company like Nintendo or Sony needs to swoop in.
Unfortunately, there are fears that covenant has been broken in light of multiple allegations of impropriety against the developers of
libogc
, the
C library used by nearly all homebrew software for the Wii and GameCube
. From potential license violations to uncomfortable questions about the origins of the project, there’s mounting evidence that calls the viability of the library into question. Some of these allegations, if true, would effectively mean the distribution and use of the vast majority of community-developed software for both consoles is now illegal.
Homebrew Channel Blows the Whistle
For those unfamiliar, the Wii Homebrew Channel (HBC) is a front-end used to load homebrew games and programs on the Nintendo Wii, and is one of the very first things anyone who’s modded their console will install. It’s not an exaggeration to say that essentially anyone who’s run homebrew software on their Wii has done it through HBC.
But as of a few days ago, the
GitHub repository for the project was archived
, and lead developer Hector Martin added a long explanation to the top of its README that serves as an overview of the allegations being made against the team behind
libogc
.
Somewhat surprisingly, Martin starts by admitting that he’s believed
libogc
contained ill-gotten code since at least 2008. He accuses the developers of decompiling commercial games to get access to the C code, as well as copying from leaked documentation from the official Nintendo software development kit (SDK).
For many, that would have been enough to stop using the library altogether. In his defense, Martin claims that he and the other developers of the HBC didn’t realize the full extent to which
libogc
copied code from other sources. Had they realized, Martin says they would have launched an effort to create a new low-level library for the Wii.
But as the popularity of the Homebrew Channel increased, Martin and his team felt they had no choice but to reluctantly accept the murky situation with
libogc
for the good of the Wii homebrew scene, and left the issue alone. That is, until new information came to light.
Inspiration Versus Copying
The story then fast-forwards to the present day, and new claims from others in the community that large chunks of
libogc
were actually copied from the
Real-Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems (RTEMS) project
— a real-time operating system that was originally designed for military applications but that these days finds itself used in a wide-range of embedded systems. Martin links to a
GitHub repository maintained by a user known as derek57
that supposedly reversed the obfuscation done by the
libogc
developers to try and hide the fact they had merged in code from RTEMS.
Now, it should be pointed out that RTEMS is actually an open source project. As you might expect from a codebase that dates back to 1993, these days it includes several licenses that were inherited from bits of code added over the years. But the primary and preferred license is BSD 2-Clause, which Hackaday readers may know is a permissive license that gives other projects the right to copy and reuse the code more or less however they chose. All it asks in return is attribution, that is, for the redistributed code to retain the copyright notice which credits the original authors.
In other words, if the
libogc
developers did indeed copy code from RTEMS, all they had to do was properly credit the original authors. Instead, it’s alleged that they superficially refactored the code to make it appear different, presumably so they would not have to acknowledge where they sourced it from. Martin points to the following function as an example of RTEMS code being rewritten for
libogc
:
While this isolated function doesn’t necessarily represent the entirety of the story, it does seem hard to believe that the
libogc
implementation could be so similar to the RTEMS version by mere happenstance. Even if the code was not literally copy and pasted from RTEMS, it’s undeniable that it was used as direct inspiration.
libogc Developers Respond
At the time of this writing, there doesn’t appear to be an official response to the allegations raised by Martin and others in the community. But individual developers involved with
libogc
have attempted to explain their side of the story through social media, comments on GitHub issues, and personal blog posts.
The most detailed comes from Alberto Mardegan, a relatively new contributor to
libogc
. While the code in question was added before his time with the project, he directly addresses the claim that
functions were lifted from RTEMS
in a blog post from April 28th. While he defends the
libogc
developers against the accusations of outright code theft, his conclusions are not exactly a ringing endorsement for how the situation was handled:
In short, Mardegan admits that some of the code is so similar that it must have been at least inspired by reading the relevant functions from RTEMS, but that he believes this falls short of outright copyright infringement. As to why the
libogc
developers didn’t simply credit the RTEMS developers anyway, he theorizes that they may have wanted to avoid any association with a project originally developed for military use.
As for claims that
libogc
was based on stolen Nintendo code, the
libogc
developers seem to consider it irrelevant at this point.
When presented with evidence that the library was built on proprietary code
, Dave [WinterMute] Murphy, who maintains the devkitPro project that
libogc
is a component of, responded that “The official stance of the project is that we have no interest in litigating something that occurred 21 years ago”.
In posts to Mastodon, Murphy acknowledges that some of the code may have been produced by reverse engineering parts of the official Nintendo SDK, but then goes on to say that “There was no reading of source code or tools to turn assembly into C”.
From his comments, it’s clear that Murphy believes that the benefit of having
libogc
available to the community outweighs concerns over its origins. Further, he feels that enough time has passed since its introduction that the issue is now moot. In comparison, when other developers in the homebrew and emulator community have found themselves in similar situations, they’ve gone to great lengths to
avoid tainting their projects with leaked materials
.
Doing the Right Thing?
The Wii Homebrew Channel itself had not seen any significant updates in several years, so Martin archiving the project was somewhat performative to begin with. This would seem to track with his reputation — in addition to clashes with the
libogc
developers,
Martin has also recently left Asahi Linux
after a multi-bag-of-popcorn spat within the kernel development community
that ended with Linus Torvalds declaring that “the problem is you”
.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t merit to some of his claims. At least part of the debate could be settled by simply acknowledging that RTEMS was an inspiration for
libogc
in the library’s code or documentation. The fact that the developers seem reluctant to make this concession in light of the evidence is troubling. If not an outright license violation, it’s at least a clear disregard for the courtesy and norms of the open source community.
As for how the leaked Nintendo SDK factors in, there probably isn’t enough evidence one way or another to ever determine what really happened. Martin says code was copied verbatim, the
libogc
team says it was reverse engineered.
The key takeaway here is that both parties agree that the leaked information existed, and that it played some part in the origins of the library. The debate therefore isn’t so much about
if
the leaked information was used, but
how
it was used. For some developers, that alone would be enough to pass on
libogc
and look for an alternative.
Of course, in the end, that’s the core of the problem. There is no alternative, and nearly 20 years after the Wii was released, there’s little chance of another group having the time or energy to create a new low-level C library for the system. Especially without good reason.
The reality is that whatever interaction there was with the Nintendo SDK happened decades ago, and if anyone was terribly concerned about it there would have been repercussions by now. By extension, it seems unlikely that any projects that rely on
libogc
will draw the attention of Nintendo’s legal department at this point.
In short, life will go on for those still creating and using homebrew on the Wii. But for those who develop and maintain open source code, consider this to be a cautionary tale — even if we can’t be completely sure of what’s fact or fiction in this case.
| 59
| 19
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123374",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:08:12",
"content": "Yeah, right? Sometimes we don’t use ’em when everyone is under their real name.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123375",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:08:49",
"content": "i don’t understand why libogc users would really care. if you want to run your own software on a computer without running afoul of licenses every step you take, there’s a whole world of non-nintendo hardware.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123402",
"author": "pepe l'poopoo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T20:19:11",
"content": "Nintendo specifically has a history of crushing community projects and threatening creators/users with life-ending lawsuits. If they can legally take your house and put you in jail, they will. And their attorneys are way better than yours. For homebrew on Nintendo consoles to be allowed to exist, it has to be more than squeaky clean. It has to unequivocally decry piracy. So having anything even possibly derivative included is a big problem.",
"parent_id": "8123375",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123725",
"author": "alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:15:16",
"content": "They project is basically end of life. Archiving it just signals that.Nintendo might send a largely pointless DMCA to take it down that will go unchallenged but still achieve nothing.",
"parent_id": "8123402",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124588",
"author": "Ichor",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T09:04:01",
"content": "They have a history of going after projects that threaten their bottom line (Yuzu) and projects that could threaten their copyright ownership (Pokemon Uranium). They don’t care about homebrew unless it’s for their current system and advertises itself and/or piracy. (Also if it makes money).",
"parent_id": "8123402",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8126641",
"author": "Joom",
"timestamp": "2025-05-11T17:42:21",
"content": "False. Nintendo is litigous towards all of its properties. Whatever is making them money at the time is irrelevant. Just have a look at them blocking Dolphin from being released on Steam for fear of it easily enabling GCN/Wii emulation on the Deck. Their claim was that the Dolphin team used illegally obtained Wii decryption keys, but the project is still thriving as much as it ever did. Valve just came to an out-of-court agreement to block it from being released on Steam.",
"parent_id": "8124588",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125327",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T12:24:46",
"content": "theyAREN’Tallowed to exist. theyCAN’Tbe squeaky clean. if you wanted to work with a platform that isn’t backed by a company that’s at war with you, youCAN’TUSENINTENDOand given that self-evident fact, that’s why i don’t understand anyone caring about libogc’s providence.",
"parent_id": "8123402",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123409",
"author": "Jim Castriff",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T20:38:24",
"content": "This is what I’m wondering as well. If they had found out about this earlier, what would an alternative library have looked like? They should’ve given proper credit, that much is clear, but apart from that I’m struggling to imagine what significant difference there would’ve been in the end product.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123410",
"author": "Dylan Turner",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T20:51:58",
"content": "He accuses the developers of decompiling commercial games to get access to the C codeWhat’s wrong with this? It’s just reverse engineering",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123412",
"author": "crafty",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T21:00:58",
"content": "it’s not clean-room reverse engineering, the C code derived from decompilation is considered a derivative work of the original copyrighted program.",
"parent_id": "8123410",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123496",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T07:47:45",
"content": "I know it’s not a guarantee but I think if that was true the N64 decomp projects would’ve already tasted the fire of heaven with how litigious Nintendo is.I don’t think this is true outside of extra locked down countries. And clean room is just the gold standard because its basically completely free and clear outside of extremely draconian places where even complaining about it might cost you your tongue.",
"parent_id": "8123412",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124262",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T10:51:59",
"content": "Some of them did. You don’t seem to understand how Nintendo affects the developer pool for these projects.",
"parent_id": "8123496",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8126627",
"author": "TPMJB",
"timestamp": "2025-05-11T16:38:33",
"content": "Who cares? It’s morally reprehensible that Nintendo would sue the creators of palworld on “patent infringement” grounds when they happened to make a game that people older than ten actually wanted. They sue even when they have zero grounds in the patents they’re arguing. They deserve to have their code stolen (which hasn’t happened here).Not to mention this would have long hit the statute of limitations. You can only argue on moral grounds now since there’s nothing that can legally be done.The reason the hacking scene died for Xbox and Sony is because the companies actually supported features that we wanted. Nintendo, instead of learning from homebrew, just litigates. They’re a garbage company stuck in their ways. They deserve to fall.",
"parent_id": "8123412",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123413",
"author": "deshipu",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T21:03:29",
"content": "It’s illegal in some third-world countries.",
"parent_id": "8123410",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123416",
"author": "Jet",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T21:25:46",
"content": "RE violates the tos you agree to when buy a game. REd code can also be considered infringment.",
"parent_id": "8123410",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123554",
"author": "sjm4306",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:00:12",
"content": "TOS in and of itself is not legally binding, it has to be brought to court and successfully legally defended to really have any teeth.",
"parent_id": "8123416",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123587",
"author": "k",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:55:21",
"content": "can I buy the game and do NOT agree to TOS?",
"parent_id": "8123416",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124376",
"author": "HackaDaisy",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:06:20",
"content": "No, your purchase and use of the game constitutes an implicit agreement to the ToS.",
"parent_id": "8123587",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125293",
"author": "phuzz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T08:58:36",
"content": "In some countries yes, but the laws around that sort of thing vary a lot. Plus a company can claim all sorts of things in a ToS, but not all of them may be enforceable. (eg they may say you have no warranty, but some countries insist on a minimum warranty period).",
"parent_id": "8124376",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8127907",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-15T01:24:34",
"content": "Your purchase can’t. Not possible: you could’ve bought it secondhand and never seen it.Use could, but you don’t have to use software to decompile it.",
"parent_id": "8124376",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124263",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T10:54:26",
"content": "TOS is irrelevant unless you have some kind of ongoing reliance on the vendor for that specific thing, like a warranty. They can put whatever they want in there (and often do) but it’s not binding.",
"parent_id": "8123416",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123414",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T21:08:32",
"content": "It wasn’t copyrightable in the early days in the US.Binaries and source are copyrightable: (1983)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Computer,_Inc._v._Franklin_Computer_Corp.How to tell if more than just literal copying is infringing: (1992!)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Associates_International,_Inc._v._Altai,_Inc.(I edited this to throw in the first link 11 hours after the first post.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123418",
"author": "Ject",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T21:34:38",
"content": "I personally wouldn’t give a damn. Console companies intentionally impede users from running their own code on a device they own. I think it is always morally acceptable to circumvent such a restriction. Practically speaking the console companies proprietary code and documentation is essential for this, so I don’t see any moral issue in using it. As for RTEMS, they should just add that attribution.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124264",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T10:57:56",
"content": "Developers have to care because Nintendo will burn them alive if they can get a claw in.Regarding RTEMS, yes, they need to, the fact that they didn’t is a problem for everyone who used it. That they are pretending they don’t need to is not a good sign.",
"parent_id": "8123418",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124380",
"author": "HackaDaisy",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:11:55",
"content": "You should know as much as anyone what’s moral and what’s legal frequently do not agree, and the legal side will crush you.",
"parent_id": "8123418",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123427",
"author": "topham",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T22:49:13",
"content": "I see a lot of accusations but little conclusiveness.You don’t get the original C code from decompiling; and while those tools have improved lately, they weren’t exactly perfection ever. At best you get something that’s “similar” to, maybe “functionally equivalent” on a good day; but does copyright extend to it? Unlikely in most instances.There’s also an assumption here the RTEMS is whole cloth from a developer or team, and not itself derived from somewhere else. It’s entirely possible parts are boilerplate from design documents or processor manuals. If so, it’s not a violation to get it from the same place and therefor inherent its general structure and conventions.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124772",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T18:28:58",
"content": "Don’t know about the decompiling and extracting strings from debug symbols and copyright. I think that’s pretty grey-area.But have a look at the RTEMS code if you want. Entire sections of code are way too similar to have not included a disclaimer, in my opinion. And given that attribution is free, why not?",
"parent_id": "8123427",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124999",
"author": "mista4a4",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T13:42:44",
"content": "As someone that has worked with RTEMS code for different platform in aerospace over the years, RTEMS and in particular Embedded Brains GmbH are particularly known offenders for just fetching code from BSPs and drivers and just plugging them in the codebase with NO ATTRIBUTION.So in that regard it is very likely that that specific section of code might have been taken from somewhere else. If you ever peeked at a RTOS scheduler that dispatch code is so common it could be made into law.",
"parent_id": "8124772",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123441",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T00:16:40",
"content": "Taking inspiration from the works of others but not really using them directly is something you can jump up and down and get angry about anything a human has ever created if you really want to. So while it does look like enough of the original is in there to notice the similarities I’d have to agree that I’m not sure it really counts from the cursory glance I’ve taken. Though as in academia its always a good idea to cite your references even when you are not using it that directly and thus at least acknowledge the clear inspiration…Also really not convinced a reverse engineering is grounds for anything but perhaps a violation of some EULA type thing for person that did the work at worse. I think you would have a hard time legally suggesting that having bought hardware, potentially second hand too that any user or other developer upon the reverse engineered elements is at risk. But I’m no lawyer, its just very obvious that reverse engineering is exceptionally common even at for profit business that almost certainly do have at least one lawyer to tell them its a bad idea to lock to horns with a giant like the Big N and their almost bottomless warchest…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123442",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T00:32:10",
"content": "I’m trying super hard but it’s just not happening: I don’t care about this. “Similar variable names”? Is it possible the variable names are similar because they are well-formulated?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124154",
"author": "triPix",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T00:15:38",
"content": "When the only substantial differences are slightly different names and whitespace, it looks an awful lot like copied homework.",
"parent_id": "8123442",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123448",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T01:15:05",
"content": "hah i was hacking on one of my projects and remembered this article, and ‘you wouldn’t steal a font’when i abandoned virtual consoles in favor of X11 circa 2003, i dumped the default boot-up vga font and turned it into an X11 font (.pcf). and i made a couple tools that i used with a lot of elbow grease to scale it up from an 8×16 font to a 12×24 and 16×24 font. and i still use that font for all my xterms today. and in my project, i have a .h file that i’m pretty sure is just that font scraped into a bitmap array initializer (char font[] = { 0x12, 0x34, … };).so i can’t honestly say where this came from — was it in videocard RAM, motherboard BIOS RAM, is it a part of the kernel a debian package? the pedigree is well-and-truly obscured and it’s gone through both machine and manual translations / obfuscations. i’ve got the original 8×16 and my 12×24 derived work, with no attribution or description. and i’m sure i’ll cut and paste this again, no?i like to think my program would have to become very very famous indeed before i met someone who cared",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123916",
"author": "drypaperhammerbro",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:51:47",
"content": "Do you have the file on your PC still? I wanna use it myself, upload it to a drive app please!",
"parent_id": "8123448",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125328",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T12:30:52",
"content": "sorry for the delay…http://galexander.org/gregfonts.tgz",
"parent_id": "8123916",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123452",
"author": "Christian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T01:46:37",
"content": "That’s a sad story. I feel like the Kernel guys have been holding back the flood of bad short-term choices for decades, but it’s been crumbling.“I don’t want to look at your work and understand the history, I want my changes my way and if I can’t get it I’ll burn the place down.” In this case the guy took a walk and start a fire elsewhere.But when “the guy” is big enough you get eBPF, and a ton of lost innovation that’ll never make it back into the project.I don’t have the answer, but maybe the project, and its SME, could do with a future plan of consolidation and simplification (not microPython, Rust or C) to reduce the entry barrier.We all use git now, perhaps they can cook up something that codes kernel.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124225",
"author": "zoobab",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T08:25:42",
"content": "“But when “the guy” is big enough you get eBPF, and a ton of lost innovation that’ll never make it back into the project.”How to allow proprietary blobs in linux. This was already the case with the GPLv2 for kernel modules, a mess that prevents some of my routers to be upgrade to a more recent version of Linux. Bravo Linus for not defending freedom.",
"parent_id": "8123452",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123454",
"author": "marcan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T02:16:10",
"content": "Note that in the latest update to the hbc README, I pointed out a section of libogc code that is 1:1, bytewise identical, comments and formatting, to a header file from the Nintendo SDK (that happens to be available on GitHub).It wasn’t just “reverse engineering binaries”. Shagkur was copying prototypes, declarations, and even documentation directly from the Nintendo SDK.Even if it were “just” reverse engineering, disassembling code and manually translating it to C (what shagkur did for the most part) is still creating a derivative work and copyright infringement. Manually copying RTEMS code and renaming all the identifiers slightly also is.Reverse engineeringitselfmight be legal in some jurisdictions, but you can’t just copy the resulting code. You can reverse engineer something,learnhow the hardware works, and writeyour owncode to drive it. That’s mostly legal (and the legally guaranteed way to do it is “clean room reverse engineering”, though that’s not required to make it legal). If you just translate the algorithms, structure, control flow, etc. of the original code 1:1, then that’s not just reverse engineering, it’s reverse engineeringand then committing copyright infringement by distributing a derivative work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123456",
"author": "marcan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T02:20:07",
"content": "Funny thing I just found out: I’m actually talking to a bunch of people who are interested in doing things right and starting up a new Wii homebrew toolchain without stolen code. The subject of executable formats came up, and the elf2dol tool in WinterMute’s devkitPPC toolchain popped up. I look at the code and it looked awfully familiar. It was committed with no copyright nor attribution.I looked through my old Wii backups and found elf2dol, dated a fewhoursbefore WM’s first commit.So I had written that tool and given it to him, and he had committed it to devkitPro without even acknowledging where it came from in the commit message. 🤡",
"parent_id": "8123454",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123499",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T08:01:53",
"content": "Doing a clean reimplementation of the tools is a great goal. Handling the RTEMS issue should be quick and easy — fork, attribute, done?The rest sounds like good old fashioned hard work. :) I hope you get a good group together to get it done!",
"parent_id": "8123456",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123948",
"author": "marcan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T07:26:42",
"content": "Probably won’t be RTEMS at all (there’s no real reason to use that and not other platforms when you’re starting from scratch). The extent of taint in libogc makes it impractical to just “fork and fix”, you have to start from scratch. We’ll see how things go.",
"parent_id": "8123499",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124151",
"author": "Hari",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T23:36:01",
"content": "Isn’t RTEMS itself BSD licensed? Perhaps I’m missing something, but it seems like adding proper attribution would be sufficient. I don’t know why they haven’t done that from the start, rather than obfuscating the origins.",
"parent_id": "8123948",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126715",
"author": "dxglinfo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-12T02:15:38",
"content": "@Hari To add the proper attribution would require a full audit of both libogc and RTEMS code and that would be time consuming.",
"parent_id": "8123948",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126717",
"author": "dxglinfo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-12T02:20:13",
"content": "@Hari There is also the issue of stolen Nintendo code which makes the entire project radioactive.",
"parent_id": "8123948",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123495",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T07:41:56",
"content": "Isn’t the entirety of the recomp projects just taking code and reversing it directly and that hasn’t heard a peep of opposition.I don’t see how decompilations result in problematic code outside of jurisdictions that add excessive restrictions. As far as I can tell most countries have that level of reverse engineering as fully legal.",
"parent_id": "8123454",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123946",
"author": "marcan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T07:24:23",
"content": "Those projects areopenlycopyright violations. The copyright holders have every right to take down those repos, and the projects just rely on their goodwill that they won’t.There is no legal precedent that decomp/recomp stuff does not create a derivative work. At best you can allege fair use, but that is a US only legal concept and difficult to assert in this case.The difference with decomp/recomp projects is that they arestand alone projects not intended to be used by third parties, and are open about what they’re doing. What libogc is doing is the equivalent of a recomp project that pretends to be 100% novel code to reimplement the game, instead of openly admitting to decompiling code, and also encourages other novel games to reuse the code under a FOSS license.Nobody cares if you do dodgy copyright things in your own, personal projects. That is your prerogative. When you do dodgy copyright things,and present your work as being completely clean, and encourage others to use it, and put yourself into a position of being embedded into an entire community’s works, then we have a problem.",
"parent_id": "8123495",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8126716",
"author": "dxglinfo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-12T02:18:59",
"content": "In other countries, there are similar laws called fair dealing too, but those projects mentioned are pretty much playing with fire.",
"parent_id": "8123946",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8127909",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-05-15T01:29:06",
"content": "Clean room was actually more than that: they were really friggin scared of IBM.You don’t just read the code and reimplements it, you read the code, document the behavior, and someone else implements it based on the documentation. It’s because algorithms can’t be copyrighted, so if you just document the algorithm it can’t contain copyright.",
"parent_id": "8123454",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123534",
"author": "0xfred",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T09:19:49",
"content": "On a tangential note, LIBOGC should probably not be written in upper case. If it has, then you definitely shouldn’t tilt your head to the left….https://www.theregister.com/2008/04/22/ogc_logo/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123542",
"author": "nitr8",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T10:59:09",
"content": "Well, for those who don’t know, using LWP for threading as of libOGC might have worked for most cases in the past without any major problems. Reworking everything to make it match the original RTEMS threading code was up to this point “challenging”. While the current outcome works for porting games for homebrew, it won’t properly work for simple things like the HBC source code after rewriting parts of it to make it match / work (with) the pthread* API found within the RTEMS source code.Even though, after creating the repo with all those commits over at GitHub, I just cannot believe what shagkur wrote in that picture shown here where he talked to WinterMute. It’s just unimaginable that he rewrote things line-by-line from the official RTEMS source code into “LWP” as of libOGC as that’s tons of code to rewrite compared to renaming everything and even clearing out whitespace etc.. Instead, it would be much easier to port over the code by copying, running, debugging and then using tools or a simple shell script to search the source code files used for libOGC’s LWP code for strings and rename the matches in a row. It’s much, much easier and faster doing it this way.At the same time, “LWP” (libOGC’s threading code) was introduced some time between March of 2003 and August 2004 from what was seen after we found v01 and v02 of libOGC’s source code online which had the very first stages from users like Titanik from “Crazy Nation” in the GameCube days. That was before WinterMute and shagkur took over and started adding more and more code to libOGC.Yet, when LWP was introduced, all the commits shagkur pushed don’t have any information. They only contain bare changes to the code.I for myself tried to rework LWP into what RTEMS actually is to make it match MOST of the original threading code and I personally prefer to have it pretty clean there. Some of the code within LWP is even just not required at all like a dozen of calls to the Watchdog handler etc., others are completely wrong compared to the code found in RTEMS.I’m still constantly working on something that does “convert” LWP >—back-to—> original RTEMS.For that “GitHub repository maintained by a user known as derek57” mentioned in the article above, it was me.I didn’t contact WinterMute about the whole situation with LWP as back then I already knew what would happen if I would have tried. The outcome is still the same: I’ve set up that repo by the start of 2024 with all those commits, the maintainers of devkitpro realized that it was there and they immediately blocked me from the devkitpro GitHub account for absoutely nothing. It would have been much easier to try to get into contact with me for them but talking to WinterMute is just a pain in the b*tt. Years have passed where this guy was and up to this day still is unable to have a simple conversation about problems users have with his tools. He simply can’t handle critics and is not even willing to make things any better. Instead, they get worse * and you can see the outcome right now for the current case.the most recent change to the video code of libOGC partially breaks console output and no one even realized yet? Do they even TEST their changes to the code? I guess not… But that’s just an example of how bad their behavior really is.For mardy’s (Alberto Mardegan’s) blog post, I feel bad for him because of trying to protect the devkitpro maintainers with nonsense.Sincerely,nitr8 a. k. a. derek57",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123634",
"author": "Johannes Burgel",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T14:36:40",
"content": "…so what about the Asahi Linux code, is that one completely clean or are there also parts Hector Martin always knew were stolen from somewhere else but continued to use “reluctantly”? The whole episode certainly doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123944",
"author": "marcan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T07:16:47",
"content": "The trainwreck of libogc is precisely why I wrote and enforcedhttps://asahilinux.org/copyright/, to make sure it would never happen again.",
"parent_id": "8123634",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124113",
"author": "marcan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T20:00:11",
"content": "Also, it wasn’t just “me” reluctantly using the tainted code. These issues had been brought up in community spaces several times, by myself and others, and to many were an “open secret”. It was just too late and libogc had entrenched itself in the community by the time this all came out, and nobody knew what to do. I guess since then, and since this was never openly admitted by the libogc developers despite being told about it many times, people have forgotten about it. They just swept it under the carpet and correctly believed people would forget that they stole code.After that fiasco, I vouched that I would never trust any code from reverse engineering circles without carefully vetting it myself first. And I caught some in the context of Asahi Linux too, e.g. openiBoot is also a “shagkured” version of iBoot and its existence is why the Asahi Linux policy explicitly warns against blindly taking code from iOS-related projects. libogc isn’t the only offender here.",
"parent_id": "8123944",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125331",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T12:41:04",
"content": "if you’re trying to use apple hardware without apple software and you’re expecting not to violate any licenses then you’re suffering a dysfunction",
"parent_id": "8123634",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123917",
"author": "drypaperhammerbro",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:53:26",
"content": "Love the scared look to the GC ports whilst the Ovwahlord (Wario) paints on the console, the artist did such a fantastic job",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124260",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T10:48:38",
"content": "You don’t really get it. It doesn’t matter if nothing will happen, because if Nintendo thinks they can crush a project with court fees they will.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124589",
"author": "crime0",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T09:09:18",
"content": "They won’t do anything. This whole situation is from someone making a stink about source code from something not affiliated with Nintendo being used without permission.You think Nintendo doesn’t already know about it? They’re one of the biggest companies in the world, it would’ve been gone (or at least been challenged) over a decade ago if they cared.",
"parent_id": "8124260",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8125001",
"author": "mista4a4",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T13:49:49",
"content": "Open source development discourse in $CURRENT_YEAR in a nutshell.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125846",
"author": "nitr8",
"timestamp": "2025-05-09T00:13:50",
"content": "https://www.rtems.org/news/2025-05-06-rtems-devkit-libogc-response/Now they cannot deny it anymore",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8126650",
"author": "dxglinfo",
"timestamp": "2025-05-11T18:21:39",
"content": "Wonder what will happen if you file an Issue with that link?",
"parent_id": "8125846",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,559.109549
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/open-source-firmware-for-the-jye-tech-dso-150/
|
Open Source Firmware For The JYE TECH DSO-150
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Software Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"dso-150",
"firmware",
"open source",
"oscilloscope"
] |
The Jye Tech DSO-150 is a capable compact scope that you can purchase as a kit. If you’re really feeling the DIY ethos, you can go even further, too, and kit your scope out with the
latest open source firmware
.
The Open-DSO-150 firmware is a complete rewrite from the ground up, and packs the scope with lots of neat features. You get one analog or three digital channels, and triggers are configurable for rising, falling, or both edges on all signals. There is also a voltmeter mode, serial data dump feature, and a signal statistics display for broader analysis.
For the full list of features, just head over to the GitHub page. If you’re planning to install it on your own DSO-150, you can build the firmware in the free STM32 version of Atollic trueSTUDIO.
If you’re interested in the Jye Tech DSO-150 as it comes from the factory,
we’ve published our very own review, too.
Meanwhile, if you’re cooking up your own scope hacks, don’t hesitate to
let us know!
Thanks to [John] for the tip!
| 6
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123321",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:17:40",
"content": "Looks impressive. Nice to see work is being done on this thing. (I see it’s forked from a DSO138 variant)I also bought one of these (and a DSO138 too). (I also have a Siglent SDS1104X-E)I see it already has some extra functions: digital inputs, Serial? bit numbers for voltage measurement.Also looks like the triggering is improved. That is especially nice because that was one of the biggest limitations of the DSO 138/150. (Also bandwidth of course, but it’s on par with the price point of these things). Out of the box, noise level of the DSO 138/150 is also quite bad. Now that there is full open source software (note: JYE tech has partially open sourced their code, combined with some pre-compiled libraries) I may have a go at looking deeper into this.The prices of the DSO138 and DSO150 are so low that these can be used as generic development kits for anything with an STM32 and a TFT, even if you don’t want a scope. Having fully Open Source software available is another step up for getting any project going on these things. Especially getting the LCD working.Also note the chinese are working hard to be independent from “western” markets. I bought two Kingst LA2016 Logic analyzers. My older one has a Cypress uC and an Altera FPGA, in the newer variant both of these IC’s have been replaced by chinese clones.Some nice ideas for extensions:* Coupling multiple of these things and synchronizing their sampling to get a multi channel device.* Adding a Flash chip and use it for data logging.* Battery powered for use in area’s where there is no mains.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123334",
"author": "Mathias",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:52:47",
"content": "Not that I knew about this firmware. But “latest open source firmware” kinda sounds different when you notice that the last commit on the github is 5 years old…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123389",
"author": "Michael Hartmann",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:36:40",
"content": "I agree. And I’m the guy who wrote it ;-)",
"parent_id": "8123334",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123363",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:38:16",
"content": "Does it work with the 2ch version?https://jyetech.com/wave2-2-channel-portable-oscilloscope/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123523",
"author": "R.",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T09:00:04",
"content": "There’s another, slightly more recent, alternative open-source firmware for the DSO-150:https://github.com/mean00/lnDSO150With support for USB and for a rewired encoder (multiplexing LCD output and encoder input? not so great idea).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123764",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:54:25",
"content": "If you’re interested in the Jye Tech DSO-150 as it comes from the factory, we’ve published our very own review, too.Nice. It’d be helpful (for future searchers) if the linked review was tagged similarly to this one, e.g. dso-150, or even referred to as the same thing in their titles or texts — this one uses DSO-150, the other uses DSO150.Otherwise, this line of tools looks very interesting, affordable, and great for us tinkerers without high bandwidth requirements. :) I’d love to own a ‘scope with open-source firmware.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.20905
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/researchers-create-a-brain-implant-for-near-real-time-speech-synthesis/
|
Researchers Create A Brain Implant For Near-Real-Time Speech Synthesis
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Medical Hacks"
] |
[
"brain",
"brain-computer interface",
"neurology",
"speech"
] |
Brain-to-speech interfaces have been promising to help paralyzed individuals communicate for years. Unfortunately, many systems have had significant latency that has left them lacking somewhat in the practicality stakes.
A team of researchers across UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco
has been working on the problem and made significant strides forward in capability. A new system developed by the team offers near-real-time speech—capturing brain signals and synthesizing intelligible audio faster than ever before.
New Capability
The aim of the work was to create more naturalistic speech using a brain implant and voice synthesizer. While this technology
has been pursued previously
, it faced serious issues around latency, with delays of around eight seconds to decode signals and produce an audible sentence. New techniques had to be developed to try and speed up the process to slash the delay between a user trying to “speak” and the hardware outputting the synthesized voice.
The implant developed by researchers is used to sample data from the speech sensorimotor cortex of the brain—the area that controls the mechanical hardware that makes speech: the face, vocal chords, and all the other associated body parts that help us vocalize. The implant captures signals via an electrode array surgically implanted into the brain itself. The data captured by the implant is then passed to an AI model which figures out how to turn that signal into the right audio output to create speech. “We are essentially intercepting signals where the thought is translated into articulation and in the middle of that motor control,” said Cheol Jun Cho, a Ph.D student at UC Berkeley. “So what we’re decoding is after a thought has happened, after we’ve decided what to say, after we’ve decided what words to use, and how to move our vocal-tract muscles.”
The AI model had to be trained to perform this role. This was achieved by having a subject, Ann, look at prompts and attempting to “speak ” the phrases. Ann has suffered from paralysis after a stroke which left her unable to speak. However, when she attempts to speak, relevant regions in her brain still lit up with activity, and sampling this enabled the AI to correlate certain brain activity to intended speech. Unfortunately, since Ann could no longer vocalize herself, there was no target audio for the AI to correlate the brain data with. Instead, researchers used a text-to-speech system to generate simulated target audio for the AI to match with the brain data during training. “We also used Ann’s pre-injury voice, so when we decode the output, it sounds more like her,” explains Cho. A recording of Ann speaking at her wedding provided source material to help personalize the speech synthesis to sound more like her original speaking voice.
To measure performance of the new system, the team compared the time it took the system to generate speech to the first indications of speech intent in Ann’s brain signals. “We can see relative to that intent signal, within one second, we are getting the first sound out,” said Gopala Anumanchipalli, one of the researchers involved in the study. “And the device can continuously decode speech, so Ann can keep speaking without interruption.” Crucially, too, this speedier method didn’t compromise accuracy—in this regard, it decoded just as well as previous slower systems.
Pictured is Ann using the system to speak in near-real-time. The system also features a video avatar. Credit:
UC Berkeley
The decoding system works in a continuous fashion—rather than waiting for a whole sentence, it processes in small 80-millisecond chunks and synthesizes on the fly. The algorithms used to decode the signals were not dissimilar from those used by smart assistants like Siri and Alexa, Anumanchipalli explains. “Using a similar type of algorithm, we found that we could decode neural data and, for the first time, enable near-synchronous voice streaming,” he says. “The result is more naturalistic, fluent speech synthesis.”
It was also key to determine whether the AI model
was genuinely communicating what Ann was trying to say. To investigate this, Ann was qsked to try and vocalize words outside the original training data set—things like the NATO phonetic alphabet, for example. “We wanted to see if we could generalize to the unseen words and really decode Ann’s patterns of speaking,” said Anumanchipalli. “We found that our model does this well, which shows that it is indeed learning the building blocks of sound or voice.”
For now, this is still groundbreaking research—it’s at the cutting edge of machine learning and brain-computer interfaces. Indeed, it’s the former that seems to be making a huge difference to the latter, with neural networks seemingly the perfect solution for decoding the minute details of what’s happening with our brainwaves. Still, it shows us just what could be possible down the line as the distance between us and our computers continues to get ever smaller.
Featured image: A researcher connects the brain implant to the supporting hardware of the voice synthesis system. Credit:
UC Berkeley
| 17
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123284",
"author": "wb7ond",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:16:11",
"content": "NuraLink is making good headway in this technology, 3 people have been outfitted with Nuralink.https://www.foxnews.com/health/paralyzed-man-als-third-receive-neuralink-implant-can-type-brainGreat article thanks",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123376",
"author": "Kelly",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:09:13",
"content": "Perhaps, but this study is based on surface recordings – not Neuralink, which is penetrating. And the original work on speech prosthetics was done with the Utah Array (another system of penetrating microelectrodes), invented over 35 years ago. Musk is way behind the curve.",
"parent_id": "8123284",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123388",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:36:04",
"content": "The article and the title of the embedded video both contain the word “implant”.",
"parent_id": "8123376",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123425",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T22:28:02",
"content": "I’m no neuroscientist:“Here we used high-density surface recordings of the speech sensorimotor cortex in a clinical trial participant with severe paralysis and anarthria to drive a continuously streaming naturalistic speech synthesizer. “,https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01905-6Not sure if this is the surface of the brain, skull, skin, hair. You tell me, but the actual paper says “surface”.",
"parent_id": "8123388",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123430",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:13:36",
"content": "Im no neuroscientist either, but I do read the blurb, attached articles, and their links before entering into a discussion….Its a brain implant being used.Chang leads a clinical trial at UCSF that aims to develop speech neuroprosthesis technology using high-density electrode arrays that record neural activity DIRECTLY FROM THE BRAIN SURFACE. “It is exciting that the latest AI advances are greatly accelerating BCIs for practical real-world use in the near future,” he said.and more detail from the linked previous study involving the same subject:“To do this, the team implanted a paper-thin rectangle of 253 electrodes onto the surface of her brain over areas they previously discovered were critical for speech. The electrodes intercepted the brain signals that, if not for the stroke, would have gone to muscles in Ann’s lips, tongue, jaw and larynx, as well as her face. A cable, plugged into a port fixed to Ann’s head, connected the electrodes to a bank of computers.”",
"parent_id": "8123425",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124488",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T22:23:49",
"content": "It’s an implant to read from the brain surface, nuralink requires an implant invasive to the brain itself, which is why it’s killing animals in trials. It really is literally 30 years out of date.",
"parent_id": "8123388",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123305",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:07:26",
"content": "Very cool, but not remotely realtime",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123417",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T21:32:51",
"content": "A two second delay is near realtime for a conversation, especially considering other technologies are 100x slower. Stop thinking about it as a process and think about it as a human-to-human interface.",
"parent_id": "8123305",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123310",
"author": "DainBramage",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:30:58",
"content": "That is truly incredible! What an amazing time we live in.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123385",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:28:00",
"content": "Username checks out.",
"parent_id": "8123310",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123420",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T21:45:01",
"content": "Too bad it’s happening in an entirely capitalistic land, though.Patients like her are lab rats and will be abandoned as soon as the experiment is over or when the company folds.Then there’s no social institution which continues to do maitenance for the implant in absence of the original company.",
"parent_id": "8123310",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124489",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T22:26:21",
"content": "And that will continue to be the case as long as the narrative that businesses do research better is believed, when it’s really just about getting taxpayer funding into private companies rather than educational institutions.",
"parent_id": "8123420",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123431",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:34:28",
"content": "Am I the only person wondering about the amount damage some of these implants could do in instances of high “jerk” (rate of change of acceleration). It could be caused by an elevator stopping fast or a car fender bender. I’m picturing metal cutting through squishy flesh.And I also wonder what is the long term effects of spikes/strands of metal inside the body. Could there be electrolytic corrosion, or eventual biological rejection.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123437",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:54:33",
"content": "In time there will likely be entirely implanted devices relying on wireless charging and communication. In the meantime, I would assume that the transuctaneous interface “port” is designed in a way that any significant force causes detachment of the external portion at a much lower pressure threshold than would result in bio damages. Bone anchoring screws can take quite a bit of force, even when they surround a transcranial access.As for electrilytic corrosion or biological rejection, thats as simple as appropriate material choices. Gold, Platinum, titanium and many of its alloys perform very well in these regards. Ultimately, theres always potential issues and unknowns lurking as biotech advances, thats one of many reasons progress favors a snails pace.",
"parent_id": "8123431",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123457",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T02:23:02",
"content": "I’m happy to see this. I’ve thought for while that we needed more blending in our brains computer interfaces.The system that I’ve been envisioning is something like this:Grow neurons onto an array so that they can interface with the brain and relay the signals.Take those signals and feed them directly into an AI neural network of some form that feeds into the computer as a whole.Basically:Brain -> Processing Neurons -> Simulated neurons -> Computer",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124491",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T22:32:06",
"content": "This is already possible to do in a small lab. Look around YouTube for a couple of groups demonstrating both training of biological neurons and direct interfaces with them.Most of this isn’t done directly with humans or animals yet for obvious reasons, but the control interfaces are for specific cases like prosthetics. The reason you didn’t see more of it? Cuts to funding needed and all private enterprise being as expensive and proprietary as possible.",
"parent_id": "8123457",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123501",
"author": "C",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T08:10:15",
"content": "What a crappy voice sound. Couldn’t they get a better synthesized voice than that of Stephen Hawking in 2025?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.496492
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/a-dual-mirror-system-for-better-cycling-safety/
|
A Dual Mirror System For Better Cycling Safety
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Transportation Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] |
[
"cycling",
"helmet",
"mirror",
"rear-view"
] |
Rear-view mirrors are important safety tools, but [Mike Kelly] observed that cyclists (himself included) faced hurdles to using them effectively. His solution? A helmet-mounted dual-mirror system he’s calling the
Mantis Mirror
that looks eminently DIY-able to any motivated hacker who enjoys cycling.
One mirror for upright body positions, the other for lower positions.
Carefully placed mirrors eliminate blind spots, but a cyclist’s position changes depending on how they are riding and this means mirrors aren’t a simple solution. Mirrors that are aligned just right when one is upright become useless once a cyclist bends down. On top of that, road vibrations have a habit of knocking even the most tightly-cinched mirror out of alignment.
[Mike]’s solution was to attach two small mirrors on a short extension, anchored to a cyclist’s helmet. The bottom mirror provides a solid rear view from an upright position, and the top mirror lets one see backward when in low positions.
[Mike] was delighted with his results, and got enough interest from others that he’s considering a crowdfunding campaign to turn it into a product. In the meantime, we’d love to hear about it if you decide to tinker up your own version.
You can learn all about the Mantis Mirror in the video below, and if you want to see the device itself a bit clearer, you can see that in some
local news coverage
.
| 54
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123252",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T11:46:06",
"content": "I don’t wear a helmet when cycling but I was thinking about a sort of similar solution for riding a motorcycle, by having some tiny high def screen connected to a camera on the back of the helmet, powered by a flexible solar panel I can attach to the helmet somehow. I mean, I already got solar powered speakers built in, why not this?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123255",
"author": "Bob the driver",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:21:54",
"content": "There’s ben a few helmets with built-in HUD type systems, but the issue always comes down to focusing – the eye can’t keep the screen and the distance in focus at once, and switching between the two takes time. The idea always seems cool though. I thikn one of the more successful systems just used a few lights to indicate different things so they didn’t need to be in focus to convey a message.I do move around a bit on my motorcycles but I don’t think it’s anywhere near the amount of range of movement cyclists go through on proper road bikes.",
"parent_id": "8123252",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123327",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:38:01",
"content": "Ideally a HUD system should have its focal length set up so that the virtual image is in the same visual distance as whatever else you are focusing on, so that you do not have to change focus. A bit like a reflex sight on a rifle or telescope",
"parent_id": "8123255",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123455",
"author": "Carl",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T02:16:12",
"content": "very difficult to achieve in real life. I tried an after-market hud on my car for the last 10 yrs and it was never quite right. The typical focus distance varies with the speed and conditions. At 100kph it needs to be 50/100m in front of you. for town driving, not so much.I concluded that a set of 5 or so led’s on the driver pillar showing which speed zone you’re driving would probably be productive. I don’t need to know my exact speed, just what zone i’m in. I can spot that in my peripheral vision.",
"parent_id": "8123327",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123707",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:58:39",
"content": "HUDs have another major issue: processing lag. By the time the camera has captured the image, processed it, buffered it, transmitted it, the display has received it, buffered it, and draw it on the screen, and you’ve managed to react to the image, you might have half a second of lag. If the object is coming at you at 10 m/s (36 kph) it will actually be 5 meters closer than you think it was.If it was another cyclist you wanted to avoid, that reaction lag can mean they’ve already run into you just as you started to turn away.",
"parent_id": "8123455",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123715",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:03:36",
"content": "Also, the effect of seeing the scenery in front of you turn immediately as you turn your head, but the view back turning with a 200-300 ms lag will induce nausea in many people.People get sick wearing VR goggles viewing virtual images, and with a camera in the loop it gets worse because the camera introduces extra lag.",
"parent_id": "8123455",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123693",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T16:48:22",
"content": "the same visual distance as whatever elseWhich is impossible because the distance to objects varies. The common textbook wisdom says that the human eye turns to infinite focus after 2 meters, but that’s actually not a hard cut-off. The difference in focal length simply gets smaller and smaller with distance until the eye can no longer make such fine adjustments or it runs out of adjustment range, which for normal healthy vision can be up to 100 meters and for far-sighted people even longer.https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/refrn/U14L6c.htmlThe brain also uses the eye’s focus to judge distances among other cues like the size and parallax movement of the object. For a HUD, you have everything at a single fixed focus at infinity, which makes it harder to judge distances in the intermediate range from 2-20 meters behind. It actively messes up your brain when the object seems to be at a further distance by focus but closer up by the other cues.",
"parent_id": "8123327",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123536",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T10:27:02",
"content": "I get that and you would need a very wide angle lens on the rear view camera for it to work. I think a wide screen so you can actually look at it with both eyes would be the best option.I mostly want to know how close the car is and what kind of car it is. Is it a normal car, cop car, ambulance.",
"parent_id": "8123255",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123270",
"author": "Nomen Nescio",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:29:54",
"content": "i do wear a helmet, but almost exclusively because that’s what my rear view mirror is attached to. the increased situational awareness is literally habit forming — i’ve found myself glancing up and to the left for it while walking around on foot.as for the camera-plus-screen solution, might work, but i’d be leery of that much extra weight on my head and neck. maybe i’m just overly sensitive about that, though. i also wonder if flexible solar panels in that size range would provide enough wattage to power the screen? it’d need to be pretty darn bright to cope with sunny days.",
"parent_id": "8123252",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123297",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:23:44",
"content": "Yeah, when you have a rear view mirror you want it all the time. You can get eyeglasses with a partially silvered spot at the edge of your field of vision, but that doesn’t work as well for me because it’s too close to my eye. About 4cm out in front of my eye is perfect, which means helmet or a clip-on to glasses.",
"parent_id": "8123270",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123326",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:33:41",
"content": "There’s a helmet called the Reevu which has a series of prisms built-in and a window on the back of your head to give you a no-electronics no-lag rear view mirror.https://twistingthewick.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/vkt.jpgWhether or not that prism gets shoved into your brain if you have a crash.. I do not know. I assume there is some kind of compromise trading a bit of crash ratings for situational awareness, but I could be wrong.",
"parent_id": "8123252",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123537",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T10:28:58",
"content": "Oh nice. Good reviews too!I don’t know regarding the crash part but I assume it’s safe. If this was a system helmet instead of an integral, I’d save up for it.",
"parent_id": "8123326",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123253",
"author": "Mr Name Required",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T11:52:37",
"content": "After what happened to Michael Schumacher I would be a quite wary of placing straight stalks on a helmet to hold things. Perhaps if they were curved and made from a semi flexible material and fixed at the back then the chance of injury from the helmet attachments themselves would be reduced.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123256",
"author": "had37b8e5c7066e",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:22:06",
"content": "Schumachers injury had nothing to do with any attachment",
"parent_id": "8123253",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123303",
"author": "Alphatek",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:51:52",
"content": "I’m guessing he means Senna – 31 years ago today. Saudade.",
"parent_id": "8123256",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123371",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:59:08",
"content": "No.Everything.His camera mount was far too strong.Got pounded into his brain by the ‘magic angle’ impact.",
"parent_id": "8123256",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123394",
"author": "fonz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:56:59",
"content": "how did you come up with that theory?",
"parent_id": "8123371",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125155",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T22:06:31",
"content": "Not a theory.German news.Confirmed by German MDs/F1 fans in family.The Schumacher family aren’t at all happy about details being shared, but it’s the fact.",
"parent_id": "8123394",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123257",
"author": "Tim",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:28:00",
"content": "Bur does it make the helmet less effective in a crash?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123261",
"author": "Brad",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:55:01",
"content": "Completely depends on who you ask. Lightweight stalks like this would just break away.",
"parent_id": "8123257",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123269",
"author": "tadpole",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:28:06",
"content": "Break away… right INTO YOUR EYE! OK, jokes aside.. I have been using a mirror on my helmet for over 20 years, and it is fabulous. I wouldn’t recommend it when racing, but for touring and casual riding it is fantastic. There was a company in the 70s that made them, and then vanished. Around 2000 they resurfaced for a while, but I think they are gone again. Being able to tilt your head just slightly to see what is happening behind you is fantastic, and frankly, I don’t feel the need for a second mirror at all. A simple twist of the neck and you can see EVERYTHING. The only problem with the mirror is that when it is on the helmet, you can only use it with one eye. The second eye has to be trained to mentally blend out while looking at the mirror, because the images are simply too differnet for the brain to make sense of them. It takes about a week, and then you don’t even notice it happening. I highly recommend this to anyone on a longer tour… along with the shimano sandals with the cleats. SH-SD5 (they run small, so order one size larger!)… they will really change your life. :D",
"parent_id": "8123261",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123299",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:29:18",
"content": "SPD sandals are ridiculous. Get wooden clogs with SPD’s. At least they stay on your feet when you have to bunnyhop a downed rider.I can generally hear a breakaway behind me, but the mirror is nice in crits because it lets you see when someone’s not holding a line in a turn and you’re about to get hit.I’m honestly confused as to why anyone would need two mirrors, but apparently I ride very differently than the person who built this. I’m always looking at the same place, about 8 meters ahead of me, regardless if I’m sitting upright or out on the aero bars. As a result, my helmet’s always at the same angle and the only difference in what the mirror shows is because it’s lower than it used to be. Same field of view. But clearly other people don’t ride like that, which is kinda interesting. Different styles, different tools.",
"parent_id": "8123269",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123304",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:53:21",
"content": "The answer to that is obviously yes it could, but really that isn’t the question anyway – the question should be ‘Does the added risk of this in an accident matter more than the benefit of having it?’I’d suggest as long as you do something like this well so the attachments can never be driven through the helmet like a spike, don’t interfere with the crumple zone energy absorption and are able to break away or bend when subjected to forces long before they would put your neck at risk its a clear winner. You still could have that 1:1000 accident profile that means it breaks in a weird way and does drive a shard of the mirror into your throat or something that a regular helmet couldn’t do to you, but you’d probably be much less likely to get into an accident for having it…",
"parent_id": "8123257",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123308",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:18:44",
"content": "The way I mount the mirror, there’s absolutely no way an accident could drive it into my eye; but of course the whole reason it’s there is to prevent the accident anyway.",
"parent_id": "8123304",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123328",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:39:28",
"content": "The real question is whether the improved awareness makes a crash less likely enough to offset its reduced performance as a crash helmet. Nothing in life is free",
"parent_id": "8123257",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123274",
"author": "deL",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:48:10",
"content": "Bike helmets save lives…one did mine. I hit a kangaroo at ~32km/h, flipped over the handlebars, and landed on my head and shoulder. Helmet did what it should, took the brunt, and split into 3 pieces. Nasty big stone embedded in the dense foam over my vulnerable temple. Shoulder won’t ever be the same (gruesome details omitted), but alive I am.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123301",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:34:16",
"content": "Same. I went through the passenger window of a car that right-hooked me, and it tore my left earlobe off but the top of my head, the stuff covered by helmet, was untouched. I went through the windshield of a car that ran a red light, and again, the helmet-covered stuff was uninjured. When I’m racing mountain bikes, I wear a full face helmet, because broken jaws suck, and I go through about one helmet a season because I slam the chinguard into a rock. Helmets rock.",
"parent_id": "8123274",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123307",
"author": "deL",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:14:53",
"content": "I hope they managed to sew your earlobe back on, smellsofbikes. Yes, cars seem to be the natural enemy of bicycles. I sure wish more of the new e-scooter crowd would take the hint. Bell helmets, guys. That and some lights, or at least reflectors. Pet dislike is an invisible e-scooter at night, coming head-on at ~40km/h, on a poorly lit, all-too-narrow bicycle path. I’ve had enough of operating tables, and tiresome months full of plates and screws.",
"parent_id": "8123301",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123322",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:18:43",
"content": "Yeah, it has an interesting scar and fold in it, but it’s reattached and only looks kinda weird.I commute all the time, on very busy highways, so I get way more than my share of car interactions. Bell helmets are my favorite, in bike, motorcycle, and car racing. I don’t have actual data to show they’re superior. It’s mostly just gratitude for how many times they’ve been between some object and my skull.I have a couple of 15cm long scars on my head from a car crash where I wasn’t wearing a helmet, and I sure wish I had been!",
"parent_id": "8123307",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123723",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:13:11",
"content": "The issue is that you have to share the road with cars, so you have to go fast to keep up, which means riding bikes with low handles that put you into that superman position all ready to headbutt the pavement.",
"parent_id": "8123307",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123309",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:25:46",
"content": "Bike helmets’ protection is exaggerated. Bike helmets don’t give the protection of a motorcycle helmet. People break a helmet and then say, “That helmet saved my life!” Probably not true. According to cyclehelmets.org, if it broke, all it means is that it failed, especially if you don’t see any compression of the foam. That’s not to say you shouldn’t wear one; just keep things in perspective.The greatest danger in city traffic is the intersections, and one of the dangers is that drivers, perhaps on the phone, are not thinking about what they’re doing when they plan to pass you and then immediately turn right. With a mirror, you learn to predict it and use a combination of hand motions (not insulting!) and your positioning in the lane to get their attention and prevent the accident. I give them room to pass on the right, then wave them by to make their right turn. They don’t understand how I can see them, but they appreciate that I’m looking out for everyone’s safety. Also, sometimes the best course of action to handle a situation developing up ahead will depend also on what’s behind.",
"parent_id": "8123301",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123369",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:49:20",
"content": "If your bike helmet broke it definitely did something to dissipate the energy – as that is what breaking functionally is a consuming of the impact energy into breaking the thing that isn’t your head. It probably shouldn’t do anything but crumple, but still…",
"parent_id": "8123309",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123727",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:19:06",
"content": "Not necessarily by much. Foam isn’t that difficult to break.The other thing is that people wearing helmets sometimes trust the helmet too much and actively headbutt whatever it is they’re hitting instead of trying to turn away. With minor crashes at low speeds, you usually have the time to react, but people wearing safety gear just brace back and hide behind the cap.",
"parent_id": "8123369",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123395",
"author": "Joe Average",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:58:37",
"content": "People break a helmet and then say, “That helmet saved my life!” Probably not true.Ok, in my crash, in which I broke a helmet upon sliding and impacting a curb head first, I can 100% say with certainty the helmet either saved my life, or at a minimum turned a potentially life altering concussion into something I could walk away from. I don’t know why people are anti-helmet. It’s cheap insurance, and I feel naked without one anyway.",
"parent_id": "8123309",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123733",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:29:45",
"content": "It’s not so much being anti-helmet, but being anti helmet-laws where people are forced to wear one.I’ve personally taken the time to look through the statistics, the use cases (driving situations, type of driver, conditions etc.) and concluded that the risk ofmegetting into such a serious accident AND coming out much worse for not wearing a helmet is low enough that I simply don’t want to bother.The major contributors in that decision were: not riding among cars, not riding at excessive speeds, and not cycling while drunk. Those three took the risk of accidents down by 80-90% and the consequences of the accident were significantly less severe as well. The most likely outcome of a cycling accident for me is breaking a wrist after a minor spill.",
"parent_id": "8123395",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123738",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:40:14",
"content": "If I remember correctly, the outcome of the calculation was that I’d have to run into a serious bike crash (ending up in the hospital) 12 times before I had a 50% chance of receiving a serious head injury even if I never wore a helmet. I’ve never had such an accident, and by my riding habits there’s a great chance I never will.Maybe when I start to get old and frail I’ll start wearing a helmet, but so far I simply don’t see a reason.",
"parent_id": "8123395",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123538",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T10:38:04",
"content": "Having found that article on cyclehelmets,https://www.cyclehelmets.org/1209.htmlif anybody else is interested I’d have to say its rather lacking, focused only on life-threatening and seemingly only brain injury reports and expecting the helmet to always crush in every collision – which obviously you shouldn’t expect as there are so many angles of impact, your neck is flexible etc etc. But it likely would be doing its job in many of those cases without crushing – just in this case it is spreading that initial impact out across your skull, so your head skates off that sharp corner instead of gets mashed by it or runs more freely across the road surface so it won’t grab and twist your neck or simply preventing serious lacerations etc that might be survivable but are quite possibly life limiting – you can live with half your face torn off if you don’t die from the infections, but even now there is limit to reconstructive surgery (and in many places could you even afford it?).Or stating rather confidently in the case of oblique impacts that “However, if the impact occurs without any compression of the foam, it suggests that most of the force was parallel to the surface of the helmet and not directed towards the head. As the surface of a helmet is some small distance from the surface of the head, again the wearer may have suffered no injury at all if a helmet had not been worn.” Which is technically possible but really doesn’t take much thinking about to debunk as stupid reasoning – as managing to have a near miss so close to your head it would only every have hit your helmet with great enough force to crack it is not something a cyclist would ever choose to risk – nobody deliberately lets anything that could be dangerous even remotely that close to their head. So with that helmet there to push your flexible neck aside when you do have that accident odds are really really quite good your head would have passed through the same space as the object that cracked the helmet had it not been there – as for you to have let anything get that close in the first place you are almost certainly falling off…And the few statistics brought up fail to really account for anything more than looking for a way to make the data match what they want it to it seems. Not saying they don’t have some good points too, but taking the Aussie case making cycling alot less enjoyable in the heat over there so everyone is driving instead of cycling and the results on the remaining cyclists are expected – more big metal boxes on an unchanged road network means more drivers that will not give the cyclists the attention they deserve if they even notice them with the massive increase in other large metal boxes moving around commanding their attention… A well documented effect that more cars equates to more injuries for the folks not in cars around the roads that isn’t considered at all, and likely dominates the reason for the changing cyclist injury rate.",
"parent_id": "8123309",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123747",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:08:22",
"content": "the wearer may have suffered no injury at all if a helmet had not been worn.” Which is technically possible but really doesn’t take much thinking about to debunk as stupid reasoningSo with that helmet there to push your flexible neck asideI’ve had a couple minor slips over the years where I landed on my back or on my shoulder from riding height, where my head got close but not touching the ground because I was bracing for the impact and tucking in. A helmet in between would have hit the ground, though, and resulted in a “life saving” effect where the helmet actually strikes my head and causes the whiplash effect on my neck.",
"parent_id": "8123538",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123756",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T18:32:27",
"content": "To illustrate the effect:Sit on the floor and tuck your chin to your chest, then push yourself to a backwards roll until your shoulder blades hit the ground and your head stays up off the floor. That’s the typical case I’ve had where I’ve slipped on ice, the bike does a 90 degree flip under me and I fall down backwards.Now imagine you’re wearing this (a big lumpy helmet extending backwards off the head):https://cdn.thewirecutter.com/wp-content/media/2022/04/bikehelmets-2048px-0243-1.jpgPut your closed fist behind your head and repeat the exercise. Did you just punch yourself in the back of the head? I did. It hurt. If I were wearing the helmet I would say “whoa, that hurt and my neck is now sore, I’m glad I was wearing a helmet”.",
"parent_id": "8123538",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123836",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:30:45",
"content": "@Dude that is a very different type of accident to the one described though, and wouldn’t break the helmet in the manor described either – you might manage to hit hard enough to crush or scrape the foam a little bit but its not the cracking etc they were talking about, and if you were going to hit hard enough to smash the foam you definitely would be hitting your head anyway – might not be hitting your head hard enough to actually cause real harm without the helmet, but the odds shift towards concussion being quite likely – these crash helmets are not really spongy they take quite a hit before anything really happens to them, as they are meant to absorb the big impacts gradually enough to be survivable, not the already very survivable hits to be as comfortable as possible…As I said though that article isn’t devoid of all merit, and neither is your point as its absolutely true you could just about manage an impact the way you describe where the helmet touches the ground enough you actually notice but you were not about to brain yourself – but its quite clear in that article they are looking only for the cases and selectively using data to match their desired outcome. If you want to discuss the safety of helmets and the flaws in a way that actually means anything you have to consider a much wider dataset than just looking for traumatic brain injury from a bicycle accident etc.",
"parent_id": "8123538",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123951",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T07:54:40",
"content": "that is a very different type of accident to the one described though, and wouldn’t break the helmet in the manor described eitherMaybe, but it’s also very common. The point is, helmets are supposed to smooth the impact and reduce rapid head movements, but in some cases, especially in minor accidents they can alsocauserapid head movements by hitting objects you’d otherwise miss. The added mass on the top of your head makes your head swing around slightly more when you’re thrown to the ground, which increases the chance of a head impact together with the added size of the helmet.Also, foam helmets aren’t necessarily tough. The foam itself is quite brittle and it’s the surface plastic veneer that keeps it from crumbling up just by handling it. That’s why the better helmets have an impact resistance plastic outer shell and foam and padding inside instead of the cheap all-styrofoam helmets which are just placebo.",
"parent_id": "8123538",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123288",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:28:24",
"content": "Never ride a bicycle on open roads, heavy traffic roads and the like, no helmet nor mirror can save your life.I only ride on cycle paths and fortunately there are plenty of them in Europe and especially in my area. Most people here ride with helmet on.Furthermore, it seems that road accident statistics in the USA are quite disastrous compared to Europe (without any intention of being controversial), so better for the former colony’s biking friend to be very carefull !",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123295",
"author": "Nomen Nescio",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:20:09",
"content": "that depends entirely on the road; route selection is crucial in road cycling.sure, there aredefinitelyroads that would be suicide to ride a bicycle on. but then there are plenty that are quite safe, too. personally i like small backcountry lanes, farm-to-market roads, and narrow hilly/curvy secondary roads; ones with low and slow-moving traffic. selecting the right time of day and week helps a lot with this, also.my partner, on the other pedal, insists on roads with wide paved shoulders and has a much higher tolerance for high traffic speeds and volumes than i do. i suppose the road shoulder is the same width at all times, so there’s that.technology can help, and a mirror is one thing i would personallystronglyrecommend. as i mentioned earlier, they’re absolutely habit forming. i’ve not personally tried the rear-facing radars some ride with, but i imagine they can give good warning too — not sure if they’re worth their fairly high price, though.what onecan’tdo is blindly ride the same roads and routes on a bicycle as one would drive in a car. frequently, going quite far out of one’s way to avoid certain spots and roads is the only sensible thing. but if you’re really in a hurry, you’re probably not pedaling, right?",
"parent_id": "8123288",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123311",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:33:19",
"content": "One man on a forum showed off his radar which told when a car was coming; but here in southern California there could be cars as far as the eye can see, and if every fifth one is farther to the right than is safe for you, your radar won’t help you one bit.I could describe many other scenarios; but a serious one I’ll mention is that on a curvy mountain road I was climbing, there were lots of people going up to a lake for a vacation, some with boats on wide trailers, and they’d forget that just because the tow vehicle would clear you didn’t mean the trailer’s right wheel and fender wouldn’t kill you; and also people who had rented RVs and didn’t realize how much width they take up on the right, especially in tight turns! I’d be dead without a mirror. As they were coming, I often had to move a little to the left and urgently motion with my arm, “Don’t pass now!!”, then get around a turn and into an area that had a little more room, and wave them by, “Nowpass!”And as others have said, yes, even when just walking, I instinctively look in a mirror that’s not there.I don’t seem to have any need for two mirrors though. Whether I’m on the basebar or aerobars, my glasses mirror has the correct angle.",
"parent_id": "8123295",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123290",
"author": "Grumpy Old Coot",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:32:10",
"content": "I’ve been riding with a Third Eye on my helmet for decades. Probably the two most important pieces of gear I use. I can credit the various Bell, Bontrager, and Giro helmets I’ve had with saving my life several times. Considering what I ride, a Mantis would not be all that useful. But for a diamond-framer rider it likely borders on ‘shut up and take my money.’",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123312",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:39:56",
"content": "Mirrors are required by law for every other vehicle. I think they should be required for bikes, too. I could say I don’t know why people ride without them, but I used to be one of them, until I got rear-ended, which convinced me to get a mirror. (Fortunately I was not hurt.) I’ve ridden nearly 100,000 miles since then, and yes, I can definitely say the mirror has saved my life many times. A helmet can give a little bit of protection in an accident, but it cannotpreventaccidents like a mirror can. Non-users think their hearing is good enough. If they’d just get a glasses mirror and learn to use it (which takes time), they’d find out how blind they had been. Also, sometimes the best course of action to handle a situation developing up ahead will depend also on what’s behind.",
"parent_id": "8123290",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123325",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:28:55",
"content": "That “accident” at 30s into the video is mind boggling. Somebody should tell those cyclists that it’s not safe to cycle on the highway. No matter whether you have a helmet, mirrors or stick out your arm, speed differences are simply to big, and you’re never going to win from a 40 ton truck. So shame on those cyclists for giving that truck driver a heart attack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123368",
"author": "Nomen Nescio",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:46:50",
"content": "…i’m struggling not to flame you for that comment.let’s unpack those few seconds of video.firstly, a highway that heavily trafficked with such fast moving vehicles would absolutely fall under my own personal definition of “suicide to ride a bicycle on”; i can’t fathom what those two cyclists were thinking riding it. everything else i’m about to say should be filed under that heading, buteven so…from what little the video shows, that stretch of highway seems to have wide open sightlines. unless there’s some really creative video editing going on, that truck driver had to have been able to see them there from well away. they should have been, to him, an obvious and effectively immobile obstruction in the road — something every driver needs to watch out foranyway,as you never know when there’ll be an engine block in the traffic lane having fallen off somebody else’s truck.being able to, if need be, come to a complete stop for random roadway obstructions at no notice is every driver’sresponsibility.yet he chose to pass them at high speed, on the right, without giving adequate buffer space or warning. and they werehuman beings in the road.it absolutely matters not in the slightest that they,arguably,shouldn’t have been riding there. the trucker had apositive responsibilityto NOT RUN THEM OVER, and failed. at that point, my sympathiesfor the truckerrun mightily thin. and my sympathies foryou,whose priorities seem so badly skewed out of proportion, are… thinning.",
"parent_id": "8123325",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123435",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:46:38",
"content": "First, thank you for your self control. My previous statement is also a (smal) part of my opinion, and partly meant to make a controversial statement to shine a spotlight on the “other side” of what the video was intended to purvey.Truck drivers also have a responsibility for not driving over people when driving / parking backwards, and yet we all have to put up with mandatory beepers for the rest of our lives. These beepers are mostly an evasion of responsibility for truck drivers, but in pracktice they also save lives. But imagine living in some place where you hear 30 of those things each day. I’m overly sensitive to some sounds, and that would really drive me nuts. I’m also quite flabbergasted about why it’s allowed for trucks to have “dead angles” in a time that a camera system costs less then 0.5% of the cost of a truck, so please don’t get me started on that topic.For what the truck driver should or should not have anticipated, there is not enough info in that short clip to draw any conclusions.For a real (my only?) conclusion, showing the accident in that clip about rearview mirrors for cyclists does not help it’s cause. I watched the 10 or so frames of the accident around 10+ times to try to see what was really going on, then could not correlate it to the rear view mirror thing and did not see the rest of the video.Luckily Clint Eastwood already know the worth of an opinion before the Internet even existed.",
"parent_id": "8123368",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123439",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:59:14",
"content": "i can’t fathom what those two cyclists were thinking riding it.Possible they had no choice at all – if the road between A and B is that road and even worse options to cycle on… Also not entirely sure what that road is, or where it is. It does look from that short clip like its a road bicycles wouldn’t be allowed on here though that is far from definitive as it could be a perfectly normal to cycle on pretty slow road quite easily. Also your local laws undoubtedly vary (and from that clip it really isn’t clear what sort of road that really is – for instance near me there are roads that look very like that and you are absolutely meant to be able to cycle on, and will if you don’t know the road get suckered into thinking its a good choice as when you get to the industrial estate and shopping centre the previously normal small road grows heaps of extra lanes for not very long at all).Though even if it is a road the cyclist definitely has no right to be on, I agree there is no way that truck driver is driving in a safe manner… Which does sadly seem to be from my personal experience a common occurrence with ‘professional drivers’ other than the bus drivers – for example at a roundabout right next to the railway station I clearly had right of way being already on the roundabout, watched the driver of HGV that could still have slowed/stopped spot me and clearly I’d be in the way by the time he gets there but, instead of slowing down they speed up even more… Saw it coming because paranoid alert level is just how you have to cycle here and jumped the bike up onto the centre of the small roundabout, but it was still pretty close…Bus driver on the other hand around here do tend to be exceptionally courteous, at least if they did see you – can’t blame them if you arrive in a spot they don’t have good visibility etc.",
"parent_id": "8123368",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123370",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:54:09",
"content": "For me it started with a little binder clip and a dental mirror in the 70’s much later I made a stiff wire and mirror clip on my glasses and I never take it off. I still get asked “is that Google Glass?” First off it’s on the left not the right I explain, it lets me make left turns (US) and cope with denser traffic. They have head aiming of small guns from inside of an armored carrier and I get a head stabilized full lane width shot out the back at half a block distance by looking 10 o’clock high. Always in the same place the stiff springy wire insures that it never is off aim.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123486",
"author": "Julianne",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T06:33:58",
"content": "I installed a rear view mirror on my cargo bike and never looked back. Well that’s a lie actually.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126336",
"author": "teckel12",
"timestamp": "2025-05-10T16:26:23",
"content": "I just use my Garmin radar, like everyone else I know.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8140869",
"author": "Mike Kelly",
"timestamp": "2025-06-21T15:10:16",
"content": "Hi everyone, Just came across this post, so thought I’d chime in (as the inventor of the Mantis Mirror System) – all comments are appreciated, as differing opinions help lead to improved innovation. Firstly, what I’d like to add here, is that the Mantis Mirror System does something, no other bike mirror does – once setup, it allows the rider to see from different body height positions without having to readjust the mirror(s) and thus help keep your eyes looking forward and hands on the bar, e.g., from standing all the way down to an aero tuck (a lot of mirrors won’t even allow you to see from an aero tuck regardless if readjusted or not). So, less of a chance of your balance being effected, even your cadence for that matter. It has a # of other features, but that’s the main one – you can check it all out on Kickstarter! Once done with your ride, simply take off the Mantis Mirror System until your next ride. It launched on Kickstarter and is available at 60% off! Here’s the linkhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mantismirror/bicycle-helmet-dual-mirror-system-safety-accessory?ref=user_menu",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.392978
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/05/01/gaze-upon-robby-the-robots-mechanical-intricacy/
|
Gaze Upon Robby The Robot’s Mechanical Intricacy
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Robots Hacks"
] |
[
"prop",
"replica",
"robby the robot"
] |
One might be tempted to think that re-creating a film robot from the 1950s would be easy given all the tools and technology available to the modern hobbyist, but as [Mike Ogrinz]’s
quest to re-create Robby the Robot
shows us, there is a lot moving around inside that domed head, and requires careful and clever work.
The “dome gyros” are just one of the complex assemblies, improved over the original design with the addition of things like bearings.
Just as one example, topping Robby’s head is a mechanical assembly known as the
dome gyros
. It looks simple, but as the video (embedded below) shows,
re-creating it involves a load of moving parts
and looks like a fantastic amount of work has gone into it. At least bearings are inexpensive and common nowadays, and not having to meet film deadlines also means one can afford to design things in a way that allows for easier disassembly and maintenance.
Robby the Robot first appeared in the 1956 film
Forbidden Planet
and went on to appear in other movies and television programs. Robby went up for auction in 2017 and luckily [Mike] was able to take tons of reference photos. Combined with other enthusiasts’ efforts, his replica is shaping up nicely.
We’ve seen [Mike]’s work before when he shared his
radioactive
Night Blossoms
which will glow for decades to come. His work on Robby looks amazing, and we can’t wait to see how it progresses.
| 7
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123282",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:14:26",
"content": "Robby’s gyros : doneNow let’s work on Robby’s belly whisky factory…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123316",
"author": "Egghead Larsen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:01:05",
"content": "‘Cheap bourbon with traces of fusol oil’ the space swabby’s friend!@",
"parent_id": "8123282",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123306",
"author": "Mike Ogrinz",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:14:01",
"content": "They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but OMG that picture of me, lol. Thanks so much for the write up :) He’s definitely a big work-in-progress!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123330",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:42:22",
"content": "Reminds me of Clickspring’s reconstruction of the lunar phase dial on his Antikythera mechanism. But with way less bronze.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123386",
"author": "Babycakez",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:29:10",
"content": "I’m in the process of getting a patent for something that should have already been made and we have the technology to make it, and once I secure the patent , I’m going to need help finding people who knows how to build things like this. Once when I finish the prototype and have the patent I’ll be sure to post it here. It’s something that when I tell people they think I’m crazy and it’s something that will change the world !!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123517",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T08:52:01",
"content": "I can hardly wait.Hopefully it’s better than a Segway.",
"parent_id": "8123386",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123453",
"author": "Robert",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T01:49:56",
"content": "4 years ago, “Robothut” on YT did a series of videos about duplicating Robby’s innards… search his videos page for “Robby”. Here’s a start…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A14BFx-VXLM",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.438266
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/vintage-stereo-stack-becomes-neat-pc-case/
|
Vintage Stereo Stack Becomes Neat PC Case
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"Case mod",
"case modding",
"pc",
"Technics"
] |
Vintage hi-fi gear has a look and feel all its own. [ThunderOwl] happened to be playing in this space, turning a heavily-modified Technics stereo stack into an awesome neo-retro PC case.
Meet the “TechnicsPC!”
This is good. We like this.
You have to hunt across BlueSky for the goodies, but it’s well worth it. The main build concerned throwing a PC into an old Technics receiver, along with a pair of LCD displays and a bunch of buttons for control. If the big screens weren’t enough of a tell that you’re looking at an anachronism, the USB ports just below the power switch will tip you off. A later addition saw
a former Technics tuner module stripped out and refitted
with card readers and a DVD/CD drive. Perhaps the most era-appropriate addition, though,
is the scrolling LED display on top
. Stuffed inside another tuner module, it’s a super 90s touch that somehow just works.
These days, off-the-shelf computers are so fancy and glowy that DIY casemodding has fallen away from the public consciousness. And yet, every so often, we see a magnificent build like this one that reminds us
just how creative modders can really be
. Video after the break.
“Live test”. All more or less as planned, as “cons” – it does not interrupt ongoing scroll cycle with new stuff, it puts new content info with next cycle, so, kinda “info delays”:
[image or embed]
— ThunderOwl (
@thunderowl.one
)
10 March 2025 at 07:39
| 8
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123237",
"author": "G-man",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T09:23:03",
"content": "I’m still running my PC in a Thermaltake DH102https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/htpc-lcd-touchscreen,2129-6.html– I bought it as it fits perfectly in a rack with my amplifier. No one even guesses it’s a PC. I love what ThunderOwl has done!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123248",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T11:23:21",
"content": "It was a bit of a fad for a while, HTPC cases that wouldn’t look out of place in an audio stack. I have an Antec Fusion in storage, there were the Silverstone Grandias etc. Wouldn’t mind getting my hands on one of the OrigenAE boxes, they were too rich for my blood at the time.",
"parent_id": "8123237",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8126746",
"author": "Juris Perkons",
"timestamp": "2025-05-12T05:23:22",
"content": "Thank You for nice words! When HTPC cases were an actual thing, I never made PC in to one, for two reasons – one being monetary, and second, they did not quite “fit” by design in to existing Hi-Fi racks. But, this above, it is not my first Hi-Fi-PC, it is third actually. Or fourth, if we count original first XboX monted in to Sony SD player case… :-) Or fifth, if we count “AIWAndroid” project. If you look up these things on my Twitter or Bluesky, you’ll see. Yes, I need to organize a web page about all that and more. Most likely I will expand myhttps://ThunderOwl.Oneweb links place, some day. Stay tuned. :)",
"parent_id": "8123237",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123272",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:39:06",
"content": "Excellent implementation of the concept.I had the same idea for years, just laziness was trampling (pun intended) the will insofar, AND the average PC board was wee too large to fit into a dis-used stereo.Regardless, 1970s Pioneer (and Fisher and Onkyo and Yamaha) amps’ shells have excellent designs, shiny metal, glowing dials, analog VU meters, etc. Totally disco : – ]",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8127025",
"author": "Juris Perkons",
"timestamp": "2025-05-13T04:48:16",
"content": "Thank You! My semi-unrealistic dream on this matter is, some day get one of those Technics amps that has those giant analog VU-meters (amp itself might even me dead) and make all kinds of music-to-light effects mounted behind them. “Color Organs” is my topic since 1980-ies ;-) Search social networks for “PLISC” – “Pretty Lights In Sony Case” that I have made :) (it has lights, but no VU-meters)",
"parent_id": "8123272",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123278",
"author": "Peter_s",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:06:12",
"content": "Back in 2002 there was the My Special Edition’ SS40G’ made by Mark J. FosterHe put a LCD screen to the front of an Shuttle XPC.Website content has gone.Find a picture on the Wayback online archive.http://web.archive.org/web/20021028205946/http://admin.sudhian.com/images/sssmod/QuarterView.jpg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8127026",
"author": "Juris Perkons",
"timestamp": "2025-05-13T04:48:44",
"content": "Cute thing! ;-)",
"parent_id": "8123278",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8126749",
"author": "Juris Perkons",
"timestamp": "2025-05-12T05:26:34",
"content": "Hello all! It is me, ThunderOwl here :) If interested, there is a folder with various “w.i.p.” pictures of this “TechincsPC” project, g-drive:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RD5Jke1sqnC6k7r-Lpwj4mEvlbPKqDFZ?usp=sharing",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.546398
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/neutron-flux-impact-on-quartz-expansion-rate/
|
Neutron Flux Impact On Quartz Expansion Rate
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Science"
] |
[
"neutron",
"Quartz"
] |
Radiation-induced volumetric expansion (RIVE) is a concern for any concrete structures that are exposed to neutron flux and other types of radiation that affect crystalline structures within the aggregate. For research facilities and (commercial) nuclear reactors, RIVE is generally considered to be one of the factors that sets a limit on the lifespan of these structures through the cracking that occurs as for example quartz within the concrete undergoes temporary amorphization with a corresponding volume increase. The significance of RIVE within the context of a nuclear power plant is however still poorly studied.
A
recent study
by [Ippei Maruyama] et al. as published in the
Journal of Nuclear Materials
placed material samples in the LVR-15 research reactor in the Czech Republic to expose them to an equivalent neutron flux. What their results show is that at the neutron flux levels that are expected at the biological shield of a nuclear power plant, the healing effect from recrystallization is highly likely to outweigh the damaging effects of amorphization, ergo preventing RIVE damage.
This study
follows earlier research
on the topic at the University of Tokyo by [Kenta Murakami] et al., as well as by Chinese researchers, as in e.g.
[Weiping Zhang] et al.
in
Nuclear Engineering and Technology
. [Murayama] et al. recommend that for validation of these findings concrete samples from decommissioned nuclear plants are to be examined for signs of RIVE.
Heading image: SEM-EDS images of the pristine (left) and the irradiated (right) MC sample. (Credit:
I. Murayama et al
, 2022)
| 8
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123199",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:05:56",
"content": "Well, now Ireallywant a project where this research would be relevant. :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123331",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:44:00",
"content": "I wonder if regolith has quartz in it",
"parent_id": "8123199",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123214",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T04:11:26",
"content": "Odd, I read “amorphization” as “Valmorification”. Huh.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123224",
"author": "macsimki",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T07:11:10",
"content": "the new name for my music group: “Neutron Flux Impact”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123294",
"author": "Suppressed Carrier",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:11:23",
"content": "The name for my new cereal is right up in the picture…..Time to get a box of Inter-grain Crack to get the day started.Yummmmmmm…",
"parent_id": "8123224",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123265",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:11:55",
"content": "Darn. Now I’m going to have to change my garage reactor design.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123273",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:45:20",
"content": "If only we could figure out how to capacitate that neutron flux into some kind of neutron flux capacitor…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123342",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:05:28",
"content": "i understand why people want to do the reductionist research but i would think the study of the decommissioned plants would be the highest priority, not just a recommendation from this study.anyone who has ever decommissioned PVC water supply pipes probably knows how blatant the brittleness is. it’s not usually a subtle thing in something that has aged, whether repeated stress has led to degradation or a kind of annealed strength. the backhoe operator knows if a layer of concrete has turned to dust",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.663085
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/a-new-and-weird-kind-of-typewriter/
|
A New And Weird Kind Of Typewriter
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"3d printer",
"typewriter"
] |
Typewriters aren’t really made anymore in any major quantity, since the computer kind of rained all over its inky parade. That’s not to say you can’t build one yourself though,
as [Toast] did in a very creative fashion.
After being inspired by so many typewriters on YouTube, [Toast] decided they simply had to 3D print one of their own design. They decided to go in a unique direction, eschewing ink ribbons for carbon paper as the source of ink. To create a functional typewriter, they had to develop a typebar mechanism to imprint the paper, as well as a mechanism to move the paper along during typing. The weird thing is the letter selection—the typewriter doesn’t have a traditional keyboard at all. Instead, you select the letter of your choice from a rotary wheel, and then press the key vertically down into the paper. The reasoning isn’t obvious from the outset, but [Toast] explains why this came about after originally hitting a brick wall with a more traditional design.
If you’ve ever wanted to build a typewriter of your own, [Toast]’s example shows that you can have a lot of fun just by having a go and seeing where you end up. We’ve seen
some other neat typewriter hacks over the years,
too. Video after the break.
[Thanks to David Plass for the tip!]
| 18
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123166",
"author": "shiura",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:29:45",
"content": "I just remember DYMO.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123185",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:50:53",
"content": "That’s pretty much where my mind went, too.",
"parent_id": "8123166",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123281",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:12:02",
"content": "Why isn’t the tag line “giant label maker”. Also shame to hear about the profanity, I will not be watching the video.",
"parent_id": "8123166",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123357",
"author": "lj",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:27:22",
"content": "Might have to do with the fact that it doesn’t make labels.",
"parent_id": "8123281",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123296",
"author": "Suppressed Carrier",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:20:31",
"content": "+1Straight out of homemade electronics out of the Sixties.",
"parent_id": "8123166",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123186",
"author": "ukezi",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:51:56",
"content": "This thing is very similar to this I think.https://type-writer.org/?p=6059",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123323",
"author": "Steven Clark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:21:05",
"content": "Or a Simplex.",
"parent_id": "8123186",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123191",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T01:06:08",
"content": "Neat! But … I could do with out the profanity in the video. Not very professional.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123280",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:10:01",
"content": "Thanks, I’ll skip it. Profanity is not necessary.",
"parent_id": "8123191",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123298",
"author": "Suppressed Carrier",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:28:46",
"content": "The use of profanity in normal day to day speech reinforces, and in most cases proves stereotypes that are descriptive of people who choose to live in the margins of society.Thanks for posting the video, that person has a reputation.",
"parent_id": "8123191",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123393",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:54:15",
"content": "They say profanity is the last refuge of an inarticulate mother******.",
"parent_id": "8123191",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124312",
"author": "Harry Dean",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T13:26:18",
"content": "He’s not in a meeting nor is he talking to a client. It’s a youtube video of a random nobody making an impractical and useless and objectively worse 3D printed version of an obsolete machine.Why should he feel the need to be “professional”? Just get over yourself and enjoy the video if its actual content appeals to you.",
"parent_id": "8123191",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123198",
"author": "Thopter",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T01:38:28",
"content": "So it’s a giant label maker.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123201",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:09:45",
"content": "Quit after two minutes. Didn’t even learn who today’s sponsor was.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123258",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:40:21",
"content": "it’s PCBWAY",
"parent_id": "8123201",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123208",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:51:04",
"content": "Doing it for the clicks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123259",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:44:43",
"content": "that’s a pretty interesting carriage advance mechanism",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123315",
"author": "mark g",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:56:11",
"content": "How long do I have to watch before he says why this was preferable to a daisy wheel configuration?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.618512
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/layout-a-pcb-with-tscircuit/
|
Layout A PCB With Tscircuit
|
Al Williams
|
[
"PCB Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] |
[
"Hardware Description Language",
"pcb",
"tscircuit"
] |
Most of us learned to design circuits with schematics. But if you get to a certain level of complexity, schematics are a pain. Modern designers — especially for digital circuits — prefer to use some kind of hardware description language.
There are a few options to do similar things with PCB layout, including tscircuit. There’s a
walk-through for using it to create an LED matrix
and you can even try it out online, if you like. If you’re more of a visual learner, there’s also an introductory video you can watch below.
The example project imports a Pico microcontroller and some smart LEDs. They do appear graphically, but you don’t have to deal with them graphically. You write “code” to manage the connections. For example:
<trace from={".LED1 .GND"} to="net.GND" />
If that looks like HTML to you, you aren’t wrong. Once you have the schematic, you can do the same kind of thing to lay out the PCB using footprints. If you want to play with the actual design, you can
load it in your browser
and make changes. You’ll note that at the top right, there are buttons that let you view the schematic, the board, a 3D render of the board, a BOM, an assembly drawing, and several other types of output.
Will we use this? We don’t know. Years ago, designers resisted using HDLs for FPGAs, but the bigger FPGAs get, the fewer people want to deal with page after page of schematics. Maybe a better question is: Will you use this? Let us know in the comments.
This
isn’t a new idea
, of course. Time will tell which HDLs will survive and which will whither.
| 23
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123136",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T20:34:53",
"content": "I dunno gotten pretty lazy with altium netlables and copy paste special for simpler repetitive things like the keyboard example … pretty sure ki-cad can do some similar magic tricks. For complex items maybe if you are a coder first, but since I have been doing ecad for over a decade now professionally not sure I could use a HDL and have it generate it for me any faster than just laying it out by hand (schematic or PCB)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123147",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T21:39:35",
"content": "I feel like I’d rather have an EDA tool be able to import an HDL rather than using the HDL as the base.It’s different with an FPGA or ASIC because the HDL is doingtwo things at once– it’s allowing you to describe connections/entitiesandit’s allowing you to abstract the logic (you describe behavior rather than the bare entities). For cases where you’re just connecting things a lot of FPGA tools push youbackto schematic-type objects (block diagrams, the bane of my existence, sigh).But with a circuit schematic, what’s on the PCB isn’t a synthesis of what’s in the schematic, it’s supposed to be whatisin the schematic.",
"parent_id": "8123136",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125407",
"author": "CaffeinatedRacoon",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T17:45:41",
"content": "In Kicad you can use python to manipulate components. Nets too i think.",
"parent_id": "8123136",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123144",
"author": "Tony M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T21:20:40",
"content": "it bring to my mind LTSpice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123219",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T05:04:43",
"content": "It is essentially just a spice netlist, which is how some schematics are stored internally in simulators or schematic editors.It seems like it’s putting a LOT of reliance on autorouting though, which is really not a very well baked technology. Doubly so for situations where RF considerations matter, even in the case of high speed digital signalling between chips and in power supply design.There are a few boards that put caps near to chips but then stupidly connect them through vias and it’s possible this is due to an early autorouter going mad.",
"parent_id": "8123144",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123518",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T08:55:26",
"content": "Autorouters have improved massively over the past 30 years, however they are still not good enough for real life designs. They only really work on the demo boards. I have rarely been given enough board space for the autorouter to work, and even that case, it is just faster to do the layout myself as setting up all the constraints for it to work still takes longer.",
"parent_id": "8123219",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123150",
"author": "doobs",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:13:45",
"content": "Years ago (>20) I was leading a team designing an ROV control system from scratch.It was all done via descriptors not unlike these. From circuit boards to final wiring.It was quite a project, some 24 months IIRC.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123155",
"author": "Samuel Ginsberg",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:23:53",
"content": "Many years ago I met MIT’s Prof Gershenfeld and he was experimenting with this concept. When I expressed doubt he gave exactly the same example: “You use HDL for big designs in an FPGA, why not for schematics and PCBs”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123164",
"author": "pigster6",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:22:15",
"content": "Well – because in FPGA / ASIC the underlying structure is very uniform – it’s a lot of the same things from which the tools are building your thing. Schematics and PCBs are way less uniform – many different packages, lot of different rules. Analog ICs are also still designed mostly by hand – not enough structure.So if you want boards full of 74xx logic, than HDL may work rather well, but anything more “analog” is a problem.",
"parent_id": "8123155",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123381",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:19:06",
"content": "Even then, FPGAs are designed to eliminate most if not all analog concerns. It’s all converted into simple, generic numbers like the maximum fanout, so that analog stuff doesn’t need to be considered/computed at every junction.",
"parent_id": "8123164",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123173",
"author": "Eliot",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:00:29",
"content": "You link to the atopile post at the end; coincidentally they’ve posted a few more feature videos recentlyhttps://www.youtube.com/@atopile_io/videos",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123203",
"author": "Don",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:17:49",
"content": "I have just used Verilog in the past to design board level schematics.Discrete chips and all named devices are just modules instances.Wires are well, wires.Many board level schematic tools can produce Verilog netlists as well, for simulation.There are even tools that can take a verilog netlist a create well, a graphical schematic.Not rocket science.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123247",
"author": "prøttel",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T11:12:04",
"content": "“Wires are well, wires.”But not all wires are created equal. Especially in the analog domain.",
"parent_id": "8123203",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123382",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:22:07",
"content": "Going from board layout to netlist rips away a lot of details. Putting it back requires detailed knowledge of design techniques. There’s a reason my copy of the black magic handbook is as thick as it is.",
"parent_id": "8123203",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123210",
"author": "Zoot",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T03:02:22",
"content": "I am not laying out anything complex enough to justify the headache of learning and debugging an HDL project. And I would much rather use a schematic to troubleshoot a circuit than look at a mess of code and try to figure out where the signals all go.Sue me, I am old school.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123213",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T04:08:39",
"content": "” Sue me, I am old school. ” Old school was the best school, and i agree with you 100%.",
"parent_id": "8123210",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123234",
"author": "ewan colsell",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T09:01:17",
"content": "I can see the attraction of something like Openscad for PCB design.Why not build it as a kicad plugin",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123277",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:01:28",
"content": "Isn’t this already more or less what a .kicad_pcb file looks like in a text editor?",
"parent_id": "8123234",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123383",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:23:33",
"content": "Were it built as a kicad plugin it would at the very least mean finding out about all the pesky analog concerns in board layout a lot faster.",
"parent_id": "8123234",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123268",
"author": "nonymouse",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:25:59",
"content": "Correct me if im wrong but isnt this pretty much an autorouter",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123324",
"author": "Steven Clark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:24:33",
"content": "Isn’t this how EDM is supposed to work? First capture the net list in the design, then lay it out on a board and have it auto-route or check your work using the netlist?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123384",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:26:09",
"content": "A lot of the time it’s easier to draw what you want than try to describe it in code. Describing it in code implies that you can generalize all the drawings into something simpler, and let the computer handle the details. In this case, it can’t. It would be a hard uphill battle trying to encode all the fun little analog rules of thumb people use every day, and design an optimizer than can solve for all these different constraints simultaneously.",
"parent_id": "8123324",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123391",
"author": "Seve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:51:24",
"content": "Hello everyone! I’m the lead maintainer for tscircuit (the guy in the video)! Was delighted to see this on Hackaday, thank you!To address some concerns in the comments:1. We designed tscircuit to be somewhat reliant on decent autorouting. We’re betting on autorouters getting better rapidly, and we even develop our own autorouter which we believe will become state-of-the-art for open-source autorouting soon!2. tscircuit is a lot more than a netlist! We can encode layout constraints, functional/simulation parameters and even information that helps to generate a Bill of Materials! We care a lot about making tscircuit a comprehensive and user-extensible spec. Again, there are lots of bets on future technologies like auto-placement and BOM APIs3. Yes it is annoying to learn an HDL! I think that AI will help people to quickly onboard and also convert existing designs to tscircuit. The power is in having the specification aligned with your design intent, not necessarily writing it directly!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.722037
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/floss-weekly-episode-831-lets-have-lunch/
|
FLOSS Weekly Episode 831: Let’s Have Lunch
|
Jonathan Bennett
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts",
"Slider"
] |
[
"dns",
"FLOSS Weekly"
] |
This week,
Jonathan Bennett
and
Dan Lynch
chat with
Peter van Dijk
about PowerDNS! Is the problem always DNS? How did PowerDNS start? And just how big can PowerDNS scale? Watch to find out!
https://github.com/PowerDNS/
https://github.com/Habbie
https://github.com/voorkant/
https://7bits.nl/journal/
Did you know you can watch the live recording of the show right on
our YouTube Channel
? Have someone you’d like us to interview? Let us know, or contact the guest and have them contact us!
Take a look at the schedule here
.
Direct Download
in DRM-free MP3.
If you’d rather read along,
here’s the transcript for this week’s episode
.
Places to follow the FLOSS Weekly Podcast:
Spotify
RSS
Theme music: “Newer Wave” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under
Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
| 0
| 0
|
[] | 1,760,371,559.832202
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/read-motor-speed-better-by-making-the-rp2040-pio-do-it/
|
Read Motor Speed Better By Making The RP2040 PIO Do It
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Microcontrollers"
] |
[
"motor speed",
"PIO",
"quadrature encoder",
"rp2040"
] |
A quadrature encoder provides a way to let hardware read movement (and direction) of a shaft, and they can be simple, effective, and inexpensive devices. But [Paulo Marques] observed that when it comes to reading motor speeds with them, what works best at high speeds doesn’t work at low speeds, and vice versa. His solution?
PicoEncoder
is a library providing a lightweight and robust method of using the Programmable I/O (PIO) hardware on the RP2040 to get better results, even (or especially) from cheap encoders, and do it
efficiently
.
The results of the sub-step method (blue) resemble a low-pass filter, but is delivered with no delay or CPU burden.
The output of a quadrature encoder is typically two square waves that are out of phase with one another. This data says
whether a shaft is moving, and in what direction
. When used to measure something like a motor shaft, one can also estimate rotation speed. Count how many steps come from the encoder over a period of time, and use that as the basis to calculate something like revolutions per minute.
[Paulo] points out that one issue with this basic method is that the quality depends a lot on how much data one has to work with. But the slower a motor turns, the less data one gets. To work around this, one can use a different calculation optimized for low speeds, but there’s really no single solution that handles high and low speeds well.
Another issue is that readings at the “edges” of step transitions can have a lot of noise. This can be ignored and assumed to average out, but it’s a source of inaccuracy that gets worse at slower speeds. Finally, while an ideal encoder has individual phases that are exactly 50% duty cycle and exactly 90 degrees out of phase with one another. This is almost never actually the case with cheaper encoders. Again, a source of inaccuracy.
[Paulo]’s solution was to roll his own method with the RP2040’s PIO, using a hybrid approach to effect a “sub-step” quadrature encoder. Compared to simple step counting,
PicoEncoder
more carefully tracks transitions to avoid problems with noise, and even accounts for phase size differences present in a particular encoder. The result is a much more accurate calculation of motor speed and position without any delays. Most of the work is done by the PIO of the RP2040, which does the low-level work of counting steps and tracking transitions without any CPU time involved. Try it out the next time you need to read a quadrature encoder for a motor!
The PIO is one of the more interesting pieces of functionality in the RP2040 and it’s great to see it used in a such a clever way. As our own Elliot Williams put it when he
evaluated the RP2040
, the PIO promises never having to bit-bang a solution again.
| 8
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122948",
"author": "Bob A.",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T23:43:26",
"content": "Nice use of the PIO. For those unfamiliar with the PIO, it’s a small piece of IP available in Raspberry Pi Pico SOCs that can clock and manipulate a bitstream under the control of its own tiny instruction set. Because it can be combined with DMA engines and the interrupt controller, its operation can be completely independent of an executing program. It’s been used for everything from simple SPI up to generating digital video. If you love bit twiddling and haven’t tried it, go grab the RP2040 or RP2350 datasheet and have a read. It’s addictive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122966",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:36:08",
"content": "I will vouch for this library on the 2040- I used it in a personal project with a really high count encoder recently and it’s absolutely zero drama and wonderful. I really appreciate Paulo’s work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124177",
"author": "pmarques",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T02:42:38",
"content": "I published the code to make it useful to others, so It’s great to know that it has done that! Thank you for your comment.",
"parent_id": "8122966",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122982",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T03:52:58",
"content": "Those PIO things are indeed quite impressive. I did find the Hackaday article a bit confusing. The writeup on the (already linked to) github page is much clearer.On a sidenote, does anyone know how the graphs are made? These look quite simple (which I like). It’s always a compromise between the amount of work to do the setup, and how easy it is to get the data into the graph. I once experimented with matplotlib.pyplot (in python) and it was a bit of a mess, partly because of my limited python knowledge, but also because it had to be a multithreaded application (I used “multiprocessing”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122986",
"author": "Yorick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T04:47:21",
"content": "I usually use pyplot. It generally works well enough for me. Multithreaded applications aren’t an issue either. Try reading about animations for details.However, if you only want to plot the output from a controller, then Arduino serial plotter is awesome.For more serious projects, I use PyQtGraph. It’s really well optimized. But can be difficult to work with",
"parent_id": "8122982",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123123",
"author": "Jdams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:16:23",
"content": "Pretty sure that’s matplotlib, could be wrong though. Mine have looked similar.",
"parent_id": "8122982",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124024",
"author": "Luccamakesthings",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T13:20:01",
"content": "Those could probably be done with gnuplot.",
"parent_id": "8122982",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124175",
"author": "pmarques",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T02:38:05",
"content": "I’m a big fan of the PIO as well, but bear in mind that this is likely close to the limit of what a PIO can do. The pico_encoder.pio file in the source code is fully commented, for the curious minds.As for the plots, the first one on the github page is gnuplot and the other two are LibreOffice Calc. I sometimes use gnuplot with this sort of workflow: “cat /dev/ttyACM0 > output.txt” on the command line, then “plot ‘output.txt’ u 1:2 w l” on gnuplot to plot data coming from a microcontroller. I can then do another run and just press refresh on the gnuplot window to update the plot from the new data on the file.",
"parent_id": "8122982",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,559.792508
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/crossing-commodore-signal-cables-on-purpose/
|
Crossing Commodore Signal Cables On Purpose
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"Retrocomputing"
] |
[
"analog",
"audio",
"c64",
"chiptune",
"commodore 64",
"filter",
"video"
] |
On a Commodore 64, the computer is normally connected to a monitor with one composite video cable and to an audio device with a second, identical (although uniquely colored) cable. The signals passed through these cables are analog, each generated by a dedicated chip on the computer. Many C64 users may have accidentally swapped these cables when first setting up their machines, but [Matthias] wondered if this could be done purposefully —
generating video with the audio hardware and vice versa
.
Getting an audio signal from the video hardware on the Commodore is simple enough. The chips here operate at well over the needed frequency for even the best audio equipment, so it’s a relatively straightforward matter of generating an appropriate output wave. The audio hardware, on the other hand, is much less performative by comparison. The only component here capable of generating a fast enough signal to be understood by display hardware of the time is actually the volume register, although due to a filter on the chip the output is always going to be a bit blurred. But this setup is good enough to generate large text and some other features as well.
There are a few other constraints here as well, namely that loading the demos that [Matthias] has written takes so long that the audio can’t be paused while this happens and has to be bit-banged the entire time. It’s an in-depth project that shows mastery of the retro hardware, and for some other C64 demos
take a look at this one which is written in just 256 bytes
.
Thanks to [Jan] for the tip!
| 19
| 12
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122915",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:02:19",
"content": "“so long that the audio can’t be paused while this happens and has to be bit-banged the entire time.”Do you mean the audio that is video or the video that is audio?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122917",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:06:42",
"content": "90% connected the C64 trough a RF modulator to a TV set so never had this problem?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122985",
"author": "Frankens43",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T04:43:29",
"content": "I must be the 10%.. the 1702 monitor rocked.",
"parent_id": "8122917",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123059",
"author": "Harold Hill",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:15:11",
"content": "And it looked even sweeter when it was an Atari 800 driving it with S-video signals.",
"parent_id": "8122985",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123159",
"author": "Pip McCarty",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:51:21",
"content": "Most people I knew had monitors. Myself included. The only people I knew who hooked up to a tv were casual users.",
"parent_id": "8122985",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122918",
"author": "Daniel Westerberg",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:20:42",
"content": "That’s awesome!! I have tried connecting the audio to the monitor and composite to the stereo myself on the Amiga, but never tried to actually make a useful signal out of it on either output…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122940",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:50:34",
"content": "Now I wonder what happens if you uncross the cables, i.e. you accidentally connect audio to speaker and video to video, then run this demo!Nice propwork btw.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122951",
"author": "T Dillon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T00:03:00",
"content": "256 characters includinh line numbers, produced this? 6 lines of code…I’d like to see this impressive code.",
"parent_id": "8122940",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122989",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T05:10:11",
"content": "No, that’s “some other C64 demos”. And written in machine code, not BASIC.",
"parent_id": "8122951",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122950",
"author": "H",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T23:52:39",
"content": "Very nice but I don’t remember the cables being so big.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123002",
"author": "bebop",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T08:32:11",
"content": "Honey, i shrunk the user.",
"parent_id": "8122950",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8125433",
"author": "pierut",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T19:20:02",
"content": "earlier i was reading rick moranis started in a relatively new sequel to honey i shrunk the kids called ‘shrunk’",
"parent_id": "8123002",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122983",
"author": "hugh crawford",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T04:13:02",
"content": "Isn’t that Kraftwork?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122988",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T05:08:15",
"content": "What, no bouncing text? j/k nice demonstration.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122990",
"author": "Valentijn Sessink",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T05:12:25",
"content": "Makes for a great ZX-81 emulator, too!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123032",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T11:13:35",
"content": "I remember playing around with an old C64 monitor years ago, hooking it up to a Casio keyboard and seeing what various sounds looked like. Nothing quite this impressive!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123036",
"author": "Rennek",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T12:09:00",
"content": "It’s Rammstein, isn’t it Heirate Mich?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123093",
"author": "Jii",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:32:38",
"content": "“Excuse me Egon, you said crossing the streams was bad. You are going to endanger us. You are going to endanger our client, a nice lady who paid us in advance before she became a dog”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123095",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:53:07",
"content": "I can’t be the only one bothered by the low poly giant A/V cables 🤦🏼♂️. What’s terrible is many CAD programs smooth it on screen while the mesh is low poly. And it really doesn’t need to be.Cool hack, very nice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,559.885143
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/theres-an-venusian-spacecraft-coming-our-way/
|
There’s A Venusian Spacecraft Coming Our Way
|
Jenny List
|
[
"Space"
] |
[
"cosmos-482",
"spacecraft",
"Venera"
] |
It’s not unusual for redundant satellites, rocket stages, or other spacecraft to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere. Usually they pass unnoticed or generate a spectacular light show, and very rarely a few pieces make it to the surface of the planet. Coming up though is something entirely different,
a re-entry of a redundant craft in which the object in question might make it to the ground intact
. To find out more about the story we have to travel back to the early 1970s, and Kosmos-482. It was a failed Soviet Venera mission, and since its lander was heavily over-engineered to survive entry into the Venusian atmosphere there’s a fascinating prospect that it might survive Earth re-entry.
This model of the earlier Venera 7 probe shows the heavy protection to survive entry into the Venusian atmosphere. Emerezhko,
CC BY-SA 4.0
.
At the time of writing the re-entry is expected to happen on the 10th of May, but as yet due to its shallow re-entry angle it is difficult to predict where it might land. It is thought to be about a metre across and to weigh just under 500 kilograms, and its speed upon landing is projected to be between 60 and 80 metres per second. Should it hit land rather than water then, its remains are thought to present an immediate hazard only in its direct path.
Were it to be recovered it would be a fascinating artifact of the Space Race, and once the inevitable question of its ownership was resolved — do marine salvage laws apply in space? –we’d expect it to become a world class museum exhibit. If that happens, we look forward to bringing you our report if possible.
This craft
isn’t the only surviving relic of the Space Race
out there, though it may be the only one we have a chance of seeing up-close.
Some of the craft from that era are even still alive
.
Header: Moini,
CC0
.
| 29
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122893",
"author": "BT",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:45:28",
"content": "we look forward to bringing you our report if possible.LOL I look forward to reading it if possible.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122896",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:03:04",
"content": "I wonder if there’s even the slightest chance someone could trick it into deploying its parachutes… Might be a project for a (very) ambitious hacker.Anybody happen to know a single thing about Soviet systems of that era?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122900",
"author": "Alex99a",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:18:11",
"content": "The batteries are long, long, long dead. Events like parachute deploy would have been controlled by timers and accelerometers anyway.",
"parent_id": "8122896",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122908",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:37:02",
"content": "Yeah I figure the batteries are definitely gonezo. I wasn’t sure what kind of peripheral hardware might exist, such as if it has solar connected to the lander before it separates from the orbiter.. sure would be nice if the Soviets used something mechanical and simple to deploy the chutes through air pressure, but then the pressure for the design probably won’t be something you’re likely to find inside Earth’s atmosphere…Curious if anyone has details on what the power or parachute systems were from that side of the wall in that era, for curiosity’s sake as much as anything else.",
"parent_id": "8122900",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122967",
"author": "Adrian",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:40:30",
"content": "For the sister probe Venera 7, the parachute deployed like this:“After aerodynamic braking, the top hatch was blown and the parachute system was deployed, exposing the antenna and commencing transmissions at 4:59:28. The hatch was designed to be released at 700 mb pressure, planned to be about 60 km altitude, although 700 mb is now known to correspond to about 52.5 km.”",
"parent_id": "8122908",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122968",
"author": "Adrian",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:41:16",
"content": "Source:https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1970-060D",
"parent_id": "8122967",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123114",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:52:09",
"content": "Interesting. Blowing the cover is a barometric trigger, while the reefing cords use temperature. I wonder if the barometric trigger is fully mechanical. In Earth’s atmosphere, 700 millibar would translate to an altitude of around 2-3km or roughly 10,000 feet. But it’s doubtful that anywhere on Earth will reach the 200 Celsius required to melt the reefing cords and fully open the parachutes. But 1.8 meter parachutes is better than nothing.I’m also assuming the probe is still connected to the 3MV bus module and possibly some other upper stages of the original launch vehicle… I don’t know how to confirm any of that.Assuming it disconnects from the bus somehow during re-entry, it’s vaguely possible that the parachutes may function if all of the triggering mechanisms are robust and purely mechanical. This will be interesting to watch.",
"parent_id": "8122967",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122971",
"author": "Adrian",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:48:04",
"content": "Oops, wrong sister, it was Venera 8. But same system:“The parachute system was identical to Venera 7, although stronger materials were used to prevent the tearing that occurred on the earlier mission. It comprised a reefed parachute (1.8 square meters when reefed, 2.5 square meters fully open) with a reefing cord was made of a material (glass nitron) that would melt at 200 degrees C (roughly 32 km altitude) and allow the parachute to open fully.”",
"parent_id": "8122908",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122975",
"author": "Eric",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T02:23:37",
"content": "The probe wasn’t expected to live long after landing on Venus. No solar panels, no nuclear battery or anything of the sort. It’s just a regular battery for a few hours of operation before the heat and atmospheric pressure destroyed the probe.50+ years in the space, the battery would have died long ago.",
"parent_id": "8122908",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123112",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:44:14",
"content": "Yeah the probe, but it is probably still attached to the orbiter. It’s not in LEO by itself, as if it were just dropped into the Venusian atmosphere.",
"parent_id": "8122975",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123131",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:46:03",
"content": "The spacecraft bus for this mission is identical to Venera-4, so it looks like this:http://mentallandscape.com/V_Venera4d.jpgSo it does theoretically have solar. Is the solar power connected to the probe’s on-board battery? No idea. Did the bus even get to a point where it opened the panels? Possibly, but probably not. Whichever the case, I doubt that battery is in a healthy state if it has been cycling on solar charge since 1972. Healthy enough to fire of an explosive bolt or two? Or maybe the explosive bolts are activated by a mechanical thingamajig, like a barometer attached to a spring-loaded plunger? Hmmmm…Part of the transfer stage rocket may also be connected. Apparently some bits of the upper stages fell on New Zealand shortly after the launch, recovered by a farmer. The transfer stage prematurely shut down, stranding some portion of the spacecraft in LEO until next week.",
"parent_id": "8122975",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122909",
"author": "Venerable",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:39:01",
"content": "This guy seem to know quite a bit about the venera missions amd probes – and it makes a fascinating read:http://mentallandscape.com/V_Venus.htm",
"parent_id": "8122896",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123115",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:56:15",
"content": "Very nice, thank you. Sounds like the mechanisms are primarily mechanical, not computerized or electrical, and as durable and fool-proof as cold war Soviets could make them. Promising! I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.I found info elsewhere that Venera 7 used the same bus/orbiter as Venera 4, so we’re potentially looking at this guy (scroll down to third photo) with a slightly different lander:http://mentallandscape.com/V_Lavochkin1.htm",
"parent_id": "8122909",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122930",
"author": "kaidenshi",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:11:33",
"content": "Nowhere in Jenny’s writeup does it say the object ever made to to Venus nor returned from there. In fact, this part: “It was a failed Soviet Venera mission” heavily implies it never left Earth orbit. Reading comprehension, my friend.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122938",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:44:14",
"content": "It is obvious it failed because it clearlydid not enter Venus’ atmosphere. It’s not obvious (and not stated) that it never left Earth orbit. Being a “venusian spacecraft” the implication is that it actually did make the trip.A plausible failure mode is it missed the entry at Venus and has been stuck in the transfer orbit all these decades, until the Earth synced up again to get in the way.The source material did make it clear what happened.",
"parent_id": "8122930",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122941",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:53:37",
"content": "“In fact, this part: “It was a failed Soviet Venera mission” heavily implies it never left Earth orbit.”No it doesn’t. Reading comprehension and you are not friends.",
"parent_id": "8122930",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122978",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T02:56:34",
"content": "so „Venusian“ doesn’t mean „from Venus“?",
"parent_id": "8122930",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122939",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:50:15",
"content": "“do marine salvage laws apply in space?” “Marine” implies “in the ocean”. The ocean is in space. I am in space. The author of this article is in space. Everyone I know of is in space. Do murder laws apply in space?Quick transition from talking about a crash on land to marine salvage. In my day we editedbeforegoing out all night to the vicars and tarts club.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122979",
"author": "Nathan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T03:35:27",
"content": "Except….. maritime law is more generally regarded as ‘outside any country’s legal space’ law. Technically, I think most of outer space is considered to be under maritime law, though there’s some specific treatys and such that also apply",
"parent_id": "8122939",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123109",
"author": "Pas de Cliff Clavens Por Favor",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:27:22",
"content": "Except….. maritime law applies within the 3, 12, 200 or whatever miles limit, so no, not “generally regarded as ‘outside any country’s legal space’ law”.",
"parent_id": "8122979",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123104",
"author": "Gary Yregarin",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:07:36",
"content": "From the Kosmos-482 wiki: “Space law required that the space junk be returned to its national owner, but the Soviets denied knowledge or ownership of the satellite.” This was referring to a couple objects from the launch that re-entered immediately. I would assume this would still apply to objects that re-enter years later.",
"parent_id": "8122939",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123122",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:13:33",
"content": "Parts of the lower stages fell in New Zealand a little while after the launch in the 1970s. They tried to give the bits back to the Soviets, but the Soviets denied any knowledge of a launch (of course) so it fell under the international “finders keepers” treaty, and was given back to some farmer. He let some metallurgists analyze them.",
"parent_id": "8122939",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122963",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:30:47",
"content": "Did the comment complaining that this isn’t really a Venusian spacecraft get deleted?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122973",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T02:01:26",
"content": "It wasn’t complaining. It was clarification based on the source literature that the spacecraft never came from Venus, but has been stuck in earth orbit all this time.The comment also had the observation that the probe will probably survive reentry from earth orbit velocities better than if it had actually come in with interplanetary velocities from Venus. So, it will probably survive to hit the surface, instead of turning itself into plasma.But, yes, that comment is hidden. Probably due to the followup comments with poor word choices.",
"parent_id": "8122963",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123126",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:28:14",
"content": "It would be pretty strange if it somehow wandered back to Earth from Venus orbit unpowered. I would be asking a lot more questions if that were the case. Not something likely to happen in less than several million years of chance orbital resonances",
"parent_id": "8122973",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123167",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:37:14",
"content": "Yes, it would be strange to find it back in Earth’s neighborhood, if it ever executed an orbit insertion burn at Venus. But if itdidmake the trip, then missed Venus or didn’t execute a burn there, it would (modulo perturbations) still be approximately on the Venus-Earth Hohmann ellipse, and find itself near Earth orbit every ten months or so, with a closest approach to Earth every 5 years or so.",
"parent_id": "8123126",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122969",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:42:30",
"content": "Sure, it wouldn’t bounce instead.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123127",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:30:28",
"content": "From this image of the terrestrial testing of a similar pressure vessel, it appears to embed itself in the ground. Following that, it looks like a suspicious garden planter.http://mentallandscape.com/V_Venera7c.jpg",
"parent_id": "8122969",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123460",
"author": "Frank Glover",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T02:36:43",
"content": "“Were it to be recovered it would be a fascinating artifact of the Space Race, and once the inevitable question of its ownership was resolved — do marine salvage laws apply in space?”Nope. if commercial, your stuff still belongs to you, unless legally transferred to another entity. And your government takes the hit for any damages, even if it wasn’t their hardware.That’s why the FAA issues launch and/or re-entry licenses.Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,560.197896
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/the-diy-1982-picture-phone/
|
The DIY 1982 Picture Phone
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Featured",
"History",
"Phone Hacks",
"Slider"
] |
[
"picture phone",
"radio electronics",
"SSTV"
] |
If you’ve only been around for the Internet age, you may not realize that Hackaday is the successor of electronics magazines. In their heyday, magazines like Popular Electronics, Radio Electronics, and Elementary Electronics brought us projects to build. Hacks, if you will. Just like Hackaday, not all readers are at the same skill level. So you’d see some hat with a blinking light on it, followed by some super-advanced project like a TV typewriter or a computer.
Or a picture phone
.
In 1982, Radio Electronics, a major magazine of the day, showed plans for building a picture phone. All you needed was a closed-circuit TV camera, a TV, a telephone, and about two shoeboxes crammed full of parts.
Like many picture phones of its day, it was stretching the definition a little. It actually used ham radio-style slow scan TV (SSTV) to send a frame of video about once every eight seconds. That’s not backwards. The frame rate was 0.125 Hz. And while the resulting 128 x 256 image would seem crude today, this was amazing high tech for 1982.
Slow Scan for the Win
Hams had been playing with SSTV for a long time. Early experiments used high-persistence CRTs, so you’d see the image for as long as the phosphor kept glowing. You also had to sit still for the entire eight seconds to send the picture.
It didn’t take long for hams to take advantage of modern circuits to capture the slow input and convert it to a normal TV signal for as long as you wanted, and that’s what this box does as well. Early “scan converters” used video storage tubes that were rejects (because a perfect new one might have cost $50,000). However, cheap digital memory quickly replaced these storage tubes, making SSTV more practical and affordable.
One of Mitsubishi’s Picture Phones
Still, it never really caught on for telephone networks. A few years later, a few commercial products offered similar tech. Atari made a phone that was bought up by Mitsubishi and sold as the Luna, for example, around 1986. Mitsubishi, Sony, and others tried, unsuccessfully, to get the market to accept these slow picture phones. Between the cost of making a call and a minimum of $400 to buy one, though, it was a hard sell.
You might think this sounds like a weekend project with a Pi-Cam, and you are probably right if you did it now. But in 1982, the amount of work it took to make this work was significant. It helped that it used MM5280 dynamic RAM chips, which held a whopping 4,096 bits (not bytes) of memory. The project needed 16 of the chips, which, at the time, were about $5 each. Remember that $80 in those days was a lot more than $80 today, and you had to buy the rest of the parts, the camera (the article estimates that’s $150, alone), and so on. This wasn’t a poor high school student project.
Robot Kits
You could buy entire kits or just key parts, which was a common thing for magazines to do in those days. The kits came from Robot Research, which was known for making SSTV equipment for hams, so it makes sense that they knew how to do this. The author mentions that “this project is not for beginners.” He explains there are nearly 100 ICs on a “tightly-packed double-sided PC board.”
The device had two primary inputs: fast scan from the camera and slow scan from the phone line. Both could be digitized and stored in the memory array. The memory can also output fast scan TV for the monitor or slow scan for the phone line. Obviously, the system was half duplex. If you were sending a picture, you wouldn’t expect to receive a picture at the same time.
This is just the main board!
The input conversion is done with comparators for speed. Luckily, the conversion is only four bits of monochrome, so you only need 16 (IC73-80) to get the job done. The memory speed was also a concern. Each memory chip’s enable line activated while the previous chip’s was half way through with a cycle.
Since there is no microcontroller, the design includes plenty of gates, op amps, bipolar transistors, and the like. The adjacent picture shows just the device’s main board!
Lots of Parts
If you want to dig into the details, you’ll also want to look at
part 2
. There’s more theory of operation there and the parts list. The article notes that you could record the tones to a cassette tape for later playback, but that you’d “probably need a device from your local phone company to couple the Picture Phone to their lines.” Ah, the days of the
DAA
.
They even noted in part 2 that connecting a home-built Picture Phone directly to the phone lines was illegal, which was true at the time.
Part 3
talks even more about the phone interface (and, that same issue has a very cool roundup of all the computers you could buy in 1982, ranging from $100 to $6,000).
Part 4
was all about alignment and yet more about the phone interface.
Alignment shouldn’t have been too hard. The highest tone on the phone line was 2,300 Hz. While there are many SSTV standards today for color images, this old-fashioned scheme was simple: 2,300 Hz for white and 1,500 Hz for black. A 1,200 Hz tone provided sync signals. Interestingly, sharp jumps in color could create artifacts, so the converters use a gray code to minimize unnecessary sharp jumps in value.
The Phone Book
It wouldn’t make sense to make only one of these, so we wonder how many pairs were built. The magazine did ask people to report if they had one and intended to publish a picture phone directory. We don’t know if that ever happened, but given what a long-distance phone call cost in 1982, we imagine that idea didn’t catch on.
The
video phone
was long a dream, and we still don’t have exactly what people imagined. We would really like to replicate this picture phone on a PC using
GNU Radio
, for example.
| 19
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122876",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:32:37",
"content": "In the 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” director S. Kurbrick introduced the visual telephone in a scene with Dr. Floyd and his daughter from the space station.At that time, no one, not even Kurbrick, had yet imagined personalized communication or personal computers, as the technology was either too expensive or nonexistent.This quickly changed shortly afterward…IIRC, I saw a prototype of a visual telephone in 1982 at the Philips Visitor Center in Eindhoven. It didn’t fill the room…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122883",
"author": "Peter Knoppers",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:02:07",
"content": "The TV sersies Thunderbirds (1965) had video phones (even pay phones). Of course, that was all done with smoke, mirrors and puppets suspended from very thin wires. Their phones even had an option to turn video off!Anyway, the idea of making video phone calls is older than 1968.",
"parent_id": "8122876",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122897",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:06:12",
"content": "according to googles AI summary bell labs had a prototype in 1927",
"parent_id": "8122883",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122898",
"author": "arifyyn",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:14:40",
"content": "In fact the idea of making video phone calls is nearly as old as the idea of making phone calls, with the idea appearing in science fiction of the late 1870s, and even mentioned in the popular press.It took until the 1920s before anyone could actually figure out how to build one. Of course they were experimental devices, neither affordable or practical, but they did exist and work.Wikipedia has a fascinating overview athttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_videotelephony.",
"parent_id": "8122883",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122910",
"author": "Jon Mayo",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T20:02:52",
"content": "Dick Tracy had a 2-way wrist TV by 1964.",
"parent_id": "8122883",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123317",
"author": "David H",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:02:33",
"content": "The 1930s book “Cold Comfort Farm” by Stella Gibbons – one of the funniest books ever written, IMHO – is a pastiche of the earthy rural melodramas of the time, BUT is set in the 1950s, so it’s also, technically, science-fiction. As well as referring to future-past events that never happened (“the Anglo-Nicaraguan War of ’46”) it makes passing mention of video phones. The heroine at one point uses a public pay-phone, which of course “didn’t have a TV dial”, so although her /amour/ at the other end can see her, she can’t see him.As others have pointed out below, the idea of video calling long predates 1982; I mention CCF because it’s well worth a read. Fortunately they never attempted to make a film of the book, in the same way that there’s only 3 Star Wars movies and only 1 Matrix movie. Shutupshutupshutup.:)",
"parent_id": "8122883",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124185",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:30:37",
"content": "Hackaday did a retrotechtacular article on the 1930s transatlantic video phone that was in commercial service:https://hackaday.com/2022/04/02/retrotechtacular-the-transatlantic-radiotelephone-system-of-the-1930s/",
"parent_id": "8122876",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124186",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T04:33:23",
"content": "Wait, my mistake. Looks like that was voice-only. Sorry.",
"parent_id": "8124185",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122901",
"author": "Tomsz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:20:20",
"content": "Bell Labs developed the first video phone, the Picturephone, which was showcased at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. The actual picture phone hardware used in the exhibit is at the Computer History Museum. I have held it in my own hands. It is amazing it has shrunk down to fit in our cell pones.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122913",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T20:57:01",
"content": "Ok but why is he calling Marv from Home Alone?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123023",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:22:57",
"content": "I was going to ask “Why is Ferris Bueller calling the Wet Bandits?”",
"parent_id": "8122913",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123614",
"author": "slowbro904",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T13:48:55",
"content": "Y’all are my tribe. I was thinking the same thing.",
"parent_id": "8123023",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124068",
"author": "lol",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T15:28:44",
"content": "Lolll thought I was a unique weirdo for thinkin that!Glad I scrolled down to see I was just a weirdo",
"parent_id": "8122913",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122927",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:55:35",
"content": "Man, that was a golden age of electronics. The ads in the magazine… wow.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122974",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T02:22:15",
"content": "There are a few illustrations of people in the future doing zoom calls at the turn of the century. It shows a vertical mirror like thing with some steam-punk and tube and knob wiring. Romance over the ether, she has a frilly dress down to the floor and he is so dashing! Edwardian age or even late Victorian.Then there is the scene in Logan’s Run or some early 70’s movie then where he is going online for sex and looking at a tall screen and clicking through women winking at each one then click and a hot male prospect appears and he clicks it off. Vertical screens seem to go way back, Bell Labs had a digital commutator and neon plasma tubes with bits of foil on the backsides in the teens. The photo of it shows it does fill a room!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123128",
"author": "Sean",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:33:16",
"content": "You are maybe thinking of Woody Allen’s “Sleeper”, not “Logan’s Run”.“The film parodies a dystopic future of the United States in 2173, involving the misadventures of Miles Monroe, the owner of a health food store who is cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200 years later in an ineptly led police state.”",
"parent_id": "8122974",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123293",
"author": "D VB",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:52:46",
"content": "“two shoeboxes crammed full of parts”…. and not even a 555…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123870",
"author": "targetdrone",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T22:49:51",
"content": "An issue of Popular Electronics in the late 1970s had an article on building your own digital camera. You started with a 1K CMOS RAM chip, cut off the top of the plastic case, and focused an 8mm lens at the die. The rest of the circuitry would scan the memory and display the bits in a 32×32 grid on an oscilloscope.Supposedly.I severed some of the bond wires while trying to decap the memory chip, and never got it working. And as a kid, I didn’t have the dollars or access to extra RAM chips to experiment with.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125098",
"author": "brad",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T19:53:42",
"content": "easy to encode and decode sstv on a cell phone now with apps at the store.desktop sstv try mmsstvsee other ham stations receive sstv 24/7 athttps://www.worldsstv.com/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,562.261308
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/peeking-at-poking-health-tech-the-g7-and-the-libre-3/
|
Peeking At Poking Health Tech: The G7 And The Libre 3
|
Heidi Ulrich
|
[
"chemistry hacks",
"Medical Hacks",
"Teardown"
] |
[
"cgm",
"diabetes",
"diabetics",
"glucose",
"monitor"
] |
Continuous glucose meters (CGMs) aren’t just widgets for the wellness crowd. For many, CGMs are real-time feedback machines for the body, offering glucose trendlines that help people rethink how they eat. They allow diabetics to continue their daily life without stabbing their fingertips several times a day, in the most inconvenient places.
This video by [Becky Stern]
is all about comparing two of the most popular continuous glucose monitors (CGMs): the Abbott Libre 3 and the Dexcom G7.
Both the Libre 3 and the G7 come with spring-loaded applicators and stick to the upper arm. At first glance they seem similar, but the differences run deep. The Libre 3 is the minimalist of both: two plastic discs sandwiching the electronics. The G7, in contrast, features an over-molded shell that suggests a higher production cost, and perhaps, greater robustness. The G7 needs a button push to engage, which users describe as slightly clumsy compared to the Libre’s simpler poke-and-go design. The nuance: G7’s ten-day lifespan means more waste than the fourteen-day Libre, yet the former allows for longer submersion in water, if that’s your passion.
While these devices are primarily intended for people with diabetes, they’ve quietly been adopted by a growing tribe of biohackers and curious minds who are eager to explore their own metabolic quirks. In February, we featured
a dissection of the Stelo CGM
, cracking open its secrets layer by layer.
| 9
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122875",
"author": "JAL4JC",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:30:11",
"content": "Man. With that awesome title, I really thought a BASIC reference was coming.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122922",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:27:08",
"content": "I have used the Libre 3 and the G6 (type 1 diabetic), and the amount of waste from both applicators is shocking. I would have thought it would be better to create a non-disposable applicator (with replaceable needles). Personally, I prefer the Libre 3, but each to their own.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123039",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T12:37:52",
"content": "That’s healthcare for you. You should see the amount of waste generated from even a simple surgery- about two crammed full giant sized garbage bags, all of it straight to the landfill. And that is best case.",
"parent_id": "8122922",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123581",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:48:50",
"content": "I work developing medical wearables. Hospitals don’t want reusable items. They don’t have time and personnel to ensure that everything is sterile. The risk is just too high.",
"parent_id": "8123039",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123047",
"author": "kenpurcell",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:24:48",
"content": "I have used both: The Libre is less accurate but the 14 days length of monitoring is so much less waste and hassle. The Dexcom lasts for 10 days but has significant failure rates for lots of people. I never had a Libre fail unless I accidentally scraped it off of my arm by running into a door frame. With the Dexcom I have had 3-4 failures just because the cannula did not insert properly and then sticks back out of the unit.Either is very useful replacement for finger sticks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124469",
"author": "GianlucaM",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T21:26:55",
"content": "EU here (I read that there are difference).4 yr with Dexcom 6 and I never have problems (a part some disconnections in the last days)I prefer it to the Libre, better ecosystem/app/app/site and easy to share data’s with my diabetic unit.Yes. I confirm that every door (especially in summer) is trap , hahahaBut I found a safer insert in place (internal side of the arm)",
"parent_id": "8123047",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123079",
"author": "Robert",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:54:51",
"content": "Awesome video. Very interesting. I never opened one, but I was always curious. I use the Freestyle/2 (officially a FGM, but somewhere this year it started acting more like a CGM as it updates automatically every 30 seconds as long it is in range of my phone). I wondered if it uses NFC or Bluetooth. Scanning is via NFC, for sure. But the auto updating happens too when more than a meter between sensor and phone, so … that can’t be NFC, right?! So both?Every 14 days applying a sensor (I don’t really feel the needle which inserts the filament) is so much better than have to prick my finger up to 8 times a day. I now have a much better insight in my glucose levels with hardly any hassle.I heard you say it twice: US$200 for a sensor. In The Netherlands it’s (for a Freestyle/2) about €80 over the counter. A Freestyle/3 costs somewhat north of €100. A Dexcom 7 costs somewhere in between.Luckily my insurance pays for everything (also the test strips, needles and reader for if the sensor doesn’t work). And if I have a bad sensor or if it falls of, I can contact Abbott and they replace the faulty (fallen of) one. Until now without questions, but they sometimes send you an envelope to return it so they can investigate what went wrong (I guess they get paid by my insurance, or otherwise it’s the price for being the first sensor to be approved and prescribed in The Netherlands?)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123103",
"author": "SteveR",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:07:24",
"content": "I’m a type 1 diabetes insulin pump user. I’ve used both of these products (presently the G-7). Each has its pros and cons from a practical point-of-view. But both are way-more convenient than finger-sticks: faster, less messy, less painful, fewer parts-and-pieces to keep up with, privacy, and easy to use as frequently as you want. The G-7 interacts with my pump, and the pump is programmed to react to highs and lows automatically. I do wish, however, either CGM could be inserted in additional parts of my body.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123135",
"author": "Ted",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T20:12:13",
"content": "Can you share any info on the CT scanner used?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,562.423358
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/keebin-with-kristina-the-one-with-the-protractor-keyboard/
|
Keebin’ With Kristina: The One With The Protractor Keyboard
|
Kristina Panos
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] |
[
"aluminium keyboard",
"AR-60%",
"keyboard gun",
"Malling-Hansen Takygraph",
"protractor",
"protractor keyboard",
"research battlestation",
"Takygraf",
"Takygraph",
"the Cleaver keyboard"
] |
Don’t you love it when the title track is the first one on the album?
I had to single out this adjustable keyboard called the Protractor
, because look at it! The whole thing moves, you know. Go look at the gallery.
Image by [BFB_Workshop] via
reddit
If you use a true split, even if you never leave the house, you know the pain of losing the good angle and/or separation you had going on for whatever reason. Not only does this monoblock split solve that simply by being a monoblock split, you can always find the right angle you had via the built-in angle finder.
[BFB_Workshop] used a nice!nano v2, but you could use any ZMK-supported board with the same dimensions. This 5 x 12 has 60 Gateron KS-33 switches, which it was made for, and has custom keycaps. You can, of course, see all the nice, neat ribbon cable wiring through the clear PLA, which is a really great touch.
This bad boy is flat enough that you can use the table as your palm rest. To me, that doesn’t sound so comfortable, but then again, I like key wells and such. I’d still love to try a Protractor, because it looks quite interesting to type on. If you want to build one,
the files and instructions are available on Printables
.
Present Arms: the AR-60%
Image by [Sli22ard] via
reddit
Yes I stole that joke, sort of. Don’t shoot! Anyway, as [Sli22ard] asks,
does your keyboard have a mil-spec stock?
I’m guessing no, although you might have a knife nearby. I myself have a fancy-handled butter knife for opening mail.
This is [Sli22ard]’s latest “abomination”, and the best part is that the MOE fixed carbine stock folds up so that the whole thing fits on the ever-important keyboard display. (Click to the second picture and be sure to admire the Dreamcast that was in storage for however long.)
The case is a
Keysme Pic60
, custom Cerakoted, with a
4pplet waffling60 PCB
within its walls. That case is meant to have things hanging off the upper left corner, so that must have been a great place to start as far as connecting up the stock.
[Sli22ard] used Gateron Type R switches and a NovelKeys Cream Arc switch for the Spacebar. Most of the keycaps are GMK Striker, with the 10u Spacebar from Awekeys.
I particularly like the midnight-y keycaps along with that monster gold Spacebar. [Sli22ard] says it thocks like nobody’s business, and I believe it.
The Centerfold: the Quiet Type
Image by [Pleasant_Dot_189] via
reddit
[Pleasant_Dot_189] sure has a pleasant
research-only battlestation
, don’t they? Sure, there are four screens, but there’s no RGB, and the only plant can safely be ignored for weeks at a time. Why four screens? This way, [Pleasant_Dot_189] doesn’t have to switch between tasks or tabs and can just write as they work on their fifth book.
Do you rock a sweet set of peripherals on a screamin’ desk pad?
Send me a picture
along with your handle and all the gory details, and you could be featured here!
Historical Clackers: the Malling-Hansen Takygraf
The astute among you will remember that we’ve covered the Malling-Hansen Writing Ball, the more well-known offering from M-H. Well, this here is
the Malling-Hansen Takygraf
(or Takygraph, depending upon where you are in the world), and it was quite the writing machine. Only one was created, and its whereabouts are unknown.
Image via
The Malling-Hansen Society
Rasmus Malling-Hansen’s intention was to create a typewriter that could type at the speed of human speech. And he succeeded — the Takygraf could reach speeds of 1200 characters per minute. He hoped the Takygraf would be used for stenography.
The VP of the Malling-Hansen Society describes the function of the Takygraf as follows: “The first Takygraf from 1872 was combined with a writing ball but the bottom of each piston forms a blunt point and so it forms only impressions in the paper. The paper band was prepared to conduct electricity. Under the paper band there were metal points which were connected to electromagnets. The form impressions in the paper band are brought in contact with the fixed metal points under the paper as the paper moves along and so the corresponding electromagnets are brought into action. When the electromagnets attracted the keepers, then the types made their impressions on the paper band (through the invention of a colored or carbonized strip of paper).
In the year 1874 follows a modified Takygraf combined with a writing ball but instead of the prepared paper (to conduct electricity) and the form impressions in the paper Rasmus Malling-Hansen developed a mechanical memory-unit, which contacts the electromagnets in the right time to make the needed type impressions on the paper band. It was possible to write with this brilliant invention as fast as we talk.”
Be sure to visit
this fantastic model viewer of the Takygraph
on your way out.
Finally, a Keyboard for Metalheads
Actually,
the Cleaver
is another aluminium keyboard, not
the Icebreaker from a couple Keebins ago
. But they’re from the same company, and the idea is basically the same. Aluminium wherever possible, and tiny, laser-cut holes that make up the legends. At least these are more legible.
Image by Serene Industries via
Yanko Design
And, whereas the Icebreaker definitely doubled as bludgeoning device, the Cleaver is much slimmer and more streamlined. Both are machined from a single block of aluminium.
Much like its predecessor, the Cleaver is a Hall-effect keyboard, which I would really like to type on someday while I consider how they can never really wear out in the traditional switch sense.
Inside the metal block, the electronics are huddled away from its raw power inside of a silicone core. This is meant to enhance the typing acoustics, protect against dust, sweat, and coffee, and has the added effect of popping out the underside to be a nice, non-slip foot.
Unlike the Icebreaker, which
started
at $2100, the pre-order price for the Cleaver is a mere $850. And to get this one in black? Still just $850. I’m curious to know how much it weighs, since it’s much more portable-looking. The Cleaver would be an icebreaker for sure.
Got a hot tip that has like, anything to do with keyboards?
Help me out by sending in a link or two
. Don’t want all the Hackaday scribes to see it? Feel free to
email me directly
.
| 9
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122838",
"author": "deshipu",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T14:19:00",
"content": "Thinking about all the lard scraped from the fingers that is going to accumulate in those tiny metal holes is making me feel unwell.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122841",
"author": "Kristina Panos",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T14:46:04",
"content": "Right?",
"parent_id": "8122838",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122859",
"author": "lthemick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:01:18",
"content": "Might be worth filling them in with a clear epoxy…",
"parent_id": "8122841",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122878",
"author": "Beaker",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:54:17",
"content": "Ew, true. There also aren’t any registration bumps on F & J to feel when you’re on home row.",
"parent_id": "8122838",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122887",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:12:56",
"content": "There’s a registration bump on the pictured F key. The placement makes it look like an E but the real E is up and to the right.",
"parent_id": "8122878",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122894",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:00:44",
"content": "If the Clever will give you carpal tunnel syndrome, the Icebreaker will give you jail time if you carry it with no carry permit.What if you mount a foldable axe handle on the Icebreaker like the kbd with the carabine stock? The keyboard eez mightier than the sword.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122955",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T00:45:05",
"content": "i figured id do a keyboard with a different band logo on every key. none of which are readable by non-metalheads. finding a band for every key is not as hard as you would think, thanks to metal-archives. you might even be able to find bands to match all the non printable characters and control keys.i have considered taking a silhouette of the logo, convert to spline, extrude, and subtract from the key geometry. after a good clean up and some sanding. then glue on a logo printed on a transparency and align to the silhouette glue it down and then put the key in a silicone mold and flood it with clear resin. should improve the finish and allow sufficient light through to fully illuminate the logo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123068",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:44:14",
"content": "Beautiful!",
"parent_id": "8122955",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123364",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:41:58",
"content": "Are you going to aim for band logo that look like the letter, bands that start with the letter, or just anything goes as long as you know why you picked it?Also might I suggest album or single cover art would be a better way to go about it, or at least add into the mix.",
"parent_id": "8122955",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,561.85461
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/hydrogen-trains-not-the-success-germany-hoped-they-would-be/
|
Hydrogen Trains: Not The Success Germany Hoped They Would Be
|
Jenny List
|
[
"green hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] |
[
"hydrogen train",
"hydrogen transport"
] |
As transport infrastructure in Europe moves toward a zero-carbon future, there remain a number of railway lines which have not been electrified. The question of replacing their diesel traction with greener alternatives, and there are a few different options for a forward looking railway company to choose from. In Germany the Rhine-Main railway took delivery of a fleet of 27 Alstom hydrogen-powered multiple units for local passenger services, but
as it turns out they have not been a success
(German language,
Google translation
.). For anyone enthused as we are about alternative power, this bears some investigation.
It seems that this time the reliability of the units and the supply of spare parts was the issue, rather than the difficulty of fuel transport as seen in other failed hydrogen transport problems, but whatever the reason it seems we’re more often writing about hydrogen’s failures than its successes. We really want to believe in a hydrogen future in which ultra clean trains and busses zip around on hydrogen derived from wind power, but sadly that has never seemed so far away. Instead trains seem inevitably to be following cars, and
more successful trials using battery units
point the way towards their being the future.
We’re sure that more hydrogen transport projects will come and go before either the technological problems are overcome, or they fade away as impractical
as the atmospheric railway
. Meanwhile we’d suggest hydrogen transport as the example
when making value judgements about technology
.
| 95
| 17
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122796",
"author": "rasz_pl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:25:17",
"content": "It seems that this time the reliability of the units and the supply of spare parts was the issue, rather than the difficulty of fuel transport“However, trips and connections have to be canceled time and again due to technical failures or alack of hydrogen.Germany still clinging to the dream of cheap russian gas aka ‘blue hydrogen’. Germany even managed to force EU into including ‘blue hydrogen’ in the Clean Industrial Dealwhile excluding Nuclear power!“The project cost 500 million euros”gee I wonder how much of that came from EU funds“Electric trains powered solely by overhead lines achieve the highest level of efficiency”Wonder how many kilometers those 500mil euro could have electrified.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122798",
"author": "Brett",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:38:29",
"content": "When you take the infrastructure in to account electrification of railways is not efficient at all. Miles of cables, substations at regular intervals, the enormous waste of power through transmission losses, the constant damage to overhead lines through storms and others things. The list is long and train companies won’t even try to calculate how long it takes to offset the construction and maintenance of these extra things.",
"parent_id": "8122796",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122926",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:48:57",
"content": "Yes and no – after all railway tend to go between places with lots of power transmission needs, already have some land around the tracks etc – its just a good place to co-habitat your general electric purpose electric distribution (up to a point anyway). So while there is going to be some additional costs compared to if you didn’t electrify the trains the extra distribution lines for the electricity are needed anyway, and its more efficient to only have to worry about clearing trees to protect one narrow strip that does railway and power transport than the more separate strips.. Also you don’t have to electrify with overhead gantry 3rd rail etc systems do exist and where practical are very very durable.Also ‘enormous waste of power through transmission’ just isn’t true – as if you include the same transport to the refuelling depot steps to run your train on diesel that are really the comparable point in the whole system transmission of electricity is way way more efficient. Which when added to the motors themselves being more efficient… Especially when talking green credential as your reasoning for modernisation – only one can be so directly driven by renewable energy and every conversion is lossy so even if the synthetic fuel type concepts where ready and not at this stage more publicity stunt than practical for mass deployment it would still lose.",
"parent_id": "8122798",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122946",
"author": "anonymus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T23:15:00",
"content": "this is all just completely wrong, but if it were correct then it would be an argument in favor of nationalizing railways since private companies can’t afford to maintain them",
"parent_id": "8122798",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123066",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:33:55",
"content": "It’s not entirely wrong. The power loss isn’t significant, but the fuel – when derived out ot nat.gas is so much cheaper than electricity in Germany that it completely offsets the difference in efficiency. Without the infrastructure and maintenance costs of overhead cables, the hydrogen train should run cheaper. However, as noted, it’s really just greenwashing Russian gas for fuel. You could not run it on renewable hydrogen and come ahead in cost.As for nationalizing the lines – that doesn’t make it cheaper. It just socializes the cost and ultimately the government has to either subsidize rail by pulling the money from elsewhere, tax more, or raise ticket prices. All of those have adverse consequences for the economy; while the government can pull off projects that the private market can’t sustain, it isn’t necessarily a good idea to do so.",
"parent_id": "8122946",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123098",
"author": "Matthias",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T17:28:51",
"content": "While in general I don’t argue about pros and cons of nationalizing, on the railway it should be done BUT with railway people in charge (those who think railway, not those who have learned everything about railway but think business or laws). To get the best out of the system, everyone has to work together instead of competing against each other. And “everyone”, that’s we, forming the state.Example: with two competing companies commonly one hauls freight from A to B and returns empty, and the next one goes empty from A to B and returns with a passenger train, because, you know, “different company, who pays, who organizes…”. With a national railway, one hauls the freight from A to B and returns with the passenger train. The savings go to track maintainance, which keeps the system up for the next decades.Start by getting rid of everyone trying to close railway lines, stations and sidings (or blocks the reopening of closed ones). Especially get rid of everyone who tries to tell you digitalization will solve everything, while crippling the hardware by closing lines, stations and sidings “because their modernization is too expensive”.",
"parent_id": "8123066",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123181",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:25:23",
"content": "To get the best out of the system, everyone has to work together instead of competing against each other.It still won’t make expensive cheap. The pitfall is that by hiding costs by socializing them, there is the incentive to expand service despite costs, which makes things even less efficient. Then eventually the government is facing unbearable costs they don’t want to pay because it’s unpopular and unsustainable, so they privatize, and then the private market cuts the service to make ends meet again, and everyone suffers and blames “capitalism”.",
"parent_id": "8123066",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123183",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:42:03",
"content": "You have to remember that the government is responsive to voters, who may very well vote to have roads to nowhere and rail lines that are not profitable or even productive in the total economic sense just because they feel like it. The voters may vote to use technology X instead of Y because they’re victims of a big populist campaigns instead of careful economic calculations, or despite such calculations because they’re being mislead by propaganda. Even with good causes and good technologies, there is the potential for abuse when taken too far and beyond their usefulness to the point of cronyism.The government does things to please the voters, because without voters they are not the government, while the market does things to make profit, because without money there’s no business. When left unchecked by economic realities, a government will just spend and spend to buy votes and deal with the consequences later, preferably by leaving them to the opposition and blaming them.",
"parent_id": "8123066",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123289",
"author": "Matthias",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:30:19",
"content": "It still won’t make expensive cheap.You may elaborate that on the given example.",
"parent_id": "8123066",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8142938",
"author": "RoyBatty",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T15:15:02",
"content": "Does it waste more power vs ~66% loss for hydrogen? Normally 60% but H2 leaks bumps it up, trucking H2 in makes it worse. Fair point on electrical maintenance, if H2 infra was cheaper & safer. My understanding it isn’t.",
"parent_id": "8122798",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122799",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:39:11",
"content": "Russian hydrogen as blue hydrogen?For those wondering at home: yes, natural gas steam reforming to produce hydrogen (the dominant way we produce hydrogen) does produce CO2 as a byproduct. The carbon atoms have to go somewhere. It only becomes “blue” when you find some way topermanentlytrap that CO2. Good luck.Otherwise, we don’t have anywhere NEAR the electrolysis capacity required to produce hydrogen on a sufficient scale, and its not clear if/when we ever will. It’s crazy expensive, energy intensive, and inefficient. It starts to look a lot easier to just run a steel cable to carry the power directly to the train.",
"parent_id": "8122796",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122854",
"author": "Julian Skidmore",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:37:55",
"content": "Correct. There’s quite a lot on CleanTechnica about Hydrogen failures and they’re all along these lines. Ironically, I was chatting a bloke at a garage while waiting for the result of my MOT test for my car (in the UK, where yearly MOTs certify the car as being road-worthy). I mentioned my car was an EV (an 8-year old Renault Zoe, with 72K miles on the clock and 98% battery state of health) so he immediately launched into a talk about the wonders of hydrogen.I could barely get a word in edgeways. It’s such a strange experience, as though he didn’t even want to hear about. It took me a whole 5 minutes to say: “So, end-to-end, EVs have an efficiency of 73%, Hydrogen 23% and Combustion cars just 13%”.And of course, he knew about every Hydrogen project under the sun, especially “Hydrogen Trains”. I was trying (but mostly failing) to convey the idea that the big advantage with battery-electric trains is that they have a lot of potential charging infrastructure in place; can run on diesel and electric lines and are super efficient thanks to regen!It was an uphill task: a rack and pinion up-hill task ;-) .Hydrogen has such a hold on popular imagination!",
"parent_id": "8122799",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122862",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:09:54",
"content": "Could be worse…he could also have been a vegan, and do Crossfit.:-)",
"parent_id": "8122854",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122863",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:11:31",
"content": "If you have it handy, could you share a source for the 73% EV end-to-end efficiency? Thanks.",
"parent_id": "8122854",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123233",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T08:51:03",
"content": "It usually breaks down to about 5% in transmission, 10% in charging, and 10% in discharging, depending on the charging and driving profile. Electric cars can be very inefficient if you put your foot down at low speeds, because there’s no low gear, or if you always fast charge.However, these estimates never include the embedded energy cost of the battery, which is kinda sneaky. The total energy demand for making a lithium battery from minerals in the ground to a finished product can take over 1000 Wh per Wh which means you’re spending the equivalent of a thousand charges of the battery just to make the battery.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2019.01.099That’s a significant amount of energy, because by the time you’ve driven the car for a thousand charges, it’s generally ready for scrap because the car is now 10-15 years old and the battery is dying simply because of old age. Having driven it for just 1000 charges, but having spent 2000 charges worth of energy to do so, the actual efficiency of the battery for all its energy inputs and outputs is just 50%.Adjust by the other variables, and you get 5% for transmission, 10% in charging, 50% in embodied energy, and 10% in discharging, which sums up to 75% of energy expenses or 25% efficiency from well-to-wheel.This is the reason why we push the battery minerals production and refining to countries where energy from fossil fuels is cheap and you don’t have pesky carbon trading or environmental rules to limit their use. You couldn’t make batteries to the price if you didn’t have cheap fuel and cheap labor to extract the materials. This is why China commands 80-90% of the Lithium market.This is a point that most EV fans will ignore and refuse to accept because it’s such a hard pill to swallow. They’ve come to take the embodied energy cost issue as just “lies from the fossil fuel industry” and reject the point.",
"parent_id": "8122863",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123235",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T09:10:02",
"content": "Now, you’ll note that the bigger the battery (the greater the range) the less total charges you’re going to use before the end of life for your car, so for a small EV you may get greater efficiency, but for a large electric sedan or truck you can easily do worse.",
"parent_id": "8122863",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123300",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:30:55",
"content": "However, these estimates never include the embedded energy cost of the battery, which is kinda sneaky.None of these estimates ever do that, heck most estimates love to include the electric transmission and charging losses but not consider the petrol/diesel transportation or refinement… Also its not like the casting and machining of an engine block, or all the many stages of transport for the raw materials from ore in the ground/scrap being recycled to refined finished and assembled engine are ever included either…So while the embodied energy might be better for ICE than a battery right now, and certainly the recycling and refurbishment of ICE powertrains is more developed it still isn’t enough to matter over the expected lifespan really. Plus I doubt it will really stay that way – combustion engines and the metallurgy involved are industries we have been optimising for more affordable and effective mass produced products for centuries at this point, where large scale lithium batteries are almost brand new with no doubt more cost effective (which almost certainly means more efficient) methods to find and recycling of materials finally starting to have a large enough waste stream to really become a thing.Once you consider the system as a whole cradle to grave efficiency of new EV already slaughter new build ICE no matter how you wish to view it, there is just no way to really debate that without being disingenuous in which elements you choose to count. Yes the embedded energy costs are a factor, but the total difference in embedded energy cost for the ICE vs the EV is not all that huge at the vehicle itself, and once you include the required infrastructure to supply the energy to them…I do agree the labour and environmental protection type stuff that leads to offshore production often with dirty power is another issue, that should be considered. But again not a uniquely EV issue, more just a product of the current state of the world geo-politically. There is a reason only the higher end quality and very bespoke type products tend to be made in Europe, Japan (etc) and that is largely because the environmental and labour protections are higher, which makes producing tat that consumes about as much energy and probably not a huge variation in manhour (for similar production scales) as the highest quality version just not economically viable.",
"parent_id": "8122863",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122928",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:01:32",
"content": "Hydrogen has such a hold on popular imagination!Perhaps in certain vintages of people or professions, but I don’t think that is universally true at all. Hydrogen was the fuel of the future in what 70’s? 80’s? at whatever point atomic powered everything went out of fashion, then by the time you get to the 2000’s its starting to exist in the wild but the battery technologies have suddenly leapt into being really viable, and renewable electricity generation has started to become really really cheap too. So I’d suggest the youngsters don’t think that way very often.Also Hydrogen does have a great deal of potential, in fuel cell or in regular combustion still – in theory the lifespan of a fuelcell or combustion engine is orders of magnitude more than any of the currently power dense enough electric storage options (some fairly simple maintenance and spare parts of course – but downtime for repairs is never expected to be long or expensive) and the 0-100% recharge time is seconds – very hard to match let alone best even with an easy battery exchanging system where you drop off the empty. So some interest and excitement for the folks who’s work, friendship group or interests overlap those times battery do not make much sense is to be expected.",
"parent_id": "8122854",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142945",
"author": "RoyBatty",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T16:34:21",
"content": "H2 refueling is only fast for first user as ~15 min pump prime means 3rd in line takes longer than modern EV. Poland found out even a slight fuel deviation leads to major downtime as there are limited spare parts. Early FCEV bus adopter France switched to BEV due to H2 reliability & cost realities, which worked as BEV has improved vs 2019 bids. 2nd gen FCEV Mirai goes ~325mi driven conservatively in warm weather, with combustion it’d lose 20-30% engine efficiency. As H2 is not energy dense by volume that’s not commercially viable and makes keeping (100kg) cascade fuel stations supplied a challenge.Hence Mirai class action lawsuits despite receiving $15k US fuel cards to spike 2021 FCEV sales. Hydrogen only has potential in transport if it can be made with far less energy & distributed reliably (German pipelines behind schedule) & cheaply (physics makes this unlikely). H2 universally remains in subsidized first gear (trials) until the money stops, then its oil backers walk away like Shell did in California. But they always show up at the govt troughs they help build, like a Hydrogen Highway to nowhere? (LA Times)",
"parent_id": "8122928",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123046",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:16:24",
"content": "Hmm, CO2 still has 2 O’s to be used, and the C of course will make graphene that will revolutionize nuclear fusion, and batteries.Shows you what a naysayer you are :)How do we separate those atoms you say? Just pump it underneath plankton and in ponds full of algae eh. Do I have to explain EVERYTHING?",
"parent_id": "8122799",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122801",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:46:25",
"content": "Really depends on the country and technology, but, here , in France, it’s in the ballpark of 1.000.000€ per Km of railroad to electrify.For Germany it should be approximately the same.But as you said, Germany lead the dance in europe, and they said “Nuclear bad”, so if they electrify their railroad, it would use their, really green, coal electricity…Sometime, I really wonder if I should cry or laugh about this whole situation…",
"parent_id": "8122796",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122804",
"author": "Cogidubnus Rex",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:02:21",
"content": "According to the online encyclopedia, the Rhine-Main railway has a line length 77.7 km, so at €1M per km they could have electrified the whole railway (well except for the engines) and had €422.3M€ left to…",
"parent_id": "8122801",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123171",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:59:28",
"content": "You are the victim of a translation error, the RMV is not a single track but a group (27 owners, regions and cities and such) that is the 3rd largest in Germany and this is the kind of tracks they manage:https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Eisenbahnlinien_im_Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund788 million passenger a year. 7.6 billion kilometers travel per year. More than 12000 bus stops and 390 stations.And their income is around 918 million Euros.",
"parent_id": "8122804",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122809",
"author": "macsimski",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:30:27",
"content": "always entertaining to see people comparing coal to nuclear an only look at the waste of one of the two. they are both bad.",
"parent_id": "8122801",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122832",
"author": "Cogidubnus Rex",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:47:58",
"content": "Both bad yes, but one is containable, the other not. Even then coal doesn’t just leave behind CO2, the ash from coal powerstations itself is radioactive too. I know which I’d rather have in my back yard.",
"parent_id": "8122809",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122850",
"author": "macsimki",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:29:32",
"content": "no. wars and humans tendency to default to general destruction during a society meltdown, combined with general ignorance is the biggest problem with nuclear.yes, i’ve read “the decline and fall of the roman empire”, listened to the fall of societies podcasts and seen enough ruins in my life to see what a nuclear waste deposit site will look like in 200 years. it will not look like the pantheon, more like the exclusion zone around chernobyl reactor numer 4.coal ash is bound in building materials, something I don’t see happening soon with nuclear waste.i view nuclear waste sites as land mines, they sit still for ages, but something terrible will happen when disturbed. there is still a unexploded mine in the WWI fields and when that goes off, there will be a huge crater and the farm on top will be gone, but thats it. imagine a blow up of a nuclear storage facility.nuclear stuff is fine, i just don’t trust humans with it.and to get back on topic: hydrogen powered trains are doomed by design. nothing beats overhead power wires, regardless where the power is coming from.",
"parent_id": "8122832",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123236",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T09:21:59",
"content": "coal ash is bound in building materialsWhich is a problem because it’s still radioactive and contributes to background radiation levels. There’s a double standard in play here: the level of radioactivity that is allowed in the building industry is 100x greater than what would be classified as low level nuclear waste and require safe disposal if coming out of the nuclear industry.Countries like Germany are storing away things like mildly radioactive water in barrels and old jumpsuits in salt mines because the regulators say they have to, while the same materials could be just dumped in a landfill if they were coal or mining industry wastes.",
"parent_id": "8122832",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122879",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:55:07",
"content": "Getting rid of nuclear was one of the dumbest boomer-driven boondoggles in history",
"parent_id": "8122809",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122888",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:17:59",
"content": "In Germany, we aren’t getting rid of them any time soon, sadly.They rather fall apart without doing and must be dismantled slowly, because there’s so much contamination.Btw, the GDR reactors are interesting.Their control rooms look so outdated and obsolete now that someone might think it’s a set of a 1960s sci fi film.Space: 1999 would be jealous. ;)",
"parent_id": "8122879",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122882",
"author": "OneTwoPunch",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:00:40",
"content": "Kingston Tennessee USA got a hard lesson about coal ash storage.As that was being cleaned up they accidentally stumbled upon a nuclear waste dump left over from the Manhattan Project.",
"parent_id": "8122809",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122815",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:38:20",
"content": "Germany doesn’t burn much coal and the amount is shrinking.",
"parent_id": "8122801",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122942",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:54:12",
"content": "Our reactors allowed us to stop completely over a decade ago.",
"parent_id": "8122815",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123051",
"author": "TingP",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:37:17",
"content": "Which isn’t really true, though, if you are talking about France. I mean, it is true that France itself doesn’t emit much CO2 from electricity production. But it makes very little sense to look at French electricity production in isolation.A few years ago, for example, France had a significant lack of electricity production because nuclear plants weren’t online for various reasons. And they solved that by buying electricity from other countries. In particular German fossil plants supplied quite a lot of it. So, in actual fact, obviously, France was emitting quite a bit of CO2 for its electricity needs.Now, France could just have built more nuclear plants in the past for this contingency. But then, that would have driven up the cost considerably, because those plants wouldn’t be needed most of the time, but they would still cost close to the same as any other nuclear plant, because fixed costs dominate nuclear power.Which in particular also means: If Germany had gone the same way and used mostly nuclear power, that simply wouldn’t have worked. Because Germany also wouldn’t have built a few idle nuclear plants just in case, for the same reason. So, Germany wouldn’t have been able to supply France with electricity in that situation. The reason why France had enough electricity after all was precisely because Germany did not go the same way in the past. Gas power plants are cheap to build, but expensive to operate. Which is why Germany has quite a few of those that are just sitting around just in case they are needed. And when France needed them, they were fired up.Also, at other times, France imports quite a bit of renewable energy from Germany. If Germany only had nuclear plants, it couldn’t do that. So, France would need more nuclear plants that would only be used for peak supply. So, extremely expensive, for the same reason again. Well, or they would, more likely, have built more fossil plants for those peaks.At other times still, France exports nuclear power to Germany. And that reduces the cost of electricity in France. For the same reason again: The fixed costs dominate. So, lowering the output power of French nuclear plants at night doesn’t really reduce costs much. It is much better for EDF to sell that electricity to Germany instead, because then they earn money with almost no additional costs, so the elctricity sold to Germany is almost pure profit, which thus reduces how much tax money is needed to keep EDF afloat.And again, for the same reason, that would not work if Germany had followed the same path. If Germany also had only nuclear plants, they would have excess nuclear electricity at night themselves, so zero chance of selling French excess nuclear electricity into that market.Almost nuclear only generation maybe worked fine for France. But it is nonsense to look at France in isolation, because it working as well as it does in part depends on neighbors doing things differently, both because they are a market to sell excess nuclear electricity into, and a market to buy electricity from when nuclear doesn’t deliver at an economically reasonable price.(And yes, the same applies in the other direction as well: Germany importing nuclear power during low-wind summer nights from France reduces the need to run fossil plants, for example, which both reduces CO2 emissions and prices. Both sides profit from this diversity in approaches.)",
"parent_id": "8122942",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122886",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:09:07",
"content": "Our reactors are old and broken, lots of little incidents in past years.They had their heyday in the 1960s/1970s.Rebuilding them needs 20 years or more, it’s not a quick solution.Provided that investors can be found, at all.The only modern reactors we have are the experimetal thermal nuc. types.Then there’s waste storage problem.The only usable salt mine in Gorleben has water intrusion,existing containers have to be saved.About France.. The French are slowly, silently leaving atomic energy behind, too.There are a few new plants built,but not enough to compensate for the many plants that must retire in foresable future.So really, people please use your mind.Renewable types of energy isn’t as bad as populists make them look.They are more reliable, too, they can be get back online in no time in case of a blackout.Or power the local power consumers, such as the village next door.By contrast, coal and atomic plants must power-up slowly.The main problem in Germany is, I think, that there’s no power gridgoing from north to south,which could interconnect solar panels and wind generators in each region.",
"parent_id": "8122801",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122947",
"author": "Michael Avison",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T23:25:13",
"content": "Sometimes it’s neither sunny nor windy for at least 2 weeks. That’s ok if we’re willing to modulate our economies to match the output. Otherwise we need an alternative low carbon energy source , currently only nuclear and biomass fit that spec",
"parent_id": "8122886",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123061",
"author": "TingP",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:16:29",
"content": "And hydro.But also, this emphasis on “two weeks without wind and solar” is just nonsense. Two weeks is 4 percent of a year. And that sort of thing usually doesn’t happen more than once in a year, if that. If we were to just keep burning natural gas those two weeks in a year, we would almost have solved the problem. That combined with electrification would leave maybe 2% of the original emissions.Batteries are already pretty competitive for storage that gets cycled a lot. Like, storing solar excess power during the day and feeding back during the night, where you get maybe 200 full cycles in a year. So, batteries can already be used to fill most gaps in renewables production if you overbuild renewables accordingly.Also, overbuilding renewables itself fills the gaps. Currently, for example, Germany from mid April on on many days meets 100% of its demand from renewables at noon. If we double that to store half of it in batteries, it also means that there are more hours of the day where renewables meet the demand. So, where today, you have 100% of demand from renewables for 3 hours, say, you would then charge batteries for 3 hour where the supply exeeds demand, but also, the expanded supply would meet demand for two more hours, and then you’d have another 3 hours from discharging the batteries.Batteries just are really expensive for filling huge gaps, like, weeks on end. But those gaps are rare, so they aren’t really that important as far as the climate is concerned. Gas power plants are cheap to build, need minimal staff, and the cost of running them (mostly the fuel) doesn’t matter much if you only run it a few hundred hours in a year. Long term, they could then run on bio methane, green hydrogen or synthetic methane, for which large storage already exists, it’s just used for natural gas today.Also, much of the emissions reductions comes from electrification. If you replace a natural gas heating system with a heat pump and run that exclusively with electricity from a gas fired power plant, that about halves the natural gas consumption and thus the CO2 emissions. If you then run it on 95% renewables, you have about 2% of the original emissions left. The two weeks of gas power really just don’t matter much.But also, yes, “modulating the economy” obviously is part of the solution. But obviously not in the way that you shut down the economy for two weeks, but rather that any production where it makes economical sense will be shifted around to better match energy availability. Just like you don’t grow potatoes during the winter now. It’s obviously technically trivial to grow potatoes during the winter. But it just happens to be much cheaper to use direct solar power on open fields during the summer to grow potatoes and then just put potatoes into storage for consumption during the winter, and so that is what farmers generally do, rather than build large heated buildings with electric lighting to grow potatoes during the winter.I just recently saw a documentary about a company here in Germany where they implemented essentially “energy awareness”, where you have displays everywhere as to how much (cheap) energy is available, especially from their own PV, and people are aware of what needs how much energy. And so, when energy is lacking, people preferably take care of low-energy tasks first, and when there is a lot of energy available, they take care of high-energy tasks first. Noone is just idling because the sun isn’t shining or some nonsense like that. And if some high-energy thing needs to be done right now, then they just do it, buying “expensive” electricity from the grid if necessary. But if it isn’t urgent, they might just do it two days later. That is how you “modulate the economy”, non-idiot style.",
"parent_id": "8122947",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123238",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T09:31:48",
"content": "And that sort of thing usually doesn’t happen more than once in a yearIt’s mostly a red herring, but it points to a real problem: seasonal and year-to-year variability in renewable energy production is great. Even hydroelectric power varies a lot with dry and wet years. You’re easily looking at +-50% variation in energy availability from season to season and one year to the next if you build and rely heavily on renewable power.That sort of variability demands large energy storage capabilities, which isn’t technically feasible with current options, and it presents the same marginal cost issue as building extra nuclear power and leaving it idle for load following.",
"parent_id": "8122947",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123263",
"author": "TingP",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:59:00",
"content": "You’re easily looking at +-50% variation in energy availability from season to season and one year to the next if you build and rely heavily on renewable power.That’s not really true at a large scale and for the combination of sources. An individual generator might well have that much variability, but all sources combined at a continental scale, not so much.That sort of variability demands large energy storage capabilities, which isn’t technically feasible with current optionsThat’s just plain bullshit. Germany, for example, has huge natural gas storage facilities, with a total capacity of around 260 TWh, and you obviously could store bio methane or synthetic methane in those. Also, there is a huge potential of biomass, i.e., household bio waste, that’s currently mostly being composted and could be fermented instead to produce bio methane. So, this is technically perfectly feasible, we’ll just have to figure out which combination of solutions is most economically efficient.and it presents the same marginal cost issue as building extra nuclear power and leaving it idle for load following.It doesn’t, though. Nuclear is extremely expensive to build. PV, wind, and gas fired power plants are not. The problem with nuclear for peak loads is not the low marginal cost, the problem is the high fixed cost. Leaving cheap infrastructure sit idle isn’t necessarily a problem. In particular when the expected lifetime is in operating hours, so that the idle time makes things last many decades.",
"parent_id": "8122947",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122890",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:26:19",
"content": "Hi, the power grids in Europe are not insular.Each country gives and takes enery, in order to stabilize the European power grid.And not seldomly Germany had overproduction that it sells off to its neighbor countries.It’s also the renewables that contribute a lot here.",
"parent_id": "8122801",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122903",
"author": "TingP",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:31:24",
"content": "But as you said, Germany lead the dance in europe, and they said “Nuclear bad”, so if they electrify their railroad, it would use their, really green, coal electricity…Please stop spreadig this nonsense. Germany’s electricity generation has about 25% coal power. And 32% wind, or 60% rewables total.",
"parent_id": "8122801",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123025",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:36:44",
"content": "You see that “25% coal” that you wrote? That’s coal.",
"parent_id": "8122903",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123041",
"author": "TingP",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:02:38",
"content": "Which is a completely nonsensical reply. Noone denies that Germany burns coal. But it is completely nonsensical to pick one arbitrary component of the mix and pretend like “that’s what makes up German electricity”, and that especially so when that part is not even the largest one.And even more especially so when regularly renewable generators get shut down because coal power plants can’t do so fast enough, which means that additional load would use that renewable power instead of shutting it down, so the whole idea of “more electricity use means more coal burning” is just complete bullshit.",
"parent_id": "8123025",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122867",
"author": "Andres",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:39:18",
"content": "Those hydrogen trains are used on tracks where it was too expensive to electrify them because they are in rural areas.",
"parent_id": "8122796",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122921",
"author": "rasz_pl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:26:57",
"content": "The thing with trains is they tend to connect two less rural areas by building tracks in rural areas. Somehow doesnt stop companies from electrifying those tracks.Germany, land of putting HV lines over highways (eHighway) but not over train tracks!",
"parent_id": "8122867",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122884",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:02:08",
"content": "What a shell game. “Blue hydrogen” a.k.a. burning LNG with a lot more steps and expense and manufacturing waste so that you can greenwash the whole thing and make money off the new hardware. None of this stuff is serious, it’s all the kind of BS that a zoom call full of 15 women from Human Resources would come up with to kick a can down the road. It’s all vapor and image.",
"parent_id": "8122796",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122960",
"author": "onceuponatime...",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:04:14",
"content": "Steam reformation of LNG is a far cry from burning and has significantly higher efficiency and lower waste/pollution than direct combustion, especially when CCS is properly implemented into the system design.",
"parent_id": "8122884",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142948",
"author": "RoyBatty",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T16:50:45",
"content": "Steam reformation of LNG is 45-55 CO2e/kwh of H2 fuel power output, but quick research shows Well emissions (methane flaring) is routinely underestimated. CCS uses 330-420 kWh per tonne of CO2 not including storage. CCS is a poorly done shell game, like hydrogen it is only built at scale if someone else pays for it; then when it operates in the market it scrambles for more money because math. Tesla figured this out on paper when they considered H2 for their direction, the lack of energy efficiency hasn’t changed.",
"parent_id": "8122960",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122892",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:33:05",
"content": "“Germany still clinging to the dream of cheap russian gas”Do you mean the North Stream pipeline? If so, then there were political reasons too.Here too, Germany tried to establish a kind of peace project for the period after the Cold War.It was a project that could have had a de-escalating effect.Unfortunately, the Americans got involved here.You know, our very best buddies.",
"parent_id": "8122796",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122919",
"author": "rasz_pl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:20:52",
"content": "Joshua tell me more about deescalating effects of building pipeline to russia bypassing all the countries russia wants to attack.",
"parent_id": "8122892",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122957",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T00:51:28",
"content": "Here’s an article by Deutsche Welle that sums it up.It’s not without flaws, but it’s a start.https://www.dw.com/en/the-history-of-nord-stream/a-58618313This part described the basic idea, I think.:“In the early 2000s, however, German politicians had developed a contrary, more liberal theory — that more economic interdependence between Russia and western Europe would create peace in the long run. As trade increased, democracy would inevitably prevail.”",
"parent_id": "8122919",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122943",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:58:00",
"content": "You will never domesticate russia by buying their gas. It’s far easier for russia to go without europe’s money than it is for europe to go without russia’s gas.Money is fungible, but built pipelines and gas infrastructure (and a lack of alternatives that don’t get built as a result) mean a hard, physical reliance on the continued provision of gas as a resource.",
"parent_id": "8122892",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122959",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T00:54:17",
"content": "Someone has to realize that the gas pipeline was a project from 20+ years ago.Back then, the political situation was different.Cold war was just over and the tension between the parties was lower.",
"parent_id": "8122943",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122797",
"author": "Jan Prägert",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:28:36",
"content": "There are some technologies, that sound wonderfully on paper and simply don’t progress into a usable state. H2 is one, supercaps are another.As the article stated, for trains the best solution is a trolley system and a smart train control (so that a braking train feeds an acceleration train).Additional, as every EU state, Germany suffers from a shortage of personnel on every level.Currently, my only hope is that somewhere a Hobbit is on his way to destroy a Ring…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122902",
"author": "Matthias",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:23:49",
"content": "The problem is, that the germans completely fail again and again to recognize good solutions when they are older than 10 years. Making train controls smart is a really dumb idea, especially when pairing two trains for energy reuse in acceleration without storage (caculate yourself: acceleration and deceleration are cases of constant force, so the consumed and generated electricity is a linear function of speed). Best solution is the dumb one: connect as many trains as possible via electric grid, and let the advantage of scale do the work.The shortage of personnel is home made, since abortions are the third most death cause after cardiovasular diseases and cancer, but fighting this death cause (or even naming it) is heavily frowned upon.",
"parent_id": "8122797",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122929",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:05:34",
"content": "Both super capacitors and hydrogen are wonderful in the right place in the real world – its just like all the breathless hype reporting on any future tech as the replacement for all our ills that makes them less than the wonderful picture of the future presented.",
"parent_id": "8122797",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122805",
"author": "Hugo Oran",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:09:58",
"content": "Solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and repeat to achieve more and more economies of scale. Proven simple technologies, relatively clean. And if to throw money somewhere, develop aluminium-ion batteries.Hydrogen is dangerous to handle, for now ineffective and dirty to produce.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122817",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:41:49",
"content": "It absolutely looks like economics is also on your side. The cost of solar and wind electric is below even coal right now. Hydrogen? Not so much.I think we’re lucky, honestly, to have the cheap option lining up with the easy option.",
"parent_id": "8122805",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122885",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:05:32",
"content": "Is that universal across the world, or just in countries which levy arbitrary taxes on one and subsidize the other? Because as well-intentioned as that approach is, the chickens will come home to roost eventually and markets will align to true costs instead of regulatory abstractions. Just takes one good war to clean that slate.",
"parent_id": "8122817",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122934",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:26:01",
"content": "What the actual cost in any nation will be is variable and with lots of vested buisness interests demanding they get to keep their slice. So economically its kinda complex.But the cost of the actual technology isn’t so much, most renewables have very little maintenance cost so the operational costs are low. Then as silicon is pretty darn cheap really and processing it to solar panels that last decades without meaningful degradation is only expensive if you don’t do it at scale… Similar thing with wind turbines, the actual material and manufacturing embodied energy is really low, a little more maintenance than solar but nothing crazy and when one is down for repair its 1/20th or less of that wind farms output rather than half or all of it as is the case when the fossil fuel plants need theirs.",
"parent_id": "8122885",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122944",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T23:02:11",
"content": "It’s physical. Solar panels are benefiting from economies of scale.Also, ask yourself which you would expect to be cheaper: A field of solar panels you build only once, or a coal plant you must ship 100,000 pounds of coal to every week only to burn it up.Renewables got their reputation for expense when they were an immature technology that had never seen mass deployment. Ask someone from 1890 how economical a gasoline engine was compared to a horse.",
"parent_id": "8122885",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123206",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:35:47",
"content": "100,000 pounds of coal per week? Where did you get that figure?A 4 GW coal plant near me burned 100,000 pounds everythree minutesat full output (which was most of the time). A train car load every 5 minutes.Thankfully it shut down a few years ago. Its output has been replaced with about two thousand acres of solar panels, hundreds of wind turbines, a small (175 MW) hydro plant, some pumped hydro storage (170 MWh) , and two nuclear reactors, with more storage to come online soon.The coal plant made a huge mess of the countryside, and I’m not sad to see it gone, but it took an enormous amount of costly infrastructure and lost food-producing farmland to replace it, and it’s not clear that’s a win.",
"parent_id": "8122944",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123302",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T15:41:36",
"content": "100,000 pounds of coal per week? Where did you get that figure?That seems like a reasonable ballpark napkin math estimate to compare a single field of solar to coal as M was doing – as you yourself noted the magnitude of a normal coal power station to the renewables replacing it is generally not at all comparable. So shave down the fuel use to get the coal in the ballpark of a field of solar in electric production (though as always how big is the field)…",
"parent_id": "8122944",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122808",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:23:15",
"content": "Still, the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen through “combustion” generates heat, regardless of the fact that carbon is nowhere to be seen. And that latent heat in the atmosphere is the real problem. We’ll never be able to get away from that… not even with electrics. “Work” is “work”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122813",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:37:28",
"content": "It all ends up as heat eventually.",
"parent_id": "8122808",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122868",
"author": "Andres",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:44:22",
"content": "Well, hydrogen is saved highly compressed. And decompressing leads to a lot of coldness.",
"parent_id": "8122808",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122956",
"author": "onceuponatime...",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T00:50:51",
"content": "the thermal sink of depressurizing tanks is a small fraction of the heat generated by the initial compression of the gasses.",
"parent_id": "8122868",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122880",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:56:20",
"content": "This type of neurosis is especially religious in nature",
"parent_id": "8122808",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122912",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T20:47:53",
"content": "Exponential Economist Meets Finite Physicisthttps://dothemath.ucsd.edu/2012/04/economist-meets-physicist/",
"parent_id": "8122880",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122936",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:30:23",
"content": "You can generate all the local heat you want and not boil yourself if you take away the insulative blanket and crack open the windows…Its our messing around in the atmosphere being so effective at keeping the heat in while not being as effective at keeping the sun out that is the cause of the global heating effects – if all that radiated heat in its IR spectrum window could get out…",
"parent_id": "8122808",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122818",
"author": "hardwerker",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:47:17",
"content": "It is really interesting to see that articles with very similar wording appear in different media at that same day. They mention different authors, but I assume that the articles were simply based on material delivered by lobbyists.https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/energie/wasserstoff-zuege-probleme-100.html(Thomas Eckert, NDR)https://www.ingenieur.de/technik/fachbereiche/verkehr/sind-wasserstoffzuege-ein-teurer-irrweg/(Dominik Hochwarth)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122826",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:14:01",
"content": "I work with battery electric buses and a small fleet of hydrogen buses. Watching where battery electric was 10 years ago and where it is now, I think it’s more a question battery electric lucked out, got more use, better economy of scale and became cheaper, than that it is inherently a better technology than hydrogen.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122924",
"author": "rasz_pl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:44:27",
"content": "Companies have been burning money on Hydrogen R&D for decades. They had as much if not more time to mature than EVs.GM 1966, BMW 1979, Mercedes 1984, Mazda 1991, Toyota 1992, Honda 1999.How much more time do you need to realize its not going to happen?",
"parent_id": "8122826",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122958",
"author": "onceuponatime...",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T00:53:22",
"content": "R&D is the development and improvement of the underlying technology. It is not contribute significantly to the development of manufacturing and infrastructure that gives the advantage of SCALE.",
"parent_id": "8122924",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123031",
"author": "rasz_pl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:58:34",
"content": "But why exactly are you trying to scale up lower rangelessefficient solution?",
"parent_id": "8122958",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8142997",
"author": "RoyBatty",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T23:07:55",
"content": "Hydrogen also got more money for infrastructure, ask California. The moment the subsidy gravy train stopped companies like Shell walked away; because they knew from the start Green H2 is not economically feasible.",
"parent_id": "8122958",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122842",
"author": "ken_",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:01:24",
"content": "500 million euros would be better spent switching from petroleum based diesel to bio-diesel which burns a lot cleaner than petroleum based diesel and they could have used the existing diesel engines and made only minor modifications",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122949",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T23:46:02",
"content": "Hell, diesel locomotives could be modified to run on SVO!",
"parent_id": "8122842",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122848",
"author": "Jace",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:20:05",
"content": "Bio-Diesel is green, has all the benefits of liquid fuels, and it often a drop-in replacement for existing systems.Related; Bio-fuel can replace fuel oil, often drop-in, or requiring very minor equipment upgrades, vs replacing a heating system with an entirely new electric system potentially powered by a coal power plant…Liquid fuels are great. We have green liquid fuels that work with existing infrastructure. They just don’t sound as cool as “Hydrogen Power!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122877",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:53:05",
"content": "Bio-Diesel being green..What about the resulting large monoculture fields?What about ground erosion?",
"parent_id": "8122848",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122945",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T23:04:48",
"content": "What about the cost to food supply, just to reclaim all that farmland for fuel production?",
"parent_id": "8122877",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122964",
"author": "Narcolapser",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T01:33:45",
"content": "Despite the nea-sayers below, I believe you are absolutely right. While the problems they listed below are legit, they are a prime example of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.",
"parent_id": "8122848",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123019",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:12:23",
"content": "Bio-Diesel isn’t specifically green. Most of it is currently horrible for the environment. Most of the amazon rainforest that’s being cut down these days isn’t cut down for trees, it’s to create land to grow soy, and to be specific, a specific kind of soy that isn’t suitable for human consumption. A portion is used for cattle feed, the rest is for “Bio”-Diesel. It’s horrifying. And that soy depletes the bottom of nutients limiting the time the soil can be reused. So the farms are moving farms. Even electric cars of all things, are better for the environment.",
"parent_id": "8122848",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122851",
"author": "MIKE",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:31:00",
"content": "I think that the hydrogen trains could fill a really small niche nowadays. For one electric trains using overhead wires or a third rail are a proven and successful technology, so even for medium-small railways electrification makes sense, especially for mountain lines. On the other hand even if a diesel train is polluting, it pollutes less than having people using a car and even a bus, because they are more efficient. There’s a reason because in the late 1800 there were horse drawn trams running on rail.There are some electric trains that have a diesel unit attached and could switch between diesel generator and overhead wires, and Hitachi has made a train with both a pantograph and batteries, and could recharge batteries wile running on electrified paths.A fuel cell it’s more complex than a battery controller, and even if batteries are weighing more, that it’s actually an advantage in a locomotive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122864",
"author": "daveb",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:20:58",
"content": "pieces like this are forever piecing together anti-hydrogen biased stats and collectively ‘proving’ hydrogen is dead.“Studies show that up to 70 percent of the original energy can be lost during the production, storage, distribution, and use of hydrogen. By comparison, the efficiency of the entire chain from power generation to traction power for directly electric trains is over 80 percent. ”A real biased comparison here. They are measure electrics efficiency from the point of generation, but hydrogen’s efficiency from the point of fuel production. Its rough to compare the entire source chain of energy. What one can do is work to manage the side effects of that source chain and see if it can be made affodrable in total.The whole deal here sounds like the Germans rushed an entire fleet into use before the manufacturer was at all ready to support such a move. Bad PR moves by the regional government. It may have been an attempt at luring green voters at the expense of the project overall. The manufacturer wasn’t at all ready to fully supply that fleet.Likely they should have continued running diesel and co-run hydrogen trains as they ramped up all the processes needed long term. Wouldn’t looks as cool.. but its how you ahh.. keep the trains running on time. ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122865",
"author": "daveb",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:21:45",
"content": "pieces like this are forever piecing together anti-hydrogen biased stats and collectively ‘proving’ hydrogen is dead.“Studies show that up to 70 percent of the original energy can be lost during the production, storage, distribution, and use of hydrogen. By comparison, the efficiency of the entire chain from power generation to traction power for directly electric trains is over 80 percent. ”A real biased comparison here. They are measure electrics efficiency from the point of generation, but hydrogen’s efficiency from the point of fuel production. Its rough to compare the entire source chain of energy. What one can do is work to manage the side effects of that source chain and see if it can be made affodrable in total.The whole deal here sounds like the Germans rushed an entire fleet into use before the manufacturer was at all ready to support such a move. Bad PR moves by the regional government. It may have been an attempt at luring green voters at the expense of the project overall. The manufacturer wasn’t at all ready to fully supply that fleet.Likely they should have continued running diesel and co-run hydrogen trains as they ramped up all the processes needed long term. Wouldn’t looks as cool.. but its how you ahh.. keep the trains running on time. ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122881",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:57:45",
"content": "Wow, imagine that, what a surprise!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122899",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:17:20",
"content": "Electric propulsion: needs either power lines (best solution – fixed costs proportional with rail lenght) or onboard power (batteries or generator) this is useful in case of main power failure, but otherwise efficiency is lower. I would refrain from choosing nuclear power on trains because of possible accidents.But a mixed solution is to have battery powered trains, charging while running on local nuclear power network, then using battery power while transfering to the next power network while having enough power reserve to pass through one non functional power network.Fuel propulsion: hidrogen is the only one non poluting (ie generating CO2), but storing H2 is complicated. You can burn it, but if you burn it with air, you can get some other byproducts, mainly containing nitrogen. You can use a combustion pile to get electricity, but the efficiency and power is unknown.Mechanical propulsion: while clock springs like solutions won’t have enough power (still looks nice in Syberia game series), and the flywheel was barely usable for city buses with short distances between stops, you can use a rollercoaster type solution: somehow push the train uphill, then let it roll on.Wind propulsion: skip.Alternative for electric power: use sealed tunnels with low pressure. This will work on main routes. Air friction gets lower, efficiency grows. The tunnels are kept with low pressure, do not use air in the back of the train to push it. This I recomand for transporting goods, not people.Will require many air pumping stations to keep the low pressure. They could be powered by solar pannels or excess grid power.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122905",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:36:05",
"content": "“Alternative for electric power: use sealed tunnels with low pressure. This will work on main routes. Air friction gets lower, efficiency grows. The tunnels are kept with low pressure, do not use air in the back of the train to push it. This I recomand for transporting goods, not people.Will require many air pumping stations to keep the low pressure. They could be powered by solar pannels or excess grid power.”That in a nutshell is the Green Climate Change agenda: spread the blame around. “powered by solar pannels or excess grid power.” My patootie.",
"parent_id": "8122899",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122987",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T04:54:19",
"content": "I was thinking to something more like the water canals used in 1900’s western Europe, today still working, but slower than “normal” rail.My point had no bias regarding climate change, I just tried to list current tech and propose new solutions, some helping with planet overheating.Climate change, as in my current knowledge, should be in the direction of cooling the planet as detected patterns/cycles are showing, but something (us probabily, but really unknown) changed that.There is the problem of surplus solar power being generated but not really stockable. This is one of the presumed cause(s) of recent Spain and Portugal power failure. Also during the day some countries sell cheap solar energy, but in the evening they buy expensive energy.There could be more to say, but let me stop to those 2 cents. Or little more counting my long posts ;)",
"parent_id": "8122905",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122932",
"author": "Daniel Matthews",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:20:23",
"content": "The best way to transport and utilise hydrogen is using carbon nanoribbons, i.e. hydrocarbon molecules. If you burn hydrocarbons perfectly, say in a fuel cell system, you just have to account for the reabsorption of the CO2 at any other point in a circular economy. Let that sink in because it is the way forward using ideal fuel energy densities based on a century of accumulated engineering knowledge. You don’t even need to talk about the climate (please don’t is is all BS anyway) you just need to focus on core requirements of power, range, cost and pollution reduction.https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=1917342622936621122",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123018",
"author": "Bob the builder",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:08:27",
"content": "Hydrogen as a direct fuel source failed before it was started. Too dangerous, too corossive, too expensive. It has been a huge waste of tax payer money while no one in the field thought it was actually possible.The problem is that you can’t really store hydrogen in a safe way without using massive amounts of energy. That’s where the problems start. It can be done on the ocean using windmill parks and having them create hydrogen when there is an overcapacity, create hydrogen and cool it down using waste electricity, then use the hydrogen when there isn’t enough electricity, so it becomes a hydrogen battery, that you keep far away from people. It’s pretty much useless and the money could be spend on building something that provides green energy and is stable, like using Uranium-235 for example. We need more of those plants anyway, regardless if we use them for creating electricity, as we need the byproducts for tons of industries, hospitals, manufacturing, tons of things.Hydrogen storage is a huge problem as you either use a near Kelvin storage solution, or an extremly high pressure, to turn it into a liquid. Creating it, storing it, everything uses a ton of energy, which doesn’t make much sense. Besides that, it’s highly corrosive, making it even more dangerous. And considering the extremely high pressure used, these are mobile bombs.Using it, that’s the easy part, the safe part, the logical part. So as long as you don’t have to store hydrogen, it’s a possibility.Luckily, we already can. There are already tens of thousands of Toyota cars driving around in China in an experiment, that use ammonia as fuel, which converts into nitrogen and hydrogen. There are thousands of ships that use ammonia to power the engines. There are shipyards that are only building ammonia powered vessels these days (mostly tugs), so this entire thing has been solved a long time ago.Ammonia is everywhere, in the sewers, in the air, from the farms. It’s an almost free resource renewable that will always be around as long as there are humans and animals on this planet so if we run out, we won’t be there to notice it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123050",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:36:04",
"content": "Stop trying to makefetchthe hydrogen economy happen. It’s not going to happen.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123807",
"author": "Benjamin Hojnik",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:24:18",
"content": "Hydrogen trains have to be one of the dumbest ideas ever. Trains are literally the easiest to electrify, as they DON’T require batteries, just power lines. Yes, i understand that you need to build those and that costs money, but so does R&D into hydrogen, maintaince and the whole rabbit hole, that is hydrogen production and infrastructure.Hell, even having battery operated trains for tracks without powerline would be better than hydrogen.The idea of hydrogen in anything, that needs to drive, has to die already. You can fix a lot of things, but you can’t beat physics.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123828",
"author": "hmmmm...",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:15:13",
"content": "Power lines require significant installation and maintenance costs. They also require production and infrastructure. This might be fine for a european micronation with all of its cities packed into a state sized chunk of land, but the US is too spread out, too decentralized. WIth the sort of distances we deal with and the mass of freight we transport, the expenses and inefficiencies compound beyond reasonability.The failure of this german attempt wasnt hydrogen, it was piss poor planning. The primary reason they cited for its failure was a lack of available parts and frequent malfunctions. Early hydrogen bus systems took time to work their bugs out but now log millions of miles a year.Billions are poured into battery R&D every yearr, so thats a weak argument against hydrogen.Hydrogen works and works well. Its ideal for mobile applications. The only thing holding hydrogen back is a lack of infrastructure.That said, Indirect Hydrogen has more potential to gain a foothold in the transportation sector. Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells. Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, and reformer fed fuel cells will start to displace battery run systems as soon as government mandates restrict petrochemical based engines enough to push the liquid fuel brokers to repurpose their distribution systems and put their trillions behind advancing those technologies in a more meaningful way.Batteries are just a stop gap measure that was never going to meet the long term wide scale needs of our societies transport systems.",
"parent_id": "8123807",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8142999",
"author": "RoyBatty",
"timestamp": "2025-06-28T23:31:29",
"content": "Hydrogen is one of the lowest energy density mediums you can use. H2 snake oil salesman will use “by weight” but that’s irrelevant given it’d need to be liquid H2 for that to apply. Tesla seriously looked at H2 as a technology; its lack of efficiency & corrosive nature made them pass hard. Bare in mind, this is a company selling a $120,000 USD sport car with ~180 miles of range; they looked at H2 and were “nope that’s impractical”.The reason there is a lack of H2 infrastructure is its comparatively more expensive & much higher risk than electric. Government always has to subsidize H2 and take on the risk. Alternative energy friendly Norway really wanted to be a hydrogen hub, but the vehicle H2 station exploded. A company was going to take it over, lots of excitement, could not get commercial insurance.Even the H2 ~5min refuel is only half true, first person yes. Then H2 pump needs to prime for ~15mins, so by the 3rd in line refuel a 2nd gen EV would be faster & the driver can walk away. Cold weather sucks for EV efficiency, but even worst for hydrogen as a FCEV ~40% loss in -6C temp per Quebec MEIE study. They did a hard pass like Tesla. When you look beyond the promises the oil industry puts out on paid media, hydrogen is horrible, look deeper u find out it leaks quite a bit and is an indirect GHG with GWP of 11 (1KG H2 leaked = 11KG of CO2).",
"parent_id": "8123828",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,562.199998
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/supercon-2024-photonics-optical-stack-for-smart-glasses/
|
Supercon 2024: Photonics/Optical Stack For Smart-Glasses
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"cons",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Slider"
] |
[
"2024 Hackaday Supercon",
"ar",
"augmented reality",
"cons",
"smart glasses",
"talks"
] |
Smart glasses are a complicated technology to work with. The smart part is usually straightforward enough—microprocessors and software are perfectly well understood and easy to integrate into even very compact packages. It’s the glasses part that often proves challenging—figuring out the right optics to create a workable visual interface that sits mere millimeters from the eye.
Dev Kennedy is no stranger to this world.
He came to the 2024 Hackaday Supercon to give a talk
and educate us all on photonics, optical stacks, and the technology at play in the world of smart glasses.
Good Optics
Dev’s talk begins with an apology. He notes that it’s not possible to convey an entire photonics and optics syllabus in a short presentation, which is understandable enough. His warning, regardless, is that his talk is as dense as possible to maximise the insight into the technical information he has to offer.
Things get heavy fast, as Dev dives into a breakdown of all the different basic technologies out there that can be used for building smart glasses. On one slide, he lays them all out with pros and cons across the board. There are a wide range of different illumination and projection technologies, everything from micro-OLED displays to fancy liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) devices that are used to create an image with the aid of laser illumination. When you’re building smart glasses, though, that’s only half the story.
Dev explains the various optical technologies involved in AR and their strengths and weaknesses.
Once you’ve got something to make an image, you then need something to put it on in front of the eye. Dev goes on to talk about different techniques for doing this, from reflective waveguides to the amusingly-named birdbath combiners. Ultimately, you’re hunting for something that provides a clear and visible image to the user in all conditions, while still providing a great view of the world around them, too. This can be particularly challenging in high-brightness conditions, like walking around outdoors in daylight.
The talk also focuses on a particular bugbear for Dev—the fact that AR and VR aren’t treated as differently as they should be. “VR is a stack of pancakes,” says Dev. “Why is it a stack of pancakes? It’s because all of the PCBs, the optics, the emissions source for the light—is in front of the user’s nose.” Because VR is just about beaming images into the eye, with no regard for the outside world, it’s a little more straightforward. “It’s basically a stack of technology outward from the eye relief point to the back of the device.” Dev explains.
When it comes to AR, though, the solutions must be more complicated. “What’s different is AR is actually an archer,” says Dev, referring to the way such devices must fling light around. “What an archer does is it shoots light around the side of the arm, and it might have to bend it one way or another, up on the crossbar and spread it out through a waveguide, and at the very exist point… at the coupling out portion… the light has to make one more right turn… towards your eye.” Ultimately, the optics and display hardware involved tend to diverge a long way from what can be used in VR displays. “These technologies are fundamentally different,” says Dev. “It strains me to great extent that people kind of batch them into the same category.”
Snapchat’s fifth-generation Spectacles have some interesting optics, but they’re perhaps not quite market ready in Dev’s opinion.
The talk also steps away from raw hardware chat, and covers some of the devices on the market, and those that left it years ago. Dev makes casual mention of Google Glass, spawned all the way back in 2013, before also noting developments Microsoft made with Hololens over the year. As for the current state of play, Dev namechecks Project Orion from Meta, as well as the fifth-generation of Snapchat Spectacles.
He gives particular credit to Meta for their work on refining input modalities that work with the smart glasses interrface paradigm. Meanwhile, he notes Snapchat needs work on “comfort, weight, and looks,” given how bulky their current product is. Overall, with these products, there are problems to be overcome before they can really become mainstream tools for every day use. “The important part is the relatability of these devices,” Dev goes on to explain. “We don’t see that just yet, as a $25,000 device from Meta and something that is too thick to be socially acceptable from Snapchat.
Fundamentally, as Dev’s talk highlights, AR remains a technology still at a nascent stage of development. It’s worth remembering—it took decades to develop computers that could fit in our pockets (smartphones) or on our wrists (smartwatches). Expect smart glasses to actually go mainstream as soon as the technical and optical issues are worked out, and the software and interface solutions actually help people in day to day life.
| 6
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123125",
"author": "Evaprototype",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:24:21",
"content": "Are the slides documented somewhere?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123192",
"author": "Lewin Day",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T01:13:27",
"content": "Not to my knowledge. Having watched the stream myself, it was a little frustrating that the slides weren’t captured on camera.",
"parent_id": "8123125",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123283",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:14:49",
"content": "Will the new display tech enabling even higher DPI change anything?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124158",
"author": ".",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T00:40:50",
"content": "Sadly all that is actually of value to me, is a line of numbers or text. Like a multimeter reading.If they could dial it back to simple and therefore economical, light, low power, cheap, I would want it in my spectacles. No camera, no video screen, no AI.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124392",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:39:24",
"content": "Good stuff. Shame about the ball cap worn indoors though — Drops his apparent IQ at least 30 points.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124946",
"author": "volt-k",
"timestamp": "2025-05-06T09:26:19",
"content": "What else? The tone of his voice drops it by another 10 points? Leather jacket makes him look stupid?",
"parent_id": "8124392",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,561.797076
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/radio-repeaters-in-the-sky/
|
Radio Repeaters In The Sky
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"Radio Hacks"
] |
[
"antenna",
"encryption",
"geostationary",
"military",
"radio",
"repeater",
"space",
"yagi-uda"
] |
One of the first things that an amateur radio operator is likely to do once receiving their license is grab a dual-band handheld and try to make contacts with a local repeater. After the initial contacts, though, many hams move on to more technically challenging aspects of the hobby. One of those being activating space-based repeaters instead of their terrestrial counterparts.
[saveitforparts] takes a look at some more esoteric uses
of these radio systems in his latest video.
There are plenty of satellite repeaters flying around the world that are actually legal for hams to use, with most being in low-Earth orbit and making quick passes at predictable times. But there are others, generally operated by the world’s militaries, that are in higher geostationary orbits which allows them to serve a specific area continually. With a specialized three-dimensional Yagi-Uda antenna on loan, [saveitforparts] listens in on some of these signals. Some of it is presumably encrypted military activity, but there’s also some pirate radio and state propaganda stations.
There are a few other types of radio repeaters operating out in space as well, and not all of them are in geostationary orbit. Turning the antenna to the north, [saveitforparts] finds a few Russian satellites in an orbit specifically designed to provide polar regions with a similar radio service. These sometimes will overlap with terrestrial radio like TV or air traffic control and happily repeat them at brief intervals.
[saveitforparts] has plenty of videos looking at other satellite communications, including
grabbing images from Russian weather satellites
,
using leftover junk to grab weather data from geostationary orbit
, and
accessing the Internet via satellite with 80s-era technology
.
| 10
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123134",
"author": "D",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T20:09:49",
"content": "I’m assuming these are old satellites, and that a modern military communication device would have a mechanism to prevent it from repeating pirate radio or civilian tv? I.E. a digital signal with authentication?Kind of wild that there was a time when you could chuck something into space without worrying about access controls.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123148",
"author": "Andy",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:01:42",
"content": "Great question. I heard people (here) making the case that the military ones would simply repeat, and let the encryption happen at the endpoints rather than having encryption on the thing in space, heaven forbid the encryption is broken on something that’s completely inaccessible.",
"parent_id": "8123134",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123151",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:19:37",
"content": "Usually if radio is encrypted its done at the transceiverRepeater will just typically take whatever it’s sent and retransmit on a different frequency or bandThey can include something called pl tones a low frequency tone to “authenticate” to a repeater that’s the transceiver signal is valid and key the repeaterPl tone or ctcss is basically a low sub 300hz inaudible tone or carrier superimposed on the existing rf signal, normally used on repeaters or radios that operate near the same frequency and are close enough to possibly key each other. It only will activate if the pl tone is correct.you could increase the frequency a little and modulate some digital data such as a rolling code of sorts to add security from a civilian transceiver, don’t need that much bandwidth to send encryption handshake or keys….",
"parent_id": "8123148",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123153",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:20:56",
"content": "Also use a non standard ctcss tone",
"parent_id": "8123151",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123160",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:51:43",
"content": "Here in Germany/Europe we historically had 1750 Hz tone for opening the FM relays, too.Unfortunately, the CTCSS was being forced upon us in the past ~15 years.Because, US and Japan.. They’re cool, after all. So we must obey. They’re leading ham radio, after all.The result is now that a lot of vintage radios in our place can nolonger be used on the FM relays.These excellent, true-FM radios (no PM, but FM) could have been passed on to the next ham generation.Adding CTCSS support is tricky, because Mic amp must be by-passed (it filters low signals).On bright side, many repeaters now drop CTCSS and 1750 Hz and use carrier detection.Primitive and prone to interference, but what else can you do about it? 😟",
"parent_id": "8123151",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123341",
"author": "otter",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:04:47",
"content": "A number of MilSats were just geostationary bentpipes. with no access control. wide and narrow channel UHF repeaters, but comms were mostly encrypted (except for maintenance and testing. All you needed was the freqs , radios, and sat antenna and you could hit them.",
"parent_id": "8123134",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123165",
"author": "Joseph Shaw",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:23:09",
"content": "The intermediate Ham band referenced @4:20 is the 1.25m band from 222-225 MHz and an allocation at 219-220 MHz for fixed digital messaging forwarding systems only.It is less used than 2m or 70 cm but saying that almost no one uses it is an overstatement.73KR4AHM",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123222",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T06:37:19",
"content": "It doesn’t really exist as ham band in Europe/IARU Region 1, though.To us, it’s a very strange niche band. Most hams here have never heard of it.Merely some SWLs may listen to it, sometimes.“It is not available for use in ITU Region 1 (except in Somalia) or ITU Region 3”Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1.25-meter_bandvy73s,",
"parent_id": "8123165",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123189",
"author": "Luke",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T01:01:29",
"content": "Reminds me of when I heard about the ISS repeater – I was surprised. I got it set in such a way that it updates the position of that repeater on the site I manage, in the list of repeaters :https://hearham.com/repeaters/?s=NA1SSMight be the only entry of a repeater that regularly moves? :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123223",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T07:03:51",
"content": "Listening to ISS is fun.Just use an RTL SDR for reception, or an old FM scanner (Uniden etc).If it has older 25 KHz raster, then that’s fine. The wider, the better.Using a basic groundplane or Helix antenna is recommended.Correction for doppler effect is nice extra, but Packet-Radio with FSK is quite robust.Modern SDR programs can keep locking on a signal, too,and modern SSTV programs can be compensating for a slow frequency drift so it’s not that critical.You can use Heavens Above for tracking, for example.The website or the Android application (can run on android TVs, BD players etc).A friend uses the classic, STS Orbit +, by the way.An DOS program from the 90s that flew on MIR and simulates Nasa Mission Control (can be found at Celestrak).For SSTV reception, PD-120 is being used (MIR had used Robot 36).On Mac, Multimode works quite good. On Windows, MixW2/MixW3 is worth a try.On Linux, you can try QSSTV for decoding.For APRS decoding, UI-View and Xastir can be used.Xastir uses vector maps and runs on Linux mainly (or any other *nix).UI-View is for Windows, uses bitmaps as maps and has templates for several classic TNCs,but can also be fed with data of a KISS TNC (DireWolf, Soundmodem, MixW virtual Packet-Radio TNC).A null-modem must be used to connect the applications (real or virtual).UI-View 16-Bit is Freeware, UI-View 32-Bit needs a registration (free, doesn’t hurt).The 16-Bit version still runs in DOSBox+Windows 3.1 or on 32-Bit Windows (Windows 98SE, XP etc) and on OS/2 (incl ArcaOS etc).It’s really lightweight, too, so an old laptop with TNC can be used.Anything that runs Windows 3.1x in short (even an 80286 PC with 4 MB of RAM).Last but not least, there’s also MacAPRS.It still works on older Macintoshs, such as Power Macs.Here it needs Mac OS 8/9, but a last version compatible with Mac OS X exists, as well.So Mac OS X up to 10.6.8 can run it (via Rosetta).Maybe cool for vintage Mac fans, also makes a good addition to any ham shack!Early versions run on System 7 Macs, such as Quadra, LCs or the Mac Classic.Originally, there was that cycler with a mobile SSTV station using an 68k Mac..vy73s",
"parent_id": "8123189",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,561.912702
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/a-gentle-introduction-to-cobol/
|
A Gentle Introduction To COBOL
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Slider",
"Software Development"
] |
[
"cobol",
"gcc-cobol",
"gnucobol"
] |
As the Common Business Oriented Language, COBOL has a long and storied history. To this day it’s quite literally the financial bedrock for banks, businesses and financial institutions, running largely unnoticed by the world on mainframes and similar high-reliability computer systems. That said, as a domain-specific language targeting boring business things it doesn’t quite get the attention or hype as general purpose programming or scripting languages. Its main characteristic in the public eye appears be that it’s ‘boring’.
Despite this, COBOL is a very effective language for writing data transactions, report generating and related tasks. Due to its narrow focus on business applications, it gets one started with very little fuss, is highly self-documenting, while providing native support for decimal calculations, and a range of I/O access and database types, even with mere files. Since version 2002 COBOL underwent a number of modernizations, such as free-form code, object-oriented programming and more.
Without further ado, let’s fetch an open-source COBOL toolchain and run it through its paces with a light COBOL tutorial.
Spoiled For Choice
It used to be that if you wanted to tinker with COBOL, you pretty much had to either have a mainframe system with OS/360 or similar kicking around, or, starting in 1999, hurl yourself at setting up a mainframe system using the
Hercules
mainframe emulator. Things got a lot more hobbyist & student friendly in 2002 with the release of
GnuCOBOL
, formerly OpenCOBOL, which translates COBOL into C code before compiling it into a binary.
While serviceable, GnuCOBOL is not a compiler, and does not claim any level of standard adherence despite scoring quite high against the NIST test suite. Fortunately, The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) just got updated with a brand-new COBOL frontend (gcobol) in the 15.1 release. The only negative is that for now it is
Linux-only
, but if your distribution of choice already has it in the repository, you can fetch it there easily. Same for Windows folk who have WSL set up, or who can use GnuCOBOL with MSYS2.
With either compiler installed, you are now ready to start writing COBOL. The best part of this is that we can completely skip talking about the
Job Control Language
(JCL), which is an eldritch horror that one would normally be exposed to on IBM OS/360 systems and kin. Instead we can just use GCC (or GnuCOBOL) any way we like, including calling it directly on the CLI, via a Makefile or integrated in an IDE if that’s your thing.
Hello COBOL
As is typical, we start with the
‘Hello World’ example
as a first look at a COBOL application:
IDENTIFICATION
DIVISION
.
PROGRAM-ID
.
hello-world
.
PROCEDURE
DIVISION
.
DISPLAY
"Hello, world!".
STOP RUN.
Assuming we put this in a file called
hello_world.cob
, this can then be compiled with e.g. GnuCOBOL:
cobc -x -free hello_world.cob
.
The
-x
indicates that an executable binary is to be generated, and
-free
that the provided source uses free format code, meaning that we aren’t bound to specific column use or sequence numbers. We’re also free to use lowercase for all the verbs, but having it as uppercase can be easier to read.
From this small example we can see the most important elements, starting with the
identification division
with the program ID and optionally elements like the author name, etc. The program code is found in the
procedure division
, which here contains a single
display
verb that outputs the example string. Of note is the use of the period (.) as a statement terminator.
At the end of the application we indicate this with
stop run.
, which terminates the application, even if called from a sub program.
Hello Data
As fun as a ‘hello world’ example is, it doesn’t give a lot of details about COBOL, other than that it’s quite succinct and uses plain English words rather than symbols. Things get more interesting when we start looking at the aspects which define this domain specific language, and which make it so relevant today.
Few languages support decimal (fixed point) calculations, for example. In this
COBOL Basics project
I captured a number of examples of this and related features. The main change is the addition of the
data division
following the identification division:
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 A PIC 99V99 VALUE 10.11.
01 B PIC 99V99 VALUE 20.22.
01 C PIC 99V99 VALUE 00.00.
01 D PIC $ZZZZV99 VALUE 00.00.
01 ST PIC $*(5).99 VALUE 00.00.
01 CMP PIC S9(5)V99 USAGE COMP VALUE 04199.04.
01 NOW PIC 99/99/9(4) VALUE 04102034.
The
data division
is unsurprisingly where you define the data used by the program. All variables used are defined within this division, contained within the
working-storage section
. While seemingly overwhelming, it’s fairly easily explained, starting with the two digits in front of each variable name. This is the
data level
and is how COBOL structures data, with
01
being the highest (root) level, with up to 49 levels available to create hierarchical data.
This is followed by the variable name, up to
30 characters,
and then the
PICTURE
(or
PIC
) clause. This specifies the type and size of an elementary data item. If we wish to define a decimal value, we can do so as two numeric characters (represented by
9
) followed by an implied decimal point
V
, with two decimal numbers (
99
). As shorthand we can use e.g.
S9(5)
to indicate a signed value with 5 numeric characters. There a few more special characters, such as an asterisk which replaces leading zeroes and
Z
for zero suppressing.
The
value
clause does what it says on the tin: it assigns the value defined following it to the variable. There is however a gotcha here, as can be seen with the
NOW
variable that gets a value assigned, but due to the
PIC
format is turned into a formatted date (
04/10/2034
).
Within the
procedure division
these variables are subjected to addition (
ADD A TO B GIVING C.
), subtraction with rounding (
SUBTRACT A FROM B GIVING C ROUNDED.
), multiplication (
MULTIPLY A BY CMP
.) and division (
DIVIDE CMP BY 20 GIVING ST.
).
Finally, there are a few different internal formats, as defined by
USAGE
: these are computational (COMP) and display (the default). Here COMP stores the data as binary, with a variable number of bytes occupied, somewhat similar to
char
,
short
and
int
types in C. These internal formats are mostly useful to save space and to speed up calculations.
Hello Business
In
a previous article
I went over the reasons why a domain specific language like COBOL cannot be realistically replaced by a general language. In that same article I discussed the
Hello Business project
that I had written in COBOL as a way to gain some familiarity with the language. That particular project should be somewhat easy to follow with the information provided so far. New are mostly file I/O, loops, the use of
perform
and of course the Report Writer, which is probably best understood by reading the
IBM Report Writer Programmer’s Manual
(PDF).
Going over the entire code line by line would take a whole article by itself, so I will leave it as an exercise for the reader unless there is somehow a strong demand by our esteemed readers for additional COBOL tutorial articles.
Suffice it to say that there is a lot more functionality in COBOL beyond these basics. The
IBM ILE COBOL reference
(PDF), the
IBM Mainframer COBOL tutorial
, the
Wikipedia entry
and others give a pretty good overview of many of these features, which includes object-oriented COBOL, database access, heap allocation, interaction with other languages and so on.
Despite being only a novice COBOL programmer at this point, I have found this DSL to be very easy to pick up once I understood some of the oddities about the syntax, such as the use of data levels and the
PIC
formats. It is my hope that with this article I was able to share some of the knowledge and experiences I gained over the past weeks during my COBOL crash course, and maybe inspire others to also give it a shot. Let us know if you do!
| 70
| 37
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123057",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:09:43",
"content": "Nice illustration for the Title!Thanks Joe Kim!(now I’ll read the article…)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123062",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:17:35",
"content": "Right? :)",
"parent_id": "8123057",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123064",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:31:43",
"content": "I also got a small remark before reading the article. From what I’ve learned about COBOL and just reading snippets here and there, never trying to learn it for real (wonder why), the title suggested me a careful mother kissing the young IT boy’s head (that’s the “gentle” part) and wishing him success, then dropping 20 pounds of printed documentation over the same young IT boy (that would be the “introduction to COBOL”). If he’s lucky, the papers are still in the boxes after the echoes of the impact are gone. Now back to the article.",
"parent_id": "8123057",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123071",
"author": "Bob A.",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:54:43",
"content": "Let me offer a COBOL memory: I worked in a COBOL shop eons ago. One day a salesman came in to pitch a product called, if memory serves, the CAPEX Optimizer. He set up in a conference room with an overhead projector and launched into his presentation. Every single time his script called for him to say “COBOL”, he mispronounced it “cobalt”. Lots of eye-rolling around the table, but he never caught on.Love the illustration. That’s an IBM 704 front panel, a vacuum tube machine popular in the 1950’s. It was the quintessential mainframe of its era.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123074",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:15:14",
"content": "Being a COBOL programmer is like being a mob lawyer – once you take that first job, there’s no way to go back to your old life. Be very, very certain this is what you want to do before you close that door behind you.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123077",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:41:16",
"content": "“Be very, very certain this is what you want to do before you close that door behind you.” Of course there just might be some fringe benefits as one of the few experts in the field… Like flying your own jet to different clients and such, or that yacht you vacation on… Not for me though. Past the ‘get a new career’ stage in life.",
"parent_id": "8123074",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123137",
"author": "James (the retiring programmer/engineer)",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T20:37:43",
"content": "There is life after being a COBOL programmer (I learned that back in 1985 whilst in the USAF): moved on and learned to program in C/C++ in the 90’s… And became a computer engineer 10 years later… Now getting an MBA to set up my retirement…",
"parent_id": "8123074",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123372",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:03:47",
"content": "After all that work, your going to take the MBA lobotomy?Strange thinking…but MBA student.",
"parent_id": "8123137",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123373",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:05:53",
"content": "…And COBOL programmer…Do you now, or have you ever,worked for EDS/HP enterprise, TaTa or Infosys?",
"parent_id": "8123372",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123450",
"author": "James (the retiring programmer/engineer)",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T01:39:14",
"content": "I jumped off COBOL when CICS became a thing at IBM. The real action (and money) was in C/C++. And this was 30 years ago.",
"parent_id": "8123373",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124831",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:23:46",
"content": "CICS was OLD 30 years ago.My experience was writing import code for CICS databases we got on 9 track (early in work life).That and one COBOL summer class in JR college while I was in HS.Even then, I knew I wanted to be far away from THAT.",
"parent_id": "8123373",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123156",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:38:02",
"content": "One of the few jobs where ageism shouldn’t be a problem.",
"parent_id": "8123074",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123174",
"author": "Bobtato",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:15:10",
"content": "I’ve always heard how COBOL coders can make unlimited money, but I’ve always wondered what that really means.Obviously just learning the language, in itself, won’t get you a $200k salary (or thousands of teens would have done it). Is it that businesses want experience with their specific codebases, or is old code somehow especially arcane, or what?",
"parent_id": "8123074",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123377",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:09:55",
"content": "IIRC it’s mostly about the CICS database and being willing to do the work.Kinda like Garbage truck mechanics make bank.They’re just diesel mechanics, but working conditions.It’s still not anywhere close to ‘unlimited money’.That’s just the COBOL flavor of computing Stockholm syndrome.The kids have made a much worse mess.JS and libraries.",
"parent_id": "8123174",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123180",
"author": "Roc",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:23:14",
"content": "Hehe… I removed COBOL from my resume years ago… And to this day, I deny knowing COBOL",
"parent_id": "8123074",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123378",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:12:18",
"content": "One of my EE professors noted that, decades ago.Most people deny COBOL, it is shameful.",
"parent_id": "8123180",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123076",
"author": "Ryan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:39:32",
"content": "Honestly would love to learn more. It’s like watching wizards share meaning of the old runes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123078",
"author": "Jim Shortz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:53:35",
"content": "“It used to be that if you wanted to tinker with COBOL, you pretty much had to either have a mainframe system with OS/360 or similar kicking around,” – Not true, there have been PC versions of COBOL going back to the 1970s. I believe Microsoft even produced some. More recently MicroFocus has ruled that market, including one that ran on top of the .NET framework.Plus pretty much every business minicomputer/midrange had a COBOL implementation as well.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123101",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:06:15",
"content": "Marketing and business folks talk about “pain points”. The huge honker of an easily checked mistake that you mention was the Disappointment Point of this article.",
"parent_id": "8123078",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123202",
"author": "Eight bits",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:15:46",
"content": "Jim, right you are. I worked with a TRS 80 with 64k RAM to develop COBOL code. The compiler was stored on a floppy disk that was inserted prior to compiling. 1983-1986. RIP Radio Shack lol.",
"parent_id": "8123078",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123246",
"author": "Charles A F",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T11:01:32",
"content": "Yep, learned COBOL in the early ’90s running the MicroFocus compiler from a 3 1/2 inch floppy on a 386 Windows 3.1 ‘puter. Spent enough time staring at my code, trying to find syntax errors to know that it was not my thing.",
"parent_id": "8123078",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123080",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:57:34",
"content": "I like the illustration too. ‘Real’ computers must have switches and lights. Just something about that, that appeals to me :) . While modern computers do the job, they just seem coldly ‘utilitarian’. Hard to put into words…Thanks for the article. Dabbling in Cobol is interesting. But that is about as far as I will go. With Rust, C/C++, Pascal, Python, Perl, assembly (ARM/RISC-V/x86_64) at my finger tips … Well, it is just not practical to add to the brain another language to be ‘proficient’ in that I’ll never use for anything.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123107",
"author": "Inobium 64",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:14:32",
"content": "Now you’ve got me questioning my habit of reading strangers on the internet listing languages that they’ll never use; can it be argued that it advances or benefits me in any way?",
"parent_id": "8123080",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123436",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:52:16",
"content": "Only you can answer that question :) .I just know, there are languages that I have ‘some’ knowledge of, but will never use in an actual project … either at work, or at home. Cobol is just one of the many. Ada, Fortran are a couple more. Nothing against the languages, but they just don’t ‘fit’ for what I do.",
"parent_id": "8123107",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123081",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:00:15",
"content": "Fifty years ago, had the warning that COBOL was an obsolete language that was to be replaced immediately by ( insert your favorite other language here).Still waiting, retired five years ago. YMMV",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123398",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T20:07:53",
"content": "I second that.Case in point – 20 years ago I was told “Crystal Reports are to be PERMANENTLY retired by the end of this decade!” (correction – THAT decade – it was said sometime in 2005).Rewind to present. No end in sight. Crystal Reports haven’t been retired. Instead, we are stuck maintaining obsolete version (I think it is 11) of the same. Managers change. Stable solutions stay. I’ve heard reliable humor/rumor that we are to drop Crystal Reports in favor of Power BI, hmm, let’s wait and see – before the end of this decade, or some other decade. I may run out of patience and retire.",
"parent_id": "8123081",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124095",
"author": "animal7171",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T17:26:30",
"content": "A family member worked with databases for 20 years plus and one of the reporting tools they(company) were trying to move to was power BI. Best advice and action they took was to retire. alot of experianced senior workers are walking away if they have the option to retire.",
"parent_id": "8123398",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124524",
"author": "Devin Ryan",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T01:42:17",
"content": "I am an instrument tech and we still use Crystal Reports still with our calibration management database software, Fluke ProCal.",
"parent_id": "8123398",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123084",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:03:33",
"content": "Fifty years ago, had the warning that COBOL was an obsolete language that was to be replaced immediately by ( insert your favorite other language here).Still waiting, retired five years ago. YMMV",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123092",
"author": "cdilla",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:23:24",
"content": "Took a three week course when I started as a COBOL programmer at the start of the 80’s. It could probably have been done in one. I found coding with a pencil into gridded paper dull, and once I had been in the computer room and seen the 1900 serise ICL mainframe running GEORGE 3, that was where I wanted to be. Writing early database financial information services helped keep me interested for a few years but the move into tech support couldn’t come quick enough. I still have reflex twitches when I see a line of any code that doesn’t end with a period :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123163",
"author": "Pat Heuvel",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:20:46",
"content": "Wow! When I was studying computing, we learned on the 1904a, also with George3! Among other things, we learned PLAN, and competed with other students for time on the MOPs. Sometimes we had to settle for an ASR33, but as time wore on we got to fight over visual terminals.WE COMERR… (IYKYK)",
"parent_id": "8123092",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123094",
"author": "No Thanks",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:42:17",
"content": "IIRC that Fujitzu(sp?) has a pretty slick version of COBOL quite some time back?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123962",
"author": "AlyssonR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T08:40:23",
"content": "They did, and may still have. I think I have a copy knocking around in my archive somewhere.I never did get around to trying to improve my COBOL, though. Much too much verbiage.",
"parent_id": "8123094",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123119",
"author": "Dave",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:11:46",
"content": "Nice overview. After a 46 year career using dozens of computer languages, I’ve never understood the particular vitriol that seems to be reserved for COBOL. I learned it with an IBM self-paced course in a couple weeks as jumped right into my job. Sure, it has some problems and limitations, but it’s a workhorse language for a reason",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123142",
"author": "Alev",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T20:59:51",
"content": "In 1988 i learned Cobol as my second prog. language after MS-Basic.I worked for a company in the banking business for many years while programming Cobol.In 1994 all things turned,“C” was introduced, the ugly data menagement turned into SQL and the other next years we ported all the business to “C”.From that time Cobol was declared a a obsolete language.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123260",
"author": "Alex G",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:50:20",
"content": "Very coincidence I started in 1886 at age of 13 same as you First language Basic follow by COBOL using the green tabular sheets 80 columns I move for dbase III+ with cliper compiler",
"parent_id": "8123142",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123428",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T22:58:48",
"content": "Surprised you are still around :D . 1886 is a long time ago ;) . Ha!I started my career in 1986. Cobol had no foothold in the real-time environment I was thrust into after graduation, so Cobol has always been a ‘foot-note’ in history for me. It was C and assembly. On the PC side for development tools it was ‘C’ and Borland ‘Pascal’. Pascal and then Delphi worked out really well in those years. Still using some of those old tools today in fact.",
"parent_id": "8123260",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123145",
"author": "MikeW",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T21:28:31",
"content": "Slight alteration to your timeline. We used Cobol on dos 2nd year of university 1989.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123152",
"author": "doobs",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:19:46",
"content": "Oooooh….I remember JCL.We had an IBM mainframe at Avondale shipyards when I went to work there in 1980.There was a guy named Harold Luke that was the JCL/Fortran wizard.I learned a little JCL, but it’s long gone.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123401",
"author": "Sammie Gee",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T20:16:22",
"content": "JCL still rulez. In the dusty corners of all kinds of niches, staffed by old and tired mainframe programmers who know what they are doing (compared with the young enthusiastic managers “managing” what they don’t know – or how to manage properly).Many a shiny multi-million careers are propped up by obsolete pieces of stuffs written by the Giants on whose shoulders the liliputian managers now proudly stand, projecting unbounded confidence not based on any accomplishments to speak of.",
"parent_id": "8123152",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123162",
"author": "slowly95c2f3412b",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:18:43",
"content": "1975 -1976, just out of the Navy as an IC-3. Didn’t know whether I wanted to go software or hardware, took a few classes in software programming, COBOL, FORTRAN, RPG and RPG-II. My first COBOL program punched on IBM keypunch, had it run on a IBM 360/30…end result 327 computer pages of errors…I left out a ( ; ). Later after all my classes which I got A’s in; I decided to go hardware.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123169",
"author": "If You Thought Reading PHP and Perl Was Bad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:42:38",
"content": "This is great, not to knock the article at all, but what EVERY introduction to COBOL lacks is exposure to what real COBOL codebases ACTUALLY look like.That’s where the problem is.You can teach yourself COBOL in a vacuum really easily. You cannot teach yourself to understand legacy COBOL code without exposure to said legacy COBOL code and the context it was created in. Nothing can prepare you for the sprawl and the crappy documentation and idiosyncrasies of dead people.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123170",
"author": "Dave Colvin",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:48:51",
"content": "I did an introduction to programing in the 1980s maybe the end of the 1970s and it was with the local town councils NCR IMOS Cobol mainframe… To say it was illuminating and awful is an understatement.What makes me think what a world we live in today, they let a room full of teenagers on the town councils mainframe (the only computer in town) and nobody thought anything of it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123172",
"author": "MartinU",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T23:59:37",
"content": "The language makes a lot of sense if you understand its historical context. The kinds of business processes that it automated were the sort that were either done manually — processing documents from “IN” to “OUT” trays (as seen only in cartoons these days) or using a card tabulator or sorter where one or more input streams of individual data records would be combined to form a new stream of data or tabulated to get some overall result. The language syntax is explained by the limitations of punched card data entry where it was common practice to start fields of a program statement on specific character column numbers. These are likely alien concepts to people brought up on interactive computing via a GUI.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123176",
"author": "Graham",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:18:15",
"content": "I remember working with COBOL on the Burroughs Medium systems. The instruction set of the system was designed for COBOL. From the Wikipedia entry – They operated directly on COBOL-68’s primary decimal data types: strings of up to 100 digits, with one EBCDIC or ASCII digit character or two 4-bit binary-coded decimal BCD digits per byte.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burroughs_Medium_Systems",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123200",
"author": "Fatih",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:06:47",
"content": "That is how we did it in 90ies. After i developed a tool that reads working section and help us create and design forms, my chief showed me the screens.exe that was already exist and did the job :) I remember we used display cards memory to speed up selection list forms’ scroll jobs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123209",
"author": "rasz_pl",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:58:13",
"content": "Impressive, that COBOL code looks like gibberish. Its like reading raw disk sectors containing some sort of old timey database.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123215",
"author": "Quinn Evans",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T04:39:29",
"content": "That’s exactly what it is, so I suppose “gibberish” here means “intuitively readable,” which it is, and was designed to be.. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a horrible language, but it’s not difficult, and some of us find bf fun. Writing COBOL is like a mild version of that, except you can read it later.",
"parent_id": "8123209",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123217",
"author": "Deividas Strole",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T04:42:30",
"content": "Great introduction to COBOL! I appreciate how you balanced historical context with practical steps for getting started today. It’s encouraging to see how accessible COBOL has become for hobbyists, especially with tools like GnuCOBOL and GCC’s new frontend. Looking forward to more deep dives—maybe even that full code walkthrough if there’s enough interest.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123220",
"author": "Bbreeden",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T05:47:49",
"content": "Cobol is extremely wordy.I always hated typing:MOVE CORRESPONDINGNot my preferred language.I know people will mention using it for reports or maybe user terminals. But it was really better for backend business tasks.Heavy report coders were much better off using RPG. Especially for simpler reports.Unfortunately there was a ton of legacy code written before RPG was adopted",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123254",
"author": "Peter Sanders",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:08:59",
"content": "RPG! Yes, I would love to see a RPG/400 on Linux – externally defined files pulling from some db. And the cycle.",
"parent_id": "8123220",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123244",
"author": "Jesster",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T10:28:37",
"content": "I have PTSD from doing Cobol assignments on a Burroughs mainframe for a computer class back in 1984.The language wasn’t difficult, but punctuation was fussy and translating it to punch card data and then typing in that data perfectly to create the punch cards and lastly feeding the cards into the machine really sucked.I have a lot of respect for those old Cobol coders. Writing code with no syntax errors and hand compiling it onto punch cards, all without mistakes took a special attention to detail.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123392",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:51:56",
"content": "“hand compiling it onto punch cards”What are you talking about?",
"parent_id": "8123244",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123408",
"author": "bill",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T20:33:25",
"content": "in the old days in addition to punching the code onto cards you had early version control systems which required you to assemble the punched cards along with control statements and job control language as well as in some cases object code decks. so yes it was compiling it",
"parent_id": "8123392",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123251",
"author": "N. Bazeley-White",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T11:34:38",
"content": "Amusingly, the people who write about COBOL being a “legacy” language usually do so using Linux during a break from writing code in C or one of its more recent look-a-likes. I first encountered Unix and COBOL in the ’70s and C not much after. Yet, tell them that Linux is a “legacy” OS and some of them will split blood!The “best” computer, OS or language is the one most suited to the task in hand. As the author of this article points out, COBOL is still the language of finance because it is the language best suited to that role.Rather than denigrate it, learn it, get a contract with a bank and retire early! (The contract rates in COBOL are currently HUGE!).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123262",
"author": "Alex G",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T12:58:21",
"content": "COBOL was the second language I learned around 1886 at age of 13 in Mexico City, after basic. Using green tabular sheets 80 columns. You write in paper first before typing in the terminal, since you have to declare and add DATA structures as you develop the logic, you can’t go back and insert a line in the terminal easily. Later I move to dBaseIII+ with a cliper compiler to make EXE files in DOS",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123267",
"author": "William Payne",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:19:15",
"content": "Forth <#, #, #>, HOLD inspired by the COBOL picture formatting?As opposed to FORTRN FORMAT and c printf non-picture output approach?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123271",
"author": "mc",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:33:16",
"content": "Back around 1980, Zilog had a decent COBOL compiler for the Z80, running on their MCS development systems.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123275",
"author": "Wooty",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T13:52:49",
"content": "RPG and COBOL, two languages I ran across working for a US EMR company in the south-east.. Crazy that in 2025 there are EMR systems that have their entire financial systems running on COBOL based programs still.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123292",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:39:10",
"content": "PHP people are famously fond of saying “no one can know all the features of the language”. My theory is the cool kids paint COBOL as bad, cumbersome, and unpopular precisely because it is easy and it’s possible to learn it whole due to its scope. That leaves precious little room for prancing and preening or anecdotes about “I might have one of those laying around I should look for it one day. Strangers on the internet must hear of this immediately!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123379",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T19:16:32",
"content": "That’s a problem with PHP, not the main one.COBOL is just like most languages.You can get the language in a week or two.Learning libraries will be forever.Working around the languages limitations, also forever.",
"parent_id": "8123292",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123314",
"author": "Jesse Jenkins",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T16:54:04",
"content": "In the 1970’s, a Lebanese instructor from Cal Poly SLO was in grad school with me at UCSB. His name was Emile Attala and he wanted to learn to ride a bike. I offered to help him learn in exchange for Cobol lessons. We had a few lessons of both. Once you learn to ride (they say) you never forget. Emile told me the most important thing in Cobol was “read the input record, write the output file”. It’s been over 50 years, but that stuck.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123429",
"author": "Crusader Col",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T22:59:57",
"content": "At it’s very core, Cobol is about systems that count money. And things. That is what most businesses are about. So Cobol is a good fit for most businesses.You wouldn’t use Cobol to write systems that, say, compute the trajectory of a bullet aimed at a target 2000 kilos away, nor would you use it to write operating systems or mathematical solutions.But many people write business systems (about money) in these mathematical languages, and end up with disasters.The fundamental problem with Cobol is that it has no enforced structure, thus programmers could easily write programs with poor, sometimes unreadable structure.If you had a rigid design structure over the top of Cobol, then you could build large applications that were both maintainable and expandable.Sadly, the computer industry being what it is, todays ‘bright young things’ always think they know better than any previous computer genius, and willingly and deliberately throw away yesterdays technology in favour of their, supposedly better solutions.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123434",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:44:36",
"content": "My first job was junior programmer in 1978 writing COBOL66 on a DEC 11/750 and teletype. I wrote a batch version of Pacman. You put you next move in a text file and ran the program, and it made a screen printout in A3 fanfold paper using ASCII characters. It took about three weeks worth of lunch breaks to play a whole game.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123824",
"author": "randys480",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T21:08:24",
"content": "This is pretty cool but what about EXEC REXX JCL and RPG????:)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123905",
"author": "erffrfez",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:00:43",
"content": "question:is “04/10/2034” to mean 10th of April, or 4th of October?I assume the first one, because of the USA focus (what I think is kinda wrong, we don’t do set, game and match in tennis; and even in USA where these are still used, no one that I know of describes a distance using feet, inches and yards order)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124596",
"author": "Maya Posch",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T10:06:29",
"content": "There is only ISO 8601. Every other format is wrong and should be expunged.",
"parent_id": "8123905",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123914",
"author": "lthemick",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:45:26",
"content": "I did mainframe work at a bank out of college: COBOL, JCL, PL1, DYL/280, and tableBASE…In 2005.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124833",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T20:26:18",
"content": "I also worked for bankers for about a year.Sympathies.",
"parent_id": "8123914",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123925",
"author": "Geoffrey Frost",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T05:27:53",
"content": "I wrote In COBOL and PLAN back in the early 70s. I think the main frame was either an ICL1900 or 2900. Local government software. Bad as watching paint dry.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,562.531973
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/terminal-daw-does-it-in-style/
|
Terminal DAW Does It In Style
|
Fenix Guthrie
|
[
"Linux Hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] |
[
"DAW",
"digital audio",
"digital music",
"music hacks",
"terminal"
] |
As any Linux chat room or forum will tell you, the most powerful tool to any Linux user is a terminal emulator. Just about every program under the sun has a command line alternative, be it CAD, note taking, or web browsing. Likewise, the digital audio workstation (DAW) is the single most important tool to anyone making music. Therefore, [unspeaker] decided the two should, at last, be combined with a
terminal based DAW called Tek
.
Tek functions similarly to other DAWs, albeit with keyboard only input. For anyone used to working in Vim or Emacs (we ask you keep the inevitable text editor comment war civil), Tek will be very intuitive. Currently, the feature set is fairly spartan, but plans exist to add keybinds for save/load, help, and more. The program features several modes including a multi-track sequencer/sampler called the “arranger.” Each track in the arranger is color coded with a gradient of colors generated randomly at start for a fresh look every time.
Modern audio workflows often span across numerous programs, and Tek was built with this in mind. It can take MIDI input and output from the JACK Audio Connection Kit, and plans also exist to create a plugin server so Tek could be used with other DAWs like Ardor or Zrythm. Moreover, being a terminal program opens possibilities for complicated
shell scripting and other such Linux-fu.
Maybe a terminal DAW is not your thing, so make sure to
check out this physical one instead!
| 30
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123037",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T12:34:39",
"content": "I’ve also found two similar projects:https://github.com/danfrz/PLEBTrackerhttps://zuggamasta.de/projects/miditracker/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123204",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:31:04",
"content": "I was just about to write that tracker style MIDI sequencer would be really cool. Need to check those. I am recently to go back to trackers as my hobby. AXS and Renosie are on my list. Those two trackers you linked look like real time thieves! THANKS!About TEK – I simply love the way it looks. Need to try it one day. I didn’t go into details but it looks more like MIDI sequencer than DAW, although github readme file says something about sampling. This could be something that will gather a stable scene.",
"parent_id": "8123037",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123349",
"author": "unspeaker",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:14:08",
"content": "author here. thanks for your kind words! midi sequencer just about covers the current (alpha) version. i’ve prototyped sampling and lv2 plugin hosting over the past year and plan to release them over the coming weeks — as i clean up the architecture and make it possible to add a more linear daw-like workflow with a focus on takes/comping.",
"parent_id": "8123204",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123552",
"author": "Gooboo Gobbins",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T11:56:20",
"content": "This is intriguing. I played around with something called NonDAE years ago. The idea of basically getting the UI out of the way so the focus would be on the music production. This sounds a bit different. I would love to see a new method of representing audio in the CLI. I think it would be possible with different levels of “magnification” and good “start” “stop” markers for region selections that could be beat, time, or sample accurate. Maybe also a way of determining where one wants to select, audibly. Kind of a “loop what is visible” approach and then the user taps a key to drop the marker (start or stop) and then has the freedom to move the marker to the left or right until it is perfect. Anyway… Just me brainstorming how I would do it. Interested to see what you wind up doing.",
"parent_id": "8123349",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123038",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T12:37:39",
"content": "“For anyone used to working in Vim or Emacs (we ask you keep the inevitable text editor comment war civil)”Ok, fine. I’ll accept a temporary ceasefire with the Vim people. But you didn’t say anything about us gaining up on the Edlin fans!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123054",
"author": "Mark Topham",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:53:52",
"content": "Sed is the only choice.",
"parent_id": "8123038",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123055",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:06:30",
"content": "YOUR EDITOR SMELLS OF ELDERBERRIES!",
"parent_id": "8123054",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123075",
"author": "ethzero",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:16:11",
"content": "** feverish flapping of gauntlets on ramparts ***",
"parent_id": "8123055",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123124",
"author": "Blenderizer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:18:54",
"content": "U so hard-core. 🤣",
"parent_id": "8123054",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123154",
"author": "Good Ol' Slappy McGee",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:22:09",
"content": "I’m honestly impressed there are still emacs users out there. I’ve met a lot of vim people but never an emacs person. OSS Code for the win though..",
"parent_id": "8123038",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123432",
"author": "dgrb",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T23:43:12",
"content": "First used emacs on multics c1981. Still using it today; I’ve tried other editors and IDEs, but always come back…",
"parent_id": "8123154",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123207",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T02:36:20",
"content": "Am I the only one who use mcedit?",
"parent_id": "8123038",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123329",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:40:02",
"content": "Editor? How about IBM 029 keypunch? Kids.",
"parent_id": "8123038",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123040",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T12:48:27",
"content": "This is an exceptional text UI. Seems like the Rust ecosystem has that nailed down. Looks too cool to not play with!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123090",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:22:32",
"content": "a pretty weird idea. i’m not convinced this is a good way to go, though i’m curious how the keyboard commands work.i’ve played a little with multi-track recorders (a subset of DAW functionality). my first one was command-line driven (unlike Tek). the commandline was text but then the display for the tracks was in a graphical window. so you would have to have two windows open, one with the terminal and one with the display. maybe i could have invented a better commandline syntax, but i found it way too cumbersome to work with. but it was the program i had so i used it for years whenever i would need to cut up a sample.i met a version of Traverso…when i discovered it, it was buggy as heck and it was in the process of being rewritten into a more normal DAW interface (yet another unneeded audacity clone). but the one i used, like to adjust the master volume on the track, instead of mousing onto a tiny skeuomorphic knob, you would simply mouse over any part of the track and then hold down a key (maybe ‘v’olume) and move the mouse up and down while holding the key. i thought that was brilliant.i resigned myself to using audacity, but the closest USB jack to my microphone is a raspberry pi, and the raspberry pi kernel drivers are just thin wrappers around buggy closed source garbage. so – surprise! – audacity hard-locked my pi when it tried to enable DMA mode on a USB sound device. rather than figure out how to get audacity to give up on DMA before the pi firmware eats itself, i wrote a new multi-track recorder.the new one has basically the old traverso interface. hold down a key and drag the mouse to change a setting. it’s modal depending on where the mouse cursor is, whether it’s in a track or not. there’s a uniform way to enter the value with the keyboard (numeric). and its best feature, a modal help screen that shows the keys for the current mouse position. it’s a rare one for me, in that it is both very easy to use once you know it, and very easy to learn (or to pick up again after forgetting how it works). and it’s intentionally very simplistic (trying to give you basically just cut-and-paste with tape).the point i’m trying to circle is that what is needed is an input interface that takes advantage of the keyboard and doesn’t have the user practicing their fine clicking skills on skeuomorphic garbage. having a terminal display is actually not any benefit at all. and anyways, Tek doesn’t seem to have a commandline so it doesn’t seem amenable to scripting. i’d love to see an article summarizing the Tek keyboard commands but the screenshots make it look like a 1990-era mod tracker, rather than a multi-track recorder?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123361",
"author": "unspeaker",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:29:15",
"content": "thanks! some absolutely valid points and some great ideas in your post.people have asked me before whether they could use a rpi to replace a multitrack recorder. if your program is publicly available i’d be happy to try it out, and recommend it should the question comes up. personally, the main thing i’ve been trying to replace and extend is ableton live’s loop-based “session view” – a feature that’s gradually osmoting into other daws such as ardour and bitwig.the main benefit for targeting text terminals is the reduced complexity. i’m absolutely not a designer, so i could spend an eternity just fiddling with a pixel-based design to make it acceptable to my ingrained preconceptions about ui aesthetics, then abandoning it once i realize i’ve spent an eternity on an interactive mockup. building for a text grid enabled me to focus on building actual features, of which several will be released over the coming weeks (including online help on f1). some pocs of sampling and plugin hosting can be seen athttps://v.basspistol.org/c/tek/videosof course having pixel resolution is helpful when trying to represent more granular data, such as audio samples or midi notes. the “framework” underlying tek is called tengri (https://codeberg.org/unspeaker/tengri), and is generic over the backing implementation. currently it only supports ratatui for rendering to a terminal. however, once i’m happy with the general workflow and behaviors, and once i’ve found a satisfactory graphics backend (egui? opengl? webgpu? idk yet!), it should be smooth sailing to provide full graphics.you are correct that in its present state tek is not scriptable. however the key bindings and the interface layouts are defined in a custom edn-like dsl, which i also plan to extend, with the ultimate goal of making the application and contained project live-editable.",
"parent_id": "8123090",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123108",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:15:57",
"content": "a command line alternativeIs it still CLI if you’re emulating a graphical user interface with ASCII graphics?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123121",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:13:31",
"content": "The answer is no. This is a class of interface that is called TUI or Text-based User Interface. The definition of a pure CLI program is a bit muddled but this is 100% a TUI program and not a CLI program.",
"parent_id": "8123108",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123177",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:19:02",
"content": "Especially when you have drop-down menus labeled “file” or “edit” on the screen, which was common in the era of DOS applications where you could actually use a mouse to access them if you had the hardware and the drivers loaded. At that point, the boundary between a CLI or a “TUI” and a GUI is very muddled.",
"parent_id": "8123121",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123279",
"author": "ANSI?!",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:09:56",
"content": "Holy Moly! If graphics likethatcan be done in a standard-enough (cross-platform) manner, via terminal-emulators, alone, I might break free of my ASCII UI’s!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123286",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:22:27",
"content": "This could be great for squeezing out every bit of performance of the machine since it doesn’t need to run a graphical desktop manager like gnome or xfce. Also no need for Wayland to be running at all and it can be accessed remotely over ssh. I approve.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123335",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:55:43",
"content": "Don’t know about DAW, but I do know a little about MIDI, including the representation of MIDI in a RIFF file. In an earlier century, I wrote a small application to edit MIDI files, called Score. You open the file, and it translates it into human-readable representations of each event, presented in an editable text box. You can edit this, or you can create one from scratch with this, and save it in a MIDI RIFF file. It couldn’t even play the files – the assumption was that you have another app for that. Perhaps Tek would do. I don’t know – I couldn’t get a sense of how the user interface works from the README.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123345",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:07:57",
"content": "I’m not sure why terminal applications are called terminal emulators. What does a terminal do? It converts keypresses into an ASCII (or perhaps Unicode) stream, an simultaneously converts an text stream into a human-readable visual display. Which is exactly what a terminal emulator does. So how is that not just a terminal? I mean, you can make a Teletype Model 33 ASR emulator, and you can make an ADM-3a emulator, but unless you’re duplicating the characteristics of some specific existing device, it’s not an emulator. It’s just a terminal. You wouldn’t call a word processing app a document editor emulator, or a modern automobile a jalopy emulator.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124131",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T22:03:28",
"content": "A computer program is not a terminal – it’s code running on a CPU. A terminal is (originally) a state machine implemented in discrete logic that stores and sends data into a character generator with a fixed character memory, and sends out any key presses by the user. It has no CPU and no program code.A computer program or application that implements the function of a terminal is emulating the logic of a particular terminal as it is implemented in the hardware, sometimes even down to the physical timings and other quirks, so it’s called a terminal emulator.unless you’re duplicating the characteristics of some specific existing device, it’s not an emulatorThat’s what it’s doing. An emulator is hardware or software that makes one computer system behave like another system, so when you’re implementing the state machine that answers to the control codes in a computer program, you’re building a virtual version of the hardware inside a different type of machine, which is called emulation.",
"parent_id": "8123345",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124133",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T22:31:29",
"content": "I have to disagree. MOST terminals are computer programs, even though the dedicated ones won’t run any other program. The DEC VT-220 was definitely not discrete logic state machines; it was literally code running on a microprocessor, but you wouldn’t call that a terminal emulator.",
"parent_id": "8124131",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124136",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T22:47:32",
"content": "even though the dedicated ones won’t run any other programThe early terminals didn’t run any program. The later ones did have CPUs but those were then dubbed “smart terminals” to distinguish them from the old “dumb terminals”.",
"parent_id": "8124133",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124138",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T22:50:49",
"content": "but you wouldn’t call that a terminal emulatorYou could.",
"parent_id": "8124133",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124141",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T22:59:49",
"content": "I mean, the physical hardware istheterminal, but if it also happens to be a programmable computer that can emulate other terminals, then it is also a terminal emulator – or rather, the program that it’s running is the emulator.",
"parent_id": "8124138",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124144",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T23:16:01",
"content": "Or, if the thing that you’re calling a “terminal” actually happens to contain a programmable CPU doing the business then what you’re dealing with is really a computer that is running a terminal emulator program.The point of the terminal was that it wasn’t a computer in itself – it was a remote display unit for a computer. The later terminals that were actually computers were merely called terminals by their use, and then became “computers” when the user could enter their own programs.",
"parent_id": "8124138",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124135",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T22:46:12",
"content": "The key here is that each character encoding, be it ASCII or ANSI or some proprietary set contains a bunch of control characters as well as the displayable text characters. A terminal emulator is programmed to be the machine that the control protocol was designed for: it’s a virtual implementation of the machine described by the standard as opposed to a hardware implementation of it.The terminal emulator program on your Linux desktop too is implementing one or many of those standard protocols, which is how you get these “text graphics” to display. The actual program you’re using is sending sequences of control codes that set things like character color or cursor position, and the terminal emulator handles the display logic as if it were a real physical terminal. But it’s not – it’s a kind of virtual machine, hence why we call it an emulator.",
"parent_id": "8124131",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,561.991923
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/30/building-an-nrf52840-and-battery-powered-zigbee-gate-sensor/
|
Building An NRF52840 And Battery-Powered Zigbee Gate Sensor
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Microcontrollers",
"Wireless Hacks"
] |
[
"nRF52840",
"zigbee"
] |
Recently
[Glen Akins] reported on Bluesky
that the Zigbee-based sensor he had made for his garden’s rear gate was still going strong after a Summer and Winter on the original 2450 lithium coin cell. The construction plans and design for the unit are
detailed in a blog post
. At the core is the
MS88SF2
SoM by Minew, which features a Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 SoC that provides the Zigbee RF feature as well as the usual MCU shenanigans.
Previously [Glen] had created a similar system that featured buttons to turn the garden lights on or off, as nobody likes stumbling blindly through a dark garden after returning home. Rather than having to fumble around for a button, the system should detect when said rear gate is opened. This would send a notification to [Glen]’s phone as well as activate the garden lights if it’s dark outside.
Although using a reed relay switch seemed like an obvious solution to replace the buttons, holding it closed turned out to require too much power. After looking at a few commercial examples, he settled for a Hall effect sensor solution with the Ti DRV5032FB in a TO-92 package.
Whereas the average person would just have put in a PIR sensor-based solution, this Zigbee solution does come with a lot more smart home creds, and does not require fumbling around with a smartphone or yelling at a voice assistant to turn the garden lights on.
| 23
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8123011",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T08:58:22",
"content": "Makes me almost wonder if he could have put a solar cell and energy harvesting chip in there and use a rechargeable battery. Of course his design and power profiling in the in-depth article is pure genius. I just think if you are that skilled, you could go beyond 1-2 year coin cell lifetime with some good ole sun energy.(Wish I could design anything that energy conserving myself.)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123106",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:12:48",
"content": "It’s not very difficult to get a MCU to run at very low power. It’s getting it to do something useful at the same time that is difficult.",
"parent_id": "8123011",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123532",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T09:11:10",
"content": "I design wearables as my job, and battery energy conservation is really not that hard.On the hardware level you just power the MCU directly, any circuitry that has a standby/quiescent current consumption that is over 1-2uA goes behind a power switch or multiple. This circuit is only powered when needed, and even then the component selection should prioritize low power devices.On the firmware side you keep the MCU in sleep for as most of the time, and wake it up at set intervals for the shortest time possible, for example for 300ms every five minutes.Understanding how Coin cells work is also important. For example they don’t like current spikes. Repetitive current spikes will increase the internal resistance if the cell permanently. To avoid this, bulk capacitance (ceramic) and careful sequencing of the events will greatly improve battery life.",
"parent_id": "8123011",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123016",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:03:01",
"content": "The capacity of a 2450 is 620mAh to 2.0V, so say (average 2.5V) 1.55Wh which is about 4.2mWh/day.A small garden light 60x60mm solar panel is typically 0,25W, and I find figures of solar panel efficiency going to 10% on a cloudy day. So say a winter day of 8 hours, this cell would still produce 0,2wH/day, which is still about 45 times the daily energy consumption, so I guess that would be very doable.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123026",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:40:13",
"content": "Thanks for sharing your knowledge on the subject! I saved your post to a text-file so I can evaluate how much margin I have if I attempt something similar. I like to stay humble about my limited skills, but this makes me want to purchase some cells off Ali and try myself. I have a very illuminated balcony and I want to put some sensors out there for UV-index, temp, humidity and more. All low powered IC/ASIC ones. Realistically speaking I will still have to go the NRF route I assume. They are more or less market leader in low energy wireless. Regular 433 MHz transmitters off Ali are too power hungry.I am always very happy when people inspire me or reply with calculations or conservative estimates.",
"parent_id": "8123016",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123056",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:06:38",
"content": "“Thanks for sharing your knowledge on the subject! ” That’s too much honour, I was just wondering, googled around for some logical values, and did the math with some very liberally educated guesses.",
"parent_id": "8123026",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123063",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:28:46",
"content": "Carl, wouldn’t a solar garden light from a Dollar/Pound/Euro store be even cheaper than Aliexpress? It could be rain resistant as well.",
"parent_id": "8123026",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123117",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:58:11",
"content": "You need about 175 µW on average, so the panel should be sized at 2 mW or greater (10x) and something that size from the usual reliable sources (not Aliexpress) costs between $1-3 in single quantities.If you can find a garden light in that price range, you might get something but you don’t know the voltage or power of the panel, so it might not work for you, or you need to go through extra steps (more components, more $$) to make it work.",
"parent_id": "8123063",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123110",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:33:54",
"content": "I find figures of solar panel efficiency going to 10% on a cloudy day.It’s easier to estimate using the average year-round capacity factor for your location. About 5% in Sweden and 15% in Spain. This accounts for seasonal variation and overcast days.The only other thing you have to mind is having enough batteries to account for the seasonal variation. In Sweden you need 4-6 months worth – much more than theoretically necessary because of the cold temperatures – while in Spain you pretty much need nothing because the length of the day hardly changes. A big capacitor would probably work.",
"parent_id": "8123016",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123118",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:07:00",
"content": "That’s of course assuming you can place it in a properly lit location.The difference between a normal sunny day and a complete overcast is about 1000:1 so if you’re looking to oversize the panel to make it operate in the shade just by the ambient light, you’d need a panel in the range of 1-2 W which is about the size of your palm.",
"parent_id": "8123110",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123285",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:20:53",
"content": "Seems like you could charge a capacitor and run off that, keeping the battery as main power and extending it’s life.Although in this application you could modify the gate to bring multiple magnets across the case and swap the sensor for a coil to harvest power.",
"parent_id": "8123016",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123045",
"author": "Oliver",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:15:58",
"content": "I use an ikea parasoll which was about a tenner. Fruns on a rechargeable 1.2. It uses the efm32 afaik …",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123070",
"author": "Ryan Shantz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:48:22",
"content": "You can get reed switches that are magnet off/ closed door-open circuit. Sounds like the hall effect sensor sips power so that’s a great solution.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123111",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:42:48",
"content": "The issue was that reading the sensor requires a pull-up resistor, so one of the logic states will always draw extra current whether it’s a normally open or a normally closed switch. The door can remain open or closed for long periods of time, so it’s possible to drain the battery by forgetting to close the door.Since the change in logic level is probably what drives the wake-up interrupt for the MCU, you can’t leave the logic state undefined or else it would trigger the wake-up event from random noise. I.e. you can’t use clever tricks to poll the input to detect whether the switch is open or closed without a pull-up resistor.The Hall sensor has a push-pull output, meaning that the logic state is always defined as either high or low, which means the MCU doesn’t need to enable its pull-up resistor on the input and there’s no variable current draw depending on the state of the switch.",
"parent_id": "8123070",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123184",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:50:18",
"content": "You can poll using a switched pull up very easily, so the pull up only dissipates power for a brief pulse of a few ms rise time. This would give a negligible draw compared to the ZigBee operations. If you are responding to a switch close event a capacitor can limit this to a brief pulse also",
"parent_id": "8123111",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123241",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T09:39:40",
"content": "Yes, but then you assume the MCU will wake up periodically and rather frequently (once a second maybe?) to poll it, which requires far more energy than waiting for the input to change and wake up on that.",
"parent_id": "8123184",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123242",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T09:43:20",
"content": "If you are responding to a switch close event a capacitor can limit this to a brief pulse alsoI thought about that – you can detect the pulse edge but then you need to reset the capacitor somehow with the switch pulling it one way only. The system would respond quickly to one event like opening the door, but slowly to the opposite case (discharging the capacitor on closing the door) and the digital inputs of an MCU tend to consume a lot of power when the input is drifting slowly through the hysteresis range.How would you implement it?",
"parent_id": "8123184",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123088",
"author": "Evan B",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:15:24",
"content": "2450s are absolute units, I use those industrially all the time and they get changed like every 5-10 years it’s wild",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123287",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T14:25:02",
"content": "Should use them for computer backup, seems more than twice the usual 2032, maybe 3-4x.",
"parent_id": "8123088",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123102",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:07:16",
"content": "using a reed relay switch seemed like an obvious solution to replace the buttons, holding it closed turned out to require too much powerSolution: two reed switches, one normally open and another normally closed. No pull-up required and zero quiescent current. Just needs a resistor to prevent shoot-through if both happen to remain on at the same time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123113",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T18:47:04",
"content": "There are also SPDT reed switches.https://comus-intl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RI-90GP.pdf",
"parent_id": "8123102",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123877",
"author": "ItsAdam",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T23:19:10",
"content": "Yeah my solar WiFi camera is pointed at the front gate and lights up the entire front garden when motion is detected.I don’t know why people are doing 9000iq things for something as trivial as a few solar garden lights they could use instead.Unless of course they’re in some big stately home, but then I would presume they could afford something proper.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124544",
"author": "Ed",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T04:15:24",
"content": "I am wondering though, if there is light in that garden, there is electricity. Could run anything from that. In what way would a reed switch cost too much energy?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,562.376632
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/back-to-reality-with-the-time-brick/
|
Back To Reality With The Time Brick
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"clock hacks"
] |
[
"clock",
"design",
"display",
"error handling",
"ESP-01",
"weather",
"wifi"
] |
There are a lot of distractions in daily life, especially with all the different forms of technology and their accompanying algorithms vying for our attention in the modern world. [mar1ash] makes the same observation about our shared experiences fighting to stay sane with all these push notifications and alerts, and wanted something a little simpler that can just tell time and perhaps a few other things.
Enter the time brick
.
The time brick is a simple way of keeping track of the most basic of things in the real world: time and weather. The device has no buttons and only a small OLED display. Based on an ESP-01 module and housed in a LEGO-like enclosure, the USB-powered clock sits quietly by a bed or computer with no need for any user interaction at all. It gets its information over a Wi-Fi connection configured in the code running on the device, and cycles through not only time, date, and weather but also a series of pre-programmed quotes of a surreal nature, since part of [mar1ash]’s goals for this project was to do something just a little bit outside the norm.
There are a few other quirks in this tiny device as well, including animations for the weather display, a “night mode” that’s automatically activated to account for low-light conditions, and the ability to easily handle WiFi drops and other errors without crashing. All of the project’s code is also available
on its GitHub page
. As far as design goes, it’s an excellent demonstration that successful projects have to avoid feature creep,
and that doing one thing well is often a better design philosophy than adding needless complications
.
| 8
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122998",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T08:17:32",
"content": "EARTH HAS 4 CORNER SIMULTANEOUS 4-DAY TIME CUBE IN ONLY 24 HOUR ROTATION.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123024",
"author": "Bobtato",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:23:54",
"content": "I KNEW so-called college professors had been lying to me!",
"parent_id": "8122998",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123049",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:31:50",
"content": "“why would a top and bottom be called sides?”",
"parent_id": "8122998",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123052",
"author": "2005",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:39:45",
"content": "Wise words from the wisest human ever.You know, I miss when the Internet had just a few high profile crackpots. Seems preferable to the thousands of low level crackpots we have these days.",
"parent_id": "8122998",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123007",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T08:47:59",
"content": "Be careful with that company name, they are prone to sue if it is not a genuine™ construction block made by them. A famous Youtuber once got cease-and-desisted by ’em.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123060",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:15:53",
"content": "Soooo, it’s just a networked screen in a funny enclosure.Hmmm, can it play Doom?",
"parent_id": "8123007",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123065",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:33:49",
"content": "“Hmmm, can it play Doom?”Yes, the exercise is left for the student, or AI.",
"parent_id": "8123060",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123069",
"author": "Nomic",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:45:20",
"content": "Yes. Doesn’t even need to be networkedhttps://hackaday.com/2023/03/18/doom-ported-to-a-single-lego-brick/",
"parent_id": "8123060",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,562.309155
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/comparing-ai-for-basic-plant-care-with-human-brown-thumbs/
|
Comparing ‘AI’ For Basic Plant Care With Human Brown Thumbs
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"Artificial Intelligence",
"green hacks"
] |
[
"artificial intelligence",
"automated plant care",
"automatic plant watering",
"soil moisture sensor"
] |
The future of healthy indoor plants, courtesy of AI. (Credit: [
Liam
])
Like so many of us, [Liam] has a big problem. Whether it’s the curse of Brown Thumbs or something else, those darn houseplants just keep dying despite guides always telling you how
incredibly easy
it is to keep them from wilting with a modicum of care each day, even without opting for succulents or cactuses. In a fit of despair [Liam] decided to pin his hopes on what we have come to accept as the Savior of Humankind, namely ‘AI’, which can stand for a lot of things, but it’s definitely really smart and can even generate pretty pictures, which is something that the average human can not. Hence it’s time to let an LLM
do all the smart plant caring stuff
with ‘PlantMom’.
Since LLMs so far don’t come with physical appendages by default, some hardware had to be plugged together to measure parameters like light, temperature and soil moisture. Add to this a grow light and a water pump and all that remained was to tell the LMM using an extensive prompt, containing Python code, what it should do (keep the the plant alive), and what Python methods are available. All that was left now was to let the Google’s Gemma 3 handle it.
To say that this resulted in a dramatic failure along with what reads like an emotional breakdown on the part of the LLM would be an understatement. The LLM insisted on turning the grow light on when it should be off and had the most erratic watering responses imaginable based on absolutely incorrect interpretations of the ADC data, flipping dry and wet. After this episode the poor chili plant’s soil was absolutely saturated and is still trying to dry out, while the ongoing LLM experiment, with an empty water tank, has the grow light blasting more often than a weed farm.
So far it seems like that the humble state machine’s job is still safe from being taken over by ‘AI’, and not even brown thumb folk can kill plants this efficiently.
| 18
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122976",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T02:36:58",
"content": "It was a practice run. Next, humans.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123067",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:43:48",
"content": "Be it human or LLM, if both are badly trained, the result will be inevitably bad.",
"parent_id": "8122976",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123225",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T07:16:39",
"content": "Sorry. Humour too subtle. The AI killed the plants. Next it will kill the humans.",
"parent_id": "8123067",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123578",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T12:45:51",
"content": "That one went straight over my head. Not sure how I missed it. Anyhow, my comments still sort of works.",
"parent_id": "8123225",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122981",
"author": "Nitpicker",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T03:48:22",
"content": "LMM: Large Moisture Model?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122984",
"author": "Joe W",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T04:27:40",
"content": "Making holes in plastic. No, really don’t use a knife – a knife is a bad idea.What works for me is either using a hot pointy bit (hot metal skewer or the soldering iron) or a wood drill bit (I think people call these brad point bits) with not much pressure otherwise the plastic might crack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122994",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T07:03:55",
"content": "Use a wood scrap behind the plastic while drilling – even better: one before, and clamp the three layers wood-plastic-wood together.",
"parent_id": "8122984",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123058",
"author": "Marcos",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T14:13:04",
"content": "Well, I don’t know why we are talking about making holes in plant pots… but if you go into the route of manually using a wood drilling bit, it works really well (better than with a hand driller), but make sure you wear a thick glove.",
"parent_id": "8122984",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122992",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T06:26:26",
"content": "Keep this experiment away from Ars Technica. I can hear the “I told you so” all the way over here.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123042",
"author": "Arse Technica",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:08:07",
"content": "I told you so!",
"parent_id": "8122992",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123043",
"author": "Ars Technica",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:08:38",
"content": "I told you so!",
"parent_id": "8122992",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122995",
"author": "Misterlaneous",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T07:45:08",
"content": "Multiple inverted sensors sounds like user error..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123021",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:22:01",
"content": "Meanwhile some company is using AI to make health care decisions for humans.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123035",
"author": "Lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T12:06:16",
"content": "From a carbon balance and water consumption perspective this is metaphorical on a really sad level.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123073",
"author": "none ra",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T15:06:51",
"content": "Really a study in using the wrong tool for the job. Like seeing if O’hare Intl Airport makes a good apartment or if one of those large hauling mining dump trucks that are 50 ft tall makes a good commuter car. An LLM is for predicting language, not reasoning or following procedure. Its best at averaging out language and adding in random speech that pertains to the prompt.Running a super tiny LLM on that RPI would have been better with its more limited vocab. Even just an old school expert system would be better. When doing simplistic automation, having simple control logic is better than adding needless complexity.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123097",
"author": "Heind",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T17:05:02",
"content": "Ha! I was working on something similar over a year ago but I found the LLM’s outputs were kind of terrible and would’ve most definitely killed all of my plants, even after tweaking. Many of the same problems as here.I did try making it output json and having it automatically be parsed and work together with home assistant but the crazy outputs remained.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123130",
"author": "jeff",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T19:44:45",
"content": "I understand we do things because we can and maybe the experience goes on to inspire more complex things. but I don’t get why we need A.I.? Mankind went to the moon and back with just a few kilo bytes of memory! I guess if something goes wrong the buck stops at the A.I.?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123804",
"author": "Ian",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T20:16:44",
"content": "Brown Thumb is the PEBKAC(1) of the plant world.I’m no plant whisperer, but everyone I know that “can’t keep a plant alive” is doing it wrong. And the things they are doing wrong are often so obvious that we don’t even think to ask about them.“This dead plant has a tag hanging off a branch that says ‘requires 4 hours of direct sunlight per day’ and you have it in your bathroom that has no windows…”It’s kind of like when someone tells you that their computer won’t start.You shouldn’t need to ask if it is plugged in to power, and they would get insulted if you did, but every once in a while that will be the problem…(1) Problem exists between keyboard and chair.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,562.588247
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/29/weird-and-wonderful-vr-mr-text-entry-methods-all-in-one-place/
|
Weird And Wonderful VR/MR Text Entry Methods, All In One Place
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Software Hacks",
"Virtual Reality"
] |
[
"interface",
"MR",
"text entry",
"vr",
"XR"
] |
Are you a developer or experimenter pondering options for text entry in virtual or mixed reality? If that’s the case (or you’re merely curious) then here’s the resource you need:
TEXT
, or the
T
ext
E
ntry for
X
R
T
rove. It’s a collection of all the things people have tried when it comes to creating text entry interfaces for virtual and mixed reality (VR/MR) systems, all in a searchable list, complete with animated demonstrations.
There are a lot of different ways to approach this problem, ranging from simple to strange.
VR and MR are new frontiers, and optimal interfaces are still very much a work in progress. If one wishes to avoid reinventing the wheel, it’s a good idea to research prior art. This resource makes it very easy to browse all the stuff people have tried when it comes to text entry.
It’s also fun just to browse and see what kinds of unusual solutions people have come up with that go pretty far beyond “floating over-sized virtual keyboard”.
Lenstouch
for example involves tapping directly on the touch-sensitive front of the headset, and
PalmType
reminds us somewhat of the Palm Pilot’s
Graffiti
system.
It’s a treasure trove of creativity with a nice, searchable interface. Have you come up with your own, or know of a method that isn’t there? Submit it to the collection so others can find it. And if you’re in the process of cooking something up yourself, we have some
DIY handwriting recognition resources
you might find useful.
| 5
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122785",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T10:11:42",
"content": "What’s the difference between MR and AR",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122810",
"author": "Ethan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:32:25",
"content": "Apparently, mixed reality tries to do object tracking and stuff, so it can “mix” the virtual displays it throws up in the world, and real objects (think things like faking occlusion, keeping your screen from clipping into walls, etc.)AR just throws up virtual displays over the top of everything.",
"parent_id": "8122785",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122844",
"author": "Jace",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:04:13",
"content": "I always thought of it as degrees of reality.VR is full virtual, MR is mostly virtual with “Real Reality” components, AR is mostly “real” with virtual components, and RR is fully real. xD",
"parent_id": "8122785",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122845",
"author": "Jace",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:07:21",
"content": "A brief amount of Google Research indicates that AR overlays virtual components into a real space, while Mixed Reality allows “interactions” between the virtual and real spaces.shrug",
"parent_id": "8122785",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122999",
"author": "Hamish",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T08:20:52",
"content": "Oh, I like these. I remember doing a bunch of UX experimentation for intuitive but fast-ish text input in VR. I really liked a letter-blocks approach, where you picked up and placed physical blocks that represented the letters. Not particularly fast, but super intuitive and engaging!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,562.636165
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/pi-pico-throws-us-for-a-midi-loop/
|
Pi Pico Throws Us For A (MIDI) Loop
|
Tyler August
|
[
"Musical Hacks"
] |
[
"diy midi",
"electronic music",
"midi loop",
"Pi Pico W",
"Pico-W"
] |
Modern micro-controllers are absolute marvels, but it isn’t too many projects use one and nothing else. For an example of such simplicity, take a look at [oyama]’s
Pi Pico MIDI looper
.
It uses the PicoW to interface with a synth via MIDI-BLE, which can be anything from pro equipment to an app on your smartphone. The single control button is already provided by the Pico W– the bootsel button is wearing a lot of hats here, allowing one to select betwixt 4 tracks (all different drums), set the tempo, and input notes on the selected track.
The action is simple: pound out the rhythm for each track, and it will repeat forever, or at least until you press the single button again to change it. There’s also a nice serial interface so you can see what’s going on via UART or USB. For what it does, it is amazingly simple: the BOM is one item, the Pi Pico W. To see it in action, check out the demo video below.
Given the ADC chops on the Pico, it would probably be easy to extend this build with a speaker to make a tiny stand-alone, one-button synth. Or you could add more buttons buttons, but then it’s no longer the beautifully simple single-line BOM project that [oyama] showed us.
Of course, everything is
open-source on GitHub,
under the BSD license, and forking is encouraged, so [oyama] would doubtless be more than happy to see you go nuts hacking and extending this tiny MIDI looper.
We’ve actually seen the MIDI-BLE standard used before,
like this hack adding it to a Eurorack
. If you like synths, you may be interested to see
what it takes to design one from scratch
, sans microcontroller.
| 3
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122787",
"author": "matt",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T10:25:30",
"content": "Very cool, I had a teenage engineering pocket operator and loved it, but this is a much cheaper way to get the same essence, for a lot cheaper!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122843",
"author": "dremu",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:01:30",
"content": "Are you the operator with your pocket calculator?",
"parent_id": "8122787",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122980",
"author": "0yamaoyama",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T03:35:42",
"content": "Thank you! My goal was to see how much fun and creativity I could squeeze from a bare Pico without adding anything extra – an experience that reminded me of a Zen monk’s practice.I’m also a huge fan of teenage engineering gear, so hearing that means a lot.Really appreciate your comment!",
"parent_id": "8122787",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,562.673674
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/deriving-the-reactance-formulas/
|
Deriving The Reactance Formulas
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"calculus",
"math",
"radian frequency",
"Reactance"
] |
If you’ve dealt with reactance, you surely know the two equations for computing inductive and capacitive reactance. But unless you’ve really dug into it, you may only know the formula the way a school kid knows how to find the area of a circle. You have to have a bit of higher math to figure out why the equation is what it is. [Old Hack EE] wanted to figure out why the formulas are what they are, so
he dug in
and shared what he learned in a video you can see below.
The key to understanding this is simple. The reactance describes the voltage over the current through the element, just like resistance. The difference is that a resistance is just a single number. A reactance is a curve that gives you a different value at different frequencies. That’s because current and voltage are out of phase through a reactance, so it isn’t as easy as just dividing.
If you know calculus, the video will make a lot of sense. If you don’t know calculus, you might have a few moments of panic, but you can make it. If you think of frequency in Hertz as cycles per second, all the 2π you find in these equations convert Hz to “radian frequency” since one cycle per second is really 360 degrees of the sine wave in one second. There are 2π radians in a circle, so it makes sense.
We love developing intuition about things that seem fundamental but have a lot of depth to them that we usually ignore. If you need a refresher or a jump start on calculus, it
isn’t as hard
as you probably think. Engineers usually use vectors or
imaginary numbers to deal with reactance
, and we’ve talked about that too, if you want to learn more.
| 9
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122770",
"author": "TheJoe",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T06:11:25",
"content": "I sometimes wonder… this is high school level physics (where I went to school). It is not complex. We are not discussing quantum mechanics. What is it about the education system that people don’t know this? Surely people interested in electronics should have paid attention in class? Or don’t they teach that in other places?Yeah, educating people is great, and should be done, in fact I enjoy doing that myself – though I prefer doing it in person.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122773",
"author": "Clark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T06:48:27",
"content": "A lot of people, including engineers, turn off their brain when they see math that is beyond “enter value for X and punch it in a calculator”",
"parent_id": "8122770",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122870",
"author": "alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:04:09",
"content": "I remember some vague reasoning about the equations along the hand wavey lines of it must relate to frequency, inductance (or capacitance) and has to be inverse or not.Good enough for me!But I do like the video.",
"parent_id": "8122773",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122829",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:36:37",
"content": "Just too many people learn by memorizing and get promoted just by repeating. This also happens at work – people who memorize what to do are considered better workers. True understanding helps on rare occasions.It’s really hard to know if someone understands or just remembers.",
"parent_id": "8122770",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122993",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T06:56:47",
"content": "There’s memorizing and there’s understanding, but understanding won’t happen without memorizing because you wouldn’t have anything in your head to think about.Memorization alone doesn’t get you very far without understanding though, because trivial facts don’t account for how to apply them. The higher you go in abstraction, the more gibberish and hard to remember things become if you don’t understand them, because you need the understanding to anchor the information to something.One of the failures of modern education is poo-pooing on the memorization part, calling it useless because you can always look it up later. Now, there’s a concept in education called the zone of proximal development, where people can perform above their level as long as they have suitable “scaffolding” to perform the task. Once the learner has learned the task, the scaffolding is removed because the required knowledge is internalized, and they can go up a level – except when it isn’t, because you’re not requiring the person to memorize anything – just to “understand” the concepts so you can look them up later when needed. But the understanding is there for as long as the person can reflect on the supplied information and references, and goes away once the person is cut off from support. Understanding doesn’t happen without memorization, remember? The ideas become very difficult and inefficient to think about.So, you get people who can vaguely remember that there’s this thing called “algebra” or “calculus”, but when it comes to applying them, it’s too much of an effort to re-learn the mechanics and not enough time to do so, so they just give up. Turns out it would have been better to just drill them in to memory rather than “understand” the concepts using educational crutches to pass the tests at school.",
"parent_id": "8122829",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122839",
"author": "MZ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T14:25:15",
"content": "I’m not sure I see what you’re saying. An average electronics hobbyist doesn’t have an EE degree. I don’t think there’s any general high school or college coursework that every person has to take and that would explain how these things work.Most people learn from hobby books or websites, and the vast majority of them don’t derive these formulas. They’re just presented as facts.If anything, I think the explanation in the video is more complicated than needs be. I have a simple intro here that doesn’t depend on prior knowledge of calculus:https://lcamtuf.substack.com/p/primer-core-concepts-in-electronic",
"parent_id": "8122770",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122847",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:17:10",
"content": "Back in school I took the effort to derive things when simply memorizing them would be sufficient. It took longer at the time but I didn’t mind at all just because I found it fascinating. Time spent doing something fun doesn’t feel like work and all that. At the time it let me re-derive stuff on the fly (exams) that I forgot or didn’t/ couldn’t memorize. Now decades later I see something like this and it is perfectly intuitive even after all these years. and still just as fun. shrug.",
"parent_id": "8122770",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122866",
"author": "Ccecil",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T16:36:28",
"content": "When I was in Electronics (2 year college course) we went over the formulas…but more often than not the teacher just said “Here is the formula…the way it is derived is in the book and you probably won’t ever need to do it. If you want to learn it talk to me after class”.Quite often there isn’t enough time to teach the more advanced math along with the theory…also in the 30 years since school I have never needed to derive it further, so I would say my instructor was correct in not wasting time on it.",
"parent_id": "8122770",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122952",
"author": "scott",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T00:20:03",
"content": "As someone who just earnes an EE degree, I can definitively say that you absolutely derive these equations. Rarely are the reactance equations used directly; you must derive equations for transfer functions and current/voltage of a node/component.",
"parent_id": "8122866",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,563.030424
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/eclairm0-the-pocket-notepad/
|
EclairM0, The Pocket Notepad
|
Matt Varian
|
[
"handhelds hacks"
] |
[
"OLED SSD1306",
"SAMD21",
"T9",
"tinygo"
] |
Roughly the size of a Tic Tac container,
this project
packs a punch in a compact package. [Matt] sent in this beautifully documented pocket device that brings back great memories of texting on early cellphones.
The EclairM0’s firmware is written in TinyGo, a language he hadn’t used before but found perfect for a microcontroller project where storage space is tight. The 14-button input mimics early phone keypads, using multi-tapping and combo key presses to offer various functions. The small SSD1306 OLED display is another highlight. Building on an earlier CircuitPython project, [Matt] optimized the screen’s performance, speeding up its response time for a snappy user experience. The battery picked was only 3 mm thick, however the protection circuity on the battery added another 2 mm so he moved that protection circuity to the main PCB itself to keep it as thin as initially planned.
Weighing just 15 grams, this lightweight device runs on a SAMD21 microcontroller, which supports USB host functionality. This allows the EclairM0 to act as a keyboard, mouse, or even USB peripherals. Housed in a 3D-printed case, the entire project is open-source, with design and firmware files
available on GitHub
.
We love small
handheld projects
around here and this well-documented, fun pocket device is no exception, if you want your own he has a page dedicated to helping you
build a EclairM0
.
| 6
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122766",
"author": "Peter",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T05:10:09",
"content": "I’m impressed by the elegant design of it. I would probably like some indication of special functions on the keyboard, because I would quickly forget which combo did what.I am fascinated by these types of pocket notepads, as well as the “pure typing machines” I’ve seen on HaD, but I can’t imagine integrating them into my EDC kit. I already carry way too many gadgets in my pockets. Adding another one would be too much.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122767",
"author": "ziew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T05:13:46",
"content": "(…) SAMD21 microcontroller, which supports USB host functionality. This allows the EclairM0 to act as a keyboard, mouse, or even USB peripherals.Isn’t USBdevicefunctionality required to act as keyboards or mice? And doesn’t “or even” imply that keyboard and mouse aren’t USB peripherals?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122783",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T09:40:58",
"content": "I think the author meant USB device functionality. The USB host is the computer you’re plugging into. Indeed, the keyboard, mouse, or mass storage (what they call bootloader/DFU) are all USB device class supported by the SAMD21 microcontroller.",
"parent_id": "8122767",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122807",
"author": "Matt Varian",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:21:33",
"content": "Exactly! I’ll work to clarify/communicate that better in the future.",
"parent_id": "8122783",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122856",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:46:14",
"content": "That’s got to be the strangest tiny keyboard I’ve ever seen, but it looks surprisingly useful.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122873",
"author": "Maave",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:15:17",
"content": "This tiny device is really cool. I don’t know if I love or hate the keyboard layout. I have QWERTY memorized but not telephone keypad letters so maybe it’s not bad. I adore the USB functionality",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,562.934461
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/tinycorder-isnt-quite-a-tricorder-but/
|
Tinycorder Isn’t Quite A Tricorder, But…
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Microcontrollers"
] |
[
"ESP32",
"tester"
] |
The Star Trek tricorder was a good example of a McGuffin. It did anything needed to support the plot or, in some cases, couldn’t do things also in support of the plot. We know [SirGalaxy] was thinking about the tricorder when he named the
Tinycorder
, but the little device has a number of well-defined features. You can see a brief video of it working below the break.
The portable device has a tiny ESP32 and a battery. The 400×240 display is handy, but has low power consumption. In addition to the sensors built into the ESP32, the Tinycorder has an AS7341 light sensor, an air quality sensor, and a weather sensor. An odd combination, but like its namesake, it can do lots of unrelated things.
The whole thing goes together in a two-part printed case. This is one of those projects where you might not want an exact copy, but you very well might use it as a base to build your own firmware. Even [SirGalaxy] has plans for future developments, such as adding a buzzer and a battery indicator.
This physically reminded us of those
ubiquitous component testers
. That another multi-purpose tester that started simple and gets more features through software.
| 12
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122683",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:08:37",
"content": "Seeing the spanish menu reminded me of something I have been meaning to do.. look up HaD like content in languages I practice on DuoLingo for more experience and vocab in something that interests me. That’s easier said than done though. What to use for search terms?How do you translate hacker (and get the right context), maker (interesting he had maker in his credits), hackerspace, etc… I’m doing Esperanto, Spanish, German, French and Russian myself but others in the comments might be interested in other languages.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122708",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T22:04:40",
"content": "Rightly or wrongly all hackers use English if they want to reach a wider audience.",
"parent_id": "8122683",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122760",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:47:38",
"content": "English is the lingua franca of the Internet",
"parent_id": "8122708",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122906",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:36:11",
"content": "I see what you did there..",
"parent_id": "8122760",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122768",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T05:14:07",
"content": "This is not true. There is a wealth of information in native languages. E.g. there is the French, French-speaking (and female) maker Heliox, with almost 400k subscribers (more than a half percent of all native speakers), which I watch basically … to teach myself French.",
"parent_id": "8122708",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122774",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T07:36:20",
"content": "It actually is true.Yes, there is a lot of material available in any particular language, but to reach more hackers English is most useful. I already speak English and French, but I have never considered seeking out French language “hacker” material. If I encounter it I can read it, but searching in English is generally sufficient.If a non-English speaker published anything truly significant someone would write about it in English, and probably post it here.",
"parent_id": "8122768",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122819",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:53:32",
"content": "You are somewhat right, but it is a wrong to think all (or even most) hacking information is available in English, even if you’re talking about globally relevant information (i.e. not a POTS hack only applicable to the German phone system).",
"parent_id": "8122774",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122789",
"author": "greg",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T10:47:52",
"content": "Duolingo is a sham company. Glad to see they can afford to advertise here.",
"parent_id": "8122683",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122792",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:06:17",
"content": "Just to be clear, someone mentioned them in the comments, not Hackaday. We don’t have anything to do with them. Anything anyone says, good or bad, about a company in the comments — that’s the personal opinion of the commenter in question.",
"parent_id": "8122789",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123020",
"author": "Fl.xy",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T10:16:23",
"content": "I’m monolingual but use translation services when searching for information on subjects that don’t yield satisfactory English results. I often find a wealth of new wisdom on message boards that use foreign languages.",
"parent_id": "8122683",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122688",
"author": "wtrout",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:32:21",
"content": "I love those displays. So simple, efficient, and attractive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122729",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T01:54:31",
"content": "Reminds me of the Gameboy Pocket a little bit.",
"parent_id": "8122688",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,562.89112
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/paint-mixing-theory-for-custom-filament-colors/
|
Paint Mixing Theory For Custom Filament Colors
|
Aaron Beckendorf
|
[
"3d Printer hacks"
] |
[
"color matching",
"color mixing",
"colored 3d printer filament",
"filament extruder"
] |
Recycling 3D filament is a great idea in theory, and we come across homemade filament extruders with some regularity, but they do have some major downsides when it comes to colored filaments. If you try to recycle printer waste of too many different colors, you’ll probably be left with a nondescript gray or brown filament. Researchers at Western University, however, have
taken advantage of this pigment mixing
to create colors not found in any commercial filament (
open access paper
).
They started by preparing samples of 3D printed waste in eight different colors and characterizing their spectral reflectance properties with a visible-light spectrometer. They fed this information into their SpecOptiBlend program (open source,
available here
), which optimizes the match between a blend of filaments and a target color. The program relies on the Kubelka-Munk theory for subtractive color mixing, which is usually used to calculate the effect of mixing paints, and minimizes the difference which the human eye perceives between two colors. Once the software calculated the optimal blend, the researchers mixed the correct blend of waste plastics and extruded it as a filament which generally had a remarkably close resemblance to the target color.
In its current form, this process probably won’t be coming to consumer 3D printers anytime soon. To mix differently-colored filaments correctly, the software needs accurate measurements of their optical properties first, which requires a spectrometer. To get around this, the researchers recommend that filament manufacturers freely publish the properties of their filaments, allowing consumers to mix their filaments into any color they desire.
This reminds us of another technique that treats filaments like paint to achieve
remarkable color effects
. We’ve also seen
a number
of
filament extruders
before, if you’d like to try replicating this.
| 11
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122692",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:49:39",
"content": "I wonder if you could mix in the hot end, perhaps with some ultrasonic agitation to keep it moving through.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122694",
"author": "Stanson",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:00:09",
"content": "Kubelka-Munk theory works fine for a very thin layer of colorants mix (textile or printing), but perform poorly for relatively thick layers, like paints, not even talking about plastics. It will kind of work for completely opaque materials, but if plastic is even a tiny bit transparent, it will give bad results. For paints and plastics nobody use Kubelka-Munk theory to formulate recipe. Multiflux approach over theory of radiation is used in one or another form.However, in the case of plastic waste reuse and if acceptable color difference is relatively large (say, ΔE2000 above 3 is acceptable, i.e. approx 80% of people will clearly see color difference between desired color and what we got), then, I think such tool could be used. Say, if you need abstractly green plastic for some standalone thing, and have some white, yellow and blue waste, then go for it. You will get some green. But don’t expect that you could create exact color you need, say, to print some nice addon for car dash that should look authentic, and nobody will notice color difference. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122699",
"author": "Vik",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:11:46",
"content": "When I used to make PLA filament (I invented it) we would only use a maximum of 10% “regrind” – filament that was unsaleable due to colour changes, diameter changes during setup etc.It all got used to make black. With more than 10% the quality drop was unacceptable by our admittedly high standards. Those are what differentiated us from overseas suppliers at the time. I hate to image the quality of recycled filament that as been heated up that many times – a miracle if it feeds without breaking.We used to (and Imagin still do) sell “Virgin Black” for those in need of perfect quality.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122720",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T00:28:38",
"content": "Did you really invent PLA filament?Also this explains why proportionally speaking, my black filament purchases have been awful in quality. Snapping mid print regularly, etc.",
"parent_id": "8122699",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122735",
"author": "Vik OlliverVik",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T02:53:39",
"content": "Yes, I did. I replicated the first RepRap back in the day. We got fed up with rolling CAPA by hand. As the things would replicate a lot, I looked for something vaguely environmentally benign that welded to itself, found PLA. Got Imagin Plastics of Auckland to extrude it on a knitting needle machine, developed a blend for printing with NatureWorks, and here we are. I deliberately did not patent it.",
"parent_id": "8122720",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122800",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:43:01",
"content": "I wouldn’t have gotten into 3D printing if I had to use ABS, etc. You’ve enabled me to make so many cool things I otherwise would have never been able to afford. I used to have to go to the hardware store and keep a mental inventory of all the plumbing supplies, cut wood with terrible precision, buy products to steal parts, and whatever else to make something.Thank you for your discovery and human decency!",
"parent_id": "8122735",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122741",
"author": "G-man",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T03:37:46",
"content": "All I want is something for me to throw in my old prototypes and produce a reel of PETG to print with. I don’t care what colour is produced.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122786",
"author": "volt-k",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T10:13:43",
"content": "Unfortunately at the moment it’s cheaper and easier to just throw the failed prints away and buy a brand new spool.Actually, I’ve just realised that SUNLU sells a recycled PETG at $10/kg (MOQ 10kg). But to be honest, the filament these days is pretty cheap anyway, regular (non-recycled) is ~$12/kg and you get to choose the color so why bother.",
"parent_id": "8122741",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122828",
"author": "DrWizard",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:33:55",
"content": "“…recommend that filament manufacturers freely publish the properties of their filaments”Keep dreaming.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122872",
"author": "Lgonhackaday",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:10:34",
"content": "I feel like msds is the best we will get in USA?",
"parent_id": "8122828",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123099",
"author": "Davidmh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T17:34:38",
"content": "Or the community could lead such an effort. You can get an C12880MA from Hamamatsu for 200 bucks, and then you just need a MCU to read the data, and you are off to the races.",
"parent_id": "8122828",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,562.981322
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/supercon-2024-sketching-with-machines/
|
Supercon 2024: Sketching With Machines
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"cnc hacks",
"cons",
"Hackaday Columns"
] |
[
"2024 Hackaday Supercon",
"3d printer",
"g-code",
"tool paths"
] |
When it comes to our machines, we generally have very prescribed and ordered ways of working with them. We know how to tune our CNC mill for the minimum chatter when its chewing through aluminium. We know how to get our FDM printer to lay perfect, neat layers to minimize the defects in our 3D prints.
That’s not what Blair Subbaraman came down to talk about at the 2024 Hackaday Supercon, though. Instead, Blair’s talk covered the magic that happens when you work
outside
the built-in assumptions and get creative.
It’s all about sketching with machines.
Blair starts out by highlighting various items that were fabricated with an eye to tool pathing itself, before relating this to his work with 3D printers.
Early on, Blair’s talk focuses on some unique objects, fabricated with digital methods, but in unconventional ways. “These objects aren’t purely designed in CAD, but also kind of designed directly in the machine tool paths.” Motioning to a carved vase that makes good use of tool marks, Blair explains the concept. “The design is really driven by the mark that the endmill has left in the wood,” he says. “That’s not something that’s encoded or specified in the geometry file, you just have to try a bunch of settings and see what happens and see what looks good to your eye.”
Jumping back to the concept of sketching, and he Blair roots the concept in its modern uses—like Arduino sketches, or those used with the Processing framework. “If we can write a little program and we can sketch with pixels or LEDs, what might it look like to sketch with a 3D printer? he asks.
Via direct control of the printer’s behavior, it was possible for Blair to create this blobby, stringy 3D printed vase.
Right away, he gives a potent and clear example—a unique 3D printed vase. It’s not produced in the usual way, however. Blair didn’t create a CAD model, then throw it in a slicer, before chucking the G-code on the printer. Instead, it’s created with more direct control of the 3D printer itself. The printer’s extruder is commanded to run in place, creating a hot blob of plastic, before the gantry gently pulls away, creating a string to the next stack of blobs, where the process repeats again. Rather than a solid 3D-printed wall, the result is altogether more delicate and complex, with fine strings linking towers of delicately melted plastic. It’s something that you couldn’t really create just by using standard 3D printing tools.
“This is what I mean by designing directly in toolpaths,” Blair explains. It’s achieved through precise control over the extruder and motion platform. The G-code is finessed to create blobs of plastic that are
just right
, and to move the head at just the right speed to create a contiguous molten string without breaking or sagging.
Blair’s p5.fab framework exists to make this sort of experimentation easier and more accessible.
Blair created the p5.fab Javascript library to make it easier to craft—or sketch—in this manner. His library includes simple commands for controlling, say, a 3D printer. Stacking up commands to control moves and various extruder operations allows the creation of objects in an entirely different way than just using CAD to specifically define the desired geometry directly. “We can use these really simple commands to quickly build up more complicated objects,” says Blair. “You can print some fun things that you’d maybe be hard pressed to do with CAD and a slicer, here, and you can do it in a really computationally modest way.” A particularly enjoyable example? Printing a handle on the side of a disposable coffee cup. It’s a gimmick, but one that does show the possibilities at play.
Blair’s inspiration to work with toolpaths directly has its benefits. “Whatever slicer you like might come out with a wire printing mode or some other experimental slicing mode, but some of the motivation here is that I don’t want to wait for my slicer to come out with a blob mode in order to print blobby things,” says Blair. “Probably my slicer is never going to make blobs the way I like my blobs.”
If hooking up a MIDI controller to a 3D printer doesn’t blow your mind, it really should.
Blair’s talk goes further with some really neat ideas. A particular highlight is using a MIDI controller with knobs and sliders to control a 3D printer. Imagine being able to make tweaks to print settings like movement speed or extrusion rate on the fly. It’s not what you’d want for producing an accurate part, for sure. And yet, Blair demonstrates how it allowed him to discover how to print neatly stacked coils in TPU, just by giving his hands direct control over the machine parameters in a live sense.
Overall, it’s a talk that makes us think about how to get closer to the machines we create with. Slicers and CAD are perfect for making our regular 3D prints. At the same time, there are great and wild things that can be achieved by taking more direct control over the machinery, and indeed—sketching with the machines!
| 2
| 2
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122658",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:43:32",
"content": "there’s something neat about being able to control the tool path directly but it doesn’t seem very generally applicable to me. you go a short way down that path and before you know it you’re inventing a new kind of slicer…which is awesome! it just diverges from the direct control that you started with. one of the many games to play that immediately lead you to a new kind of gamei wonder if it would be easier for my essential-tremor hands to move two knobs in out-of-phase sinusoids than to move a filament-pen in a spiral? historically, i have not enjoyed etch-a-sketch :)definitely a hack!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122710",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T22:14:26",
"content": "Though it might be really difficult without some sort of software constraints, this sounds reasonably like an application for something like a SpaceMouse.Not really sure how many of the six degrees of freedom you could map directly to control a 3D printer, but it seems like it would be a good fit.The constraints would come in if you were trying to exactly stack layers on top of previous layers. Without some sort of “magnetic attraction” feature, my hand-eye coordination would just point and laugh.Maybe a middle-man of CAD could allow previewing each step before committing it to the printer. I tend to think that such a process could just directly translate the motion to g-code, obviate a slicer. and allow duplication of the drawprinted object.Or not.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.121925
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/how-methane-took-over-the-booster-world/
|
How Methane Took Over The Booster World
|
Tyler August
|
[
"Space"
] |
[
"aerospace",
"liquid fuel rocket",
"liquid fuel rocket engine",
"methane",
"rocketry"
] |
Go back a generation of development, and excepting the shuttle-derived systems, all liquid rockets used RP-1 (aka kerosene) for their first stage. Now it seems everybody and their dog wants to fuel their rockets with methane. What happened? [Eager Space] was
eager to explain in recent video
, which you’ll find embedded below.
Space X Starship firing its many Raptor engines. The raptor pioneered the new generation of methalox. (Image: Space X)
At first glance, it’s a bit of a wash: the density and specific impulses of kerolox (kerosene-oxygen) and metholox (methane-oxygen) rockets are very similar. So there’s no immediate performance improvement or volumetric disadvantage, like you would see with hydrogen fuel. Instead it is a series of small factors that all add up to a meaningful design benefit when engineering the whole system.
Methane also has the advantage of being a gas when it warms up, and rocket engines tend to be warm. So the injectors don’t have to worry about atomizing a thick liquid, and mixing fuel and oxidizer inside the engine does tend to be easier. [Eager Space] calls RP-1 “a soup”, while methane’s simpler combustion chemistry makes the simulation of these engines quicker and easier as well.
There are other factors as well, like the fact that methane is much closer in temperature to LOX, and does cost quite a bit less than RP-1, but you’ll need to watch the whole video to see how they all stack up.
We write about rocketry fairly often on Hackaday, seeing projects with both liquid-fueled and solid-fueled engines. We’ve even
highlighted at least one methalox rocket
, way back in 2019. Our thanks to space-loving reader [Stephen Walters] for the tip. Building a rocket of your own? Let us know about it
with the tip line
.
| 42
| 14
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122414",
"author": "ziggurat29",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T20:31:46",
"content": "so rocketry iz wut we about, yo! lol",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122415",
"author": "cliff claven",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T20:36:24",
"content": "I do believe that in this story you have the basis of a five star haiku.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122443",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:45:49",
"content": "gaseous feastinga wind brewing within meevacuate now!",
"parent_id": "8122415",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122418",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T21:05:00",
"content": "“*, all liquid rockets used RP-1 (aka kerosene) for their first stage.*”Have we forgotten the Delta IV and Heavy already? It’s only been a year.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122424",
"author": "Randy Hill",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T21:49:42",
"content": "And SLS and Shuttle? All of them terrible rockets that were super expensive because they used Hydrolox first stages.",
"parent_id": "8122418",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122577",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:19:53",
"content": "SLS and Shuttle are pretty damn “shuttle-derived”.",
"parent_id": "8122424",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122704",
"author": "metalman",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:40:04",
"content": "SLS, Shuttle Leftover Systems",
"parent_id": "8122577",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122430",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T22:59:54",
"content": "Feel free to disagree, but I was lumping the Delta IV in with “shuttle-derived” as far as engines go, since the RS-68 engine looks a lot like a simplified, disposable RS-25/SSME to my eyes.",
"parent_id": "8122418",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122435",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T23:57:07",
"content": "I would have characterized it as “SSME-inspired”, but fair enough.",
"parent_id": "8122430",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122440",
"author": "Bunsen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:37:03",
"content": "And the Ariane V and the H-II.",
"parent_id": "8122418",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122442",
"author": "Bunsen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:40:32",
"content": "And that’s just the hydrogen burners. There’s a whole mess of hypergolic first stages that ran (or still run) on hydrazine (with optional methyls).",
"parent_id": "8122440",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122598",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:14:09",
"content": "You mean to tell me Outer Space does not belong exclusively to Uncle Sam!? /s(I neglected to clarify that the video was talking about US rockets. That’s actually a pretty big oversight on my part.)",
"parent_id": "8122442",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122757",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:32:51",
"content": "Actually outer space does belong exclusively to Uncle Sam",
"parent_id": "8122598",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122425",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T22:24:36",
"content": "Forgot the major bean counting concern: methane has no real penalties and it’s much cheaper. Bean counters are in most top management operations",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122578",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:22:50",
"content": "You’ve written that as though using a cheaper fuel is some kind of failure. Why wouldn’t you use a cheaper fuel?",
"parent_id": "8122425",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122758",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:38:09",
"content": "I think you read something into it which was not actually implied",
"parent_id": "8122578",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122788",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T10:29:45",
"content": "The descriptive phrase “bean counting” is pejorative, and they’ve used it twice to reinforce it, there’s no way that isn’t a negative implication.",
"parent_id": "8122758",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122433",
"author": "TheJBW",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T23:35:21",
"content": "IIRC one of the major reasons SpaceX is going with CH-4 for Starship is that it’s easier to synthesize in situ with the resources available on Mars.Not saying that I believe them to have a specific plan on how to get from A to B, but I remember reading that it was a motivating factor.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122447",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T01:34:57",
"content": "I’ve also heard that argument.But I don’t trust the musk guy.I’m not even sure whether that whole Mars thing of him is anything more then a publicity stunt. The guy loves publicity.Reduced cost for comparable performance is an argument I can understand though.",
"parent_id": "8122433",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122439",
"author": "Colin",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:26:34",
"content": "The main thing is that methane was mid. Middle-of-the-road for everything, didn’t excel in anything.RP-1/LOX was dense (this gives smaller rockets with more payload per rocket) and had flight heritage.H2/LOX was the upper-stage fuel of choice because of its high specific impulse, and despite its low specific gravity hydrolox kept being used in the Shuttle, because the engines were being made and rocket engineers were in the habit of chasing specific impulse.Nitrogen tetroxide/UMDH was the hypergolic, storable star once they figured out how to stabilise it so that it could sit in a rocket in a missile silo. (Nearly all USA rocket research, especially propellant chemistries, was done by the armed forces and its contractors.)Propane/LOX was considered more promising than methane. It stayed liquid when chilled down to liquid oxygen temperatures (and so could use a common dome between the pressurised tanks, saving on dry mass), was denser than kerosene and had a higher specific impulse than it.High-test peroxide/RP-1 was the hidden hope of SSTO designers, because it was storable, non-toxic, non-cryogenic and very dense. The prototype of New Shepard flew using it, as did the defunct Armadillo Aerospace. The thing holding it back is that in US rocketry, HTP is viewed with the same enthusaism as a dead rat on the porch.Just about the only arena where methane does excel is in orbital propellant depots. If shaded from the heat of the Sun (and the Earth, because it turns out that’s a significant factor too) it just sits there.And orbital propellant depots have not been welcome at NASA since the SLS was proposed, not until recently.Then some madman decided to go to Mars.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122487",
"author": "fede.tft",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:16:32",
"content": "Propane/LOX is the combination of the new European rocket Spectrum, which made its first launch attempt this year.As for why peroxide is not popular, the book Ignition! also cited by other commenters explains it in quite a bit of detail. It turns out it’s not as storable as it first seems.",
"parent_id": "8122439",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122521",
"author": "ardencaple",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T10:48:00",
"content": ".. And of course the Black Arrow orbital launcher from the 60s/70s used HTP to put the Prospero satellite into orbit.",
"parent_id": "8122439",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122615",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:46:33",
"content": "The thing holding it back is that in US rocketry, HTP is viewed with the same enthusaism as a dead rat on the porch.Which is because of its habit to break down spontaneously into steam and oxygen upon any sort of contamination, or just because it feels like it because water itself acts as a “contaminant” to catalyze the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide.It’s “storable” in the sense that you can keep it around for a while, if you’re super careful about it. The higher the proof, the longer it keeps, but the greater the kaboom when things go wrong.",
"parent_id": "8122439",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124391",
"author": "Colin",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T16:38:58",
"content": "A more recent resource (circa ’95-’05) I use are the USENET archives of rec.sci.space (https://yarchive.net/space/index.html), with some heavyweights like Gary Hudson and Dani Eder (of Ederworld fame) posting, and it records the back-and-forth that’s been going on since HTP was first used:https://yarchive.net/space/rocket/fuels/peroxide.html“I’ve worked with peroxide now, and I’d say I fall in the middle. Peroxide isn’t as safe and wonderful as its ardent supporters would suggest, but it is pretty safeby the standards of high strength oxidizers, has good density, is expensive but not too expensive for auxiliary propulsion, and is especially nice in monopropellant applications. For biprop applications with higher performance, it’s a much murkier trade.”[…]“I’ve often said that if peroxidelookeddangerous to handle, it would be a lot safer!”And indeed, these days it’s seeing use in RCS thrusters in both Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser and ESA’s VEGA-E smallsat launcher.",
"parent_id": "8122615",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122478",
"author": "lsjob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T06:15:11",
"content": "In case anyone missed it (like me), Ignition! is back in press since a few years, from Rutgers University Press. It has the Asimov foreword and everything.It’s a solid and well-told history of the early development of liquid rocket propellants up to ca 1970 when the book was written. You also get a ton of insight on why choices were made. It should come as no surprise that oil companies heavily pushed sulfur as an additive, for example.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122531",
"author": "prfesser",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:31:11",
"content": "The chapter on peroxide is rather appropriately titled “Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride”. H2O2 has the unsettling habit of decomposing in contact with…almost everything, including dirt and careless rocket scientists. Even when stabilized and stored in polyethylene, Clark pointed out that there is a slow but steady “gloop….gloop…” of decomposition.It’s initially popular with beginning amateurs until they find out how difficult it is to get 95% H2O2. Some decide to make their own by concentrating more-available 30% solution. Which turns most of their effort into producing the oxidizer. That goes south pretty quickly.",
"parent_id": "8122478",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122574",
"author": "cjameshuff",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:55:06",
"content": "It also doesn’tjustgo “gloop-gloop”, it produces large quantities of heat. Past a certain threshold, you get runaway decomposition with the entire oxidizer tank turning into steam and hot oxygen. If it spills on flammable materials, it can cause spontaneous ignition. It will quickly cause both chemical and thermal burns. And you really don’t want to inhale mist or vapors from hot high-concentration peroxide. It’s not quite as horrifically dangerous as, say, dinitrogen tetroxide, but I think people get entirely the wrong idea about it from the dilute solutions used as an antiseptic.And yeah, it seems mostly popular with people who aren’t actually doing rocketry or with startups/hobbyists who haven’t actually had to use it at any significant scale. As far as I’m aware, only one rocket using it has ever launched, the Black Arrow. That rocket only did one orbital launch, and by the time of that flight the program had already been canceled due to its cost.",
"parent_id": "8122531",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122601",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:25:13",
"content": "That hydrogen peroxide in your medicine cabinet is probably not even the 3% alleged on the label. After 6 months or a year it’s almost all water, from just sitting there.",
"parent_id": "8122531",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122501",
"author": "Murray",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:27:45",
"content": "The risk of carbon buildup in the cooling channels.Methane is cleaner.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122519",
"author": "karl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T10:21:06",
"content": "Give me old fashioned paraffin and liquid oxygen. Methane is horrific as a greenhouse gas once it accidentally escapes which it always does.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122595",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:05:48",
"content": "Methane escapes everywhere all the time!",
"parent_id": "8122519",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122759",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:39:05",
"content": "Braaaaaaap",
"parent_id": "8122595",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122528",
"author": "prfesser",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:20:36",
"content": "One issue that could be serious is based on the fact that methane is miscible with LOX. An explosion on the pad could be far more destructive than RP-1 and LOX. I’ve seen calculations by actual rocket scientists that put the yield at up to 15 kt….a bit smaller than the Hiroshima weapon.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122529",
"author": "prfesser",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:21:41",
"content": "Sorry, did not point out that that yield was calculated for Starship.",
"parent_id": "8122528",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122584",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:40:48",
"content": "Does that really matter? Rocket launches have pretty large exclusion areas. Aside from being a waste of a rocket it doesn’t really mean much. The weapon dropped on Hiroshima was devastating precisely because there wasn’t an exclusion area.",
"parent_id": "8122528",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122571",
"author": "trillz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:53:18",
"content": "Hydralox also leaks on long missions, which makes refueling a tanker to go to Mars nearly impossible.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122691",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:47:04",
"content": "Does the hydrogen leak? Or do they lose pressure from helium leaks?",
"parent_id": "8122571",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122778",
"author": "phuzz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T08:13:59",
"content": "The main problem is that liquid hydrogen needs to be kept very cold to stay liquid, and any that does boil off will have to be vented. It is also very good at finding it’s way out of leaks, but boil-off is the main problem.",
"parent_id": "8122691",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122639",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T17:45:55",
"content": "From the other side of the spectrum, you may find the: “The Most Dangerous Rocket Fuels Ever Tested” video from Scott Manley interesting. It also has some quotes from the Ignition! book.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122762",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:56:19",
"content": "Yep great fun. The infamous FOOF… a.k.a. the rocket fuel that screams its own name as it vaporizes you and the surrounding city block just because you looked at it funny",
"parent_id": "8122639",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122650",
"author": "Proofee",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:15:55",
"content": "5th paragraph is missing a word in the first sentence: “We [write?] about rocketry fairly often …”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122728",
"author": "Possibilus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T01:51:12",
"content": "One reason for methane is that it is abundant in the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, so any exploration there would be able to refuel there rather than carrying enough fuel for a round trip which might not be practical…not easy though. Can also be synthesized on Mars from frozen CO2 and H2O, so SpaceX made the choice for good reason.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.205193
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/quick-and-easy-digital-stethoscope-keeps-tabs-on-cat/
|
Quick And Easy Digital Stethoscope Keeps Tabs On Cat
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Medical Hacks"
] |
[
"audacity",
"auscultation",
"feline",
"Krita",
"lavalier",
"stethoscope",
"vet"
] |
For all their education, medical practitioners sometimes forget that what’s old hat to them is new territory for their patients. [David Revoy] learned that when a recent visit to the veterinarian resulted in the need to monitor his cat’s pulse rate at home, a task that he found difficult enough that he hacked together
this digital cat stethoscope
.
Never fear; [David] makes it clear that his fur-baby [Geuloush] is fine, although the gel needed for an echocardiogram likely left the cat permanently miffed. With a normal feline heart rate in the 140s, [David] found it hard to get an accurate pulse by palpation, so he bought a cheap stethoscope and a basic lavalier USB microphone. Getting them together was as easy as cutting the silicone tubing from the stethoscope head and sticking the microphone into it.
The tricky part, of course, would be getting [Geuloush] to cooperate. That took some doing, but soon enough [David] had a clean recording to visualize in an audio editor. From there it’s just a simple matter of counting up the peaks and figuring out the beats per second. It probably wouldn’t be too hard to build a small counter using a microcontroller so he doesn’t have to count on the cat napping near his PC, but in our experience, keyboards are pretty good cat attractants.
This is one of those nice, quick hacks whose simplicity belies their impact. It’s certainly not as fancy as some of
the smart stethoscopes we’ve seen
, but it doesn’t need to be.
Thanks to [Spooner] for the tip.
| 7
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122369",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T17:17:46",
"content": "Purfection. These are the hacks I adore. Show us more 20$ hacks that can do cool things like keep kitties healthy! This could also be useful for diagnostics of pumps and other activities I’m sure.I trust the author here, I’m sure just about any stethoscope and lapel microphone would work here. It still would be nice to have some suggestions or pictures of the assembly :).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122403",
"author": "Miles Archer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:30:57",
"content": "It’s a Cat Scan!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122410",
"author": "Adelaide",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T20:10:19",
"content": "Hopefully, there’s a small heater in the stethoscope head — you know how a cold stethoscope feels on your own back, and can extrapolate how a cat would feel about being “petted” by a cold vs. warm object. ;-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122426",
"author": "Randomnut",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T22:31:03",
"content": "Stethoscopes are generally cold because the doctor just cleaned them with 70% Etoh and Etoh evaporates quickly. You want the to be cold is means they are clean.",
"parent_id": "8122410",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122468",
"author": "Then",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T04:15:38",
"content": "Great hack, I have tried this 15 years ago but never managed to get sound. Did he plug the hole on the back of the scope?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122527",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:07:19",
"content": "He missed a trick, you can get the heartrate directly out of audacity without having to manually count beats.Simple Fixed Tempo Estimator plugin under the Analyze menu immediately gave me the right answer when applied to the audio clip they posted.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122602",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:25:20",
"content": "I was about to ask if beat counters on DJ software software would do the job?This hack is great anyway.",
"parent_id": "8122527",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,563.074628
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/vesc-mods-made-via-vibe-coding/
|
VESC Mods Made Via Vibe Coding
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Transportation Hacks"
] |
[
"coding",
"gemini",
"vesc",
"vibe coding"
] |
[David Bloomfield] wanted to make some tweaks to an embedded system, but didn’t quite have the requisite skills.
He decided to see if
vibe coding
could help.
[David]’s goal was simple. To take the
VESC Telemetry Display
created by [Lukas Janky] and add some tweaks of his own. He wanted to add more colors to the display, while changing the format of the displayed data and tweaking how it gets saved to EEPROM. The only problem was that [David] wasn’t experienced in coding at all, let alone for embedded systems like the Arduino Nano. His solution? Hand over the reins to a large language model. [David] used Gemini 2.5 Pro to make the changes, and by and large, got the tweaks made that he was looking for.
There are risks here, of course. If you’re working on an embedded system, whatever you’re doing could have real world consequences. Meanwhile, if you’re relying on the AI to generate the code and you don’t fully understand it yourself… well, the possibilities are obvious. It pays to know what you’re doing at the end of the day. In this case, it’s hard to imagine much going wrong with a simple telemetry display, but it bears considering the risks whatever you’re doing.
We’ve talked about the advent of vibe coding before, too,
with [Jenny List] exploring this nascent phenomenon.
Expect it to remain a topic of controversy in coding circles for some time.
| 19
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122347",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T15:20:39",
"content": "“It pays to know what you’re doing at the end of the day. ”Just imagine the damage an AI-driven poster could do.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122350",
"author": "Alphatek",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T15:46:39",
"content": "It would take over the rains and rein until it reigned.",
"parent_id": "8122347",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122360",
"author": "boondaburrah",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T16:42:00",
"content": "I need the world to stop calling it ‘vibe coding.’ It’s being a project manager. Vibe coding is when I have a glass of whiskey and write a stream of garbage code guided by pure vibes until it works, then come back the next day and write it again sober and neatly. It’s the old ‘write drunk, edit sober.’There are no vibes in telling a robot to work harder for you.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122391",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:41:00",
"content": "IIRC optimum drunkness for coding is called the Balmer level.",
"parent_id": "8122360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122396",
"author": "Sword",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:01:09",
"content": "I feel this post so much. When wife and kid are away I get so many projects hashed out like this",
"parent_id": "8122360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122611",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:42:26",
"content": "Welp, the good old time…I even remember some robotic article project teaching you how to build and code positioning devices, and having a selection of beer for the reader to go with the maths involved.I like the “code drunk, edit sober”, I’m stealing it from you = )",
"parent_id": "8122360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122643",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T17:55:17",
"content": "Dead on.I decided to give the “vibe coding” thing a try and set up Cursor and started having it generate a few basic applications for me, to mixed results. After a few hours I had a grasp on how to communicate with it effectively, so I had it recreate a library I’d been working on but got stuck with an issue. It ended up creating a more elegant structure than mine and after two days of telling it to add features, integration and regression tests, and preparing it for GitHub Actions CI/CD it suddenly failed to build and once it fixed the build failures all the tests were failing and the demo program wasn’t working the way it should. I kept working with the AI to fix it but it was going in circles and clearly couldn’t figure out the problem itself.It took a day of reading through the code (and the thorough docs the AI had written, top quality at that!) to figure out the root problem was all a single line in a build file that shouldn’t have been added in the first place.The lesson I learned was to treat the AI like a junior dev or an intern. I design things myself, maybe by writing out an Interface class or just defining an API specification, and tell the agent to color inside the lines. After every major change I tell it to make sure the code is thoroughly commented and to include XML comments for static documentation generators like Doxygen and DocFX, but also to assist with IDE hints/tooltips/etc. through Intellisense, Intellicode, whatever. Above all, I learned to always make it work in version control, commit after each major change, and make it write descriptive commit messages.That sequence is important, actually. I found that the AI agent will sometimes make logical errors in its implementation and discover this when going through a documentation pass. I have also found that the AI is a lot more competent when working with code that’s well commented (even if it wrote the comments itself) and if nothing else the comments it writes let me check that it has a clear perception of what the code is doing, what it is used for, and what it is intended to do.Vibe Coding implies giving up control and concern and trusting the AI to do it all without oversight. What is actually entails is more involved, and leans heavily on project management skills.",
"parent_id": "8122360",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122371",
"author": "Clara",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T17:24:05",
"content": "I would like to read zero (0) more reports on topics like this.That Hackaday finds this level of fumbling around worthy of reporting on is highly disappointing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122444",
"author": "David Bloomfield",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:48:06",
"content": "I’m sorry you feel that way. I did spend a bit of time directing Gemini and bug squashing to make the screen usable but in the end Gemini wrote 100% of this code, and it does what I want it to do. Like it or not I think this is going to get much more common as English becomes the programming language of choice.",
"parent_id": "8122371",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122515",
"author": "kaidenshi",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T09:57:29",
"content": "I feel that if you can write out your prompts/instructions well enough that a LLM can interpret, understand, and write working code based on them, you’re most of the way to being a coder yourself. A large part of computer programming is understanding what you want to do, and being able to write out a logical series of instructions to achieve that goal in a particular programming language. You’re further along than you think you are.",
"parent_id": "8122444",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122534",
"author": "issac",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:43:48",
"content": "It is common and there’s nothing wrong with it. The error is on the part of Hackaday’s editors. This approach to making isn’t what Hackaday’s audience gathered around and it’s very off-putting to see these posts keep popping up. We’re here to celebrate bloody-minded, did-it-the-hard-way, that-wasn’t-really-necessary, could-have-just-bought-it type projects.It really feels like the editors have forgotten what hacking is all about.",
"parent_id": "8122444",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122644",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T17:59:14",
"content": "I disagree, personally.AI is a tool. Hacking doesn’t mean doing it the hard way. If you use Visual Studio instead of vim, is it still a hack? Of you use a Raspberry Pi instead of hacking a router into a SBC, is it still a hack? If you use an Arduino instead of 17 555s, is it still a hack?“Could have just bought it” is more fitting, IMO. You don’t have to do it the hard way, it’s okay to use tools. What matters is you did it, you did it your way, and whether it works or not is academic. It’s the journey, not the product.Could have used a 555, though.",
"parent_id": "8122534",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122911",
"author": "Clara",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T20:09:06",
"content": "English is not, and never will be, a programming language. It is a natural language. It possesses ambiguities that render it less suited towards writing instructions to a computer than purpose-designed languages.It’s nice that you got a result you like, but this is not the kind of intellectually stimulating project I used to come to Hackaday to read. As too many comments say on this site, this is most certainly “not a hack,” and I don’t know what I can even learn from this (other than maybe that I can avoid learning if I don’t want to, but I’m a scientist, I like learning).",
"parent_id": "8122444",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122382",
"author": "MW",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:17:46",
"content": "Maxim 43 : “If it’s stupid and it works, it’s still stupid and you’re lucky.”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122393",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:44:36",
"content": "‘It is better to be lucky than good.’ (Not sure which rule of acquisition that is)Everybody wants to ‘get lucky’.‘Getting good’ involves work, lots of work, too much for most of population.",
"parent_id": "8122382",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122646",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:03:08",
"content": "You can’t be good at everything, either. If you have that much time and energy to put in enough work to get good at every toolset, platform, and technique, you probably don’t have a 9-to-5 job.I like writing code and designing systems. I don’t really grok CI/CD, nor do I want to be good at CI/CD enough to invest the time and energy required. I also don’t want to write documentation for my systems. Or develop my own Jekyll templates.The time and energy I have to work on project after my day job and family responsibilities are scarce and precious, and I’ll proudly use any tool that lets me do more of my craft while wasting less on things I don’t care about.",
"parent_id": "8122393",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122394",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:47:52",
"content": "JTFC!Who died and made you pope of this steaming pile of a website?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122496",
"author": "ethzero",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:07:24",
"content": "The term “vibe coding” needs to die (unless referencing the field of dildonics)If writing out a series of instructions in your native language is “coding” then recipe books are culinary coding.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122510",
"author": "Nizze The kilted Swede",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T09:00:18",
"content": "But they are…",
"parent_id": "8122496",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,563.438619
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/save-cells-from-the-landfill-get-a-power-bank-for-your-troubles/
|
Save Cells From The Landfill, Get A Power Bank For Your Troubles
|
Donald Papp
|
[
"Battery Hacks"
] |
[
"diy",
"lithium battery",
"lithium ion",
"power bank",
"rechargeable",
"salvage"
] |
A hefty portable power bank is a handy thing to DIY, but one needs to get their hands on a number of matching lithium-ion cells to make it happen. [Chris Doel] points out an easy solution:
salvage them from disposable vapes and build a solid 35-cell power bank
. Single use devices? Not on his watch!
[Chris] has made it his mission to build useful things like power banks out of cells harvested from disposable vapes. He finds them — hundreds of them — on the ground or in bins (especially after events like music festivals) but has also found that vape shops are more than happy to hand them over if asked. Extracting usable cells is most of the work, and [Chris] has refined safely doing so into an art.
Disposable vapes are in all shapes and sizes, but cells inside are fairly similar.
Many different vapes use the same cell types on the inside, and once one has 35 identical cells in healthy condition it’s just a matter of using a compatible 3D-printed enclosure with two PCBs to connect the cells, and a pre-made board handles the power bank functionality, including recharging.
We’d like to highlight a few design features that strike us as interesting. One is the three little bendy “wings” that cradle each cell, ensuring cells are centered and held snugly even if they aren’t exactly the right size. Another is the use of spring terminals to avoid the need to solder to individual cells. The PCBs themselves also double as cell balancers, providing a way to passively balance all 35 cells and ensure they are at the same voltage level during initial construction. After the cells are confirmed to be balanced, a solder jumper near each terminal is closed to bypass that functionality for final assembly.
The result is a hefty power bank that can power just about anything, and maybe the best part is that it can be opened and individual cells swapped out as they reach the end of their useful life. With an estimated 260 million disposable vapes thrown in the trash every year in the UK alone, each one containing a rechargeable lithium-ion cell, there’s no shortage of cells for an enterprising hacker willing to put in a bit of work.
Power banks not your thing? [Chris] has also
created a DIY e-bike battery using salvaged cells
, and that’s a money saver right there.
Learn all about it in the video, embedded below. And if you find yourself curious about what exactly goes on in a lithium-ion battery, let our own
Arya Voronova tell you all about it
.
| 35
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122317",
"author": "GarberPark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T11:57:22",
"content": "Applause, Applause!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122334",
"author": "H Hack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:56:14",
"content": "Thankfully those disposable vapes are getting banned in Europe. At least in the UK and France. Crazy waste.",
"parent_id": "8122317",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122340",
"author": "alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T14:23:31",
"content": "Hopefully we get a tax system that would have made it uneconomical to produce in the first place. Blue sky thinking I know.",
"parent_id": "8122334",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122353",
"author": "H Hack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T16:00:28",
"content": "I’ll take blue sky over fascism any day.",
"parent_id": "8122340",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122370",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T17:18:25",
"content": "Don’t you see that banning disposable vapes is compatible with a Fascist government? Words have meanings; it’s wrong to use “Fascist” to mean “something I don’t like.”",
"parent_id": "8122353",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122417",
"author": "MW",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T21:02:14",
"content": "Communism over fascism? Two sides of the same coin.",
"parent_id": "8122353",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122490",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:47:48",
"content": "“rare earth” metals.Rare enough to put into e-waste that will be buried not recycled.The big battery switch over con.Thanks to globalism.",
"parent_id": "8122340",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122399",
"author": "Jonathan Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:17:57",
"content": "Here in Australia they have completely banned vapes (with a few limited exceptions and you have to go to a pharmacy for that). Still a thriving trade for the stuff though unfortunately (wish governments would do more to shut down the shops selling it)",
"parent_id": "8122334",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122432",
"author": "Alex",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T23:26:56",
"content": "Recently I’ve seen heaps less just chucked on the road side though compared to a year ago, so maybe it’s somewhat working at least.",
"parent_id": "8122399",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122460",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T03:02:34",
"content": "Yep, me experience too. At one point I used to find about a dozen or so a week, now I’d be lucky to find one.That’s a good, but I do miss my free batteries.",
"parent_id": "8122432",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122557",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:02:24",
"content": "As someone who is allergic to cigarette smoke I was so happy when vapes took over. It used to be everywhere I went someone was burning tobacco and it caused an allergic response every time. 2nd hand vape… nothing. Just a mild floral scent with no reaction. Reminds me of the anti-static spray we used to use in an electronics workshop in my college days.Then my kid started telling me about how many of her classmates are vaping. Even at school. It’s sick!I don’t know what to think. I don’t want to go back to the days of burning cancer sticks everywhere but people are way to casual about vaping as though it isn’t just another way to kill yourself.",
"parent_id": "8122399",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123178",
"author": "AR",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T00:19:54",
"content": "How does vaping kill? I’ve seen no longitudinal studies on tobacco less vaping and long term health issues.By all means, let’s make something illegal that you don’t want others to be able to do to their own bodies.And waste as a reason? I think there are many more wasteful and pollution spewing industries we could examine for change.",
"parent_id": "8122557",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124165",
"author": "Carson J Cannon",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T01:22:18",
"content": "Do you have 3d print files?",
"parent_id": "8122317",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122321",
"author": "Sjaak",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:14:25",
"content": "Must be a smelly job to get them out. That withstands me to collect them and use them.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122357",
"author": "Tsizzle",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T16:20:58",
"content": "I used to vape and would save every cell. Now that I’ve quit, sometimes the process really chokes me, and even the cells I gathered earlier still smell. Once you put them in an enclosure they don’t smell anymore.",
"parent_id": "8122321",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122491",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:49:03",
"content": "Congratulations on beating your drug dependency.",
"parent_id": "8122357",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122385",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:23:38",
"content": "So you’ve never tried it?I’ve only dismantled two and it was no problem at all.Granted both where mint flavored (I think) but as long as you don’t dismantl the part that actually contains the fluid you should be fine.",
"parent_id": "8122321",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122348",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T15:37:48",
"content": "The part about changing one cell out when they all should be suspect and are ready to recycle only! Though the cells have only one cycle the standards of manufacture and their source make this a really scary proposition. Yes, ban them if not rechargeable and refillable.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122411",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T20:16:35",
"content": "I’m not sure why cells are being put in series. This just leads to balance problems, especially when assembled from non-matching cells. Is there some limit to how many you can put in parallel? All the power banks I’ve disassembled had all of the cells in parallel, and a single small PCB that has both the buck charging circuit to get down to 4.2V, and the boost output circuit to get back up to 5V.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122446",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T01:11:56",
"content": "USB-C and power banks can an do support other voltage levels….like 20V !",
"parent_id": "8122411",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122464",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T03:39:18",
"content": "You can parallel as many as you like, the amps might get exciting though. One advantage of parallel is you don’t have to worry about balancing cells at they level themselves. You don’t even have to be too fussy about matching capacities, it’ll work fine.As the other poster said series make it easier and more efficient for the higher voltage devices we tend to use these days. I’ve a 20v power bank that’ll charge off 5v, it takes a while and the boost circuit gets a bit warm. Imagine the load on your parallel 3.7v batteries when trying to get 20v @ 5A out of them.",
"parent_id": "8122411",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122427",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T22:31:53",
"content": "The limit to parallel is conductor size when shorted or imbalanced unless you prefer battery fires.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122437",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:18:43",
"content": "Gotta simulate a cigarette somehow.",
"parent_id": "8122427",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122459",
"author": "Fl.xy",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T02:51:19",
"content": "I’ve been collecting those disposable vapes when I find them but can’t for the life of me figure out how to crack them open. I know you have to wear gloves to protect yourself from the nicotine. Any tips or tricks for getting these things open?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122463",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T03:31:47",
"content": "Generally speaking plastic cases require brute force, metal ones are easy. In this picture:https://ozvapeshops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ultimate-Guide-to-IGET-Vape-Flavors-Whats-Hot-and-Whats-Not-3.webpleft & right are difficult (left is rechargeable with a tiny battery), for the middle two the end caps pop out easily and the guts pretty much fall out.The second type is my favourite. Has a 1500mAh battery. I can take the battery & end cap from a second unit and with a $1 USB power bank module I can make a nice little 3000mAh power bank with a decent form factor. Sometimes I powder coat the metal case.These:https://iget-vapes.com/iget/godfather-9/godfather-9-longjing-teaare quite hard to take apart. The 2500mAh battery (nice!) is glued in, and once you very (very!) carefully get the endcap off you need to peel the aluminium case back like opening a can of ham.I like these:https://iget-vapes.com/iget/iget-bar-plus/plus-kiwi-pineapple-ice. Rechargeable with replaceable juice bit, everything pops out easily. Replace the small battery with the one above and 3D print something to light up. Makes a nice little decorative lamp.",
"parent_id": "8122459",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122471",
"author": "Fl.xy",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T05:09:05",
"content": "Thank you for the detailed reply, Bob. I have mostly ones that fit the third form factor. If I manage to remove the end cap I’ll be sure to use the method described. I tried squeezing them in a vise to no avail, I can usually crack plastic cases that way. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the other models you highlighted.Much appreciated. Best regards.",
"parent_id": "8122463",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122476",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T05:38:22",
"content": "It’s a shame some are hard to take apart. I’ve got one like this:https://cdn.vapeclub.co.uk/img/products/uwell-caliburn-a2-pod-vape-kit_58.jpgwhere it’s not worth getting the battery out, but I like the form factor and would like to replace the pod with some LEDs.Problem is I need to bypass the air detector (otherwise it only runs for a few seconds) and I can’t get it apart without damage. So it just sits on the bench somewhere.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122488",
"author": "Joekutz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:31:02",
"content": "I always wonder how long-term-stabe these cells are with discharging/recharging over time – Li-cells with crappy chemistry die quicker ( who didn’t have a ballooned-up phone/laptop battery in the last 20 years?) and these particular cells might not be designed for being reused, given that there is now a large-enough market for these “one-time” cells (thanks, vapes -.-).I had the same idea though – building a power bank from all these vapes discarded on a festival. But then hesitated for safety reasons.Still a cool idea though! :) and I might still do it one time as well.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122489",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:45:24",
"content": "I’ve been making powers bank from these:https://gcs.ivapeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/20240106194123104.jpgfor a few years, they seem to work ok.Has a 1500mAh battery, remove the smelly bit and put in one from another vape, drop in a $1 USB charge module and use another endcap to finish it up. 3000mAh power bank for $1 and some time.I’ve also used the cells in flashlights, as battery replacements and other assorted stuff. I run them thru a few charge/discharge cycles first and toss any problem ones (which is remarkably few).",
"parent_id": "8122488",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122565",
"author": "robomonkey",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:30:05",
"content": "after seeing the energetic way they can fail, count me out. That’s not going to work in my workspace. I applaud the upcycling of the throw away technology, but it’s better if these things were not produced at all.wonder if there’s a way to produce a battery that when it fails the chemistry needed to subdue the fire is released so these little time bombs that will be in the landfill can be less harmful.Bring back plasma gassification incinerators to remove the scourge of crap like this and find me a battery that doesn’t become an accident waiting to happen!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122719",
"author": "Mark Spohr",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T00:14:40",
"content": "I know nothing about vapes.Are they rechargeable? Do people recharge them or just throw them away?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122740",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T03:36:05",
"content": "Yes.There’s three levels. Basic model is disposable, can’t be recharged or refilled. Then you have rechargeable but not refillable, apparently adding charge circuitry is cheaper than adding a bigger battery. The lifespan is the same as the first version (that is they have the same amount of “juice”).These are the one we find littering the streets.Finally you have ones that are rechargeable and can be refilled, usually by having replaceable “pods”. Some even take 18650’s.The entire concept is stupid, but at least some of us get a few free batteries out it.",
"parent_id": "8122719",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123728",
"author": "The Commenter Formerly Known As Ren",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T17:19:35",
"content": "“These are the one we find littering the streets.”In the past year or so, I’ve found about 20 of those while walking the dog.Since I don’t plan on re-using them for vaping, I don’t care if the case gets broken when retrieving the battery and charger.(Though it would be nice to re-use the “LED light show” on some of the Geek Bars)",
"parent_id": "8122740",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122871",
"author": "Chris J",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T17:06:29",
"content": "Since flavored Vapes were made illegal in the US, there’s been an explosion in the black market. Illegal flavored vapes are usually these disposable things",
"parent_id": "8122719",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8133498",
"author": "vapeaah",
"timestamp": "2025-05-30T06:19:11",
"content": "Really cool initiative! It’s great to see tech projects that not only recycle but also reward people for contributing — turning waste into something useful is the kind of innovation we love to see.At Vapeaah.co.uk, we’re also big believers in reducing waste where possible. In the vape space, that means encouraging customers to explore refillable devices and recycle their used pods and batteries properly. It’s all about keeping those cells out of the landfill, just like you’re doing here.Thanks for sharing — bookmarked for inspiration!– Vapeaah Teamvapeaah.co.uk",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.379471
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/deep-dive-on-panel-making/
|
Deep Dive On Panel Making
|
Al Williams
|
[
"how-to"
] |
[
"front panel",
"laminate"
] |
It is easier than ever to produce projects with nice enclosures thanks to 3D printing and laser cutting. However, for a polished look, you also need a labeled front panel. We’ve looked at several methods for doing that in the past, but we enjoyed [Accidental Science’s] video showing his method for making
laminated panels
.
His first step is to draw the panel in Inkscape, and he has some interesting tips for getting the most out of the program. He makes a few prints and laminates one of them. The other is a drill guide. You use the drill guide to make openings in the panel, which could be aluminum, steel, plastic, or whatever material you want to work in.
The laminated print goes on last with just enough glue to hold it. Is it a lot of work? You bet it is. But the results look great. There are a number of things to look out for, so if you plan to do this, the video will probably save you from making some mistakes.
There are many ways to get this job done. We’ve asked you for ideas before and, as usual,
you came through
. If you want a different take on laminated panels, there are a few different tips you can glean from
this project
.
| 24
| 13
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122314",
"author": "user",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T10:47:59",
"content": "When printing something make sure to check if your printer keeps correct dimmensions. In my case, to achieve accurate results from my laser printer I have to scale page with using 101,4% factor. Otherwise printed panel (or toner-transfer PCB, or cutout in aluminium or whatever) would be too small in one dimmension. Length seems to be perfectly accurate.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122419",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T21:22:23",
"content": "Thanks for the memories!. gEDA pcb printed a calibration page with values to feed back in to the program.",
"parent_id": "8122314",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122323",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:20:08",
"content": "I did this for a switch panel on my old Jeep… all manually, of course – being prior to laser cutters and 3d printers. Lots of careful drilling, shearing, Dremel-ing, and filing. The hardest part was getting the backlit labels right. I chose printing on transparency sheets with a common printer – as I did for circuit masks. To get the label opaque enough, I had to print them twice over the same sheet. Alignment of the multiple passes was a painfully repetitive “broad side of a barn” process. Finally got them all satisfactory for the purpose.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122331",
"author": "jansprojekteJanW",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:53:00",
"content": "The most annoying task is making round scales. There are plugins and tools for that but adding values/text most of the time is a manual job…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122420",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T21:24:47",
"content": "Inkscape can fit text to an arbitrary path, including arcs. Would that help ?",
"parent_id": "8122331",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122458",
"author": "No One",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T02:46:49",
"content": "Inkscape’s transforms will let you do something like “replicate this line, translate, and rotate it 5 degrees” (from the simple transform to arbitrary transformation matrix), which is probably more usable for something like tick marks.Not that applying text to an arc won’t work, that’s just probably not what jansprojekteJanW was asking.",
"parent_id": "8122420",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122346",
"author": "Stephen Casey",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T15:06:38",
"content": "This is a nice method. I’m lazy. I have PCBs made, with solder resist and silkscreen colours as I need. Much easier. But multicolour panels like in the video aren’t possible.With the pcb method it’s possible to have electronics on the back, and/or screening. Can have various FR4 thicknesses, and even aluminium if required.It’s very cost effective for low volumes. The results look great, and are super precise. I’ve even been known to have edge plating for some extra bling!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122355",
"author": "fonz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T16:15:28",
"content": "https://jlcpcb.com/resources/multicolor-silkscreen-pcb",
"parent_id": "8122346",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122386",
"author": "Mr Nobody",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:26:25",
"content": "+1 ….. PCB panels every time ….. super easy and look great.",
"parent_id": "8122346",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122462",
"author": "mj",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T03:07:26",
"content": "Yes agree, Al-“pcbs” with solder-mask, silkscreen print & graphics, CNC slots & cut-outs; made and shipped quickly for very low cost – it’s a real game-changer.Or also ordinary FR4, for sure. Even cheaper.",
"parent_id": "8122346",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122404",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:33:36",
"content": "QCAD is a better choice for drafting, IMNSHO. Inkscape is for “artistic” drawings and SVG, QCAD is for technical drawings and DXF.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122406",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:57:01",
"content": "‘Professional-looking’?I once had a boss who was always going on about us being ‘professional looking’.He was the worst manager I ever had the displeasure of working for.Pure marketer, trying to run a coding and IT team.Beware any industry that sells pure commodities, marketing always rules there…Anyhow:I got another job, then made the worst mistake of my working life.I accepted their counter-offer, almost doubled my pay.He told the entire department they weren’t getting a raise because I had taken the entire ‘raise budget’.Of course I heard about it.Told them all I had taken 180% of the ‘raise budget’.They should all jump up and down until their balls dropped, then find a better job.Only the lesbian took my advice…I was gone anyhow, 6 months later.They intended to ‘use me up’ for a year then fire me, so I didnothing(but ferment trouble) and found yet another offer.The big raise meant my next new job was much better paid.Wasn’t that bad a mistake, I guess.Anyhow, beware anybody who says ‘professional-looking’, actually ‘professional’ is much much better.Actually professional is writing on the front panel in sharpie/barefoot in the office.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122457",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T02:43:38",
"content": "Cool story, bro.",
"parent_id": "8122406",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122423",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T21:38:22",
"content": "Dry moly spray and a laser looks pretty good and has quite fine resolution. Only black, though.But MUCH faster and easier.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122431",
"author": "Antron Argaiv",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T23:05:38",
"content": "Anyone have a good source for getting the front panels machined/cut? Ideally mail-order. Send ’em the metal and some form of cutting data and get back a cut panel?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122481",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T06:35:31",
"content": "I only know of it anecdotally, but this sounds like what I’ve heard that Send Cut Send does.",
"parent_id": "8122431",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122470",
"author": "Steven Hebrock",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T04:48:34",
"content": "I ‘ve used a company called Front Panel Express in the past. Very nice panels! But these days I use a laser to do either front-engraved or back-engraved front panels out of 1/16” sign engraving plastic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122486",
"author": "kpc",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:03:52",
"content": "What I found is that outside advertising boards are also a cheap option (even including brushed aluminium). That is if you can live with dibond sandwich panels. Lots of companies include cnc contouring. If you ask nicely, they also do the inside holes. O.o.m. 10 Euros for 19″ front panels.With the design you have to take into account that the print and contouring are not always perfectly aligned (in experience ca .5mm shifts possible). And typically I see they use 2mm mil, so expect rounded inside corners.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122497",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:11:45",
"content": "I have had made front and back a panels in Dibond for the power supply I was making. They look really great, and it was cheap. I am not sure why it is not a more popular panel making method.Anyway, this was seven years ago and I still haven’t finished building that power supply, but on the plus side, it will look great once I will have completed the design.",
"parent_id": "8122486",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122600",
"author": "JanW",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:19:35",
"content": "It will have a nice “retro” touch by that time :)",
"parent_id": "8122497",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122599",
"author": "Cyrus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:14:55",
"content": "Some military equipment I’ve worked with has beautiful front panels, which could definitely be replicated with hobbyist equipment (to varying levels of quality depending on time and effort expended).For the milspec ones, first an armature is CNC-milled from something hard like aluminium or an engineering plastic. This serves as the main structural element. Anything that needs to be illuminated, like text, is milled all the way through. Some elements are only milled partway, like dividing lines between functional groups – these will not light up later.Anything that’s been engraved is then filled with a thick white paint, or coloured epoxy resin, which brings it up slightly above the surface level of the panel. The panel is then flipped over, any mounting inserts are fitted, and then it’s filled with a epoxy resin which cures translucent. This serves as the diffuser for backlighting, which massively improves the quality of the final appearance.Once this layer has cured, the back of the panel is CNC-milled with a recess which accepts the electronics. The front is then tidied up – presumably by a sanding or milling process to remove any overfill of the legends’ infill paint – and then painted. I assume this could be done with something that only sticks to the base layer and not the epoxy, or you could just paint everything and then repeat the CNC milling operation to remove it from the legends once it’s cured.The controls and indicators (switches and LEDs) are all mounted onto a large PCB which sits behind the panel. This is held on both by threaded standoffs which are moulded into the epoxy infill, and by the retaining nuts on the switches and indicators. Surface mount LEDs provide the panel illumination.You could easily replicate this process using a 3D-printed panel and resin infill – just remaining aware that thin layers will be required to keep it from distorting due to any exothermic reaction as the resin cures!The resulting panels will outlast most equipment and continue to look nice forever.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122642",
"author": "Todd Jameson",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T17:52:53",
"content": "I used to draw up panels in Illustrator from the supplied drawings, add registration marks for laser cutting, and then have our Repro department color zerox them onto Polypaper. Then I would apply 3M film adhesiveon the back, clear polyester laminate on the front, then orient the panel sheet in a CO2 laser engraver and cut them to shape. This worked great for durable panels that had a lot of type and colors, like complex ethernet port racks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122707",
"author": "DC",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T22:04:29",
"content": "HELP: What I still haven’t been able to figure out is a good way to cleanly integrate a glass window for a touchscreen (or non-touchscreen) LCD.I have been using M5 Stack Core modules for projects that need a clean LCD integration. However, this is not a very economical route (particularly if I am not using a majority of the peripherals packed inside). Other times my project needs more I/O pins than what are available on the M5 Stack, or I want a display larger than ~2″ (50mm).I haven’t really been able to come up with a DIY way to cleanly integrate a window into an aluminum or ABS enclosure / panel. I was thinking of getting a small / cheap desktop CNC mill to 1) cut out the window hole in the enclosure/panel, then 2) mill the window, such that it has the matching window size/shape, plus flanges to hold it in place and at the right depth when inserted from the rear of the panel and glued. Does glass even mill well? Any other ideas? I would like the window to be flush with the surrounding surface…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122775",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T07:46:10",
"content": "I have made front panels with display openings by making it out of an entire piece of acrylic.Everything is seen from the back side1. Mill out the contour of the display window with a CNC.2. Remove the protective film from the panel except the display opening.3. Spray paint the exposed surface (might need to coats)4. Mill out holes and text in the painted surface5. Spray paint the openings with the colour of text you want.6. Remove protective film from display opening.This method needs some tuning to figure out the ideal depth and tool to use, but once you have that sorted for the material you use, it looks great.",
"parent_id": "8122707",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,563.497058
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/creating-an-electronic-board-for-catan-compatible-shenanigans/
|
Creating An Electronic Board For Catan-Compatible Shenanigans
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"News"
] |
[
"board game",
"settlers of catan"
] |
[Sean Boyce] has been busy building board games. Specifically,
an electronic strategy boardgame that is miraculously also compatible with Settlers of Catan.
[Sean’s] game is called Calculus. It’s about mining asteroids and bartering. You’re playing as a corporation attempting to mine the asteroid against up to three others doing the same. Do a good job of exploiting the space-based resource, and you’ll win the game.
Calculus is played on a board made out of PCBs. A Xiao RP2040 microcontroller board on the small PCB in the center of the playfield is responsible for running the show. It controls a whole ton of seven-segment displays and RGB LEDs across multiple PCBs that make up the gameboard. The lights and displays help players track the game state as they vie for asteroid mining supremacy. Amusingly, by virtue of its geometry and some smart design choices, you can also use [Sean]’s board to play Settlers of Catan. He’s even designed a smaller, cheaper travel version, too.
We do see some interesting board games around these parts
, because hackers and makers are just that creative. If you’ve got your own board game hacks or builds in the works, don’t hesitate to
let us know!
| 0
| 0
|
[] | 1,760,371,563.533342
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/another-coil-winder-project/
|
Another Coil Winder Project
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"coil winder"
] |
If you build electronics, you will eventually need a coil. If you spend any time winding one, you are almost guaranteed to think about building a coil winder. Maybe that’s why so many people do. [Jtacha] did
a take on the project
, and we were impressed — it looks great.
The device has a keypad and an LCD. You can enter a number of turns or the desired inductance. It also lets you wind at an angle. So it is suitable for RF coils, Tesla coils, or any other reason you need a coil.
There are a number of 3D printed parts, so this doesn’t look like an hour project. Luckily, none of the parts are too large. The main part is 2020 extrusion, and you will need to tap the ends of some of the pieces.
There is a brief and strangely dark video in the post if you want to see the machine in operation. The resulting coil looked good, especially if you compare it to how our hand-wound ones usually look.
While most of the coil winders we see have
some type of motor
, that’s
not a necessity
.
| 4
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122262",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T02:50:15",
"content": "Forget “another” this is a sane and reproducible coil winder. I’ve seen many DIY coil winders and they all seem to rely on far too many commercial components or handmade one-offs. The arduino-based winder seemed nice but they never shared the STL files because it’s all about getting views, not helping others.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122302",
"author": "alloydog",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T07:50:59",
"content": "Spent a year of my life maintaining Meteor coil-winding machines, back in the mid-’80s. Shear nightmare.Whatever you do, do not use hot air to melt the wire varnish so the coil welds itself together.Cleaning that sh!t out of everywhere ain’t nice…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122368",
"author": "beadon1",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T17:17:12",
"content": "Shear as in “sheared off the surface” ( an intended pun about the bad design, verb), or “sheer” describing the surprise and amazement, an adjective, “unmitigated” ?",
"parent_id": "8122302",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122701",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:28:16",
"content": "A simple but decent design. I like it.An electrical schematic would be helpful. I know the important connections between the Mega and motor driver boards are documented in the programs/header files, and if I build it, I’ll probably hand-draw a schematic for myself. It’s certainly not complicated. But I’ve no doubt some users might be confused by things like the inclusion of LM7808 regulators in the parts list, yet no mention of how or where to use them; they’re listed incorrectly as “L780SCV”, which are probably supposed to be LM7805. There’s no listing or mention of a power supply for the machine, either.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.57351
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/x-rays-from-an-overdriven-magnetron/
|
X-Rays From An Overdriven Magnetron
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"High Voltage",
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"flyback",
"high voltage",
"intensifying screen",
"magnetron",
"x-ray"
] |
If you say that you’re “nuking” something, pretty much everyone will know that you mean you’re heating something in the microwave. It’s technically incorrect, of course, as the magnetron inside the oven emits only non-ionizing radiation, and is completely incapable of generating ionizing radiation such as X-rays. Right?
Perhaps not, as
these experiments with an overdriven magnetron
suggest. First off, this is really something you shouldn’t try; aside from the obvious hazards that attend any attempt to generate ionizing radiation, there are risks aplenty here. First of all, modifying magnetrons as [SciTubeHD] did here is risky thanks to the toxic beryllium they contain, and the power supply he used, which features
a DIY flyback transformer we recently featured
, generates potentially dangerous voltages. You’ve been warned.
For the experiment, [SciTubeHD] stripped the magnets off a magnetron and connected his 40-kV AC power supply between the filament and the metal case of the tube. We’re not completely clear to us how this creates X-rays, but it appears to do so given the distinctive glow given off by an intensifying screen harvested from an old medical X-ray film cassette. The light is faint, but there’s enough to see the shadows of metallic objects like keys and PCBs positioned between the tube and the intensifying screen.
Are there any practical applications for this? Probably not, especially considering the potential risks. But it’s still pretty cool, and we’re suitably impressed that magnetrons can be repurposed like this.
| 34
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122610",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:39:24",
"content": "A quick superficial search didn’t reveal concrete answers either way but does theold medical X-ray film cassettejust and ONLY react to “X-rays”? Maybe it just reacted to lower energy radiation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122616",
"author": "Frank Wilhoit",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:47:23",
"content": "40 Kv is plenty. Old analog color TVs used 20-25 Kv and put out enough X-rays to require the CRTs and other high-voltage components to be made from leaded glass.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122632",
"author": "Tuukka",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:30:02",
"content": "I think most of the X-ray radiation from old colour TV’s came from the HV shunt regulator tube, if used in the design.",
"parent_id": "8122616",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122659",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:48:18",
"content": "The regulator tubes produced enough x-rays to discolor the glass. That’s why they were installed in a metal box. They could produce even more radiation if the set was malfunctioning though.",
"parent_id": "8122632",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122750",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:17:18",
"content": "A lot of people think all CRTs are pretty scary, when in reality most of the new(er) ones are no scarier than a toaster. The really old ones though… They could be pretty bad, for several interesting reasons",
"parent_id": "8122659",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122617",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:53:35",
"content": "Well basically you can take many vacuums tubes and over drive the voltage in the range of 20kv+ and they start producing X-rays, magnetron is basically a vacuum tube, but normally it spits high power microwaves, iirc has something to do with the high voltage interaction with the elements of the tube. Basically an inefficient particle accelerator.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122619",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:55:13",
"content": "It will definitely decrease the the lifetime of said tubeUnless it’s an actual x-ray tube",
"parent_id": "8122617",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122706",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:50:39",
"content": "perhaps not. the anode target in this case is a gigantic metal block.",
"parent_id": "8122619",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122935",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:28:22",
"content": "Most vacuum tubes arent designed or insulated for 20kv, and don’t have the proper vacuum level, not always a complete or extremely low vacuum in every tubeThe Bremsstrahlung effect will wear down the plate and anode, even in x-ray tubes made for this, the anode/plates wears out, in x-ray tubes modern ones, they even have a spinning anode/plate so to reduce wear and to increase the efficiency…Basically Building a cathode ray tube is easiest way to make X-rays, getting the proper vacuum is another story once you hit 20kv+ any gases would interfere and ionize (basically acting like a short using a resistance)",
"parent_id": "8122706",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122638",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T17:39:03",
"content": "It sounds like bremsstrahlung, which is radiation emitted when fast electrons are slowed down quickly.",
"parent_id": "8122617",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122732",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T02:32:20",
"content": "Or even just change direction. In general, whenever they get accelerated. Like in a magnetron…",
"parent_id": "8122638",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122743",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:03:47",
"content": "Yep, if an audio tube can be turned into an x-ray machine with enough volts (seen it done) it is certainly not surprising that a magnetron (a much sturdier and higher-power vacuum tube) could also be made to emit x-rays.Bremsstrahlung is the mechanism as others mentioned. With enough of a voltage differential, the electrons are accelerated to such a speed that when they interact with the atomic nuclei in the anode they emit radiation. The energy of the radiation is proportional to the speed of the charged particle being decelerated. You can make some pretty scary stuff this way.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremsstrahlung",
"parent_id": "8122617",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122933",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T22:22:54",
"content": "Bremsstrahlung that’s exactly what I was referring to, typically this effect happens when drive voltage exceeds about 20kv",
"parent_id": "8122743",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123012",
"author": "phuzz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T09:10:22",
"content": "So the phrase “Any machine is a smoke machine if you operate it wrongly enough” now has a sibling: “Anything can be an x-ray emitter with enough voltage”",
"parent_id": "8122743",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123161",
"author": "Clancydaenlightened",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T22:59:16",
"content": "“anything can become an atom smasher with enough voltage”",
"parent_id": "8123012",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122631",
"author": "sweethack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:28:30",
"content": "Could do the same with a standard flash light, my keys and a green paper. My 2 cents.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122661",
"author": "Jc",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:53:19",
"content": "But this approach will leave you with a 5% increased chance of cancer later in life",
"parent_id": "8122631",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122756",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:29:28",
"content": "At 40kV it is predominantly soft X-rays being generated so your body would probably absorb a lot more than transmit. If it was hard X-rays (60kV+) it would be higher transmission than absorption. So I would say that it is probably much higher than a 5% risk increase (Of course that would depend on exposure time).",
"parent_id": "8122661",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122705",
"author": "macsimki",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:41:05",
"content": "pff, i have an app for that. not even a cent…",
"parent_id": "8122631",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122744",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:05:18",
"content": "If the flashlight has an incandescent bulb and you burn out the filament and then apply enough voltage to the remaining parts, you might be able to get that to produce a few actual x-rays as well. Not what you meant but just saying",
"parent_id": "8122631",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122746",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:06:45",
"content": "Looks like yep:https://steemit.com/science/@proteus-h/how-to-produce-xray-radiation-using-a-salvaged-light-bulb",
"parent_id": "8122744",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122663",
"author": "Doug",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:57:17",
"content": "toxic berylliumAs far as I can tell, this is a myth. The magnetrons in a domestic microwave have never contained beryllium oxide. It’s toxic, expensive, and, most importantly, completely unnecessary here. HaD has even had this discussion at least once before, it seems.https://hackaday.com/2019/12/05/a-magnetron-tear-down/As an aside, Google’s ever-helpful AI response will happily confirm that microwave ovens have BeO in them when asking “microwave magnetron beryllium oxide true”. At the same time, “microwave magnetron beryllium oxide myth origin” gets it agree that it’s not true and gives a few points on where the idea came from. Very helpful, 10/10.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122678",
"author": "Edgar Vice",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:51:22",
"content": "Beryllium oxide insulator scare is nothing more than a myth. It originates from high power radar magnetrons, which do in fact use such BeO insulators (sometimes). Microwave magnetrons never contained beryllium. They use Cr3+ doped α-Al2O3.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122748",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:09:21",
"content": "Nice… What does that stuff taste like",
"parent_id": "8122678",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122820",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:58:05",
"content": "Chicken, probably?",
"parent_id": "8122748",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122714",
"author": "Tyler August",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T23:15:38",
"content": "“We’re not completely clear to us how this creates X-rays”It’s breaking radiation, or if you like technical jargon and/or German, bremsstrahlung. Without the magnet, you’ve got electrons slamming full force (40 keV) straight into the wall of the magnetron. There, they stop. In stopping, they give off X-rays.(Electromagnetic waves happen whenever you have big accelerations on a charged particle. You can derive the formula for it from Maxwell’s laws but it’s easier just to think of it as a whip-crack going through the electromagnetic field around the particle.)All x-ray tubes work like this; the bigger ones use actively cooled tungsten targets, since as you might imagine, not all of the energy of the electron beam ends up in x-rays. It would be interesting to know how hot the target spot of on the magnetron gets. Hopefully he doesn’t run it for very long, regardless.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122730",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T02:29:14",
"content": "That’sbrakingradiation. The electron energy gets converted to electromagnetic wave when the electron is decelerated (braked), not when it gets broken on impact.Yeesh. I knew that Hooked on Phonics craze was going to end badly.",
"parent_id": "8122714",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122790",
"author": "lj",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T10:52:53",
"content": "Yeah, actual breaking radiation, like from atoms being broken by neutrons in an atomic bomb, is much worse.",
"parent_id": "8122730",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122749",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:14:45",
"content": "Yeah you’d think they would know by now, considering how many articles there have been about somebody applying a big voltage to a vacuum thingy and getting x-rays",
"parent_id": "8122714",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122776",
"author": "mhier48",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T08:08:34",
"content": "He removed the magnets from the magnetron, so it’s no longer really a magnetron but a vacuum tube. The magnets would normally let the electrons circle inside the vacuum. Accelerated electrons emit radiation, and going in circles is a constant acceleration. The speed of the electrons (determined by the applied voltage) as well as the strength of the magnetic field determine the wavelength/frequency, which would be in the GHz range.Now without the magnets, the electrons are just going straight until they hit the wall of the tube. If you apply 40kV, they will gain an energy of 40keV (kilo-electron-volts), which is in the low relativistic regime (511keV/c is the mass of an electron, so it’s a bit below 10%). When they hit dense matter (the wall), they will be decelerated rather quickly – which again produces radiation. This is exactly the same way as an X-ray tube produces X-rays. The wavelength depends on the energy of the electrons and the material (how fast it stops the electrons).I wouldn’t try this at home, at least not without doing some calculations of the dose I would expect from this and some 10x or maybe even 100x overdone shielding (since the calculations could be wrong). I am a Physicist and am dealing with radiation professionally, but I would never trust myself fully…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122811",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:34:03",
"content": "Not much different than the electrically-stimulated commercial X-ray machines seen in clinical settings.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123013",
"author": "phuzz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T09:12:09",
"content": "Except waaaay more dangerous.",
"parent_id": "8122811",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122831",
"author": "robomonkey",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:44:43",
"content": "Gotta love the lack of safety. Let’s cover the power supply with a towel.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122895",
"author": "KT",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T19:02:19",
"content": "What are you the fun-police?",
"parent_id": "8122831",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,563.71385
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/life-on-k2-18b-dont-get-your-hopes-up-just-yet/
|
Life On K2-18b? Don’t Get Your Hopes Up Just Yet
|
Tom Nardi
|
[
"Current Events",
"Featured",
"Slider",
"Space"
] |
[
"extraterrestrial life",
"james webb space telescope",
"K2-18b",
"SETI"
] |
Last week, the mainstream news was filled with headlines about K2-18b — an exoplanet some 124 light-years away from Earth that 98% of the population had never even heard about. Even astronomers weren’t aware of its existence until the Kepler Space Telescope picked it out back in 2015, just one of the more than 2,700 planets the now defunct observatory was able to identify during its storied career. But now, thanks to recent observations by the James Web Space Telescope, this obscure planet has been thrust into the limelight by the discovery of
what researchers believe are the telltale signs of life in its atmosphere
.
Artist’s rendition of planet K2-18b.
Well, maybe. As you might imagine, being able to determine if a planet has life on it from 124 light-years away isn’t exactly easy. We haven’t even been able to conclusively rule out past, or even present, life in our very own solar system, which in astronomical terms is about as far off as the end of your block.
To be fair the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy researchers, lead by Nikku Madhusudhan, aren’t claiming to have definitive proof that life exists on K2-18b. We probably won’t get
undeniable
proof of life on another planet until a rover literally runs over it. Rather,
their paper proposes that abundant biological life
, potentially some form of marine phytoplankton, is one of the strongest explanations for the concentrations of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide that they’ve detected in the atmosphere of K2-18b.
As you might expect, there are already challenges to that conclusion. Which is of course exactly how the scientific process is supposed to work. Though the findings from Cambridge are certainly compelling, adding just a bit of context can show that things aren’t as cut and dried as we might like. There’s even an argument to be made that we wouldn’t necessarily know what the signs of extraterrestrial life would look like even if it was right in front of us.
Life as We Know It
Credit where credit is due, most of the news outlets have so far treated this story with the appropriate amount of skepticism. Reading though the coverage, Cambridge’s findings are commonly described as the “strongest evidence yet” of potential extraterrestrial life, rather than being treated as definitive proof. Well, other than the
Daily Mail
anyway.
They decided to consult with ChatGPT
and other AI tools in an effort to find out what lifeforms on K2-18b would look like.
So, AI-generated frogmen renders not withstanding, what makes these findings so difficult to interpret? For one thing, we have very little idea of what extraterrestrial life would actually be like, so proving that it exists is exceptionally difficult. Scientists have precisely one data point for what constitutes as life, and you’re sitting on it. We only know what life on Earth looks like, and while there’s an incredible amount of biodiversity on our home planet, it all still tends to play by the same established rules.
On Earth, dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is produced by phytoplankton.
We assume those rules to be a constant on other planets, but that’s only because we don’t know what else to look for. Consider that the bulk of our efforts in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) thus far have been based on the idea that other sentient beings would
develop some form of radio technology similar to our own
, and that if we simply pointed a receiver at their star, we would be able to pick up their version of
I Love Lucy
.
This is a preposterous presupposition, which doesn’t even make much sense when compared to humanity’s history. Consider the science, literature, and art that humankind was able to produce before the advent of the electric light. Now imagine that Proxima Centauri’s answer to Beethoven is putting the finishing touches on their latest masterpiece as our radio telescope silently checks their planet off the list of inhabited worlds because it wasn’t emanating any RF transmissions we recognize.
Similarly, here on Earth dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) are produced exclusively by biological processes. DMS specifically is so commonly associated with marine phytoplankton that we often associate its smell with being in proximity of the sea. This being the case, you could see how finding large quantities of these gases in the atmosphere of an alien planet would seem to indicate that it must be teaming with aquatic life.
But just because that’s true on Earth doesn’t mean it’s true on K2-18b. We know these gases can be created abiotically in the laboratory, which means there are alternative explanations to how they could be produced on another planet — even if we can’t explain them currently. Further, a paper released in November 2024 pointed out that
DMS was detected on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko
by the European Space Agency’s
Rosetta
spacecraft, indicating there’s some unknown method by which it can be produced in the absence of any biological activity.
Finding What You’re Looking For
All that being said, let’s assume for the sake of argument that the presence of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide was indeed enough to confirm there was life on the planet. You’d still need to confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that those gases were present in the atmosphere. So how do you do that?
Within our own solar system, you could send a probe. Which is what’s been suggested to
investigate the possibility that phosphine gas exists on Venus
. But remember, we’re talking about a planet that’s 124 light-years away. In this case, the only way to study the atmosphere is through spectroscopy — that is, examining the degree to which various wavelengths of light (visible and otherwise) are blocked as they pass through it.
This is, as you may have guessed, easier said than done. The amount of data you can collect from such a distant object, even with an instrument as powerful as the James Webb Space Telescope is minuscule. You need to massage the data with various models to extract any useful information from the noise, and according to some critics, that’s when bias can creep in.
In a recently released paper
, Jake Taylor from the University of Oxford argues that the only reason Nikku Madhusudhan and his team found signs of DMS and DMDS in the spectrographic data is because that’s what they were looking for.
Given their previous research
that potentially detected methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of K2-18b, it’s possible the team was already primed to find further evidence of biological processes on the planet, and were looking a bit too hard to find evidence to back up their theory.
When analyzing the raw data without any preconceived notion of what you’re looking for, Taylor says there’s “no strong statistical evidence” to support the detection of DMS and DMDS in the atmosphere of K2-18b. This conclusion itself will need to be scrutinized, of course, though it does have the benefit of Occam’s razor on its side.
In short, there may or may not be dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide gases in the atmosphere of K2-18b, and that may or may not mean there’s potentially some form of biological life in the planet’s oceans…which it may or may not actually have. If you’re looking for anything more specific than that, the science is still out.
| 27
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122593",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:58:31",
"content": "“When analyzing the raw data without any preconceived notion of what you’re looking for, Taylor says there’s “no strong statistical evidence” to support the detection of DMS and DMDS”No, it’s actually a ton stronger than that. They’re saying there’s no strong statistical evidence to support the detection ofanything. As in, there’s no evidence that there are any spectral features present at all. As in, there’s so much variation in the rest of the spectrum that you can’t conclude that finding anything there is anything but random. They actually also point out that the original paper’s rejection of a flat line – e.g. no spectral features – is a statistical mistake.Honestly if you just look at the spectrum in the latter paper, it’s pretty obvious there’s no way it’s a 3-sigma result.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122608",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:36:13",
"content": "The amazing JST is just STARTING to harvest discoveries.If we detect such a good signature that quick with the new telescope, one can reasonably expect we´ll find much more interesting (closer, more complex) signatures in the months and years to come.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122630",
"author": "jbx",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:28:13",
"content": "This lack of evidence is proof that there is a life form on this planet that is so intelligent that it is capable of remotely distorting the analysis made by Earthlings!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122671",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:28:44",
"content": "98% never heard of it eh, so let’s say 1 in 2 planetary scientists heard of it, and 2 percent of the world population is 160 million, times 2 equals about 320 million planetary scientists on this planet.Impressive, although sadly most must be unemployed. :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122674",
"author": "Charles Springer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:37:15",
"content": "Oh well. Planetary science is a field where you make wild guesses about things not yet explored. If you are lucky and have friendly press coverage, nobody remembers the wrong guesses and you are anointed a genius and get a herd of grad students. Very much like the divide and conquer stock picking newsletter scheme.",
"parent_id": "8122671",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122675",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:37:26",
"content": "More like (1-1/99)% amirite?",
"parent_id": "8122671",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122734",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T02:52:58",
"content": "Possibly 2% of the first world has seen it in the news at some point in the past ten years, but most of those probably don’t remember that they have heard about it",
"parent_id": "8122671",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122679",
"author": "Feinfinger (M-x butterfly)",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:53:40",
"content": "Just in …https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksToCDS8cI4",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122682",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:59:38",
"content": "How far away is this star? Then this data happened then, not now as we recieved bits of it. Their sun could have gone out by now for all we know.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122686",
"author": "Justin",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:19:31",
"content": "It says 124 light-years in the very first sentence of this article…",
"parent_id": "8122682",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122695",
"author": "alfredolaquaglia",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:04:09",
"content": "It is a red dwarf 124 light years from earth, it won’t “go out” for the next hundred billion years (or ,likely, more)",
"parent_id": "8122682",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122702",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:28:47",
"content": "“Their sun could have gone out by now for all we know.”A typical star’s lifetime is measured in billions of years.In order for it to have gone out, it needs to be on the order of billions of lightyears away (Gly).I’m impressed you think we can detect planets around stars billions of lightyears away. We are actually lucky enough that we can seea fewstars that are billions of lightyears away, but there are very, very few of them, because we only really see them when they’re gravitationally lensed.Farthest star we’ve ever seen a planet around is around 20,000 light years away.",
"parent_id": "8122682",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122716",
"author": "Bf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T23:30:12",
"content": "If it supernova’d one year ago, nobody on earth will know about it for 123 years….",
"parent_id": "8122702",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122745",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:06:14",
"content": "if it went supernova a year ago, there almost certainly wouldn’t have been a planet around it worth looking at",
"parent_id": "8122716",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122723",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T00:56:30",
"content": "It mentions in the article that they haven’t been able to measure the distance because reasons.",
"parent_id": "8122682",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123087",
"author": "Mj",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:14:57",
"content": "True! Take the Alpha Centauri star system, we see it as it was four years ago! as it’s four light years away.",
"parent_id": "8122682",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122736",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T03:00:37",
"content": "I never got that whole “we could receive alien episodes of I Love Lucy” thing. Have we ever built a radio telescope which could pick up an ambient omnidirectional TV station at a distance of hundreds of light-years? No, we certainly haven’t. Nothing that could get even close to the required SNR to pick that up.Unless somebody creates a very deliberate and LOUD directional signal that is aimed right at us and we are looking right at it and exactly the right time, it’s basically all lost in the noise. We tried sending one of those once. Once. For a couple minutes. Why do we expect others to do better?The answer to the Fermi paradox is that nobody is seriously trying to send that radio signal. It’s like walking out to the antarctic pole of inaccessibility, whispering “is anybody alive on this planet?” one time in 1853, and then declaring it a grand mystery and a paradox that nobody answered you.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122738",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T03:03:14",
"content": "Furthermore: as our technology has improved, our radio emissions have gotten quieter, not louder.",
"parent_id": "8122736",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122754",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:28:21",
"content": "“Unless somebody creates a very deliberate and LOUD directional signal that is aimed right at us and we are looking right at it and exactly the right time”Eh. You’re right that most of the terrestrial broadcasts are too quiet, but the DSN transmissions are viable from tens of light years and the planetary radar transmissions (for asteroid characterization) are flamingly loud (thousands of light years). Obviously both of those are intermittent, but planetary radar is so absurdly strong that it wouldn’t be that hard to detect.Looking into whether you could detect Earth using current Earth-scale technology is pretty typical for technosignature studies. Most of the planned transient spectrometry missions could detect Earth technosignatures from several lightyears out, although the issue is that it’s notthatmany lightyears and you need the alignment right.If you allow life to form around a red dwarf (like here) you get a much bigger range due to the relative contribution (planet’s way closer, star’s smaller, etc.).",
"parent_id": "8122736",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122849",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:28:59",
"content": "The real Fermi Paradox is that people treat the putative Fermi Paradox as an actual thing rather then what it is: a guy writing some numbers down and then pulling assertions that he happens to like out of his…. humidor. People treat it as if it’s an actual thing, but upon examination it can be seen that Fermi’s C doesn’t follow from his B which doesn’t follow from his A.",
"parent_id": "8122736",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123044",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:09:54",
"content": "I wonder if I’ll see youtube suggestions come by saying: Scientist discover we looked for NTSC signals but there were tons of aliens broadcasting in SECAM, with the transmissions aimed at the pyramids!.With of course a picture of brian cox or that japanese guy on top of the icon.Oh and ‘reported 5 minutes ago’ to make it extra exciting to the brainless.(Sorry. I hope my sarcastic attitude will at least serve to amuse someone.)(And yes I know those NTSC/SECAM standards are in the past.)",
"parent_id": "8122736",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122814",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:37:34",
"content": "It is a statistical inevitability for there to be some kind of life somewhere out there. This place is too big for there not to be.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122852",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:33:16",
"content": "“Statistical inevitability”. You funny. Ain’ no such thing. The fact that every thing no matter how unlikelycouldoccur doesn’t imply that any thingdoesoccur.",
"parent_id": "8122814",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122853",
"author": "craig",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:36:42",
"content": "Dang. Mystery solved!",
"parent_id": "8122814",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122857",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T15:47:22",
"content": "“This place is too big for there not to be.”You’re missing a dimension. Space is big, but time only goes in one direction. It’s entirely possible we’re first. There are lots of considerations you can throw in to force that – metallicity in stars increases in time, so if you need a threshold metallicity before it’s even possible, that’ll immediately set a “start time.”(There are other considerations but it’s not hard to back-of-the-envelope reasons why we’re first.)",
"parent_id": "8122814",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123091",
"author": "mechanic1955",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T16:23:10",
"content": "I don’t care about bacteria! I’m more interested in techno level life. And so far it doesn’t look promising..yet?",
"parent_id": "8122814",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8124620",
"author": "Per Jensen",
"timestamp": "2025-05-05T11:38:14",
"content": "The James Web Space Telescope is spelled *Webb.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.64463
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/asus-gpu-uses-gyroscope-to-warn-for-sagging-cards/
|
ASUS GPU Uses Gyroscope To Warn For Sagging Cards
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"computer hacks"
] |
[
"gyroscope",
"VideoCard"
] |
It’s not really an understatement to say that over the years videocards (GPUs) — much like CPU coolers — have become rather chonky. Unfortunately, the PCIe slots they plug into were never designed with multi-kilogram cards in mind. All this extra weight is of course happily affected by gravity.
The problem has gotten to the point that the ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 card added a Bosch Sensortec BMI323 inertial measurement unit (IMU) to provide an accelerometer and angular rate (gyroscope) measurements, as
reported
by [Uniko’s Hardware] (in Chinese, see English
[Videocardz] article)
.
There are so-called anti-sag brackets that provide structural support to the top of the GPU where it isn’t normally secured. But since this card weighs in at over 6 pounds (3 kilograms) for the air cooled model, it appears the bracket wasn’t enough, and active monitoring was necessary.
The software allows you to set a sag angle at which you receive a notification, which would presumably either allow you to turn off the system and readjust the GPU, or be forewarned when it is about to rip itself loose from the PCIe slot and crash to the bottom of the case.
| 51
| 22
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122533",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:38:41",
"content": "Bonkers that we have gotten to the stage that sensor makes any sense at all, though that is a great way to differentiate your product and could well become the default wanted by anybody that still LAN parties and system integrators that have to ship these monsters pre-built…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122535",
"author": "Someone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:45:42",
"content": "Shouldn’t this be “ASUS GPU Uses Accelerometer To Warn For Sagging Cards”? By measuring the static acceleration due to gravity, you can find out the angle the device is tilted at with respect to the earth. A gyroscope measures angular velocity (rate of rotation).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122672",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:31:49",
"content": "Looking up the chip it’s a 6DOF IMU. That said you are right that using the gyroscope for any of this seems silly. Except to maybe filter out “alert someone just smacked the case”",
"parent_id": "8122535",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122700",
"author": "JB",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T21:24:43",
"content": "You made me realise this won’t work without a ton of filtering, or maybe just user input? like the GPU can be mounted multiple ways. Rightly said it could be knocked. Like it needs a ton of validation to make sure it has started sagging, and the sag is going to be over weeks as well, so a log too that it can analyse.",
"parent_id": "8122672",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122780",
"author": "C",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T08:51:59",
"content": "You would also need an accelerometer on the motherboard, because if the motherboard or the case is slightly tilted then the graphics card will tilt too. It should be a relative measurement.Filtering can simply be saving the averaged value on closing the PC (or every hour) and every few months checking if there is a downward trend in the angle.",
"parent_id": "8122700",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122712",
"author": "Christian",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T22:40:55",
"content": "Might be more useful to measure the bearings on the cooling fans. Should be able to detect if they are staring to rattle.",
"parent_id": "8122535",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122536",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:47:53",
"content": "I would call it a design flaw if the card, in its standard-conforming mount of the slot(s) and PCI interface, can’t support its own weight in a vertical case. Especially since that’s pretty much the default configuration nowadays. Some case manufacturers have attempted to implement a support structure, but it’s hard to design for when the card lengths are effectively random. Not to mention damaging the PCI socket or even the motherboard substrate itself.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122547",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:10:46",
"content": "It’s really not that hard to design for because there are defined, standard form factors for PCI-E cards so case manufacturers can build products to suit and provide the support rails for cards to slide into.Obviously if card manufacturers don’t build cards to the standard “full length” dimensions then it really shouldn’t be too much to ask that they design and supply a bracket that bridges the difference so your super expensive GPU isn’t flexing the BGA chips off the board?",
"parent_id": "8122536",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122573",
"author": "MIKE",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:54:50",
"content": "IBM Microchannel was designed with a support structure made in cast alloy, and Microchannel board were made with a blue plastic stub that slid in the support structure. Shorter board had a longer stub.Even the original IBM AT PC had support slots for supporting the longer ISA expansion boards.",
"parent_id": "8122536",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122618",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:55:00",
"content": "Pretty much every name brand PC I’ve ever encountered (and I have seen aLOT, I’ve been ‘doing IT’ for near 40 years now) has had those support slots, all the way from original IBM PC to the current 2024 HP Z Workstation and the 2023 Optiplex under my desk.The RTX5000 in the Z Workstation has a decent bracket to engage with those support slots too.This only seems to be an issue with aftermarket cases and cost cutting GPU manufacturers.",
"parent_id": "8122573",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122664",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:57:25",
"content": "those standards were meant for single slot cards without a heat sink. gpu cooling requirements keep demanding bigger heat sinks. but i think we got to the point where the mounting system is no longer adequate. both ends need to be supported by the chassis.vanity slots kind of solve the problem in a way, provided you need to use a riser cable. i really dont like those, mostly because they are meant to show off your gpu but at least its not supporting it on the shortest axis.horizontally mounting the card directly to the mobo tray (below the mobo) with tapped holes and standoffs might be a good idea. tapped holes and standoffs are easier to add to a case standards than double brackets or rails. cases usually have more screw holes than you can use and adding a few more and a few extra standoffs to the parts baggie is possibly the easiest solution for case manufacturers. probibly more difficult on the gpu side as the fans would get in the way. i figure the pci connection can be either a u-bracket or riser cable. later on you might mobos design their pcie slots specifically for this arrangement. it also clears the board so you can get to your m.2 drives without taking out the gpu.the design of some of the 50xx cards the pcie slot is on a daughter board anyway, and so theoretically you can put it in any orientation you want. still waiting for an sff build with a monoblock combined mobo+cpu+gpu cooler with the boards hanging off the block rather than the other way around.",
"parent_id": "8122536",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122537",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:55:20",
"content": "You’ll need an adjustable tower case so the videocard will be horizontal. We’ll call it PISA.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122568",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:41:58",
"content": "You know, there once was a time when many PC cases were designed to lie flat on the table beneath the monitor. They called it “desktop” PC case.",
"parent_id": "8122537",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122669",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:17:11",
"content": "I was there when they were invented. Also I was present when the humor sense was invented ;)",
"parent_id": "8122568",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122791",
"author": "lj",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T10:58:13",
"content": "The latter I find hard to believe.",
"parent_id": "8122669",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8123053",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:53:01",
"content": "At this point I can’t think of any super urgent reason to not just flip a tower case on its side.Maybe stick some feet to the side-that-is-to-be-underside.I mean we don’t use optical drives anymore most of the time, so what is there to stop us?And even if you have spinning disk internal HD storage, those can be used vertical too AFAIK, or if need be you can just use a bracket to install them rotated.I’m not 100% sure about PSU’s though, do they mind in term of airflow if they are rotated you think?Not that you can’t bodge there too. a long time ago I had space (and money) issues and I cut a square out of the top of my too-small case, made some screw holes, and mounted the PSU on top and fed the wires inside through the hole. Sure it might have looked daft to some, but I had it out of sight anyway.And I did a similar thing once where I mounted a fan on the outside instead of inside to create room. It was clear fan with LED lighting and it didn’t look too bad actually.",
"parent_id": "8122568",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8137821",
"author": "Corax",
"timestamp": "2025-06-11T12:47:11",
"content": "But then nobody can see your triple bay led fans and screens in your cpu and light up ribbon cables and the RTX5090 label.Since we have so many people in our house using our PC right",
"parent_id": "8123053",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122551",
"author": "eMpTy-10",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:35:24",
"content": "Or just use a vertical mount kit/case. Much better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122582",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:37:05",
"content": "Silverstone Raven here. Solves the weight problem easily.",
"parent_id": "8122551",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122821",
"author": "eMpTy-10",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:58:30",
"content": "I stuck my 3080 in a Cooler Master vertical mount kit in my Fractal Pop XL Air.",
"parent_id": "8122582",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122713",
"author": "Eric",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T22:50:56",
"content": "Thermaltake Tower 500 holds GPU vertically from the top, all the weight is on the PCI brackets and since the GPU is straight vertically, there is no sag",
"parent_id": "8122551",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122552",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:41:01",
"content": "That is insane.Is this 27 days late?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122560",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:12:44",
"content": "This is kinda hilarious, a 3 kilo graphic card. Literal newborn infants weigh less",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122607",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:34:24",
"content": "It’s about the weight of a lot of rifles.",
"parent_id": "8122560",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122751",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:21:08",
"content": "Got a certified “chode” on our hands. This GPU either needs to go on a diet or they should just throw in the towel and start making them take up 2 PCIe slots for purely structural reasons",
"parent_id": "8122560",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122563",
"author": "aa256",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:13:38",
"content": "They’d be using the accelerometer not the gyro of the imu to measure the angle of the card with respect to gravity. The gyro is only good for quick relative changes in angle.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122564",
"author": "preamp.org",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:13:50",
"content": "Time to flip form factors:Put the GPU on the ATX board and add the CPU via PCIe-slot…Or better yet, make two ATX boards, one for CPU and one for GPU, that can be joined edge-to-edge. Much more space for giant heatsink towers then.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122569",
"author": "elwing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:44:05",
"content": "Just make a slot in the GPU for the CPU and a larger slot for the PSU…Who need motherboard anyway",
"parent_id": "8122564",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122667",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:10:30",
"content": "the coolers weigh more than the cards, so i think we should mount them by their heat sinks, and let the boards hang off of them.",
"parent_id": "8122564",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122567",
"author": "Quinn Evans",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:40:02",
"content": "Back in the day, we had hard drives on cards, and the way this was solved there was a couple small pieces of channel aluminum that ran the full length of the card. How have we gotten to the point where we choose to detect mechanical failure rather than prevent it with reinforcement?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122579",
"author": "limroh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:30:15",
"content": "Well maybe this card hit a critical point in the “mass vs. additional support” graph where adding support isn’t feasible anymore because the additional weight would require even more support which adds more weight ….:-)",
"parent_id": "8122567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122592",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:54:55",
"content": "Hanging an accelerometer off SMBUS and paying a few grand NRE for the software is far cheaper than machining a new support structure. That doesn’t make it the right solution, but margins even on high end GPUs are razor thin for the manufacturers and most consumers will end up buying on performance and completely ignoring reliability fixes. Note how many people still bought 4090s even though their new DC in connector design was known to spontaneously combust.To be fair, what hard cards had in mechanical stabilization they lost out on in reliability and utility. They were a niche solution for a problem that all but disappeared as soon as 3.5″ IDE hit the market, which was only a couple of years after their release.",
"parent_id": "8122567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122612",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:43:01",
"content": "Indeed, my first HD was a Plus Hardcard XL 105 and had lots of black aluminium everywhere to support the drive.Only got rid of it a few years ago, didn’t have a machine with an ISA slot to put it in.",
"parent_id": "8122567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122645",
"author": "Quinn Evans",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:00:51",
"content": "Hah, that’s exactly the first hardcard I had, too, and what I was seeing in my mind’s eye",
"parent_id": "8122612",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122625",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:15:46",
"content": "When all you know is EDA software, everything looks like a nail.",
"parent_id": "8122567",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122570",
"author": "Kjw",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:49:08",
"content": "Don’t forget that pre built machines must survive shipping with these cards installed! A lot can happen in transit",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122649",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:10:15",
"content": "Even for a custom build, it seems the damage would be most likely to occur when moving the machine, rather than when it is still and being monitored by the IMU.",
"parent_id": "8122570",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122689",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:33:52",
"content": "seems such an expensive piece of hardware would warrant some structural considerations.in my case the gpu rests on some self adhesive rubber bumpers trimmed down for best fitment, stuck to the corners of my lower case fans. but its an sff case so i can do that. the fan mounts are like an inch below the card, and with some slim fans and bumpers it provides a good rest point. my case came with a bracket to support gpu but it was that or the extra case fans. ultimately i like my solution. most larger cases its suspended in the middle.",
"parent_id": "8122649",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122576",
"author": "Rudy v K",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:16:53",
"content": "If I remember correctly, even my Quadro FX 4600 came with a metal support bracket at the front side. It would slide in one of those plastic rails at the front of my computer case while inserting the card.This same bracket was also present on some big SCSI adapters and other cards that would reach to almost the front of the case. Probably something server and workstation related.I’m not sure if there are still any computer cases with these brackets, but wouldn’t it make sense to re-use something proven, that has been used for years? It was a really simple solution with the only downside that sometimes the HDD cage would be blocking the front of the case.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122614",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:44:18",
"content": "really a comic problem from my perspective…easy for me to laugh at, because i don’t play modern high-end videogames or run LLMs at home. pretty sure doom3 runs decently well on “Intel UHD” integrated GPU right?but the mechanical problem reminds me of the old full-length ISA cards. there’s a little plastic slot in the very front of the case, which will grip the end of the card if you have one that long. i had exactly one card that was that long…i think it was pre-hercules MDA board? you know, 80×25 text with about 4kB of memory. monochrome green or orange monitor.i’m glad to be completely ignorant of how that has evolved in the modern era. personally, just installing a modern pcie or M.2 card is a voyage of discovery each time. x1 vs x16, M/B-keying, is this M2 slot even mini-PCIe or something else? who knows. everything’s easier away from the bleeding edge",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122693",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:59:28",
"content": "m.2 drives have been a total game changer imho. would rather mount them on a pcie card than directly to mobo, but im an sff guy so dont really have that option. pains me to see full atx boards with most of the real estate going to m.2 heatsinks. at that point put 2-4 on a card and be done with it. considering going back to micro-atx (or flex-atx, or mini-dtx) just so my drives are easy to get to.of course im a little biased because ive hated sata for years for its tendency to randomly stop working once the connectors and cables are a couple years old. fixing it usually requires wiggling the cable or cleaning contacts, but the fact that it happens so frequently was bugging the hell out of me. so i jumped on m.2 way before nvme was a thing.",
"parent_id": "8122614",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122637",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T17:24:17",
"content": "I dont think I have noticed slots in the front of cases for a while now unless its some workstation / server setupeven 20 years ago they were blocked off by hard drive cages going from top to bottom, and todays gamer cases have to cram in a 360 x40 rad and thick ass fans and all that tubing :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122647",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:04:50",
"content": "I wonder why GPU makers don’t implement telescoping rails that project out from the end of the card, which can be attached to a bracket that uses screws or 3M’s heavy-duty double-sided mounting tape to attach to the side of the case. Sure, there may be fans or other obstacles in the way, but you can just sell optional brackets to work around them. Or provide files for users to 3D print them themselves.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122652",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:23:58",
"content": "definately a hack.i think its about time the atx standard gets ammended to come up with a proper structural mounting methods for gpus that weigh more than a cat. 2-3 screws and an armored slot do not a mounting system make. you need a 4-point mounting system for something that big. at least have brackets at both ends. direct to chassis cpu cooler mounting would also be a good idea given the size of some of the better air coolers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122668",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:13:40",
"content": "The original XKCD phone would scream when fallinghttps://xkcd.com/1363/— and somebody implemented this:https://apt.steverolfe.com/depiction/freefall.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122825",
"author": "Sneed",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:12:05",
"content": "muh relevant xkcd",
"parent_id": "8122668",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122709",
"author": "Grumpy Old Engineer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T22:08:12",
"content": "This wouldn’t be a problem if we all still stood our systems with motherboards horizontal, like we used to do when the PC hardware was designed 20+ years ago. The add on card can be as weighty as you like, because you have gravity holding them in the slots and no need for all this extra tech nonsense. Funnily enough airflow would be better too, warm air rising straight up so less fans as well.‘Servers’ with card cages also solve this problem neatly so maybe its time for a PC mechanical hardware re-design no we have had the original IBM PC XT hardware design for over 25 years?We really do pay extra for aesthetic design choices sometimes",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122722",
"author": "anonymus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T00:52:49",
"content": "the PCIe standard actually specifies a rear bracket to prevent this from happening, but nobody seems to implement it. actually, apple used to on the old powerpc mac pros.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122752",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:26:12",
"content": "Something that hefty should really just come with a ribbon cable PCIe extension so you can move it elsewhere. You’d think those would affect such rapid signalling but they really don’t cause any bottleneck until you’ve done something silly, like string eleven of them together in a chain and wrap them around your power supply.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122836",
"author": "TerryMatthews",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T14:01:07",
"content": "No one needs this though. It just adds another layer to break down and create false errors to make useable computers unusable. I hope this fails miserably and every sycophant that pushed it is blacklisted from the industry. It is yet another eventual security nightmare I would guess too. It is bad enough already thanks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8137818",
"author": "Corax",
"timestamp": "2025-06-11T12:45:03",
"content": "Lol!You know how I solved it? I got a horizontal case. Now the mobo is parallel with the desktop and the GPU sits upright, no sag, no stress. It also doesn’t hang the PSU, and it doubles as a monitor stand and gets great airflow.So many overly complex solutions are invented for this, all we have to do is stop using fish tanks with vertical motherboards",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.803831
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/28/look-its-a-knob-its-a-jack-its-euroknob/
|
Look! It’s A Knob! It’s A Jack! It’s Euroknob!
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Musical Hacks"
] |
[
"3.5-mm",
"AS5600",
"encoder",
"eurorack",
"jack",
"magnetic",
"patch",
"plug",
"synthesizer",
"TRS"
] |
Are your Eurorack modules too crowded? Sick of your patch cables making it hard to twiddle your knobs? Then you might be very interested in
the new Euroknob
, the knob that sports a hidden patch cable jack.
Honestly, when we first saw the Euroknob demo board, we thought [Mitxela] had gone a little off the rails. It looks like nothing more than a PCB-mount potentiometer or perhaps an encoder with a knob attached. Twist the knob and a row of LEDs on the board light up in sequence. Nice, but not exactly what we’re used to seeing from him. But then he popped the knob off the board, revealing that what we thought was the pot body is actually a 3.5-mm audio jack, and that the knob was attached to a mating plug that acts as an axle.
The kicker is that underneath the audio jack is an AS5600 magnetic encoder, and hidden in a slot milled in the tip of the audio jack is a tiny magnet. Pop the knob into the jack, give it a twist, and you’ve got manual control of your module. Take the knob out, plug in a patch cable, and you can let a control voltage from another module do the job. Genius!
To make it all work mechanically, [Mitxela] had to sandwich a spacer board on top of the main PCB. The spacer has a large cutout to make room for the sensor chip so the magnet can rotate without hitting anything. He also added a CH32V003 to run the encoder and drive the LEDs to provide feedback for the knob-jack. The video below has a brief demo.
This is just a proof of concept, to be sure, but it’s still pretty slick. Almost as slick as [Mitxela]’s
recent fluid-motion simulation pendant
, or his
dual-wielding soldering irons
.
| 25
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122517",
"author": "elwing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T10:19:08",
"content": "brillant hack, through I share his durability worries…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122526",
"author": "Giake",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:07:17",
"content": "I completely agree! Really cool concept! I think the lack of precision due to the trailing cable would drive me crazy.",
"parent_id": "8122517",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122539",
"author": "TDT",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:56:16",
"content": "If I understood correctly, the spin control only works when the special jacknob is used.As soon as something else is plugged, the voltage it provides is used to control the parameter.",
"parent_id": "8122526",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122753",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:28:12",
"content": "Haha… Jacknob",
"parent_id": "8122539",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122591",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:53:49",
"content": "I’m more worried about losing the knobs. The sock gnomes are going to love them.",
"parent_id": "8122517",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122626",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:16:57",
"content": "They have a magnet, so if you have a strip of steel nearby, problem solved!",
"parent_id": "8122591",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122673",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:31:53",
"content": "The magnets used for the AS5600 are not very strong. I would probably just make a panel with some spare jacks to hold the knobs.",
"parent_id": "8122626",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122532",
"author": "Mr Nobody",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T11:31:53",
"content": "Does it have a inverse logic version ‘EURNOTAKNOB’ ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122542",
"author": "A",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:00:39",
"content": "Cool hack. Could use a stereo jack instead, that way a button could be added to the knob to change mode or another secondary function could be added.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122572",
"author": "Clyde",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:54:35",
"content": "It could use 1-Wire, where it’s power and signal on the same wire and the other is ground.",
"parent_id": "8122542",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122596",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:06:34",
"content": "It’s against good UI design practice though.Knobs and sliders should indicate their value by their positions. It’s no longer possible for the indicator to point at the value of the knob in each mode, because that would make the value jump every time you switch modes. It’s also difficult to press the button without twisting the knob at the same time.I.e. why just about every digital oscilloscope has a bad user interface. Changing settings with a twisty push button always ends up in “oops, not that one…. oop, not that one either!”.",
"parent_id": "8122542",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122627",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:18:28",
"content": "In the demonstration video, the knob is unmarked, and the value is displayed on an LED bargraph.",
"parent_id": "8122596",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122657",
"author": "mac",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:39:34",
"content": "The knob position is marked with a white line, and the LED is there to indicate the level when the knob is disconnected.Of course, because it’s programmable, you could change this (and he talks about doing this in the video, making it a multi-turn fine tune knob) but the behavior he shows is very much mapping the indicator mark on the knob to an absolute position.",
"parent_id": "8122627",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122629",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:20:05",
"content": "He mentions different modes could be obtained by using stronger or weaker magnets, since the encoder chip also gives a field strength.",
"parent_id": "8122542",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122588",
"author": "Wrong language video",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:48:35",
"content": "@hackaday: As Youtube is now guessing which automatically translated annoying machine language I “want” to listen too, is there a way for you to enable the option to switch the embedded video back to its original language? Or do I always have to go to Youtube and watch it there and change the language settings?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123365",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T18:43:17",
"content": "Oh I know! Are you really asking us how to stop Google from AI-ing, though? I only wish we had that kinda clout.Anyway, they know what’s best for you, better than you do. Are you saying that you don’t love Little Brother? :)",
"parent_id": "8122588",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122621",
"author": "Bobtato",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:03:35",
"content": "This is a cool idea, and perhaps this is the right way to do it if you want a free-spinning encoder.Since it’s usually going to control a parameter with a finite range, though (as that’s what a CV jack does), it might make more sense to put a potentiometer inside the knob instead. Then you’d add a pin that fits into a second hole to give the knob something to spin against, and line it up with markings on the panel. And you could also use that pin to supply a reference voltage for the pot.I feel like I’ve seen audio devices that build a 3.5mm jack into the knob for a similar reason, but this is better. It would be cool if it became a standard.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122690",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T20:39:58",
"content": "You’re over-engineering it. If you want to limit the rotation of the knob, just [use Mitxela’s approach and] have a pin in the panel that sticks up into the bottom of the knob, and have a C-shaped track cut into the bottom of the knob for the pin, limiting the rotation.",
"parent_id": "8122621",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122830",
"author": "Bobtato",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:41:38",
"content": "Yeah that’s what I’m saying, except that if you use a pot it limits its own rotation, and it always matches the setting it points to physically.I don’t think it’s any harder to put the potentiometer inside the knob, at least if you don’t mind making it a bit bigger",
"parent_id": "8122690",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122662",
"author": "Man Baloney",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:53:30",
"content": "“Eurojack” was taken?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122755",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T04:29:05",
"content": "“Euroknob” is way funnier",
"parent_id": "8122662",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122666",
"author": "CRJEEA",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:00:30",
"content": "Perhaps knobs could be stackable.Hall effect sensors are pretty small.If four pin jacks were used, they could be daisy chained like an LED strip. With different functions per level, course, fine, display, input, rotary encoder, input button, etc. Maybe with a larger wheel progressing to smaller and smaller knobs, in a step pyramid design.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122772",
"author": "Bastian Mohing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T06:46:50",
"content": "Here’s my $0.04 (import tariffs already applied):Put the encoder IC on the back of the PCB. The sensitivity should be high enough, and then you don’t need the spacer PCB.Use two different sizes of magnets: one as shown in the video, and one that is slightly wider and sticks out to one side. The larger one mechanically limits the rotational angle by bumping into the contact inside the jack. The encoder IC can detect the different magnet strengths so it knows whether it is a single turn or multi turn knob.Use a small and cheap (8 pin) MCU that reads the encoder IC and gives out a PWM signal with a RC filter. One extra pin could be used to send a signal to an addressable LED ring. This way every jack is a complete unit.Use a TRS jack and a TRS plug for the knob. Normal patch cables for modular synths are only TS. The electrical connection of the ring and sleeve pins (or lack thereof) can be used to control a single channel analog switch IC that routes either the signal from the tip or the analog output from the MCU to the underlying circuit.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122835",
"author": "TerryMatthews",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:56:24",
"content": "Yeah but it is a knob with a brain so there is something to go wrong there that will require some sort of magical jumpering of pins, esoteric generic FLASHHONGKONGNOVIRUS.exe to spend all saturday trying to get it respond to serial just to have it not recognize said copypasta linux bork string etc. I probably left out a couple of old man ranty bits in there, but I would have been fine with a pot, knob and an optoisolator with a gumstick batt It is cool looking I will give it that, just have had too much overengineered things go crazy because they could and that is usually how I get these kind of things by finding broken ones and fixing them or all saturday unbricking them lol. Anyway not to poop on OPs work because it is a cool bit and I definitely think quite a few eurorack folks will indeed want this :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123965",
"author": "Don Colbath",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T09:17:18",
"content": "The knob module could also be a remote knob plugged in and on the end of a cable. Knobdongle. These could also be modular to take them off the rack and onto the desktop and could be grouped. I talk better in pictures if that would better describe what I’m thinking.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.864209
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/kaleidoscopico-shows-off-pi-picos-capabilities/
|
Kaleidoscopico Shows Off Pi Pico’s Capabilities
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"Raspberry Pi"
] |
[
"amiga",
"assembly",
"chiptune",
"demo",
"graphics",
"hardware",
"pi pico",
"raspberry pi",
"retrocomputing",
"RISC-V",
"video"
] |
In the early days of computing, and well into the era where home computers were common but not particularly powerful, programming these machines was a delicate balance of managing hardware with getting the most out of the software. Memory had to be monitored closely, clock cycles taken into account, and even video outputs had to be careful not to overwhelm the processor. This can seem foreign in the modern world where double-digit gigabytes of memory is not only common, it’s expected, but if you want to hone your programming skills
there’s no better way to do it than with the limitations imposed by something like a retro computer or a Raspberry Pi Pico
.
This project is called Kaleidoscopio, built by [Linus Åkesson] aka [lft] and goes deep into the hardware of the Pi Pico in order to squeeze as much out of the small, inexpensive platform as possible. The demo is written with 17,000 lines of assembly using the RISC-V instruction set. The microcontroller has two cores on it, with one core acting as the computer’s chipset and the other acts as the CPU, rendering the effects. The platform has no dedicated audio or video components, so everything here is done in software using this setup to act as a PC from the 80s might. In this case, [lft] is taking inspiration from the Amiga platform, his favorite of that era.
The only hardware involved in this project apart from the Pi Pico itself are a few resistors, an audio jack, and a VGA port, further demonstrating that the software is the workhorse in this build. It’s impressive not only for wringing out as much as possible from the platform but for using the arguably weaker RISC-V cores instead of the ARM cores, as the Pi Pico includes both. [lft] goes into every detail on the project’s page as well, for those who are still captivated by the era of computer programming where every bit mattered. For more computing demos like this,
take a look at this one which is based on [lft]’s retrocomputer of choice, the Amiga
.
| 14
| 8
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122477",
"author": "Jouni",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T06:13:07",
"content": "That demo is frickin’ amazing.The real hack is how in the earth he can focus himself learning and build such a long demo with all we saw? That guy is a mental hacker in the first place – and even more if you look all of his projects.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122483",
"author": "Teboho",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T06:49:33",
"content": "Yeah, I also like miniature setups. Break throughs indeed",
"parent_id": "8122477",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122594",
"author": "ChrisMicro",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:02:29",
"content": "An really unbelievable demo he did in 2008 on an Atmega 88:https://www.linusakesson.net/scene/craft/It is still amazing and unbelievable today to making a VGA demo on a microcontroller with 1k RAM.",
"parent_id": "8122477",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122806",
"author": "Charles",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:10:02",
"content": "It’s a matter of training your brain to think at that level. At one point I felt more comfortable writing compression code in x86 assembly compared to C. Now, I depend on C++ for pretty much everything.",
"parent_id": "8122477",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122480",
"author": "krt",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T06:29:07",
"content": "Outstanding.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122482",
"author": "Aitor",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T06:44:37",
"content": "I saw the thru hole resistors on a paper templated perfboard, I instantly recognized lft’s signature style. Always a joy :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122562",
"author": "fanoush",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:13:27",
"content": "Indeed, seen the same style on the one sided C64 cartridgehttps://www.linusakesson.net/hardware/autostart/index.phpBTW that was a nice hack too – using AVR and only one side of cartridge pins to blindly (=no address bus) load code on the fly into C64 RAM",
"parent_id": "8122482",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122660",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:50:48",
"content": "That was pretty clever. It wasn’t completely blind, since he did have a clock and a ROM (cart) select signal, so he could provide data at the proper time. But it’s a cool exercise in working within limitations vs. just assuming that it can’t be done.",
"parent_id": "8122562",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122495",
"author": "Richard",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:00:53",
"content": "I’ve been playing with the 2350 and the pimoroni presto. Very impressed with it’s speed. I’m getting over 2000 flat shaded triangles at 60fps at 480×480 index colour. And the code is just basic C code, no optimisations or coding tricks all one one core too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122522",
"author": "Chris Soukup",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T10:48:09",
"content": "This reminds me of my friends enthusiastic work in the early 90s implementing Amiga demo effects on his 486 PC. The tricky part of all that was that the PC just had a VGA graphics card without any kind of graphics co-processors. In opposite on the Amiga there were such things like “copper” (for screen effects), “blitter” for (block copying, line/polygon drawing). All these things had to be re-implemented on the x86 PC just using the CPU. He even won 2nd place in a demo competition in Denmark back in the 90s.Have a look:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcfjlIyfBWY",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122590",
"author": "DougM",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:50:39",
"content": "There is something so wonderfully TRON about that :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122633",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:30:27",
"content": "Nifty. Very cool. And here I keep ‘thinking’ I need to kick the wheels of RISC-V assembly on the PICO 2 (not the PICO as stated in article), but here we have a person that wrote an awesome application fully in RISC-V assembly. All I’ve got to say is that’s dedication and is ‘awesome’. Hat’s off.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122635",
"author": "rclark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:52:06",
"content": "BTW, Pico and Pico 2s (and all the other vendor RP2040 and RP2350 based boards) are sure fun to work with. Currently working with a Adafruit Metro RP2350 with PSRAM. Like potato chips … one is never enough, or two, or three… I used a Kitronik simple robotics base board and a Pico 2 for building the two servo ‘Exceptionally useless box’. A bit overkill, but not that expensive and servo control was made easy with the robotics board…",
"parent_id": "8122633",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122676",
"author": "Aknup",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T19:39:57",
"content": "Nice subtle nod to the amiga ball in that demo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.917574
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/design-constraints-bring-lockbox-to-life/
|
Design Constraints Bring Lockbox To Life
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"Art"
] |
[
"combination",
"keypad",
"lock",
"Lockbox",
"passive components",
"relay",
"woodworking"
] |
One of the most paradoxical aspects of creating art is the fact that constraints, whether arbitrary or real, and whether in space, time, materials, or rules, often cause creativity to flourish rather than to wither. Picasso’s blue period,
Gadsby
by Ernest Vincent Wright, Tetris, and even the Volkswagen Beetle are all famous examples of constraint-driven artistic brilliance. Similarly, in the world of electronics we can always reach for a microcontroller
but this project from [Peter] has the constraint of only using passive components, and it is all the better for it
.
The project is a lockbox, a small container that reveals a small keypad and the associated locking circuitry when opened. When the correct combination of push buttons is pressed, the box unlocks the hidden drawer. This works by setting a series of hidden switches in a certain way to program the combination. These switches are connected through various diodes to a series of relays, so that each correct press of a button activates the next relay. When the final correct button is pushed, power is applied to a solenoid which unlocks the drawer. An incorrect button push will disable a relay providing power to the rest of the relays, resetting the system back to the start.
The project uses a lot of clever tricks to do all of this without using a single microcontroller, including using capacitors that carefully provide timing to the relays to make them behave properly rather than all energizing at the same time. The woodworking is also notable as well, with the circuit components highlighted when the lid is opened (but importantly, hiding the combination switches). Using relays for logic is not a novel concept, though;
they can be used for all kinds of complex tasks including replacing transistors in single-board computers
.
| 1
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122506",
"author": "RetepV",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:40:04",
"content": "Funny intro for the video! But hmm, your dog must have quite a hearing problem. :DA nice addition would be a spring at the back of the drawer, so it automatically gets pushed open a bit when the lock disengages.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,563.991724
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/27/hackaday-links-april-27-2025/
|
Hackaday Links: April 27, 2025
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links"
] |
[
"ai",
"anti-submarine warfare",
"Deepfake",
"dexterity",
"dj",
"hackaday links",
"Hoover Dam",
"humanoid",
"LLM",
"magnetomoter",
"nitrogen-vacancy",
"quantum",
"radio station",
"robot",
"tecxt-to-speech"
] |
Looks like the Simpsons had it right again
, now that an Australian radio station has been caught using
an AI-generated DJ
for their midday slot. Station CADA, a Sydney-based broadcaster that’s part of the Australian Radio Network, revealed that “Workdays with Thy” isn’t actually hosted by a person; rather, “Thy” is a generative AI text-to-speech system that has been on the air since November. An actual employee of the ARN finance department was used for Thy’s voice model and her headshot, which adds a bit to the creepy factor.
The discovery that they’ve been listening to a bot for months apparently has Thy’s fans in an uproar, although we suspect that the media doing the reporting is probably more exercised about this than the general public. Radio stations have used robo-jocks for the midday slot for ages, albeit using actual human DJs to record patter to play between tunes and commercials. Anyone paying attention over the last few years probably shouldn’t be surprised by this development, and we suspect similar disclosures will be forthcoming across the industry now that the cat’s out of the bag.
Also from the world of robotics, albeit the hardware kind, is this excellent essay from Brian Potter over at Construction Physics about
the sad state of manual dexterity in humanoid robots
. The whole article is worth reading, not least for the link to
a rogue’s gallery of the current crop of humanoid robots
, but briefly, the essay contends that while humanoid robots do a pretty good job of navigating in the world, their ability to do even the simplest tasks is somewhat wanting.
Brian’s example of unwrapping and applying a Band-Aid, a task that any toddler can handle, as being unimaginably difficult for any current robot to handle is quite apt. He attributes the gap in abilities between gross movements and fine motor control partly to hardware and partly to software. We think the blame skews more to the hardware side; while the legs and torso of the typical humanoid robot offer a lot of real estate for powerful actuators, squeezing that much equipment into a hand approximately the size of a human’s is a tall order. These problems will likely be overcome, of course, and when they do, Brian’s helpful list of “Dexterity Evals” or something similar will act as a sort of Turing test for robot dexterity. Although the day a humanoid robot can start a new roll of toilet paper without tearing the first sheet is the day we head for the woods.
We recently did a story on the use of
nitrogen-vacancy diamonds as magnetic sensors
, which we found really exciting because it’s about the simplest way we’ve seen to play with quantum physics at home. After that story ran, eagle-eyed reader Kealan noticed that Brian over at the “Real Engineering” channel on YouTube had recently run
a video on anti-submarine warfare
, which includes the uses of similar quantum magnetometers to detect submarines. The magnetometers in the video are based on the Zeeman effect and use laser-pumped helium atoms to detect tiny variations in the Earth’s magnetic field due to large ferrous objects like submarines. Pretty cool video; check it out.
And finally, if you have the slightest interest in civil engineering you’ve got to check out
Animagraff’s recent 3D tour of the insides of Hoover Dam
. If you thought a dam was just a big, boring block of concrete dumped in the middle of a river, think again. The video is incredibly detailed and starts with accurate 3D models of Black Canyon before the dam was built. Every single detail of the dam is shown, with the “X-ray views” of the dam with the surrounding rock taken away being our favorite bit — reminds us a bit of the book
Underground
by
David Macaulay
. But at the end of the day, it’s the enormity of Hoover Dam that really comes across in this video. The way that the structure dwarfs the human-for-scale included in almost every sequence is hard to express — megalophobics, beware. We were also floored by just how much machinery is buried in all that concrete. Sure, we knew about the generators, but the gates on the intake towers and the way the spillways work were news to us. Highly recommended.
| 14
| 7
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122434",
"author": "Allan-H",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T23:43:46",
"content": "“the enormity of Hoover Dam”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122524",
"author": "Shannon",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T10:52:10",
"content": "A lot of people use “enormity” instead of “enormousness” because they sound kind of similar and because when used correctly “enormity” is most often used with a noun that tells you about the badness of the whatever leaving “enormity” as a scaling adjective.",
"parent_id": "8122434",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122651",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:19:00",
"content": "The enormity of the enormity situation is such that enormity is now also a synonym for enormousness. I suppose people like it because it’s easier to type and spell.",
"parent_id": "8122524",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122438",
"author": "targetdrone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:20:29",
"content": "That was a dam interesting video!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122445",
"author": "bored",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T00:52:24",
"content": "the AI generated DJ is interesting, especially reading through the comments on the linked article. on one hand, how many of us really care, as long as something keeps playing music? probably far fewer than the current accepted radio personality standards.but then the comments decry about how it’s stealing work from a real person, and to give a real person the job. though realistically, they likely moved to this route because it was such a difficult position to staff for a variety of reasons, internal or external.but then the question becomes, if the job is so easily replaced by AI, but the only reason not to is because real people want the job, aren’t we just “government-cheese”ing our way into a false job economy?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122742",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T03:41:20",
"content": "It’s not like it’s anything new. There was a radio station where the DJ died and they just kept playing his previously recorded stuff.Everyone knew, and no-one cared.Who listens to radio anyway?",
"parent_id": "8122445",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122466",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T03:56:39",
"content": "“unwrapping and applying a Band-Aid, a task that any toddler can handle” – plenty of toddlers can’t do this, at least not well and consistently. That said, the point is taken: Immature humans 1, robots 0 when it comes to applying a Band-Aid.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122473",
"author": "ziew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T05:29:37",
"content": "A couple of months ago they started using AI in an obscure local Polish radio station, fired some journalists and not only they didn’t hide it, they boasted about it. It wasn’t easy to find a proper article in English, so maybe that’s why it wasn’t well known abroad. Here’s something that maybe isn’t 100% accurate, but at least doesn’t require Google translate:https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/10/28/polish-broadcaster-shuts-down-ai-run-radio-station-after-a-week-following-backlash/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122484",
"author": "adobeflashhater again",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T06:54:38",
"content": "AI DJ? hmm, I’m thinking of another story plot for something like “The Last of Us” or ?? Someone trying to get to whoever the voice is, that’s still broadcasting spuratically. But turns out to be a someones Hackaday(?) project for collecting a bit of solar energy or a hot roof & peltier etc, and kicking off a broadcast whenever the needed power has been accumulated for maybe an hour or 2 of run time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122566",
"author": "Egghead Larsen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:36:17",
"content": "“On the Beach” Nevil Shute nov3l turned into at least 2 movies and a miniseries",
"parent_id": "8122484",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122654",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:33:15",
"content": "we suspect that the media doing the reporting is probably more [exercised] about this than the general publicDid you mean [excited]?squeezing that much equipment into a hand approximately the size of a human’s is a tall orderThe muscles that control human hands are mostly located in the human’s arms. I don’t think it’s the mechanical aspects of making a hand that are the biggest challenge (though it sure isn’t easy). I think that achieving the sensing and feedback is what’s lacking. But I think another issue is that robots are generally built for specific tasks; building something as general-purpose as human hands would be way overbuilt (and costly) compared to something special purpose.I wonder if it will require the development of “motors” that function just like human muscles before we can build general-purpose “hands” (and other human-like parts) easily and affordably?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122655",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T18:35:22",
"content": "Well, that’s a quoting fail. I suppose I needed to insert more blank lines to make it work correctly. Let’s test that:this looks like a quoteand this isn’tbut this also looks like a quoteand so it goes.",
"parent_id": "8122654",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122914",
"author": "Rich",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T21:01:07",
"content": "Is this quote thing new?",
"parent_id": "8122655",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8127172",
"author": "IntelligentAleck",
"timestamp": "2025-05-13T13:54:40",
"content": "No, people have been quoting other people for thousands of years….",
"parent_id": "8122914",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,564.135259
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/hash-functions-with-the-golden-ratio/
|
Hash Functions With The Golden Ratio
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"Science"
] |
[
"computer science",
"efficiency",
"fibbonaci",
"hash",
"hashing",
"modulo",
"processing time"
] |
In the realm of computer science, it’s hard to go too far without encountering hashing or hash functions. The concept appears throughout security, from encryption to password storage to crypto, and more generally whenever large or complex data must be efficiently mapped to a smaller, fixed-size set. Hashing makes the process of looking for data much faster for a computer than performing a search and can be incredibly powerful when mastered. [Malte] did some investigation into hash functions and
seems to have found a method called Fibonacci hashing
that not only seems to have been largely forgotten but which speeds up this lookup process even further.
In a typical hashing operation, the data is transformed in some way, with part of this new value used to store it in a specific location. That second step is often done with an integer modulo function. But the problem with any hashing operation is that two different pieces of data end up with the same value after the modulo operation is performed, resulting in these two different pieces of data being placed at the same point. The Fibonacci hash, on the other hand, uses the golden ratio rather than the modulo function to map the final location of the data, resulting in many fewer instances of collisions like these while also being much faster. It also appears to do a better job of using the smaller fixed-size set more evenly as a consequence of being based around Fibonacci numbers, just as long as the input data doesn’t have a large number of Fibonacci numbers themselves.
Going through the math that [Malte] goes over in his paper shows that, at least as far as performing the mapping part of a hash function, the Fibonacci hash performs much better than integer modulo. Some of the comments mention that it’s a specific type of a more general method called multiplicative hashing. For those using hash functions in their code it might be worth taking a look at either way, and [Malte] admits to not knowing everything about this branch of computer science as well but still goes into an incredible amount of depth about this specific method. If you’re more of a newcomer to this topic,
take a look at this person who put an enormous bounty on a bitcoin wallet which shows why reverse-hashing is so hard
.
| 9
| 4
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122089",
"author": "jawnhenry",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T04:52:23",
"content": "“…just as long as the input data doesn’t have a large number of Fibonacci numbers themselves…”Given that the Fibonacci Sequence–meaning Fibonacci numbers, of course–appears so regularly and is so pervasive in the physical–and mathematical–world, this could prove highly problematic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122098",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T06:31:59",
"content": "“Fibonacci hashing solves both of these problems. 1. It’s really fast.”Exactly a feature I doNOTwant in a (cryptographic) hash function. I want slow and secure. Without a doubt this has still very interesting uses as the author implied. E.g. maybe searching distributed hash tables.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122110",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T09:16:10",
"content": "The linked article kinda explains this – this is a good “hash” function for mapping a large set to a small set, butnota cryptographic hash, which is often what we mean. This confusion in terms is probably why it’s been ignored.",
"parent_id": "8122098",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122112",
"author": "Aiolos",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T09:27:27",
"content": "No, for a cryptographic hash fonction, you need it to be fast and secure. Not slow. Because hashing is omnipresent in signature and integrity control, if they are slow, they risk to slow your entire system, specially if they are used at low level.If you need slowness in hashing, e.g. for password hashing, then use deficated algorithms such as Argon2 or even bcrypt.",
"parent_id": "8122098",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122200",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:38:37",
"content": "I don’t think you want a password hash to be slow (at least not algorithmically slow). Fundamentally the entire time you’re computing a hash, it’s a security vulnerability to some degree. If you intentionally slow it down by randomly adding waits to defeat like, glitching/power consumption attacks that’s one thing, but if there are a ton of steps I’m not sure that doesn’t make it less secure fundamentally.",
"parent_id": "8122112",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122287",
"author": "The Mole",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T05:04:51",
"content": "You need a slow hashing function (and seeds) for passwords in order to mitigate against generation of rainbow tables/ brute force matching against a stolen password database.",
"parent_id": "8122200",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122326",
"author": "Eric",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:43:12",
"content": "Most tasks that use hash functions are not cryptography nor do they need a cryptographic hash. As with any algorithm you use one that is appropriate for the task.",
"parent_id": "8122098",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122179",
"author": "I Alone Possess The Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:27:38",
"content": "As someone for whom this isterra icognitaI appreciate the long and detailed by local standards introduction to the topic of hashing. Now I can be slightly more informed when I read my next introduction. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123913",
"author": "JWL",
"timestamp": "2025-05-03T04:43:45",
"content": "This has been bugging me since I read it and I guess I have to say something.The reason this isn’t used is not that people don’t know about it. I assure you the people working on our standard runtimes know about all the reasonable options. I would assume the reasoning they use is that most consumers of hash tables don’t have lookup performance quite so much in their hot path, and there’s risk associated with this method, so it’s a bad tradeoff. You need to know something about the data to apply it safely. If you just blindly do a multiply-and, then you get problems — this is mentioned in what I think is an overly cursory way in the article when they say“in order to use this you have to be certain that all the important information is in the lower bits”.If you aren’t careful about that you get a critical failure whereeverything hashes to the same bin!Imagine you didn’t, and you have a bunch of numbers that are multiples of the hash table size — they will always map to bin 0, because the multiplication only mixes leftwards, and then because the table is a power-of-2 size the integer truncation will not help you at all.I knew about this trick already, I use it when I’m implementing my own hash tables, but also when I do that I’m explicitly pairing the hash algorithm to the data I expect to see. J Random Hacker that isn’t a data structures expert doesn’t need that headache, and can afford a couple extra nanoseconds for the integer modulus.Realistically — if the performance of your hash table is that critical in your algorithm, fine, survey the landscape of different hash table implementations. Don’t just use the standard library. Consider building your own. I don’t think it’s right to suggest the standard library implementers were naive, though. They have priorities besides just making that one step in the lookup super fast!As far as I know, there’s nothing particularly special about the golden ratio when you’re doing this kind of hashing, you just want something relatively prime (i.e. 2 should not be a factor) with a reasonable number of bits set so you get some mixing. That “spread out” pattern will appear whenever you do this repeated multiply-modulo with relatively prime numbers. I suspect there is a bit of myth going on here, because I don’t see any real justification of the properties (and what I do see doesn’t make sense).I don’t have Knuth on my shelf (I know, for shame) but I have to imagine the “Something related to CRC hashes” is a reference to Galois field arithmetic, which is used in CRCs, and actually this is really significant, becausemore recent CPUs have GF multiplication instructions that could actually give the benefit that this article is looking for.Anyhoo. Off my soapbox. Be careful out there folks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.08517
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/xor-gate-as-a-frequency-doubler/
|
XOR Gate As A Frequency Doubler
|
Al Williams
|
[
"classic hacks"
] |
[
"frequency doubler",
"xor"
] |
[IMSAI Guy] grabbed an obsolete XOR gate and tried a classic circuit to turn it into
a frequency doubler
. Of course, being an old part, it won’t work at very high frequencies, but the circuit is super simple, just using the gate and an RC network. You can see a video of his exploration below.
The simple circuit seems like it should work, but in practice, it needed an extra component. In theory, the RC circuit acts as an edge detector. So, each edge of the input signal causes a pulse on the output as the second input lags the first.
That sounds good, but it looked terrible on the scope until a 1K resistor tied to the capacitor shifted the bias point of the gate. In all fairness, the original schematic used a Schmitt trigger gate, which may have made a difference had one been available. There were slight differences, though, depending on the type of device. An LS part, for example, didn’t need the extra resistor.
Of course, an RC network is just one way to delay the input, and the delay determines the width of the output pulse and constrains the input frequency and duty cycle. However, you could use other gates, including the other XOR gates in the package to realize a fast delay.
Frequency doublers
are very common at microwave frequencies
, but they don’t work in the same way. There are several ways to do it, but a common method is to use a nonlinear element to generate plenty of harmonics and then filter off everything but the second one. Or the third one, if you wanted a tripler instead.
| 10
| 9
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122070",
"author": "Lee Gleason",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T01:14:10",
"content": "IMSAI Guy is the best. I love seeing him demonstrate a new chip every day.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122079",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T02:15:07",
"content": "Circuits like this do work, sort of, most of the time. It’s usable for a quick hack and experiments, but it’s not something you can rely on for bigger production runs, such as selling kits. The reason is that the logic input thesholds are not very well defined, and as a result, the circuit may misbehave when used with a different batch of IC’s, or IC’s from another manufacturer. Just like relying on the Beta of a BJT, it’s not good design practice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122138",
"author": "jawnhenry",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T13:34:54",
"content": "Yes.Absolutely.“Circuits like this do work, sort of…”[…and–sometimes…]“…it’s not something you can rely on……it’s not good design practice.”It’s never good design practice to build a digital logic circuit / system–on which the deterministic, highly repeatable operation of the system depends–using discrete reactive components.This is the reason one does not find monostable multivibrator ICs (e.g., the 74xx121; 74xx123; 4538B) nor SE/NE555s in thebasic-systemdesign of mission-critical, or life-critical, digital designs.",
"parent_id": "8122079",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122090",
"author": "GeeDee",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T05:21:40",
"content": "Yeah the schmit trigger is very inportant .. by no means “might be”… goofy to leave that out .",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122105",
"author": "Xorted",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T08:41:26",
"content": "XOR gates make nifty oscillators too, from AF to HF. PotatoSemi (yes, potato chip) makes GHz speed 7400 series equivalents. It would be fun to see what logic at such levels could make possible for RF.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122108",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T08:53:52",
"content": "10ns propagation delay isnt very high frequency?Thats 100 MHz",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122126",
"author": "cshamis",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:18:44",
"content": "I spent a week chasing this for fun on my bench because i didn’t have the components to make a PLL.xors and a buffer for edge detection.now you have pulses,wired to an RC timer,run that to another buffernow you get a nice digital pulse…then run it through a FF, to get a nice square wave…and you’re back at the same frequency you started at…lol",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122156",
"author": "Steven M Burns",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T15:15:11",
"content": "You can use a 74122 to construct a very clean pulse. That is probably how it would have been done in the day.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122401",
"author": "hartl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:19:29",
"content": "There’s a better way – use the remaining ’86 gates as a delay line to get clean and predictable output pulses. That was a standard circuit some decades ago, often to be found in data separator and clock recovery circuits.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122771",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T06:27:26",
"content": "One way to make this more predictable is to add a precision comparator.https://www.eetimes.com/simple-logic-circuit-doubles-input-frequency/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.18363
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/robot-gets-a-diy-pneumatic-gripper-upgrade/
|
Robot Gets A DIY Pneumatic Gripper Upgrade
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Robots Hacks"
] |
[
"pneumatic",
"pneumatic gripper",
"Pneumatics",
"robot arm"
] |
[Tazer] built a small desktop-sized robotic arm, and it was more or less functional. However, he wanted to improve its ability to pick things up, and attaching a pneumatic gripper seemed like the perfect way to achieve that.
Thus began the build!
The concept of [Tazer]’s pneumatic gripper is simple enough. When the pliable silicone gripper is filled with air, the back half is free to expand, while the inner section is limited in its expansion thanks to fabric included in the structure. This causes the gripper to deform in such a way that it folds around as it fills with air, which lets it pick up objects. [Tazer] designed the gripper so that that could be cast in silicone using 3D printed molds. It’s paired with a 3D printed manifold which delivers air to open and close the gripper as needed. Mounted on the end of [Tazer]’s robotic arm, it’s capable of lifting small objects quite well.
It’s a fun build, particularly for the lovely sounds of silicone parts being ripped out of their 3D printed molds. Proper ASMR grade stuff, here. We’ve also seen
some other great work on pneumatic robot grippers over the years.
| 2
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122171",
"author": "Eric Mockler",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T16:31:39",
"content": "This is pretty good, there should be comments.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123319",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-01T17:11:09",
"content": "Many more! This is an awesome project.",
"parent_id": "8122171",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,564.275773
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/sigrok-website-down-after-hosting-data-loss/
|
Sigrok Website Down After Hosting Data Loss
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"News"
] |
[
"sigrok"
] |
When it comes to open source signal analysis software for logic analyzers and many other sensors, Sigrok is pretty much the only game in town. Unfortunately after an issue with the server hosting, the
website,
wiki, and other documentation is down until a new hosting provider is found and the site migrated. This leaves just the
downloads
active, as well as the IRC channel (#sigrok) over at Libera.chat.
This is
not the first time
that the Sigrok site has gone down, but this time it seems that it’s more final. Although it seems a new server will be set up over the coming days, this will do little to assuage those who have been ringing the alarm bells about the Sigrok project. Currently access to documentation is unavailable, except via the
WaybackMachine’s archive.
A tragic reality of FOSS projects is that they are not immortal, with them requiring constant time, money and effort to keep servers running and software maintained. This might be a good point for those who have a stake in Sigrok to consider what the project means to them, and what it might mean if it were to shutdown.
| 14
| 6
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8121990",
"author": "Rob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T17:08:05",
"content": "I would rather say it seemslessfinal, as they are moving to a more dependable location.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122030",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T21:08:20",
"content": "i hope they’re gonna switch to gitlab or something similar, because the mailing list didn had active maintainers…",
"parent_id": "8121990",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122011",
"author": "Jii",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:39:11",
"content": "Damn, i do hope they get back up and running.It’s such a shame, once again, that manufacturers do not support Sigrok instead of doing their own propietary, buggy, fat, left for dead POS tools.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122026",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:22:20",
"content": "I think it would help projects like Sigrok a lot if they were able to generate a bit of income. Even if it’s just enough to keep the website alive and a few evenings of maintenance every now and then.Probably some people will donate to Sigrok (Heck, I bought two Kings LA2016 analyzers for use with Sigrok (They work in a recent beta version) and those cost me around EUR 60 each)The USD 7 Saleaeaea clone from Ali / Ebay is the most common hardware for Sigrok, and I can even buy a “Sparkfun” branded version locally here in the Netherlands.https://www.sparkfun.com/usb-logic-analyzer-24mhz-8-channel.htmlBut I don’t see a reason for paying such a premium if they don’t support the Sigrok / Pulseview project directly.Another way for Sigrok / Pulseview to generate some income would be to market some “unique” version of hardware. Pulseview works with up to 16 channels on a Cypress CY7C68013A if it sees an PID for a “generic” development board, instead of the Saleaeaea PID. there has been some contest for “absolute minimum PCB size” LA for Sigrok, but a 16 channel version (with input protection) is very low hanging fruit for unique hardware. Having some on board level translation for RS485 or CAN, or a way to set the logic trigger level would be other easy extensions.Sometimes I wonder what sort of performance you could get out of Sigrok / Pulseview with an Cypress SX3 microcontroller. This goes up to 5Gbps over USB 3.2. Micro-controllers cost around USD 20 (25+) so a product (exclusive housing) for a similar price as the Kingst LA2016 may be doable. I only bought the Kingst LA’s because there simply is no Sigrok / Pulseview branded hardware available.Another problem is lack of marketing. Most Hackaday readers / hackers will be familiar with Sigrok / Pulseview, but a lot of beginners do not even know what a Logic Analyzer is. I also discovered it quite late in my career, and I found it so useful that I think it should be part of every “arduino” starters kit. The USD 7 LA’s are plenty to start to get to know I2C, SPI, working with 74HC595 shift registers and such. When I’m doing some development (which is not often lately) I tend to make more use of the small and silent LA, then of my Rigol or Siglent scope (I’ve got both, both have a noisy fan, though I already replaced the fan in my old Rigol 1052).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122031",
"author": "shinsukke",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T21:14:00",
"content": "but a lot of beginners do not even know what a Logic Analyzer isI will profess, its true even though it might sound false. When I was a univ student, I had no idea logic analysers existed so I wrote my own utility for an atmega8a to dump captured data over UART. It even included hardware timer based adjustable filtering for carrier waves (used it mostly for IR remotes)",
"parent_id": "8122026",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122037",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T21:41:18",
"content": "A logic analyzer can indeed also be used as a quite good software debugging tool. For example, if you have a spare SPI or UART port, then outputting a byte from it just takes one or two opcodes. (load constant, output constant to data register). This way, you can sprinkle such “timestamps” though your software. For example, you can mark where ISR’s start and end, with minimum impact on performance. Or you can just set an I/O bit when the ISR starts, and clear it when the ISR ends. I even went as far as to write a simple C library around it with some macro’s that can enable or disable the debug output.Contrary to catching UART data with a terminal emulator, with a LA, you can also see the timestamps in relation to other channels. For example, when you use one of the I/O pins to mark all ISR’s, you can trace backwards in the LA trace to see whether some part of your algorithm was interrupted by an ISR.An LA also makes it trivially simple to do performance timing. Just set an I/O bit, do your algorithm, and clear the I/O bit, and the LA tells you how long it took to do your algorithm.All these things together makes a quite nice toolkit for debugging firmware. More modern uC’s often have on-board debugging capabilities, but back then those were not really available. And even now, you can simple log the LA trace, and then go looking backwards when you notice something “funny” happening.",
"parent_id": "8122031",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122048",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:35:18",
"content": "This is a bit like changing the border color on the C64 to show where your code is up to within a frame cycle",
"parent_id": "8122037",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122035",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T21:29:34",
"content": "I don’t know the Sigrok developer’s situation, but if they’re doing it for love of writing a logic analyzer, they probably don’t want to spend their time developing a web application for payment, verifying that someone’s paid, correlating payment with hardware, keeping track of people as they move from account to account…",
"parent_id": "8122026",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122049",
"author": "Neil",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:37:06",
"content": "People could donate directly to the account used to pay colocation fees",
"parent_id": "8122035",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122203",
"author": "Todd",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:57:03",
"content": "Bought one of those ali express 8 channel USB logic analyzers the other day. It turned up yesterday and I literally just went to download the software only to find the website I looked at last week had disappeared! For what it’s worth, if they sold the same cheap/generic logic analyzer just with sigrok/pulse view branding on it, through Amazon, with an affiliate link, I’d happily buy it there instead. If it cost a few dollars more but means the developers/community gets a dollar out of the sale, surely that’s a win?",
"parent_id": "8122026",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122056",
"author": "Ray",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T23:01:24",
"content": "“A tragic reality of FOSS projects is that they are not immortal”A tragic reality of closed-source commercial s/w is it is constantly a P.I.T.A.Ex: Windows_OS",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122123",
"author": "zoobab",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:06:36",
"content": "Anyone for a wiki with native git and markdown support?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8167428",
"author": "Carl-Fredrik Sundstrom",
"timestamp": "2025-08-22T21:14:41",
"content": "Yes I dont understand this obession of their own hosting just put all the pages as mardown nd generate static page using github actions, move everything off the current pages into this model and a cicd to build all the targets in github.Then there are like between the different projects 100’s of pull requests thats not beeing processed. I dont buy the maintainers “We have tp much tp do” No one i asking for help, actually no one is responding anywhere.",
"parent_id": "8122123",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122197",
"author": "Kluge",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:25:09",
"content": "Use gitlab or something for the download stuff and a VPS for the website? One with 10gb of storage is less than $30 a year…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.234595
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/hackaday-podcast-ep-318-diy-record-lathe-360-degree-lidar-and-3d-printing-innovation-lives/
|
Hackaday Podcast Ep 318: DIY Record Lathe, 360 Degree LIDAR, And 3D Printing Innovation Lives!
|
Jenny List
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts"
] |
[
"Hackaday Podcast"
] |
This week Elliot Williams was joined by fellow Europe-based Hackaday staffer Jenny List, to record the Hackaday Podcast as the dusk settled on a damp spring evening.
On the agenda first was robotic sport, as a set of bipedal robots competed in a Chinese half-marathon. Our new Robot overlords may have to wait a while before they are fast enough chase us meatbags away, but it demonstrated for us how such competitions can be used to advance the state of the art.
The week’s stand-out hacks included work on non-planar slicing to improve strength of 3D prints. It’s safe to say that the Cartesian 3D printer has matured as a device, but this work proves there’s plenty more in the world of 3D printing to be developed. Then there was a beautiful record cutting lathe project, far more than a toy and capable of producing good quality stereo recordings.
Meanwhile it’s always good to see the price of parts come down, and this time it’s the turn of LIDAR sensors. There’s a Raspberry Pi project capable of astounding resolution, for a price that wouldn’t have been imaginable only recently. Finally we returned to 3D printing, with an entirely printable machine, including the motors and the hot end. It’s a triumph of printed engineering, and though it’s fair to say that you won’t be using it to print anything for yourself, we expect some of the very clever techniques in use to feature in many other projects.
The week’s cant-miss articles came from Maya Posch with a reality check for lovers of physical media, and Dan Maloney with a history of x-ray detection. Listen to it all below, and you’ll find all the links at the bottom of the page.
Still mourning the death of physical media?
Download an MP3
and burn it to CD like it’s 1999!
Where to Follow Hackaday Podcast
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
YouTube
Check
out our Libsyn landing page
Episode 318 Show Notes:
News:
China Hosts Robot Marathon
Announcing The Hackaday Pet Hacks Contest
What’s that Sound:
Congrats to [Bultza] for knowing what that sound was better than we did!
It was thrusters firing aboard the Dragon
(Instagram link)
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
Non-planar Slicing Is For The Birds
Unique 3D Printer Has A Print Head With A Twist
3D Printering: Non-Planar Layer FDM
A Universal, Non-planar Slicer For 3D Printing Is Worth Thinking About
Improved And Open Source: Non-Planar Infill For FDM
DIY Record Cutting Lathe Is Really Groovy
A Pi-Based LiDAR Scanner
The Evertop: A Low-Power, Off-Grid Solar Gem
Robot Picks Fruit And Changes Light Bulbs With Measuring Tape
Compliant Robot Gripper Won’t Scramble Your Eggs
Dead Simple Jamming Gripper Design
The Most Printable 3D Printer Yet
Quick Hacks:
Elliot’s Picks:
Printed Perpetual Calendar Clock Contains Clever Cams
Haircuts In Space: How To Keep Your Astronauts Looking Fresh
Jolly Wrencher Down To The Micron
Jenny’s Picks:
Low Cost Oscilloscope Gets Low Cost Upgrades
Open Source DMR Radio
A Scratch-Built Commodore 64, Turing Style
Restoration Of Six-Player Arcade Game From The Early 90s
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Why Physical Media Deserved To Die
To See Within: Detecting X-Rays
| 2
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122508",
"author": "Lee Roberts",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:54:47",
"content": "Mike Harrison has a couple of teardowns of xray sensor plates on his youtube channel. Very interesting stuff inside.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123048",
"author": "johnny",
"timestamp": "2025-04-30T13:25:45",
"content": "insta: schiklan",
"parent_id": "8122508",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,564.315539
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/you-wouldnt-steal-a-font/
|
You Wouldn’t Steal A Font…
|
Jenny List
|
[
"Business",
"History",
"Interest"
] |
[
"copyright",
"dvd",
"you wouldnt steal a car"
] |
In the 2000s, the DVD industry was concerned about piracy, in particular the threat to their business model presented by counterfeit DVDs and downloadable movies. Their response was a campaign which could be found embedded into the intro sequences of many DVDs of the era, in which an edgy font on a black background began with “You wouldn’t steal a car.. “. It was enough of a part of the background noise of popular culture that it has become a meme in the 2020s, reaching many people with no idea of its origins. Now in a delicious twist of fate, it has been found that
the font used in the campaign was itself pirated
. Someone should report them.
The font in question is
FF Confidential
, designed by [Just van Rossum], whose brother [Guido] you may incidentally know as the originator of the Python programming language. The font in the campaign isn’t FF Confidential though, as it turns out it’s
XBAND Rough
, a pirated copy of the original. What a shame nobody noticed this two decades ago.
It’s a bit of fun to delight in an anti-piracy campaign being caught using a dodgy font, but if this story serves to tell us anything it’s that the web of modern intellectual property is so labyrinthine as to be almost impossible to navigate without coming a cropper somewhere. Sadly the people caught out in this case would be the last to call for reform of the intellectual property environment, but as any sane heads would surely agree, such reform is overdue.
If copyright gives you a headache,
here’s our take on it
.
| 67
| 19
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8121948",
"author": "Mark Topham",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T15:32:54",
"content": "“a pirated copy of the original”When it comes to fonts, you need to define that in detail.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121951",
"author": "warhorse",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T15:47:05",
"content": "which basically takes the incentive out of building anything or creating anything. if it weren’t for the profit motive involved with patents, we wouldn’t have even got to the steam age.why put years of your life into inventing something, if 30 seconds after you show it someone comes along and steals it?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121952",
"author": "Jouni",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T15:54:16",
"content": "Innovation and products would still happen, for sure.This thing is happening inside China and it is just their normal standard. Strong ones will survive and those who loose, start over.",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121988",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:58:44",
"content": "They don’t care about IP because US, Japanese, and Korean companies do the innovation for them. That works for them!Doesn’t work so well for most of the companies who do the development, and doesn’t work so well for indies who create something cool and stick it on tindie only to have it appear on AliExpress for a fraction of the cost. And it’s not just tech; fashion, dice, keycaps, … you name it.Doesn’t work so well for manufacturers who can’t trust the quality of the parts they buy because of supply chains being flooded with fakes.And whilst they like the cheap, it also doesn’t work so well for consumers who often struggle to find genuine product to buy, meaning they can’t support the original devs when they want to, and they often end up buying badly made unsafe goods.",
"parent_id": "8121952",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122000",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:03:16",
"content": "Incorrect,China has both patents and copyrights.The China National Intellectual Property Administration issued over 1 million invention patents, over 2 million utility patents, and almost 700k design patents in 2024 alone.They just have very lax enforcement of FOREIGN patent and copyright laws.",
"parent_id": "8121952",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122053",
"author": "Jason",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:51:13",
"content": "The US is lax about enforcing FOREIGN patent and copyright laws as well. Look what happened to UGG boots for example.",
"parent_id": "8122000",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122059",
"author": "Ad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T23:08:18",
"content": "China grants more patents per year than the USA, they still protect IP if it’s theirs.",
"parent_id": "8121952",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121953",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:05:03",
"content": "I was gonna say that James Watt’s patents in fact stifled innovation, buthttps://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/658495(I only read the abstract) claims that is a hoax…",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121966",
"author": "ted yapo",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:15:16",
"content": "yep, this is why open-source has been such a flop, with only 96% of codebases containing open-source code. there’s absolutely zero incentive to develop it.https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/guide/the-careful-consumption-of-open-source-software.html",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121998",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:01:55",
"content": "Open source is still protected intellectual property.That’s why any major repo has a license, like GNU, MIT, Apache, etc.",
"parent_id": "8121966",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122177",
"author": "Noah",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:25:11",
"content": "They have licenses because the copyright system is BS. If they were public domain then a corporation could make one change to it, copyright it, and sue the original creator. Only a moron would still support copyright in 2025.",
"parent_id": "8121998",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122147",
"author": "Mattia Giambirtone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:35:45",
"content": "Tell me you understand jackshit about software licenses without telling me. Not to mention the fact that many OSS project maintainers are quitting precisely because there is no clear, ethical way to make money in open source (and no, Canonical and RedHat don’t count as ethical)",
"parent_id": "8121966",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122230",
"author": "Adam Morris",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:19:05",
"content": "I guess you missed the whole “you can pay for support” and “you can pay to have features added” options that some developers are going with.",
"parent_id": "8122147",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121977",
"author": "Dylan Turner",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:35:32",
"content": "why put years of your life into inventing somethingThis isn’t a thing that happens. Individual inventors can’t afford patents nor can they afford to defend those patents if someone were to infringe upon them.They’re 10s of thousands of dollars",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122010",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:38:49",
"content": "Most patents run $8-15K in patent attorney fees.The actual patent fees for small entities are reduced and if you qualify as a microentity (named on fewer than 4 existing patents and have a gross income below $241K) the fees are trivial.I paid no attorney fees getting my first two patents, Self wrote. I paid around $2-3K in total fees for each, that includes search, initial filing, examination, and issuance.Once they were issued I ended up hiring an attorney to handle the licensing negotiation/agreements. I spent a little over $10K in total licensing two patents to two separate companies.That firm handled my next two patents, start to finish through licensing. My third patent set me back $35K. I had been named previously on a patent issued through an employer so my fourth personally granted patent I didnt qualify for reduced microentity rate but still qualified as a small entity. The government fees are double the microentity rate but my total cost ended up only slightly higher than my third coming in at $37K.Now I cant argue that enforcing patents is far too costly for most individuals.One company that is the assignee of one of my patents has spent over a million in legal fees dealing with a competitor who is infringing on 3 of the claims of the patent they own. Ive never messed with any of that beyond giving testimony in court.I identify problems in industry, find solutions through rigorous experimentation, patent my results, and target manufacturers already engaged in that sector with the opportunity to license my technology and hire me on a consultancy basis to integrate, implement, and maintain them into their production lines. Without patent protection Id just be a guy trying to get hired with a few notebooks of good ideas, hoping not to get screwed out of them.",
"parent_id": "8121977",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122025",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:18:58",
"content": "I like your business model.",
"parent_id": "8122010",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122127",
"author": "robert",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:18:45",
"content": "Well done making a profit from the lone inventor business… I can’t be the only one here hoping to do that myself some day. Would you be able to suggest what sort of field you’ve been inventing in, what sort of concepts and products can a lone inventor still work in, some types of things one might develop are obviously out-of-scope given they need many different people’s expertise to make a working system, other things are the types of ideas which can simply never be very commercially useful, to many things one can invent solve a problem one’s-self has but aren’t applicable to the needs of anyone else who might wish to buy them, too many things for which there isn’t a market… Especially as your inventions are protected by patents, could you point out roughly what sort of things they are? What fields of system/product/subsystem can a lone inventor still do well in?",
"parent_id": "8122010",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122170",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T16:26:56",
"content": "@ RobertI dont focus on products. I focus on means of production.I was the kind of kid that read the dictionary, the encyclopedia, even the phonebook. When I discovered the USPTO database online in the late 90s I became hooked on reading and understanding patents.I spend a lot of time investigating companies and their existing patents. In understanding how things are being done, I often come up with my own ideas of ways things can be done better. If I can prove my theories, and show actually improvements in processes, then I have something that can be marketed to the patent holder who inspired me or to their competitor. should they turn me down.Its not easy work. I have half a dozen projects going at any time. I sometimes spend 3-5 years chasing an idea only to abandon it when it fails, or a comparable patent drops. Ive only managed 7 solo patents in the ~25 years Ive been doing this.In all honesty, I make more money as a manufacturing efficiency consultant than all of my IP combined, but I wouldnt book those jobs without my patents, references, and client recommendations.Most of my actual work is taking small manufacturing lines from manual production techniques to basic automation. There are many companies doing tasks manually that can be done with machines that are decades old. There are lots of bits and bobs between machines that have to be designed and fabricated to make things run smoothly, thats my bread and butter.I have pet projects sitting on the workshop shelf that could probably fly off store shelves, but Im not that guy. Im a tinkerer and a thinker. Im more motivated by discovery than the dream of wealth.But dont let my path and way restrict you. Watch some of those cheesy entrepreneur investment shows. There are people making all sorts of things, sometimes only marginal improvements on whats in the market already, starting multimillion dollar companies. If youve got a head for business and the ability to self fund, or talk people into believing in your ideas, theres a ton of opportunity out there waiting to be tapped.",
"parent_id": "8122010",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121995",
"author": "pruttelherrie",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T17:54:57",
"content": "” if it weren’t for the profit motive involved with patents”Wrong. As soon as James Watt got his patent, innovation stood still for 20 years. Source: Against Intellectual Monopoly, Boldrin & Levine.",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122024",
"author": "a_do_z",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:16:49",
"content": "That’s great on theoretical paper, but people with deeper pockets and/or slave wage labor available don’t exactly constitute a level playing field.Physical products have actual costs.Deeper pockets, all else being equal, in your own territory can manufacture at less cost using existing facilities that you might have to build. Or you might sub out the work at a price higher than you could achieve with your own facility. So, they have a meaningful advantage. Or, they could manufacture, sell at cost or a loss until you have to close up shop because you now can’t sell your product that you spent years of time and barrels of money to develop.Relative slave wage labor from a different market can similarly render your price entirely non-competitive. If one chooses to support forced labor under despotic leaders, one could maybe sub out their manufacturing to that low wage service provider. That puts the product owner in the position of possibly/probably being party to what their ethics would consider to be human rights violations.",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122044",
"author": "none ra",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:15:48",
"content": "no it doesn’t. Many MANY things are created even without patents. (Seat belts, computer mice, the internet, penicillin, xrays, ballpoint pens, the coke recipe, etc) Its arguable that patents and IP restrict innovation in far more cases than they protect it for the few with the resources to actually wield the tools and utilize their power.",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122054",
"author": "Actually...",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:52:32",
"content": "CocaColas recipe was not patented. It is not protected, you can clone cocacola as closely as you can and market your own cola. They choose to rely upon its status as a trade secret which does not require them to disclose it in a patent which would have long expired leaving their recipe in public domain.The internet, as a general concept and infrastructure, was not patented. While individual components and technologies like TCP/IP have been patented, the core concept and architecture of the internet is not subject to patent ownership.But beyond that, youre wrong.The earliest documented seat belt patent was awarded in 1885 to Edward J. Claghorn. While Volvo patented the three-point seat belt in 1959The computer mouse was patented in 1970. The patent application was filed in 1967 and granted in 1970 under the title “X-Y position indicator for a display system”. The invention was by Douglas EngelbartAlexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, but did not patent it. In 1940, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain isolated and purified penicillin, and obtained a patent for its production process in the United Kingdom. In 1945, Andrew Moyer obtained a patent for a method of mass-producing penicillin in the United States.X-rays were patented soon after their discovery. While Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895, the first patent application was filed by Siemens & Halske in 1896The first patent for a ballpoint pen was granted to John J. Loud on October 30, 1888.",
"parent_id": "8122044",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122155",
"author": "Point",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T15:01:12",
"content": "So both penicillin and xrays were patented after the discovery and by someone else?",
"parent_id": "8122054",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122063",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T23:41:33",
"content": "Never hear of open source?",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122148",
"author": "Mattia Giambirtone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:38:43",
"content": "Never heard of software licenses? Are you dumb? LoL",
"parent_id": "8122063",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122086",
"author": "lol",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T04:16:01",
"content": "Yes, nobody invented anything and we all ran around naked and covered in mud until the light of the Free Market(TM) illuminated our darkened world ca 1300AD",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122097",
"author": "Zombo",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T06:09:07",
"content": "You must be from the leaded gasoline generation.If your only incentive is profit, you must live a bleak and sad life.Life is about learning, sharing, and innovating.",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122145",
"author": "toqomRob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:22:19",
"content": "When we abolish capitalism, these won’t be issues anymore. People won’t be worried about copying when money is worthless",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122189",
"author": "Sky",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T18:30:42",
"content": "Weird, humans seem to have had no problem with innovating for millenia with no profit motive. Its as if all the motive thats really needed is to make life easier and better.",
"parent_id": "8121951",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121964",
"author": "Weasel",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:13:16",
"content": "Damn, i could have sworn the ad said “You wouldn´t download a car” ….. anyone else?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121991",
"author": "dremu",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T17:18:10",
"content": "I remember “you wouldn’t download a pizza”, or some variation thereof.",
"parent_id": "8121964",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122004",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:13:34",
"content": "I’m certain it was “You wouldn’t steal a baby”",
"parent_id": "8121964",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122029",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:56:59",
"content": "No, it is “You wouldn’t steal a handbag”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALZZx1xmAzg",
"parent_id": "8122004",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122017",
"author": "KDawg",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T19:08:26",
"content": "yes, there is a version of it out there, think it was later when high speed internet became more available … before that you would rent or share a dvd and copy it",
"parent_id": "8121964",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122294",
"author": "nimbus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T06:16:05",
"content": "The “download” but was part of a spoof version of the add for the show “Mitchell and Webb Look” where they exaggerated the original for comic effect. Most people think of this version more than the original",
"parent_id": "8121964",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121970",
"author": "LordNothing",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:29:15",
"content": "the problem isn’t the people that made it, those are the innovators the system was intended to help. its the 2nd..Nth party rights holders who plan to profit forever on work they didn’t do. i dont think either should be a commodity that can be traded, nor do i think either should outlive the original filer. im still ok with that filer being a company, in which case if the company folds, the copyright/patent expires.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122074",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T01:51:03",
"content": "Patents are regarded as assets. In the case of bankruptcy, sale of patents helps pay off the debts the company has accumulated. Why screw an innocent supplier to a company that has failed?",
"parent_id": "8121970",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122359",
"author": "Manny Bothans",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T16:39:21",
"content": "That’s not how it works. That’s not how any of this works.",
"parent_id": "8121970",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121974",
"author": "Tony M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:34:55",
"content": "So font ‘s property is annoying, same for copyrighted catchy phases, I mean anyone can spend some weeks being creative and making a cool font and when is finally ready ,you discover that someones has the rights of a very similar font. Saying it happens only in China is silly or politically biased.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122076",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T01:57:58",
"content": "China has made it a national policy to extort technological information from organizations that want to do business in China. China also sends students to other countries to steal information. So far as I know, the former is unique to China.",
"parent_id": "8121974",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122190",
"author": "Sky",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T18:37:58",
"content": "China isnt stealing technology by creating legal contracts with buisnesses that want to use Chinas cheap labor. Its a trade off. You get to profit more, China gets new technology.If you dont want China to have it, dont have them manufacture it for you.And wvery nationa sends students to other nations to learn. Always have.Many third world dictators were educated in elite US universities.",
"parent_id": "8122076",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121989",
"author": "Doug Wheeler",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T17:03:06",
"content": "This article ignores the fact that typefaces aren’t copyrightable in the United States, only specific implementations (e.g., a font file).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122001",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:08:07",
"content": "Well that seems like a simple loophole. Write a script that scrapes copyrighted font files, converts them to OTF format, and republishes them as public domain. If I knew that file conversion was sufficient I’d have been using “free for personal” fonts in commercial projects years ago.",
"parent_id": "8121989",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122002",
"author": "Mark Topham",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:09:55",
"content": "The source arrival refers to it as a clone.It’s entirely relevant to the conversation, but has been ignored for the hype.",
"parent_id": "8121989",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122003",
"author": "Mark Topham",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:10:16",
"content": "Article",
"parent_id": "8122002",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121994",
"author": "Jan-Willem",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T17:53:17",
"content": "Is it irony or just sad? Not too long ago, I’ve learned the music used was inspired, as they didn’t want to pay for the original. Only to underpay the artist as they lied about how the music was going to be used. At this moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if the idea, clips, or other parts are stolen as well.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122124",
"author": "Philippe",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:11:08",
"content": "This article explains what happened. It’s bad…https://torrentfreak.com/rights-group-fined-for-not-paying-artist-for-anti-piracy-ad-120717/",
"parent_id": "8121994",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122021",
"author": "HalfNormal",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:08:19",
"content": "Every font is freehttps://youtu.be/J06tluN7rtE",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122033",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T21:25:41",
"content": "I never bought a (standalone) DVD player, simply because of the non skippable menu’s and ridiculous piracy accusations. I waited though them once or twice at a friends house, (while searching the fridge for fresh beer). As a result, pirated copies were my only option, and I only got a sniff of the “you would not steal” campain though secondary sources, as all that nonsense was already removed from torrents, or ignored by PC movie player software. “De-CSS” was a bit of a thing for some time back then :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122055",
"author": "Jason",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:57:40",
"content": "I had several DVD players over the years and only one(a Sony ) I was not able to somehow skip the pre-play",
"parent_id": "8122033",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122042",
"author": "oy5tein",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T21:56:27",
"content": "Iirc the music in the commercial was also ripped off.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122100",
"author": "Mr Kenneth Kendall",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T06:58:08",
"content": "Came to the comments to say this!That was the main thing I remember from this. Crazy that the font was misused too!",
"parent_id": "8122042",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122052",
"author": "Albertron9000",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:48:43",
"content": "Hmmm, yet another Lunduke scoop posted here without credit. I guess Lunduke is the name that cannot be spoken around here just like every other tech site.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122136",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T13:10:18",
"content": "That’s a very strange thing to say. We linked to exactly where we heard about it from. No conspiracy, no nothing.And it looks like Melissa Lewis, who is the source that [Rib] cites, just says “today I learned” and linked to Wikipedia. She didn’t mention where she learned it. So dead-end for us.Do you have a link for the source that you think is primary on this?",
"parent_id": "8122052",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122146",
"author": "Kalten",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:23:32",
"content": "It’s not that strange when you realise the main thing the named person seems to have achieved is a terrible rep for self promotion and some really rather dodgy opinions on inclusivity.",
"parent_id": "8122136",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122139",
"author": "Zog",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T13:50:11",
"content": "What the heck is a Lunduke? 🤔",
"parent_id": "8122052",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122231",
"author": "Adam Morris",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:20:24",
"content": "It’s a Logical Unit of disk storage, and don’t call me duke 🤣",
"parent_id": "8122139",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122061",
"author": "Steve",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T23:19:33",
"content": "without coming a cropper somewhereWhat?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122077",
"author": "Chris Maple",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T02:09:13",
"content": "To “come a cropper” is standard English. In the narrow sense, it means to be thrown off a horse. In the wider sense, it means to fail disastrously.",
"parent_id": "8122061",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122103",
"author": "karl",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T07:40:03",
"content": "Confidential is a typeface not a font.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122115",
"author": "anna oop",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T10:50:18",
"content": "Tyre.*",
"parent_id": "8122103",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122104",
"author": "doris",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T07:41:09",
"content": "Ff confidential isn’t a font. It is a typeface.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122109",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T08:59:12",
"content": "Are you the CEO of one of the big movie companies who make billions as they rip off the work of creative people who are forced to live below the poverty line?You must live AI slop",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122122",
"author": "zoobab",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:03:43",
"content": "“web of modern intellectual property is so labyrinthine as to be almost impossible to navigate without coming a cropper somewhere.”Writing software is made impossible with software patents, a mine field.In Europe, the third attempt to impose software patents is succeeding without any protest, the national judges were replaced by pro-software patent judges like Nokia, without any possibility for the CJEU to intervene:https://ffii.org/nokia-and-airbus-elected-as-judges-at-the-kangaroo-unified-patent-court-kupc/What a wonderful we live in.And no news coverage is even better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122125",
"author": "Mark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:17:37",
"content": "Hahahahaha. “Copyright and patents should be abolished” The shit you read on the internet.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122167",
"author": "Leprechaun",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T16:14:18",
"content": "I get the both sides of the argument for or against patents. I feel like it depends on the field. Drugs would be a lot slower to develop without patents. Pharma companies are feast or famine. A new drug costs hundred of millions to billions to develop. If they spent that and then others just make what they found works they’d not even try. If a drug gets close to being approved then isn’t, the company will likely fold, even Pfizer is like that. A drug fails and they close a site. I’m sure academia will still try but it would be a lot slower. Also keep in mind drug patents do expire so it’s not a bad balance. Also pharma companies do have their problems, some are shady etc but that’s any industry and they really milk the “feast” phases of their cycles.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122581",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T14:32:00",
"content": "fwiw i would hundo p steal a font. when my ibook aged out, i copied around its helvetica font file for the better part of a decade because i liked it better than whatever default my browser was using back then. i eventually gave up on it and now the chrome default looks ‘normal’ to me, but if i had time to kill fighting the browser i would like to load up that font again",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.641776
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/this-week-in-security-xrp-poisoned-mcp-bypassed-and-more/
|
This Week In Security: XRP Poisoned, MCP Bypassed, And More
|
Jonathan Bennett
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] |
[
"CVEs",
"mcp",
"supply chain attack",
"This Week in Security"
] |
Researchers at Aikido run the Aikido Intel system, an LLM security monitor that ingests the feeds from public package repositories, and looks for anything unusual. In this case, the unusual activity was
five rapid-fire releases of the
xrpl
package on NPM
. That package is the XRP Ledger SDK from Ripple, used to manage keys and build crypto wallets. While quick point releases happen to the best of developers, these were odd, in that there were no matching releases in the source GitHub repository. What changed in the first of those fresh releases?
The most obvious change is the
checkValidityOfSeed()
function added to
index.ts
. That function takes a string, and sends a request to a rather odd URL, using the supplied string as the
ad-referral
header for the HTML request. The name of the function is intended to blend in, but knowing that the string parameter is sent to a remote web server is terrifying. The seed is usually the root of trust for an individual’s cryptocurrency wallet. Looking at the actual usage of the function confirms, that this code is stealing credentials and keys.
The
releases were made by a Ripple developer’s account
. It’s not clear exactly how the attack happened, though credential compromise of some sort is the most likely explanation. Each of those five releases added another bit of malicious code, demonstrating that there was someone with hands on keyboard, watching what data was coming in.
The good news is that the malicious releases only managed a total of 452 downloads for the few hours they were available. A legitimate update to the library, version 4.2.5, has been released. If you’re one of the unfortunate 452 downloads, it’s time to do an audit, and rotate the possibly affected keys.
Zyxel FLEX
More specifically, we’re talking about Zyxel’s USG FLEX H series of firewall/routers. This is Zyxel’s new Arm64 platform, running a Linux system they call Zyxel uOS. This series is for even higher data throughput, and given that it’s a new platform, there are some interesting security bugs to find, as discovered by
[Marco Ivaldi] of hn Security
and
[Alessandro Sgreccia] at 0xdeadc0de
. Together they discovered an exploit chain that allows an authenticated user with VPN access only to perform a complete device takeover, with root shell access.
The first bug is a wild one, and is definitely something for us Linux sysadmins to be aware of. How do you handle a user on a Linux system, that you don’t want to have SSH access to the system shell? I’ve faced this problem when a customer needed SFTP access to a web site, but definitely didn’t need to run
bash
commands on the server. The solution is to
set the user’s shell to
nologin
, so when SSH connects and runs the shell, it prints a message, and ends the shell, terminating the SSH connection. Based on the code snippet, the FLEX is doing something similar, perhaps with
-false
set as the shell instead:
$ ssh user@192.168.169.1
(user@192.168.169.1) Password:
-false: unknown program '-false'
Try '-false --help' for more information.
Connection to 192.168.169.1 closed.
It’s slightly janky, but seems set up correctly, right? There’s one more step to do this completely: Add a
Match
entry to
sshd_config
, and disable some of the other SSH features you may not have thought about, like X11 forwarding, and TCP forwarding. This is the part that Zyxel forgot about. VPN-only users can successfully connect over SSH, and the connection terminates right away with the invalid shell, but in that brief moment, TCP traffic forwarding is enabled. This is an unintended security domain transverse, as it allows the SSH user to redirect traffic into internal-only ports.
Next question to ask, is there any service running inside the appliance that provides a pivot point? How about PostgreSQL? This service is set up to allow local connections on port 5432 — without a password. And PostgreSQL has a wonderful feature, allowing a
COPY FROM
command to specify a function to run using the system shell. It’s essentially arbitrary shell execution as a feature, but limited to the PostgreSQL user. It’s easy enough to launch a reverse shell to have ongoing shell access, but still limited to the PostgreSQL user account.
There are a couple directions exploitation can go from there. The
/tmp/webcgi.log
file is accessible, which allows for grabbing an access token from a logged-in admin. But there’s an even better approach, in that the unprivileged user can use the system’s Recovery Manager to download system settings, repack the resulting zip with a custom binary, re-upload the zip using Recovery Manager, and then interact with the uploaded files. A clever trick is to compile a custom binary that uses the
setuid(0)
system call, and because Recovery Manager writes it out as root, with the setuid bit set, it allows any user to execute it and jump straight to root. Impressive.
Power Glitching an STM32
Micro-controllers have a bit of a weird set of conflicting requirements. They need to be easily flashed, and easily debugged for development work. But once deployed, those same chips often need to be hardened against reading flash and memory contents. Chips like the STM32 series from ST Microelectronics have multiple settings to keep chip contents secure. And Anvil Secure has
some research on how some of those protections could be defeated
. Power Glitching.
The basic explanation is that these chips are only guaranteed to work when run inside their specified operating conditions. If the supply voltage is too low, be prepared for unforeseen consequences. Anvil tried this, and memory reads were indeed garbled. This is promising, as the memory protection settings are read from system memory during the boot process. In fact, one of the hardest challenges to this hack was determining the exact timing needed to glitch the right memory read. Once that was nailed down, it took about 6 hours of attempts and troubleshooting to actually put the embedded system into a state where firmware could be extracted.
MCP Line Jumping
Trail of Bits is starting
a series on MCP security
. This has echoes of
the latest FLOSS Weekly episode
, talking about agentic AI and how Model Context Protocol (MCP) is giving LLMs access to tools to interact with the outside world. The security issue covered in this first entry is Line Jumping, also known as tool poisoning.
It all boils down to the fact that MCPs advertise the tools that they make available. When an LLM client connects to that MCP, it ingests that description, to know how to use the tool. That description is an opportunity for prompt injection, one of the outstanding problems with LLMs.
Bits and Bytes
Korean
SK Telecom has been hacked
, though not much information is available yet. One of the notable statements is that SK Telecom is offering customers a free SIM swapping protection service, which implies that a customer database was captured, that could be used for SIM swapping attacks.
WatchTowr is back with
a simple pre-auth RCE in Commvault using a malicious zip upload
. It’s a familiar story, where an unauthenticated endpoint can trigger a file download from a remote server, and file traversal bugs allow unzipping it in an arbitrary location. Easy win.
SSD Disclosure
has discovered a pair of Use After Free bugs in Google Chrome
, and Chrome’s Miracleptr prevents them from becoming actual exploits. That technology is a object reference count, and “quarantining” deleted objects that still show active references. And for these particular bugs, it worked to prevent exploitation.
And finally, [Rohan] believes there’s an argument to be made, that
the simplicity of ChaCha20 makes it a better choice as a symmetric encryption primitive than the venerable AES
. Both are very well understood and vetted encryption standards, and ChaCha20 even manages to do it with better performance and efficiency. Is it time to hang up AES and embrace ChaCha20?
| 7
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8121918",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T14:20:47",
"content": "Kind of a bad naming for something AI, calling it MCP.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121946",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T15:22:32",
"content": "Bet it was intentional though",
"parent_id": "8121918",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122022",
"author": "Christian",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:08:32",
"content": "Long long long long time ago.He died in 2022, RIP David Warner.",
"parent_id": "8121918",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121958",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:09:28",
"content": "This is promising, as the memory protection settings are read from system memory during the boot process.In production (not testing), these settings are designed to be set once at the factory and be immutable, right? This sounds like a configuration that should be stored “very close” to the microcontroller, not in normal memory. This seems like one of those cases where blowing a set of internal fuses to indicate the memory protection settings might be the right thing to do. Of course, you’d need to do things like make sure the fuses are read accurately before trying to access any possibly-restricted memory, but that’s a problem for another day.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122065",
"author": "Cad the Mad",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T23:56:45",
"content": "The problem is that internal “fuses” in modern ICs are just nonvolatile memory, usually EEPROM or NOR flash. Resetting them or completely bypassing them is a matter of software.",
"parent_id": "8121958",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122080",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T02:38:13",
"content": "For this appliation, you only need one hardware fuse: Store the memory-lockdown configuration in a register or some other type of memory, then blow the fuse on the write- or reset-line for that memory. Now you’ve turned your normal memory into a ROM.",
"parent_id": "8122065",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122019",
"author": "perillamint",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T19:20:24",
"content": "Additional information about SKTelecom breach: It is not just customer database, but include HSS.That means theorically attackers canclonethe SIM, not only swapping.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.685501
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/ykks-self-propelled-zipper-less-crazy-than-it-seems/
|
YKK’s Self-Propelled Zipper: Less Crazy Than It Seems
|
Maya Posch
|
[
"News"
] |
[
"zipper"
] |
The self-propelled zip fastener uses a worm gear to propel itself along the teeth. (Credit: YKK)
At first glance the very idea of a zipper that unzips and zips up by itself seems somewhat ridiculous. After all, these contraptions are mostly used on pieces of clothing and gear where handling a zipper isn’t really sped up by having an electric motor sluggishly move through the rows of interlocking teeth. Of course, that’s not the goal of YKK, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of zip fasteners. The
demonstrated prototype
(
original PR
in Japanese) shows this quite clearly, with a big tent and equally big zipper that you’d be hard pressed to zip up by hand.
The basic application is thus more in industrial applications and similar, with one of the videos, embedded below, showing a large ‘air tent’ being zipped up automatically after demonstrating why for a human worker this would be an arduous task. While this prototype appears to be externally powered, adding a battery or such could make it fully wireless and potentially a real timesaver when setting up large structures such as these. Assuming the battery isn’t flat, of course.
It might conceivably be possible to miniaturize this technology to the point where it’d ensure that no fly is ever left unzipped, and school kids can show off their new self-zipping jacket to their friends. This would of course have to come with serious safety considerations, as anyone who has ever had a bit of their flesh caught in a zipper can attest to.
https://www.theverge.com/news/656535/ykk-self-propelled-zipper-prototype
https://www.ykk.com/newsroom/g_news/2025/20250424.html
| 40
| 18
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122228",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:09:39",
"content": "Ever heard of aroad zipper? I wonder how many of these are fully-automated now and how many will become fully-automated in the next decade.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122240",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:53:45",
"content": "Miniaturized, could be a huge benefit for accessibility and independence purposes. Self-zipping clothing when mobility/dexterity isn’tup to the task.",
"parent_id": "8122228",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122505",
"author": "Hassi",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:34:49",
"content": "I bet they get one at the Brenner pass in Austria where they have to change lane directions for the next 5 years as the old Lueg bridge gets replaced. Last time I saw a report they did it manually…",
"parent_id": "8122228",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122236",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:38:15",
"content": "If only this could have come from Squirrel Nut Zippers. It’d be fast and swingin’,but definitely not to use around the other nuts.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122263",
"author": "Al Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T02:54:24",
"content": "Well, at least the suits will be picking up the bill",
"parent_id": "8122236",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122300",
"author": "dweezil dum",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T07:33:22",
"content": "HehehE! Franks and beans!",
"parent_id": "8122236",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122237",
"author": "Dr Duck",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:42:56",
"content": "YKK is a zipper? I thought it was the airport in Toronto… (-;",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122276",
"author": "_sol_",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T03:43:25",
"content": "YYZ!",
"parent_id": "8122237",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122559",
"author": "TSW",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:12:24",
"content": "Neal Peart stands alone./krieger",
"parent_id": "8122276",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122238",
"author": "irox",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:44:51",
"content": "“where it’d ensure that no fly is ever left unzipped”Of course $POPULAR_CLOTHING_BRAND will make said zipper cloud enabled, eventually leading to hack where every-bodies fly/clothing comes undone at the same time. Or potentially worse, randomly zipping up when it detects the user in toilet mode. Maybe it’s best that somethings are not computer controlled.“school kids can show off their new self-zipping jacket to their friends.”Didn’t one of the back to the future movies have that.I think they might be useful for things like self assembling space habitats and such.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122239",
"author": "irox",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:48:04",
"content": "Oh, ransomware… “To re-enable your zipper, please make bitcoin payment to the following account.”",
"parent_id": "8122238",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122763",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T05:03:53",
"content": "Eh I think I’ll just take the trip to HR",
"parent_id": "8122239",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122241",
"author": "Robert",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T00:06:52",
"content": "I guess a zipper is not entirely airtight, but if you’ve got a constant source of pressure to keep adding air in as it leaks out… then this sort of self-zipping could let you build inflatable beam structures. This self-zipping means the zip can be fastened in utterly inaccessible places, so you could imagine a bunch of self-zippable tubes which would be inflated, the pushed a bit at their ground ends, then unzip parts of themselves in mid-air and rezip against other seams so as to assemble lattice, truss or similar structures.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122395",
"author": "SparkyGSX",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:00:26",
"content": "As divers we use water-tight zippers in drysuits, so I think airtight should be possible, especially if they only need to seal once.",
"parent_id": "8122241",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122494",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:00:21",
"content": "Check out carcoons. They need a fan, but they stay up with a mere 90’s tech PC fan.",
"parent_id": "8122241",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122242",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T00:09:55",
"content": "It could definitely have some cool applications but it won’t be on clothing items. What will matter most is how well it can deal with incorrectly oriented materials that are to be zipped together. One thing is for sure, it’s a neat concept.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122764",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T05:05:48",
"content": "Oh it will be on a clothing item because I will put it there just so I can show people",
"parent_id": "8122242",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122244",
"author": "PPJ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T00:13:06",
"content": "“After all, these contraptions are mostly used on pieces of clothing and gear where handling a zipper isn’t really sped up by having an electric motor sluggishly move through the rows of interlocking teeth. Of course, that’s not the goal of YKK”Some female wardrobe has a zipper on the back and they may consider automatic zipper more than handy:)And I will not be surprised if even regular wardrobe will come with them in following process:– exclusive clothes endorsed by celebrities/influencers brands.– regular cloths get the automated zipper to “unload this burden from your shoulders” (“are you tired with all those zippers on your clothes?”).– almost no cloths comes with regular zippers and we the regular people spend too much time finding classic hoodie that can be opened and closed without smartphone because we haven’t noticed when the zipper became “smart” and now requires subscription, cloud based app and all your private data.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122255",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T01:25:05",
"content": "That’s what Velcro is for.",
"parent_id": "8122244",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122305",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T09:23:48",
"content": "What? There’s no electric velcro to undo my clothes automatically?",
"parent_id": "8122255",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122333",
"author": "eriklscott",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:56:00",
"content": "Also, wetsuits. I wonder if Triathlon would ban them? It’s the kind of thing they would do.",
"parent_id": "8122244",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122245",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T00:18:00",
"content": "I give it about 2 years after it enters the market before some gets killed in a self bondage scenario, as depicted in this video and image on twitter[Ed Note: Sorry, keep it safe for work, please….]",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122306",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T09:24:53",
"content": "Now I’m very curious about that video! (for technological reasons, obviously!)",
"parent_id": "8122245",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122402",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:30:16",
"content": "‘Someone might be fool enough to arrange his/her death using this tech’ is not a deal breaker.Make a short mental list of things involved in people’s fatal ‘misadventures’.Think we should ban all of them?Evolution in action.NERFing just sucks.",
"parent_id": "8122245",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122765",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T05:09:29",
"content": "For some reason I thought of the laser contraption in James Bond but instead it’s just a pair of MC hammer pants with an extremely long front rise and zipper, one of these at the end, and James Bond has his ballbag hanging out a little. It slowly advances forward…",
"parent_id": "8122402",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122248",
"author": "Piecutter",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T00:38:52",
"content": "Franks and beans!!!!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122256",
"author": "miked",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T01:31:40",
"content": "Oh my…",
"parent_id": "8122248",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122264",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T02:56:59",
"content": "First thought, this would make sense as something that you could temporarily attach to a zipper. Probably for things where it is hard to reach the entire zipper.Second thought, in the industrial applications it’d be interesting to see metal zippers or zippers with built in contacts to power one of these.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122292",
"author": "RoganDawes",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T06:14:33",
"content": "I’m wondering how useful it might be as a temporary to permanent bond technique. Sections of e.g an inflatable tunnel are zipped together, with the closer also dispensing an adhesive that cures while the zipper prevents the pieces from separating.The closer would be manually attached to one end of the zipper, then removed at the other end and taken to the next section.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122297",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T07:06:54",
"content": "okay, this is definitely very cool, but regarding the shown example video… isn’t is much easier to just zip the tent from the inside as that is the most logical thing to do and doesn’t require leaning over it. A solution looking for a problem?!?But regarding the technology, this is really really cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122325",
"author": "Rastersoft",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:41:37",
"content": "I think the same, but then you realize that you would need a ladder, and position it two to three times to be able to fully zip everything. Instead, you just place this thing in the zip head, activate it, and it does it quickly. And even more: it seems that it’s not “a self-propelled-zipper”, but a little device that you mount in a zip, run it, and remove to be used in the next zip, which makes it even more inexpensive. Thus it really looks more like a tool for closing zips.",
"parent_id": "8122297",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122407",
"author": "The Eternal President Kim Il Sung",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T20:04:05",
"content": "Drywall stilts > Ladder",
"parent_id": "8122325",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122388",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:35:14",
"content": "That might work for that specific instance, but there could be larger shelters with a larger radius where a ladder, or a cherry picker would be needed.They’re not selling an automatic zipper shelter, they’re using a shelter to illustrate how it could be useful. You’re meant to extrapolate.",
"parent_id": "8122297",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122332",
"author": "BLMac",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:55:11",
"content": "How long before an evil hacker subverts the zip on the target’s trousers, quickly unzipping them while simultaneously showing a pornographic picture on the target’s phone, and then once maximum turgidity is achieved, causes the zip to close suddenly trapping his set of gentleman’s accessories in the open air?The target’s reaction to the excruciating agony being sure to draw the attention of all and sundry in the neighbourhood. At this point the hacker’s young sister who looks underage screams and points at the target. Mayhem ensues, target gets put on the naughty men’s register and never appears in public again.All this to be done at the likes of an awards ceremony or similar public forum.This technology should be banned immediately. It is obviously the work of misandrist female geniuses trying to subvert rampant masculinity.On the other hand I can think of a few politicians who may benefit from YKK’s ingenuity… :)(And if a nice chap like me can think of such a use, just imagine this technology in the hands of an evil overlord… )",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122375",
"author": "adobeflashhater again",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T17:33:58",
"content": "lol. Funny how the theme/script of an “adult” rated horror movie pops up in more than one post. ;)Glad to know I wasn’t the only one thinking of the potential outcomes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122461",
"author": "Lance",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T03:02:43",
"content": "I remember an April Fool’s ad for a motorcycle jacket that had electric blue tooth enables zippers for venting. The remote was handle bar mounted so you didn’t have to stop to adjust the jacket venting .",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122502",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:30:42",
"content": "Might be an April fool’s as, but self regulating motorcycle clothing sounds like a great idea. I would buy it.",
"parent_id": "8122461",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122561",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T13:12:57",
"content": "So we get self-zipping before self-drying?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8124285",
"author": "MartyK",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T12:21:37",
"content": "YKK is a seaport in Kitkatla, Canada.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8125436",
"author": "pierut",
"timestamp": "2025-05-07T19:32:25",
"content": "um. back to the future?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,565.279505
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/remembering-heathkit/
|
Remembering Heathkit
|
Al Williams
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"heathkit"
] |
While most hams and hackers have at least heard of Heathkit, most people don’t know the strange origin story of the legendary company. [Ham Radio Gizmos]
takes us all through the story
.
In case you don’t remember, Heathkit produced everything from shortwave radios to color TVs to test equipment and even computers. But, for the most part, when you bought something from them, you didn’t get a finished product. You got a bag full of parts and truly amazing instructions about how to put them together. Why? Well, if you are reading Hackaday, you probably know why. But some people did it to learn more about electronics. Others were attracted by the lower prices you paid for some things if you built them yourself. Others just liked the challenge.
But Heathkit’s original kit wasn’t electronic at all. It was an airplane kit. Not a model airplane, it was an actual airplane. Edward Heath sold airplane kits at the affordable price around $1,000. In 1926, that was quite a bit of money, but apparently still less than a commercial airplane.
Sadly, Heath took off in a test plane in 1931, crashed, and died. The company struggled to survive until 1935, when Howard Anthony bought the company and moved it to the familiar Benton Harbor address. The company still made aircraft kits.
During World War II, the company mobilized to produce electronic parts for wartime aircraft. After the war, the government disposed of surplus, and Howard Anthony casually put in a low bid on some. He won the bid and was surprised to find out the lot took up five rail cars. Among the surplus were some five-inch CRTs used in radar equipment. This launched the first of Heathkit’s oscilloscopes — the O1. At $39.50, it was a scope people could afford, as long as they could build it. The
O-series
scopes would be staples in hobby workshops for many years.
There’s a lot more in the video. Well worth the twenty minutes. If you’ve never seen a Heathkit manual, definitely check out the one in the video. They were amazing. Or
download a couple
. No one creates instructions like this anymore.
If you watch the video, be warned, there will be a quiz, so pay attention. But here’s a hint: there’s no right answer for #3. We keep hearing that someone owns the
Heathkit
brand now, and there have been a few new products. But, at least so far, it hasn’t really been the same.
| 22
| 13
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122210",
"author": "Miles Archer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T20:36:35",
"content": "I learned to solder building a kit that my dad got me. probablyhttps://people.ohio.edu/postr/bapix/HD-1416.htm",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122282",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T04:44:26",
"content": "I had one of those keys, but the keyer kit was not one of the 20+ Heathkits I owned at one time. The HR-1680 receiver shown farther down the page was though. :)",
"parent_id": "8122210",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122216",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:09:49",
"content": "The plastic case and such on my Heathkit DMM (IM-2215) became brittle and started falling apart. The electronics are still fine but the case is not. A replacement case not being a thing, I had to buy a new meter. A Fluke which should last as long…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122226",
"author": "Mike Barber",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T22:50:28",
"content": "I’ve run into a fair few old kit-built devices (Heathkit, EICO, Knight, etc.) that were separated from their original enclosures and put into new ones like a crab swapping out shells. At least one (a Heathkit audio preamp, IIRC) seems to work better in its new home than a similar original one. Heck, I still use a EICO 232 VTVM that was moved into a new (and very groovy) case sometime in the late 1970s. I’ve seen 3d scanning and printing used to make reproduction cases for old HP gear, but I’ve also seen those decay due to the myriad factors affecting printing. The best replacement enclosures I’ve seen have been made from sheet stock (metal and plastic), but tube stock can work well too for RF devices. That is a fair bit of work, so I don’t begrudge anyone swapping up to a new Fluke. I did the same after my beloved B&K meter from high school fell apart. That Fluke is doing well after 20+ years, so you should be fine.",
"parent_id": "8122216",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122284",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T04:46:53",
"content": "Interesting… I think all the Heathkits I had had metal chassis and cases.",
"parent_id": "8122216",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122296",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T06:53:53",
"content": "Multimeters usually need a plastic enclosure to protect the user from the voltage being measured.",
"parent_id": "8122284",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122327",
"author": "Suppressed Carrier",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:43:43",
"content": "Heath built a number of “starter kits” in plastic cases like the code practice oscillator a friend wanted to build but chickened out…. I built it for him…..My best friend, and roommate have a Heath phonograph player also in a plastic case her neighbor built for her.",
"parent_id": "8122284",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122218",
"author": "SpillsDirt",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:12:26",
"content": "I just ran across a HERO (Heathkit Educational RObot) on ebay a few days ago. When I was a kid I wanted to build one so bad. Then I saw one at a regional science fair and got over that dream really quick.A friend of my mothers bought a Topo and tried to impress us with it bringing drinks from the kitchen to the den. It was a clumsy thing and the clip on drink tray didnt impress me at all.Here we are 40 years later and it really looks like the robot domestic might actually be just around the corner. I hope its not another 40 years before reality meets my boyhood expectations.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122299",
"author": "M",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T07:27:10",
"content": "It is my dream to play around with a HERO 2000 some day. It has all the makings of a modern robot but in the form of retro analogs, and I’d love to see how far I could push it with 40 years of hindsight and improved algorithms.",
"parent_id": "8122218",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122219",
"author": "Suppressed Carrier",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:25:18",
"content": "Built a number of peaces of Heath amateur gear, I had a legal limit station when I was 17 Built it all but my SB-301.Ham license?No, not then Heathkit sold a crystal that was used in their SB-310 and SB-313 short wave receivers.That crystal allowed those receivers to work on the 11 meter band.Heathkit, and Citizens Band Radio launched my career as an RF tech. I still own a number of working Heathkits. The value of the time it took to build those kits gifted all of us with irreplaceable experience.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122220",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:41:52",
"content": "The US Patent and Trademark Office shows 7 active wordmark registrations for “Heathkit”, 2 for “Heathkit Educational Systems”, and 1 for “HE-RObot” to the Heathkit Company, Inc. One was renewed in July 2023.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122604",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:29:10",
"content": "They sort of still exist as two companies. The educational systems on still makes electronic trainers. There is another company that keeps saying they will release lots of kits, but so far have just managed a clock.",
"parent_id": "8122220",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122223",
"author": "Question Mark",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T22:26:47",
"content": "I sure miss Heathkit! I built/bought dozens over the years. Alas, none are left. My first was a IM-17 VOM I built in the late 1960s and used so often the case plastic hinges ripped through. Lent it out 1 time and it got run over by a box truck!Wish I still had my SB-220 or SB-1000 HF power amps ( I preferred the 220).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122227",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:06:40",
"content": "My family’s first TV was a 25 inch color TV that I built as a teenager (my dad bought it and told me to put it together), and my first ham radio was an SB-101 that I built a couple of years later.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122235",
"author": "valkyrie0528",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:29:49",
"content": "My first experience with electronics and soldering was building a HeathKit AM radio kit when I was nine. Thanks Mom!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122257",
"author": "therogerv",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T01:34:18",
"content": "When in 7th grade was into engine-powered model airplanes – started out with control line but wanted to get into radio controlled. Heathkit RC looked like a lower price entry point to where could even afford a highly capable system. But as started assembling it, I got a sinking feeling that I was in over my head (had only built relatively simple kits from Radio Shack prior to this attempt). Fortunately for me, my oldest brother (a nuclear engineer by profession and also had a EE degree – he’s also a fabulous wood furniture maker as his hobby) came to my rescue. He finished out building it for me and it all worked nicely. So I did end up with a system that was a rather high end unit (for the times) but was something that I was able to pay for with my modest paper route earnings.And went on to build and fly many RC planes. But when going off to college, got rid of all my gear and never got back into it. Now I sail RC sail boats. And the RC radio gear is kind of ultra cheap these days. A modern day Heathkit wouldn’t stand a chance on economic merit – but at the time, the gear I bought was very high quality in respect to the properly assembled final result vis-a-vis the fully manufactured products of the day.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122285",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T04:50:17",
"content": "That was one of the attractions, that you got a lot for the money, as long as you didn’t count your time assembling it as worth money. But a benefit of having every bit of the information there was that you could be more sure that if it ever needed service, you could service it yourself.",
"parent_id": "8122257",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122291",
"author": "Walrus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T06:03:36",
"content": "I learned to solder on the heath kit “electronic cricket” kit (after many years of desoldering and hacking ugly circuits together from Forrest M. Mims engineer’s mini-notebooks), and this was before I was 10 years old. I completed Heathkit’s DC electronics course by age 9, and many more after. I still have all of the heathkit curriculum books, AC and DC electronics, and it seems some books related to op amps and digital circuits? I haven’t unboxed them and the electronic trainer boards in more than a decade… I wonder if they are even worth anything anymore. A different era, when learning useful skills was actually a “thing”…sigh",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122301",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T07:37:09",
"content": "It’s been a while, but I think I once had read that the best customers here were the laymen.Because they were the ones who actually bothered to read the manual carefully.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122304",
"author": "Tom",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T08:19:24",
"content": "Still have and use my SB-220 in the shack.Tubes are 30 years old. Hit it hard(I DON’T!!) and it will do almost1300 watts. I run it at ~600w",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122330",
"author": "Suppressed Carrier",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:50:42",
"content": "On my second SB-220 the first one I built back in 1974. The second one was purchsed at HRO here in San Diego. Decent amp About six years ago a Ham I knew ended up with an HL-2200 in a basket.I put it back together for him, made a couple of mods to make it be nicer to solid state radios. Ended up putting about $300.00 in parts in to the HL-2200. When I was done it looked better than new. Received a Henry amp, and 200′ of hardline for my trouble. Not bad for a day’s work.",
"parent_id": "8122304",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122358",
"author": "KenN",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T16:23:32",
"content": "For me, I bought and built their kits of audio test gear, because with care, you often ended up with gear that functioned reasonably close to HP and other brand-name bench instruments. I also built some audio equipment like a 100w audio power amp and a mic mixer. And about 15 years ago, I bought a few Heathkit radios and RF test gear from Ebay when they came up cheap. Most of this stuff is still working.When I was young and learning, building Heathkits was such a rush. It was a golden age… But, now – banging things together with modules from AliExpress, and programming microcontrollers, is pretty cool too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.747423
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/quantum-random-number-generator-squirts-out-numbers-via-mqtt/
|
Quantum Random Number Generator Squirts Out Numbers Via MQTT
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Network Hacks"
] |
[
"quantum",
"random",
"randomness",
"rng",
"trng"
] |
Sometimes you need random numbers — and
properly
random ones, at that. Hackaday Alum [Sean Boyce] whipped up a rig that serves up just that,
tasty random bytes delivered fresh over MQTT.
[Sean] tells us he’s been “designing various quantum TRNGs for nearly 15 years as part of an elaborate practical joke” without further explanation. We won’t query as to why, and just examine the project itself. The main source of randomness — entropy, if you will — is a pair of transistors hooked up to create a bunch of avalanche noise that is
apparently truly random, much like the zener diode method.
In any case, the noise from the transistors is then passed through a bunch of hex inverters and other supporting parts to shape the noise into a nicely random square wave. This is sampled by an ATtiny261A acting as a
Von Neumann extractor
, which converts the wave into individual bits of lovely random entropy. These are read by a Pi Pico W, which then assembles random bytes and pushes them out over MQTT.
Did that sound like a lot? If you’re not in the habit of building random number generators, it probably did. Nevertheless,
we’ve heard from [Sean] on this topic before.
Feel free to share your theories on the best random number generator designs below, or send your best builds straight
to the tipsline
. Randomly, of course!
| 24
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122184",
"author": "ziggurat29",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:44:00",
"content": "I suspect the joke was both funny and non-funny at the same time, hence the reticence to disclose.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122191",
"author": "Tadpole",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T18:46:00",
"content": "Oh you silly Schroedinger’s cat people… and your inside jokes.",
"parent_id": "8122184",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122278",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T03:47:51",
"content": "Schrodinger did his experiment in 1935. In the ’80-ies the average lifespan of a pet cat was 7 years, but recently it’s been stretched to over 13 years.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat#Lifespan_and_healthSo even if we assume that Schrodinger used a kitten just starting on it’s first lifespan back then, it still would have needed an average of 10 years for each of it’s lifespans to still be alive.Radio active materials also have a strong tendency to shorten the lifespan of living beings.So Schrodinger’s cat is very likely dead by now.(I do make the assumption the cat was not pregnant)",
"parent_id": "8122191",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122380",
"author": "SlowButABro",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T18:04:32",
"content": "If however the kitten had nine lives and it was on its first one, there is a slim chance it is still alive today.",
"parent_id": "8122278",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8172005",
"author": "dremu",
"timestamp": "2025-08-30T16:43:14",
"content": "I personally prefer the Hitch-Hiker’s Guide version wherein the cat might be temporarily gassed unconscious, leading to a third state (gassed, not gassed, and peeved out of its mind so it popped out the window down the street to eat fish, or some such.)Funnier and more cat- and cat-person friendly.",
"parent_id": "8122191",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122195",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:05:11",
"content": "I’m sure I could make a worse version without a smartiepants Von Neumann extractor in ASM. Just record the audio of the noise with an i2s audio ADC, the digital bitstream is then read and hashed in a cryptographic hash function.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122205",
"author": "MinorHavoc",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T20:13:20",
"content": "Sure, but the Von Neumann extractor described in the github sounds really straight-forward. I think it’s just something like this:1. When an “event” happens, note the time T0.2. When another “event” happens, note the time Ta and calculate elapsed time since the last event, t1 = Ta – T0.3. When another “event” happens, note the time Tb and calculate elapsed time since the last event, t2 = Tb – Ta.4. If t1 > t2, output 0. If t1 < t2, output 1. If t1 = t2, do nothing.5. Set t1 = t2, Ta = Tb, and go to step 3.I didn’t dig into what an “event” is, but it could just Vin crossing zero.",
"parent_id": "8122195",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122311",
"author": "Lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T10:09:45",
"content": "The GitHub page says it just checks if t0 > t1 and t0 < t1. Arduinos can’t do the zero cross but they could do the vrms/2.",
"parent_id": "8122205",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123484",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T06:28:11",
"content": "Von Neuman: if you’re flipping a coin that lands on heads too often, you can make it fair by going “HT, you win”, “TH, I win” and TT, HH are do-overs. HH is of course way too probable, and TT too improbable, but the cross-flips are equally likely.If you have a continuous signal, like a voltage here, and run it into a logic pin, you get a stream of ones and zeros. You could just look at those, but if you look too frequently, you have a higher chance that it’s the same as last time. (The outcomes aren’t independent.)So instead you use the time it spends high as the random variable. It’s independent — no reason to assume that it’ll be high longer this time b/c it was shorter last time — but this gives you a number of microseconds, and you just want heads/tails. Simple (wrong) things to do include say “if it spends more than 5 us high” or “if the time high is greater than the time low”, but you have no guarantee that these are unbiased (a fair coin).So you do “this-time-high” vs “next-time-high”, because either one is equally likely to be longer than the other. In that sense, it’s like pairing the coin flips.Or: because the single observations aren’t fair, you redefine the random variable to be the difference/sequence/greater-than of two of them. That way, if the two observations are independent, the pair is fair.That’s it for today class, see you on Wednesday! Don’t forget to turn in your homework.",
"parent_id": "8122205",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122309",
"author": "Sean",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T09:40:34",
"content": "If you want to take that kind of approach, a fun method is to take a webcam, cover the camera with something very opaque, and turn the gain all the way up. This gives you a lot of entropy which you can use to seed whatever pseudorandom function you want. You can obtain very high bandwidth this way!Another way to eliminate the separate Von Neumann extractor is to use the PIO in the RP2040 to implement one there instead. This would offer very good performance at lower parts count — you could even use a faster entropy source. I implemented it separately mostly because not all my use cases require the RP2040, but I generally want the AVR (I have a lot of them in stock).",
"parent_id": "8122195",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122498",
"author": "Josh A",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T08:16:51",
"content": "I still remember the first webcam based rng I read about, which used an americium tray salvaged from an ionisation smoke detector to trigger the bare CCD.It was then wrapped heavily in electrical tape and foil tape…",
"parent_id": "8122309",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8123487",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T06:49:04",
"content": "Or don’t cover it, and just use a good hash function on the image file.ffmpeg -f v4l2 -i /dev/video0 -frames:v 1 -y foo.pngmd5sum foo.pngIf the hash is good, the result will be just as cryptographically strong as the covered lens.(Although the sensor-noise method is a sweet classic, and you might get out more useful entropy per frame, but you have to use the Von Neumann trick or similar to make sure it’s unbiased and independent across both space and time, and that’s just too much hassle.)Of course, you’ll claim that someone could try to manipulate the image, but I’m pretty sure that I’d see them behind me in the web cam. :)",
"parent_id": "8122309",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122211",
"author": "Folkert",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T20:47:33",
"content": "So what is this trick with two transistors? Unfortunately the link in the linked github repo is not working… :/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122213",
"author": "mike stone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:05:00",
"content": "Looking at the schematic, it’s a reverse-biased NPN emitter-base junction connected between the collector and emitter of a second NPN.The reverse-biased junction is basically a Zener diode with a breakdown voltage somewhere around 6.5V.Each pulse of current that goes through the junction turns on the second NPN. Given the connections, the second NPN shorts the emitter-base junction of the first, pulling its voltage below the breakdown voltage.That means no more current can go to the second NPN, so it turns off, letting the voltage across the reverse-biased junction go high enough to break down again. There will be a short delay as charge drains out of the second NPN’s base-emitter junction, and the length of that delay will depend on the amount of charge that came through the reverse-biased junction in the last breakdown.The result is a set of strong voltage spikes with separation between them. And since diode breakdown happens randomly, both in timing and amount of charge, the pattern will be pretty darned unpredictable.",
"parent_id": "8122211",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122215",
"author": "mike stone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:08:54",
"content": "Whoops.. the reverse-biased junction is connected between the collector and BASE of the second NPN.",
"parent_id": "8122213",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122217",
"author": "mike stone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:10:39",
"content": "Whoops.. the reverse-biased junction is connected between the collector and BASE of the second NPN.",
"parent_id": "8122213",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122214",
"author": "Atoomnet",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T21:06:57",
"content": "Let me Archive.org that for you:https://web.archive.org/web/20250218130445/http://www.reallyreallyrandom.com/zener/why-its-random/index.html",
"parent_id": "8122211",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122234",
"author": "pigster6",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:27:00",
"content": "This generator here is really not very good. The problem is that reverse biased transistor junctions may (and will) degrade over time. The amount of degradation depends on multiple factors, like type of transistor but especially on junction current. My experience and measurement shows, that if designed correctly, it can last for years of 24/7 operation with slow signal level degradation, but if designed incorrectly, they are just not good.So 2 problems here:1) The junction current is way too high2) There is no way to monitor if the signal is correctThe good way to do it would be to set the current lower, amplify the signal so it correctly fits the range of ADC on the MCU, and sample the signal (and do the extraction of bits in software). This way you can see the actual (average) amplitude of the signal and detect if the reverse junction is working correctly.Here is a good resource on the topic:http://holdenc.altervista.org/avalanche/index.htmlAlso for example this projecthttps://altusmetrum.org/ChaosKey/got it wrong as well. I have 2 of these and they both generate noise not by quantum effect on the reversed junction, but by amplifying thermal noise and badly filtered power supply. The current is as well too high, so the transistors gets destroyed quickly and the amplification is way too high so even with the broken transistors, it just picks up some random noise from everywhere.",
"parent_id": "8122211",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122308",
"author": "Sean",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T09:27:33",
"content": "I was concerned about that as well. So I ran one for about a year, expecting problems. Surprisingly, I could not find any!That being said, I can’t think of any good reason not to reduce the junction current.",
"parent_id": "8122234",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122310",
"author": "Sean",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T09:46:31",
"content": "I should also mention: That is indeed an excellent resource on the topic, and I would recommend it to anyone interested!",
"parent_id": "8122234",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122250",
"author": "Ject",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T00:56:47",
"content": "TRNG is actually much more complicated than it sounds. The difficulty is that if you make a mistake, in design or construction, it will still appear to “work” even though it is no longer secure.Its kind of like tying a knot your life will depend on. It’s theoretically “easy” yet in practice it is difficult because of the care you must exercise in doing it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122313",
"author": "pigster6",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T10:42:16",
"content": "It is probably good to say, that all these USB devices are just entropy sources – to get TRNG, you need to do more work – for example seehttps://www.chronox.de/chacha20_drng/index.htmlWith RNGs, you are in cryptography realm and Rule 1 applies: Don’t Roll Your Own Crypto! – unless your know what you are doing – or at least did some research in advance. Or you just need RNG for electronic dice for board games or something like that.",
"parent_id": "8122250",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8123494",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-02T07:38:48",
"content": "But…If you XOR two uncorrelated random sources, you get at least as much entropy back out. So feel free to roll your own and XOR it with another good RNG source. It can’t hurt, and can only help.Hash functions can also do a lot of the heavy lifting, at the expense of reducing the amount of entropy you get back out. But you get guarantees on independence and distribution and so on, as long as you don’t roll your own hash function, so it’s worth it if you don’t need tons of entropy/sec.So go nuts! Hash stuff and XOR it together with a good RNG. It’s not optimal, and you don’tknowhow much entropy you’ve got, but at least you won’t be making anything worse. (Tell the NSA I sent you.)",
"parent_id": "8122313",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122400",
"author": "begav",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T19:19:10",
"content": "Something I’d like to see in these quantum RNG projects is some measurements demonstrating how much of the entropy comes from quantum measurement and not from thermal noise. For example shot noise, which is quantum, should be related to some fundamental physical constants and be independent of temperature. Without measurements to verify this it seems reasonable to assume that the RNG here isn’t actually very quantum.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.809204
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/from-good-enough-to-best/
|
From Good Enough To Best
|
Elliot Williams
|
[
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants"
] |
[
"coffee roaster",
"hacking projects",
"rants"
] |
It was probably
Montesquieu
who coined the proto-hacker motto “the best is the mortal enemy of the good”. He was talking about compromises in drafting national constitutions for nascent democracies, of course, but I’ll admit that I do hear his voice when I’m in get-it-done mode and start cutting corners on a project. A working project is better than a gold-plated one.
But what should I do, Monte, when good enough turns out to also be the mortal enemy of the best? I have a DIY coffee roaster that is limping along for years now on a blower box that uses a fan scavenged in anger from an old Dust Buster. Many months ago, I bought a speed-controllable and much snazzier brushless blower fan to replace it, that would solve a number of minor inconveniences with the current design, but which would also require some building and another dive into the crufty old firmware.
So far, I’ve had good enough luck that the roaster will break down from time to time, and I’ll use that as an excuse to fix that part of the system, and maybe even upgrade another as long as I have it apart. But for now, it’s running just fine. I mean, I have to turn the fan on manually, and the new one could be automatic. I have only one speed for the fan, and the new one would be variable. But the roaster roasts, and a constant source of coffee is mission critical in this house. The spice must flow!
Reflecting on this situation, it seems to me that the smart thing to do is work on smoothing the transitions from good enough to best. Like maybe I could prototype up the new fan box without taking the current one apart. Mock up some new driver code on the side while I’m at it?
Maybe Montesquieu was wrong, and the good and the best aren’t opposites after all. Maybe the good enough is just the first step on the path toward the best, and a wise man spends his energy on making the two meet in the middle, or making the transition from one to the other as painless as possible.
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
!
| 24
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122141",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:03:08",
"content": "Good enough brings us a planet full of life.https://youtu.be/DZ_T4zMBx6E",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122149",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:44:01",
"content": "Yes, evolution is based on the very principle of “good enough (to reproduce)”. Perfection is a very human concept that seems to stem from our instinctual desire to expend as little energy as possible. If what we did was perfect then we would never have to do it again because it would be “complete”.Nature has the winning concept: Produce a variation, test its survival/reproducibility, and repeat ad infinitum. Of course, this works because nature has a lot more time than mere chemical entities like ourselves.",
"parent_id": "8122141",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122176",
"author": "Egghead Larsen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:16:18",
"content": "We could blame Plato and his concept of the “ideal” as poisoning our conception of the world as it is!",
"parent_id": "8122149",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122812",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:36:46",
"content": "And Unix!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy",
"parent_id": "8122141",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122144",
"author": "ArcReactorKC",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:21:37",
"content": "I think the line between not good and good enough is more important than the line between good enough and perfect. The crux is knowing where to put that line.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122150",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:45:58",
"content": "Knowing where to put that line is wisdom because comes from experience (even if it’s not your own).",
"parent_id": "8122144",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122164",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T15:56:33",
"content": "And require wisdoms because – even in the same project – that line is different for each of us; and over time it’ll shift even for yourself.E.G. Hacking the hardware and OS of my computer for performance, cost, etc used to be great fun. Now the computer is mission critical and stability is far more important; it needs to just work.",
"parent_id": "8122150",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122153",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:57:08",
"content": "This piece hits home. I used to be a perfectionist, perhaps OCD – ask my therapist about that one. As you can imagine I would rarely “finish” projects. When I did finish projects, I’d realize their minor imperfections and often scrap them before they saw daylight. Looking back some of those were pretty exceptional. Then I became a real corner cutter… but part of that was a study, which I… Never did publish… Anyway.Now that I’m older, I am acutely aware of the sometimes invalid Pareto suggestion that “20% the effort gets you 80% the way there”. My new approach to hobby work is different then before, mostly because of lifestyle changes. Getting older means less time to focus on one thing.In an effort to hopefully help someone else in a similar phase of life, probably the most important thing I will share is how I am more conservative with cognitive complexity and focusing on the goal of a project. Having to write less notes, often none, I can pick up and drop projects quickly and choose the type of fun I want when Saturday comes. Dropping complexity also means crossing the finish line more. If the goal of a project is to play with a new way to configure something, I will not spend any time building a great case for it – unless that becomes a fun project to do.Goals can be staged too like the article mentions. What I found surprising was how often I was only interested in a small piece of something and had nerd sniped myself into trying to build a larger effort which included that tiny piece to give it context. This was less fun and projects would lay about unfinished. Why do 95% unfun things for nothing other then to say “I did”?An important addendum for me is also learning not to give 1 moments notice to what someone else may think of something. Most hacks are closer to art then engineering. Nerd cred. regularly has negative hidden value. Especially among nice people. Most of my projects are not shared publicly. What I do share is often just a thought or concept, and nowhere near a honed project. I owe nothing to an engineer being paid 4 times my salary on the internet copy pasting or borrowing my ideas nor their parent company. If you come over for dinner though we could talk for hours about the shelves of things I have created if you wanted too :).You may see this as a lack of “discipline”, but the truth is, I have invested a lot of effort to become highly disciplined in spending my short time on Earth how I want too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122169",
"author": "Gösta",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T16:24:36",
"content": "Thank you.",
"parent_id": "8122153",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122408",
"author": "HaHa",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T20:09:18",
"content": "On the other hand:Q: ‘Why do you ‘beat yourself up’ for not getting ‘perfect’ results?’A: ‘Because I don’t want to go entirely through life, half-assed…(‘like you’ unsaid)’",
"parent_id": "8122153",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122550",
"author": "lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:34:55",
"content": "On the other hand, show the internet a single example of anything “perfect” and await for absolutely non-negative reception and the reasons why you should do it over again :)",
"parent_id": "8122408",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122492",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:56:37",
"content": "Yeah I can condense that down a lot tho I share your “issues”:1) Just get on with it and get it done. (I’ve quit work to re-discover this passion from youth)2) Screw other people and their opinions (which is why I never share anything even when praise is heaped upon it)3) Now you’ve got the time back, revisit anything done under 1.",
"parent_id": "8122153",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122165",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T15:58:29",
"content": "This guy has some great stuff to say about perfectionism – how it inhibits productivity, and how it can affect mental health.https://www.thomascurran.co.uk/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122185",
"author": "billmearaa772236cda",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:51:52",
"content": "I thought the quote was from Voltaire. But hey, let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122549",
"author": "frenchone",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:32:39",
"content": "LMWikiTFYIn the English-speaking world the aphorism is commonly attributed to Voltaire, who quoted an Italian proverb in his Questions sur l’Encyclopédie [fr] in 1770: “Il meglio è l’inimico del bene”Previously, around 1726, in his Pensées, Montesquieu wrote “Le mieux est le mortel ennemi du bien”",
"parent_id": "8122185",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122196",
"author": "dk",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:12:11",
"content": "Provisorisch ist ein Synonym für Dauerhaft.Provisional is a synonym for permanent.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122816",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T12:38:47",
"content": "This is the problem here… not “finished” but working too well.Current plan: build a 2nd machine in parallel, only switch the unique components over when it’s running.",
"parent_id": "8122196",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122232",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:20:50",
"content": "Can’t justify major hacking on a coffee roaster.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122272",
"author": "m1ke",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T03:35:08",
"content": "I will say these are the best comments I’ve read on hackaday in a long time, how do we keep this up?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122354",
"author": "Stappers",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T16:02:54",
"content": "Hope for good comments.",
"parent_id": "8122272",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122421",
"author": "RoganDawes",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T21:33:14",
"content": "I made an integration for ESPHome to monitor my Texecom alarm. While debugging, I reduced the polling rate to 0.5Hz, and I still haven’t quite solved the problem of how to Stay arm the panel. Well, I have a solution, which involves using the virtual keyboard to “press the Stay button”, but I haven’t implemented that yet. I know how to, though, just a simple matter of programming.But the last firmware build for my alarm was 3 years ago, and the sluggish responses irritate me, but not enough to rebuild the firmware, and I get by actually pressing the Stay button on the physical panel, because ESPHome has moved on, and I can’t quite be sure of exactly which git branch holds the latest version that is running right now, and I don’t want to fight with it anymore. I know I’d be happier if I finished it, and adjusted the polling rate to 2Hz, etc, but …",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122493",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T07:59:09",
"content": "I’ve a similar problem due to not quite finishing a project, my blind controllers with moved to custom firmware and bluetooth to esp, working fine on mqtt.Then I move to HASS and updated them to ESPEasy, which was far from easy as I had to disassemble to reflash them all, now none of my blinds work.Now I’m having to debug someone elses code to figure out how to fix them when I should have left them on mqtt and just accepted it wasn’t perfect running mqtt and HASS.Seeking perfection = fail.",
"parent_id": "8122421",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122520",
"author": "C",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T10:30:54",
"content": "“a working project is better than a gold-plated one”Should have been: “a working project is better than a gold-plated one that doesn’t work”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122597",
"author": "Greg A",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T15:08:07",
"content": "i see a bit of discussion here about starting vs finishing projects and i have an anecdote…i sometimes have a hard time starting projects. i can get paralyzed at the blank slate because i have to make too many interlinked decisions at once. but generally once i make the core decisions, i can spew an enormous volume of code fairly quickly. and once i have a working prototype, i am easily motivated to clean up the details. though i’m never done with the details because i keep finding things. and i don’t always know when i’m done with the core decisions, because sometimes i’ll get blocked by a decision i didn’t realize was still pending.but i met a guy who is a bit of the opposite. throws together prototypes very quickly, but has a hard time motivating to finish the details.and there is a detail about our approaches that i think casts that in a new light. i am very hesitant to use a library…a lot of libraries come with huge nested dependencies that might ‘just work’, but if there is any problem then i will have a hard time ‘getting to the bottom of it’. and often, that work may need to be repeated sporadically as upgrades break the dependencies in unanticipated ways. so if i am trying to do something simple, i will go out of my way to do it anew instead of pulling in something complicated to accomplish a simple task. and if i am trying to do something complicated, i am very judicious in what extraneous complexity i will allow into a project.but the other guy is the opposite. he is constantly in the process of learning new bloated javascript frameworks. he loves to pull in a ton of dependencies to do the bulk of the work.there’s real downsides to my approach, because there are tasks i can’t hardly get started on that he can complete in a weekend. but there’s real downsides to his approach, because everything he makes is bloated and slow and buggy.the interesting distinction is that our different approaches to beginnings/ends of projects are mandated by these tools we use! i like the detail work of finishing off a project because i have done everything leading up to that point with the goal of being ab le to get to the bottom of every problem. and he hates that detail work because he has done everything leading up to that point with the tacit assumption that he will never get to the bottom of anything!so if he finds some UI quirk in his final draft, he might have to unpack several layers of interdependency just to find the bug. there’s a real material reason he doesn’t like getting the last few details right.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.873079
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/digital-squids-behavior-shaped-by-neural-network/
|
Digital Squid’s Behavior Shaped By Neural Network
|
Bryan Cockfield
|
[
"Machine Learning"
] |
[
"digital pet",
"hebbian",
"machine learning",
"neural network"
] |
In the 90s, a video game craze took over the youth of the world — but unlike today’s games that rely on powerful PCs or consoles, these were simple, standalone devices with monochrome screens, each home to a digital pet. Often clipped to a keychain, they could travel everywhere with their owner, which was ideal from the pet’s perspective since, like real animals, they needed attention around the clock. [ViciousSquid] is updating this 90s idea for the 20s with
a digital pet squid that uses a neural network to shape its behavior
.
The neural network that controls the squid’s behavior takes a large number of variables into account, including whether or not it’s hungry or sleepy, or if it sees food. The neural network adapts as different conditions are encountered, allowing the squid to make decisions and strengthen its algorithms. [ViciousSquid] is using a
Hebbian learning algorithm
which strengthens connections between neurons which activate often together. Additionally, the squid’s can form both short- and long-term memories, and the neural network can even form new neurons on its own as needed.
[ViciousSquid] is still working on this project, and hopes to eventually implement a management system in the future, allowing the various behavior variables to be tracked over time and overall allow it to act in a way more familiar to the 90s digital pets it’s modeled after. It’s an interesting and fun take on those games, though, and much of the code is available on GitHub for others to experiment with as well. For those looking for the original 90s games, head over to
this project where an emulator for Tamagotchis was created using modern microcontroller platforms
.
| 2
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122192",
"author": "CRJEEA",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T18:48:20",
"content": "Modern Tamagotchi perhaps?Although, if it can add neurons as required, perhaps there’s no limit to how smart it could get with enough time and computing capacity.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122222",
"author": "alialiali",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T22:25:54",
"content": "Maybe a folding at home approach?Where everyones progress is uploaded and a response tuned?I’ve tried it for a while and I really don’t know what I’m supposed to expect from it thats different from a trivialIFtree?",
"parent_id": "8122192",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,564.921973
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/26/amazing-oscilloscope-demo-scores-the-win-at-revision-2025/
|
Amazing Oscilloscope Demo Scores The Win At Revision 2025
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Musical Hacks"
] |
[
"demo",
"demoscene",
"oscilloscope",
"oscilloscope music",
"revision 2025"
] |
Classic demos from the demoscene are all about showing off one’s technical prowess, with a common side order of a slick banging soundtrack. That’s precisely what [BUS ERROR Collective] members [DJ_Level_3] and [Marv1994] delivered
with their prize-winning
Primer
demo this week.
This demo is a grand example of so-called “oscilloscope music”—where two channels of audio are used to control an oscilloscope in X-Y mode. The sounds played determine the graphics on the screen, as we’ve explored previously.
The real magic is when you create
very cool
sounds that also draw
very cool
graphics on the oscilloscope. The
Primer
demo achieves this goal perfectly. Indeed, it’s intended as a “primer” on the very artform itself, starting out with some simple waveforms and quickly spiraling into a graphical wonderland of spinning shapes and morphing patterns, all to a sweet electronic soundtrack. It was created with a range of tools, including
Osci-Render
and apparently Ableton 11, and the recording performed on a gorgeous BK Precision Model 2120 oscilloscope in a nice shade of green.
If you think this demo is
fully sick
, you’re not alone. It took out first place in the Wild category at the
Revision 2025 demo party
, as well as the Crowd Favorite award. High praise indeed.
We love
a good bit of demoscene magic
around these parts.
Thanks to [STrRedWolf] for the tip!
| 34
| 17
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122117",
"author": "Rpol404",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T11:13:39",
"content": "Really cool! Had an Amiga demo vibe from the late 80’s and early 90’s.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122118",
"author": "Mack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T11:18:51",
"content": "I love this. Fantastic work!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122129",
"author": "Mel",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:28:25",
"content": "This is so cool. Maybe it could feed a pair of galvo mirrors, and we could use frickin’ lasers!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122158",
"author": "MacAttack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T15:19:12",
"content": "Or skip the galvos and put electrodes into a shark and mount the laser on its …THiS POST HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED PER ORDER OF PETA !!!",
"parent_id": "8122129",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122198",
"author": "ono",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:25:37",
"content": "I very much doubt you´ll find affordable fast enough galvos for this…",
"parent_id": "8122129",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122132",
"author": "DJ_Level_3",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:44:25",
"content": "Look, Ma, I’m famous!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122183",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:43:21",
"content": "Yes, you are. Great work.",
"parent_id": "8122132",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122134",
"author": "Richard",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:49:52",
"content": "It would be interesting to see a “making of” – presumably they’ve created some tooling to help out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122137",
"author": "CJay",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T13:24:15",
"content": "This is awesome, I wonder if there’s ‘scope (pun intended) to use the Z/Intensity as well with some function of the L&R channel",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122140",
"author": "DeveloperLen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T13:55:35",
"content": "Responding to the intensity suggestion…In college (many many) years ago, I was a lab assistant in an Industrial Engineering department. To support an human factors Engineering Design class, the hardware guy built a switch box with a cutout fitting the display of a Tektronix 525 Oscope we placed behind it. We defocused the beam to a diameter of a few millimeters to prevent burn.We had an ADC and the switch box allowed us to detect swhich of the buttons was pressed.I implemented a bit of software (Dec PDP-8/L, two DACs) to draw a 5×8 character by parking the beam for a few milliseconds at the position of each lit dot. We had a variable scan rate (imagine “1” vs “8”).It would have been an interesting experiment to implement a variable-park-time setting to challenge the experimental subject by changing the presented character’s brightness.It was a glorious project, allowing an 18-year-old student to do something “real” in school.",
"parent_id": "8122137",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122182",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:42:37",
"content": "While this is possible, it requires three digital to analog converters, so it wouldn’t work with a standard sound card. I think where you see variations in intensity in the video, this is effected with changes in beam scan speed, which is the proportional to slew rate, or the first derivative of the changing voltage. Slower rise and fall rates -> slower beam motion -> brighter appearance.",
"parent_id": "8122137",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122188",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T18:25:23",
"content": "Most desktop PC sound cards support at least 6 channels. The modern ones tend to skimp out on ports, so you may have to remap a mic or front panel port though.",
"parent_id": "8122182",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122142",
"author": "Bas",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:08:01",
"content": "So how does this work? Is it the signal that is visualised using the oscilloscope and music added later, or is the music the signal? Hoe does someone do this? Can I learn this? Amazing. Respect.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122247",
"author": "wm",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T00:28:40",
"content": "Musicisthe signal, which is the amazing part. Music is split into two channels, one controlling the x axis and the other the y axis.The concept can be understood from the beginning of the demo – first a single sine wave is played on the y axis channel; this shows as a vertical line with the size corresponding to the amplitude (volume) of the wave. Then the x axis starts a sine wave which spreads the y axis signal out horizontaly, with different harmonics changing how that looks. Then everything gets magical and the creators show off some true virtuoso artistryIt’s achieved ultimately by piping two audio channels into a ‘scopeCan’t help with learning how to do this (these guys are clearly extremely talented individuals, and have spent a lot of time getting good with this technique), but DJ Level 3 is in the comments for this article so maybe he could help :)",
"parent_id": "8122142",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122511",
"author": "phuzz",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T09:12:33",
"content": "Just adding to make it clear; the two audio signals are the left and right stereo signals.",
"parent_id": "8122247",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122181",
"author": "BrightBlueJim",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T17:36:25",
"content": "Has someone finally broken Jerobeam Fenderson’s code, or is he in the background here somewhere? I couldn’t find any link between Jerobeam and Bus Error Collective or DJ Level 3. Anyway, the most important part of oscilloscope music is the music, and the music here is good.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122274",
"author": "BUS ERROR",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T03:41:06",
"content": "We actually invited Jerobeam to join us for this project, but he had prior commitments, sadly.. He’s no stranger to the demoscene, either.. If I remember correctly, he attended Evoke some years ago.",
"parent_id": "8122181",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122279",
"author": "Aeroman66",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T04:00:01",
"content": "I’ve downloaded the flac, took the dust out of my old analog scope and split a RCA cable to connect it to my stereo to have the full experience.It looks glorious! Its a masterpiece. Congratulations to the creator",
"parent_id": "8122181",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122199",
"author": "DX4AB1OF",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:27:26",
"content": "This is spectacular. I guess the only way not to be impressed by this is if you don’t understand what this takes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122822",
"author": "lowtolerance",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:01:10",
"content": "I don’t understand what it takes and I’m blown away.",
"parent_id": "8122199",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122202",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T19:50:38",
"content": "There’s a download link in the video description for a lossless version of the audio files. I tried them out on one of my analog scopes and it works great.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122207",
"author": "OG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T20:24:54",
"content": "So you just play the left & right channels into X & Y on an oscilloscope and get this visual result?",
"parent_id": "8122202",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122275",
"author": "BUS ERROR",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T03:42:00",
"content": "Correct. (You may of course need to switch the cables, if it appears rotated 90 degrees..)",
"parent_id": "8122207",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122289",
"author": "Cody",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T05:38:30",
"content": "Yes, just make sure you don’t leave a bright dot on the screen for long.",
"parent_id": "8122207",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122212",
"author": "Linux user",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T20:53:13",
"content": "Tool to Make demo?https://oscilloscopemusic.com/software/oscistudio/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122253",
"author": "Ject",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T01:09:49",
"content": "That was sick. Good music, cool ashetic, and the visual and audio glitchiness adds to the whole effect. That being said, my gut says the audio and video would be so far apart in the frequency domain that they’re practically seperate signals. I may be mistaken about that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122833",
"author": "Joseph Eoff",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:48:57",
"content": "Nope. The audio is directly repsonsible for the drawings. The music is the video.",
"parent_id": "8122253",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8124159",
"author": "Jdams",
"timestamp": "2025-05-04T00:54:02",
"content": "But how much is stuff that is basically inaudible. Like some of the transitions I couldn’t detect the sounds changing, like the names. Either way though it’s still impressive and absolutely most of it was providing a visual representation of what you could hear the music doing.",
"parent_id": "8122833",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122259",
"author": "_sol_",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T02:01:32",
"content": "Accurate Morse code at the end.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122286",
"author": "Garth Wilson",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T05:01:57",
"content": "I’ve heard of this kind of thing, but this one goes further. My own very limited journey into graphics was by using the analog ‘scope in X-Y-Z mode (Z being for intensity), which I show athttp://forum.6502.org/viewtopic.php?p=15348#p15348. I have not come across any digital ‘scopes you can do that with.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122312",
"author": "Kryptylomese",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T10:13:05",
"content": "Jules Antoine Lissajous would have loved to have seen this!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122378",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T17:51:41",
"content": "Lots of sound in the rear channels with a basic surround setup! I wonder weather this would show well through the deflection coils on a x-y vector game display? Quite impressive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122513",
"author": "Philipp Hofer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T09:42:14",
"content": "What frequency range does your audio signal have to produce such beautiful images? Is stereo 20Hz to 20kHz enough?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122823",
"author": "rnjacobs",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T13:03:00",
"content": "You can make this work for any sample rate, but the complexity of what you can draw without visible flickering decreases with lower sample rates or sound cards that filter out the high frequencies.",
"parent_id": "8122513",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,565.097073
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/rp2040-spins-right-round-inside-pov-display/
|
RP2040 Spins Right ‘Round Inside POV Display
|
Tyler August
|
[
"LED Hacks"
] |
[
"POV",
"POV display",
"rp2040"
] |
Sometimes, a flat display just won’t cut it. If you’re looking for something a little rounder, perhaps your vision could persist in in looking at [lhm0]’s
rotating LED sphere RP2040 POV display
.
As you might have guessed from that title, this persistence-of-vision display uses an RP2040 microcontroller as its beating (or spinning, rather) heart. An optional ESP01 provides a web interface for control. Since the whole assembly is rotating at high RPM, rather than slot in dev boards (like Pi Pico) as is often seen, [lhm0] has made custom PCBs to hold the actual SMD chips. Power is wireless, because who wants to deal with slip rings when they do not have to?
The LED-bending jig is a neat hack-within-a-hack.
[lhm0] has also bucked the current trend for individually-addressable LEDs, opting instead to address individual through-hole RGB LEDs via a 24-bit shift-register. Through the clever use of interlacing, those 64 LEDs produce a 128 line display. [lhm0] designed and printed an LED-bending jig to aid mounting the through-hole LEDs to the board at a perfect 90 degree angle.
What really takes this project the extra mile is that [lhm0] has also produced a custom binary video/image format for his display, .rs64, to encode images and video at the 128×256 format his sphere displays.
That’s on github,
while a seperate library hosts the
firmware and KiCad files for the display itself
.
This is
hardly the first POV display
we’ve highlighted, though admittedly it
isn’t the cheapest one.
There are even
other spherical displays
, but none of them seem to have gone to the trouble of creating a file format.
If you want to see it in action and watch construction, the video is embedded below.
| 3
| 3
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8122151",
"author": "Ralph Jerzy",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T14:46:05",
"content": "Cool idea, with a bit higher res and a full circular ring vs an arch, this would be awesome. Sooner or later someone will take this idea and commercialize it for anyone to purchase, like the POV fans that was shown on HAD a handful of years ago.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122157",
"author": "Jaap Daniels",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T15:18:27",
"content": "I think a light diffuser would do the trick.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122174",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T16:47:28",
"content": "Yes the thin films in flat screens would add very little mass, whilst blurring out the individual points of light.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,564.970233
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/posthumous-composition-being-performed-by-the-composer/
|
Posthumous Composition Being Performed By The Composer
|
Seth Mabbott
|
[
"Art",
"Musical Hacks",
"Science"
] |
[
"experimental music",
"neurons",
"organoids",
"stem cells"
] |
Alvin Lucier was an American experimental composer whose compositions were arguably as much science experiments as they were music. The piece he is best known for,
I Am Sitting in a Room,
explored the acoustics of a room and what happens when you amplify the characteristics that are imparted on sound in that space by repeatedly recording and playing back the sound from one tape machine to another. Other works have employed galvanic skin response sensors, electromagnetically activated piano strings and other components that are not conventionally used in music composition.
Undoubtedly the most unconventional thing he’s done (so far) is to perform in an
exhibit at The Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth which opened earlier this month
. That in itself would not be so unconventional if it weren’t for the fact that he passed away in 2021. Let us explain.
While he was still alive, Lucier entered into a collaboration with a team of artists and biologists to create an exhibit that would push art, science and our notions of what it means to live beyond one’s death into new ground.
The resulting exhibit, titled
Revivication
, is a room filled with gong-like cymbals being played via actuators by Lucier’s brain…sort of. It is a brain organoid, a bundle of neurons derived from a sample of his blood which had been induced into
pluripotent stem cells
. The organoid sits on a mesh of electrodes, providing an interface for triggering the cymbals.
A brain organoid derived from Alvin Lucier’s blood cells sits on a mesh of electrodes.
“But the organoid isn’t aware of what’s happening, it’s not
performing
” we hear you say. While it is true that the bundle of neurons isn’t likely to have intuited hundreds of years of music theory or its subversion by experimental methodology, it
is
part of a feedback loop that potentially allows it to “perceive” in some way the result of its “actions”.
Microphones mounted at each cymbal feed electrical stimulus back to the organoid, presumably providing it with something to respond to. Whether it does so in any meaningful way is hard to say.
The exhibit asks us to think about where creativity comes from. Is it innate? Is it “in our blood” so to speak? Do we have agency or are we being conducted? Can we live on beyond our own deaths through some creative act? What, if anything, do brain organoids experience?
This makes us think about some of the interesting mind-controlled musical interfaces we’ve seen, the promise of
pluripotent stem cell research
, and of course those
brain computer interfaces
. Oh, and there was that time the
Hackaday Podcast
featured Alvin Lucier’s
I Am Sitting in a Room
on
What’s that Sound
.
| 15
| 11
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8121864",
"author": "Lightislight",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T11:13:54",
"content": "Long live Alvin Lucier. Hopefully his mastery of chaotic acoustics goes for many years.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121874",
"author": "Jouni",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T11:52:07",
"content": "goes? you mean echoes?",
"parent_id": "8121864",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121865",
"author": "[TDT]",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T11:17:55",
"content": "Interesting, question, strange, frightening to some maybe, but undoubtedly a big step forward for the autonomous systems to keep organoïds and cell cultures alive.I know lot of cells react to red light. I wonder if one (very patient) hacker could gently blink a red light to the exposed brain when, say, two gongs play one after the other, and thus teach this dead artists cells to play a chord when illuminated in red light…Well, don’t use a laser pointer, one don’t want to fry that poor thing, but to try to train it or play with it.Also, I wonder what happend when the nutriments are low?Did they simulate the feeding during the day, with nutriments low and high, and sleep periods? Or did they just set a constant nutriment level?Lastly, how do they simulate/replace the immune system?As clean as this contraption may be, it will be visited by a lot of people, and thus it’s dangerous for such a fragile organism?Again, I don’t want to harm that poor thing, I’m just wondering how they solved these problems.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121873",
"author": "Carl Breen",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T11:46:07",
"content": "I enjoyed that he was behind the idea and a part of its design, that makes it so great! Also nice how the video explains the emergent behaviour very good, being honest about how it works and it’s unique properties and limitations.Being honest that I was not aware of his work or passing, it was worth to learn about him here. Thanks for that Seth!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121884",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:18:57",
"content": "The maestro is decomposing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121891",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:40:00",
"content": "They’re decomposing composers.There’s nothing much anyone can do.You can still hear Beethoven,But Beethoven cannot hear you.",
"parent_id": "8121884",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121902",
"author": "KC",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T13:08:37",
"content": "I was hoping I’d see this reference.Tangential note: Zombie brain feedback composer was not on my bingo card for this year",
"parent_id": "8121891",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121901",
"author": "make piece not war",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T13:05:43",
"content": "This is like an echo of Henrietta Lacks (a sample of her cancerous cells – taken without her consent – are still replicating and used for various experiments and discoveries).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121980",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:41:03",
"content": "It’s a grown organoid, so to say it’s him is specious. It fits with artistry but it’s completely disjoint from his own mind which is no in his grave.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122013",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:48:18",
"content": "“Revivification, or, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122027",
"author": "Levi Goldbergshekelwitzsteincohenlevi",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:23:39",
"content": "“ah sweet. man-made horrors beyond my comprehension”Why not put the neurons behind a computer screen and train them to do work by rewarding them with a something and slowly decrease it over ti…. oh",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122051",
"author": "Daniel Matthews",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T22:40:19",
"content": "This is like confusing a CPU with the operating system that could run on it. The organoid could have been formed by cells from anything with a nervous system.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122193",
"author": "fluffy",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T18:53:47",
"content": "They really missed an opportunity to call this work “I am sitting in a tomb”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122320",
"author": "Myself",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:13:39",
"content": "And the forthcoming sequel (let me thaw out this sample…), “I am sitting in a womb”.",
"parent_id": "8122193",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122803",
"author": "odsquad64",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T11:59:56",
"content": "The should record it and release a record called Alvin Lucier Dead in Concert",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,565.027241
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/25/clicksprings-experimental-archaeology-concentric-thin-walled-tubing/
|
Clickspring’s Experimental Archaeology: Concentric Thin-Walled Tubing
|
Dan Maloney
|
[
"Misc Hacks"
] |
[
"antikythera",
"antiquity",
"boring",
"lapping",
"lathe",
"machining",
"polishing",
"reaming",
"rouge"
] |
It’s human nature to look at the technological achievements of the ancients — you know, anything before the 1990s — and marvel at how they were able to achieve precision results in such benighted times. How could anyone create a complicated mechanism without the aid of CNC machining and computer-aided design tools? Clearly, it was aliens.
Or, as [Chris] from Click Spring demonstrates by
creating precision nesting thin-wall tubing
, it was human beings running the same wetware as what’s running between our ears but with a lot more patience and ingenuity. It’s part of his series of experiments into how the craftsmen of antiquity made complicated devices like
the Antikythera mechanism
with simple tools. He starts by cleaning up roughly wrought brass rods on
his hand-powered lathe
, followed by drilling and reaming to create three tubes with incremental precision bores. He then creates matching pistons for each tube, with an almost gas-tight enough fit right off the lathe.
Getting the piston fit to true gas-tight precision came next, by lapping with a jeweler’s rouge made from iron swarf recovered from the bench. Allowed to rust and ground to a paste using a mortar and pestle, the red iron oxide mixed with olive oil made a dandy fine abrasive, perfect for polishing the metal to a high gloss finish. Making the set of tubes concentric required truing up the bores on the lathe, starting with the inner-most tube and adding the next-largest tube once the outer diameter was lapped to spec.
Easy? Not by a long shot! It looks like a tedious job that we suspect was given to the apprentice while the master worked on more interesting chores. But clearly, it was possible to achieve precision challenging today’s most exacting needs with nothing but the simplest tools and plenty of skill.
| 32
| 10
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8121847",
"author": "Barnaby Relph",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T09:37:03",
"content": "Very odd – that’s an unlisted video – it’s been up over 2 weeks with only a few hundred views.Fascinating content – getting that close of a fit with such manual methods is quite incredible",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121883",
"author": "mvadu",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:07:16",
"content": "He posted it for Patreon members two weeks ago. May be missed to enable it for main channel.",
"parent_id": "8121847",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121997",
"author": "Jan-Willem",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T18:00:55",
"content": "Every creator has a backlog on YT, and showing these to Patreons is a great way to reward your fans and have a private viewing of your next project. Maybe catch an issue or two. I believe the Patreon shouldn’t have sent it in, and Hackaday should have caught it as well. It wouldn’t have hurt a bit to wait with posting the article until the video was released to the public.",
"parent_id": "8121883",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122624",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:10:04",
"content": "a great way to reward your fansIt’s not a reward on the fans, since they would have first access anyways. It’s a penalty on everyone else.“Paid first access” is just another way to extract what’s known as “economic rent”. It’s money you earn by not doing something of value, exactly because you aren’t doing it.I.e. the thing already exists, and it’s technically been paid for already by the subscribers who wanted to pay for it, but you’re placing an arbitrary penalty of time on non-subscribers to entice them to become subscribers, to earn that much more money. That sort of behavior is considered “rent-seeking”, or, “growing one’s existing wealth by manipulating the social or political environment without creating new wealth”.",
"parent_id": "8121997",
"depth": 4,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122628",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:18:35",
"content": "Unless of course the fans do derive value out of being jerks to everyone else – kinda like people who buy exclusive products just to brag and display social status. Then holding the stuff back would be a reward on the patrons.You never know.",
"parent_id": "8122624",
"depth": 5,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121848",
"author": "SparkyGSX",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T09:44:56",
"content": "The skill it takes not only to do this with such limited tools, but to make it look easy is absolutely incredible.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121850",
"author": "Hugo Oran",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T10:20:11",
"content": "Since I saw a sole stonemason patiently polishing a stone brick in Bolivia, I know that the ancients were able to make all such wonders. For today’s average people it is not understandable like the evolution theory 150 years ago. And this manual lathe, wov:)",
"parent_id": "8121848",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121896",
"author": "threeve",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:49:27",
"content": "Not to mention that he apparently films all this in a shop not much bigger than a closet.",
"parent_id": "8121848",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121911",
"author": "peterlarson233",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T13:58:30",
"content": "In ancient Greece, they had to work in closets. Big rooms hadn’t been invented yet. This is part of his commitment to historical accuracy.",
"parent_id": "8121896",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122020",
"author": "Jesus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T19:23:13",
"content": "Greeks never came out of the closet. As the old saying goes, they invented love, but it was the Romans who finally introduced it to women.",
"parent_id": "8121911",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121979",
"author": "IIVQ",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:40:48",
"content": "The amount of work necessary is often overestimated.I have joined into the organisation of the rebuilding of a “Hunebed” (Dolmen) with stones up to 25 tonnes. We moved a 6 tonne stone on a sled, rolling on poles, over a very sandy road, just pulled by 20 elementary-school children, with ease, and over a distance of more than a kilometre in one morning. In fact, most of the brunt was on the grown-ups who had to move the poles from back to front.Also, I recently learnt that the “Dom” church of Utrecht (which took more than 2,5 centuries to construct) usually had a construction crew of less than 20 people, basically a one or two stoneworkers with apprentices, a carpenter with apprentices and a few people moving stuff. So it took long, but there wasn’t enormous manpower involved.",
"parent_id": "8121848",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122018",
"author": "Quinn Evans",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T19:10:14",
"content": "I appreciate the historical accuracy of conscripting small childs for that build.",
"parent_id": "8121979",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121859",
"author": "prfesser",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T10:54:28",
"content": "With a few hundred apprentices/slaves commandeered by the local royalty, working with a couple dozen lathes, precision items of all sorts—pulleys, balls, bushings, tapers—could be constructed in a relatively short time. And with a lathe at hand a primitive milling machine for accurate flat surfaces could be devised. Gears might be a bit challenging; machining a disk would be trivial but cutting some arbitrary number of accurate teeth…not so much.I built the Gingery lathe many years ago and am familiar with the amount of hand work required for precision.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121882",
"author": "Nomen Nescio",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:07:10",
"content": "oh, clickspring has several videos on the general subject of gearwheels, including Antikythera-style ones.short version: triangular teeth are a tedious and labor-intensive task involving hand filing, but quite doable. modern gearwheels don’t use triangular teeth, and for good reason, but making the modern styles very likely requires a modern lathe.",
"parent_id": "8121859",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122034",
"author": "S O",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T21:26:40",
"content": "Not all that modern, but certainly more complex than what was available in this case.",
"parent_id": "8121882",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121906",
"author": "elmesito",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T13:35:53",
"content": "Clickspring’s precision and delightful quality of the final products makes me feel inadequate.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122088",
"author": "MinorHavoc",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T04:37:25",
"content": "It’s not just his workshop craftsmanship that makes everyone feel inadequate. The quality of his videos is superb, and they feel professionally produced. They’d feel right at home on the old Discovery channel before they abandoned their educational orientation.",
"parent_id": "8121906",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122128",
"author": "Steven Naslund",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:23:24",
"content": "Chris can address this but if I remember correctly I think his day job is in the video production field. There is something about the color balance or lighting of his videos that is really captivating (not to mention the fantastic content),",
"parent_id": "8122088",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121947",
"author": "RunnerPack",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T15:26:04",
"content": "I guess I need to watch the video, but I can’t figure out how he made the fit of one tube in another tighter by abrading away material from either one. If the hole was undersized, or the inner one oversized, then I could see it, but if they’re already a sliding fit, they could only get looser if material is removed from either one. What am I missing?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122071",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T01:29:05",
"content": "I see what you’re saying. It’s not addressed in the video, but if it was me, maybe only lap the parts when the inner part is cool, and the outer part is hot.",
"parent_id": "8121947",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122116",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T11:11:45",
"content": "It didn’t explain it. He put one tube inside another and then twisted it with the lapping compound in between – but that should have resulted in a looser fit, not a tighter fit. Something is missing here.",
"parent_id": "8121947",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122224",
"author": "Skyler",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T22:36:28",
"content": "I was also wondering about this. I was thinking maybe the material is being moved from the high spots to the low spots? But I don’t really know a lot about how lapping works.",
"parent_id": "8122116",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122268",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T03:17:32",
"content": "He mentions that the fit before lapping was light interference fit — this would mean the hole was very slightly smaller than the inner tube, and a fair amount of force would have been needed to get one tube inside the other. This wasn’t really apparent on camera though — I imagine he could feel it though.The sliding fit he mentioned would have been the end goal of the lapping. It would have been gas tight initially — the air piston demonstration after lapping is showing that movement is now free, while still being a decent pneumatic fit.",
"parent_id": "8122116",
"depth": 3,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122636",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T16:57:09",
"content": "If it was an interference fit, then you couldn’t get the tubes inside one another to lap them, because the lapping compound wouldn’t fit in between. It still doesn’t make any sense.What’s more likely is that there were two or more sets of tubes made, and they were mixed and matched until pairs were found that could be lapped smaller or looser to fit each other perfectly, using the loosely fitting remaining tubes as sacrificial lapping tools.Or, the third alternative is that the video is a cheat: the pneumatic action is accomplished with oil in between the parts.",
"parent_id": "8122268",
"depth": 4,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122028",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T20:43:11",
"content": "The method is very similar to what Stephan Gotteswinter uses. First ream a hole, then put it over a mandrell, and then grind the outside concentric with the already finished hole, as seen in:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rjjZfnK-m4Main difference is that Stephan does it to earn sandwiches by selling the product, and not for researching archeological methods. But overall, the difference is quite small.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122087",
"author": "Jeff Armstrong",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T04:32:58",
"content": "I am one of his Patrons. When he dropped the video to us about two weeks ago, I wrote to Clickspring and asked him. He dropped it publicly 25 April 2025 about 1800 UTC.He told me that this is exactly how he did it ie made the hole and then turned the outer walls to be concentric",
"parent_id": "8122028",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122229",
"author": "Jdams",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T23:17:18",
"content": "Wait how does he achieve a gas tight seal by starting with something that has enough of a gap between the two surfaces that he can fit the jewelers rouge in between them. Then using that to grind out more material and somehow making the fit TIGHTER? I’m so confused.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122271",
"author": "Barry",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T03:25:10",
"content": "He mentions it’s a light interference fit to start with. The metal is being elastically deformed when one tube is inserted in the other. Also the particles are harder than the metal, so they can embed in the surface and elastically deform it. Likely it was gas tight to start with, but certainly not free moving.That sliding fit he’s showing in the end implies some clearance between the parts, probably on the order of 50 microns or so. This is enough to produce the gas piston effect shown when the parts are in motion.That size is likely quite a bit larger than the rust particles in question.The end result of the lapping was to eliminate most of the sliding friction, but precisely enough that the seal was maintained.",
"parent_id": "8122229",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122641",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T17:52:43",
"content": "A “light interference fit” would squeeze the lapping compound out when you force the tubes into one another, and even a light interference fit would bind them so you can’t turn them, so lapping wouldn’t be possible.What’s more likely is that they had a “transition” fit where the inner tube is technically only slightly smaller, but you get some high and low spots that interfere. If you add the lapping compound and start working the parts together, it evens out and you get a pretty tight clearance fit. Possibly even a pneumatic fit.That would make sense, but he shows the tubes fitting into one another first and then being lapped. That requires that there is already a fairly loose clearance fit because the high and low spots left by drilling and turning pass each other just fine. Lapping it even makes the clearance even bigger. That may still be fine for a bearing, but would not make a pneumatic fit.A drop of oil or water however would seal it right up, making the appearance of a pneumatic fit even if it wasn’t.",
"parent_id": "8122271",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8122322",
"author": "Myself",
"timestamp": "2025-04-27T12:17:17",
"content": "Next on “Wisdom of the Ancients”: What is this “rabbit ears” antenna? Why were they so obsessed with rabbits? Was it a religious symbol?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122889",
"author": "Dudeabides",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:26:09",
"content": "These people are building one-off precision sets. Not manufacturing hundreds of items with the tolerances of ‘all fit’.The same processes as were used in crafting early firearms. Each item was a single unique assembly built by a single artisan. They all worked but were not interchangeable with regard to their respective component parts.Stop thinking in terms of modern geometric dimensions and tolerances and see it as the ART of making!Manufacture; built by hand!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122891",
"author": "Dudeabides",
"timestamp": "2025-04-29T18:31:53",
"content": "From the land of bear skins and stone knives",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,565.347754
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/24/adding-an-atari-joystick-port-to-thec64-usb-joystick/
|
Adding An Atari Joystick Port To TheC64 USB Joystick
|
Lewin Day
|
[
"Retrocomputing"
] |
[
"9-pin",
"C64 mini",
"commodore 64",
"thec64"
] |
“TheC64” is a popular recreation of the best selling computer of all time, the original Commodore 64. [10p6] enjoys hacking on this platform, and recently whipped up a new mod —
adding a 9-pin Atari joystick connector for convenience
.
When it comes to TheC64 units, they ship with joysticks that
look
retro, but aren’t. These joysticks actually communicate with the hardware over USB. [10p6]’s hack was to add an additional 9-pin Atari joystick connector into the joystick itself. It’s a popular mod amongst owners of TheC64 and the C64 Mini. All one needs to do is hook up a 9-pin connector to the right points on the joystick’s PCB. Then, it effectively acts as a pass-through adapter for hooking up other joysticks to the system.
While this hack could have been achieved by simply chopping away at the plastic housing of the original joystick, [10p6] went a tidier route. Instead, the joystick was granted a new 3D printed base that had a perfect mounting spot for the 9-pin connector. Clean!
We’ve seen some great hacks from [10p6] lately,
like the neat reimagined “C64C” build
that actually appears in this project video, too.
| 1
| 1
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8121818",
"author": "10p6",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T06:36:51",
"content": "Hi. Note that when I made this video, I had no idea that the other one had been done. Also, unlike the other one, this adds power to the port, so as seen in the video, it supports wireless adapters too, and with the two spare wires from the 9 wire ribbon cable, they can easily be connected for other functions too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,371,565.387575
|
||
https://hackaday.com/2025/04/24/llms-coming-for-a-dna-sequence-near-you/
|
LLMs Coming For A DNA Sequence Near You
|
Navarre Bartz
|
[
"Artificial Intelligence"
] |
[
"artificial intellegence",
"biohacking",
"biology",
"CRISPR",
"LLM",
"machine learning",
"synthetic biology"
] |
While tools like CRISPR have blown the field of genome hacking wide open, being able to predict what will happen when you tinker with the code underlying the living things on our planet is still tricky. Researchers at Stanford hope their new
Evo 2 DNA generative AI tool can help
.
Trained on a dataset of over 100,000 organisms from bacteria to humans, the system can quickly determine what mutations contribute to certain diseases and what mutations are mostly harmless. An “area we are hopeful about is using Evo 2 for designing new genetic sequences with specific functions of interest.”
To that end, the system can also generate gene sequences from a starting prompt like any other LLM as well as cross-reference the results to see if the sequence already occurs in nature to aid in predicting what the sequence might do in real life. These synthetic sequences can then be made using CRISPR or similar techniques in the lab for testing. While the prospect of building our own
Moya
is exciting, we do wonder what possible negative consequences could come from this technology, despite the hand-wavy mention of not training the model on viruses to “to prevent Evo 2 from being used to create new or more dangerous diseases.”
We’ve got you covered if you need to get your own biohacking space setup for
DNA gels
or if you want to find out more about powering
living computers
using
electricity
. If you’re more curious about other interesting uses for machine learning, how about a
dolphin translator
or
discovering better battery materials
?
| 16
| 5
|
[
{
"comment_id": "8121782",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T02:06:56",
"content": "Oh boy, those “hallucinations” are going to be so much fun.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121866",
"author": "Sammy",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T11:25:11",
"content": "Looking forward to hallucination based plagues",
"parent_id": "8121782",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121962",
"author": "Thinkerer",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:11:34",
"content": "Hallucinations of the Deep Dream sort likely won’t be viable, it’s the AI “landscape pictures” and “background scenes” that seem to be everywhere that will be the problem.You know, the ones with winding mountain roads that run in a circle, streams flowing uphill, and people in a family scene with seven fingers on one hand and three fingers each on the other two hands from other wrist that will give us problems.",
"parent_id": "8121782",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121788",
"author": "TG",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T03:24:24",
"content": "The ratio of buzzwords to tangible results here is dangerously high. Any VCs wanna turn out their pockets? Eh??",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121829",
"author": "AZdave",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T07:23:43",
"content": "What could possibly go wrong??",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122130",
"author": "Paul G",
"timestamp": "2025-04-26T12:29:43",
"content": "My thoughts entirely. This connected to node on a network somewhere generating random dna.",
"parent_id": "8121829",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121846",
"author": "zogzog",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T09:23:39",
"content": "Moya ??",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121849",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T10:15:29",
"content": "I have no idea about that either.The only thing I could find on a search was the “Moya gene” in the “Moyamoya disease (which) is a chronic and progressive condition of the arteries in the brain. People with moyamoya disease have narrowing of these blood vessels that leads to blockages and can eventually cause ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, and seizures.” which I am certain was not the Moya intended.",
"parent_id": "8121846",
"depth": 2,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8121892",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:41:35",
"content": "Think there’s a Spanish footballer called Moya?Let’s hope the LLM was trained on FIFA live plays not medical journals, and doesn’t give you Moyamoya disease!What could possibly go wrong?!",
"parent_id": "8121849",
"depth": 3,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121855",
"author": "Thomas Oldbury",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T10:45:10",
"content": "Perhaps they mean the ship from Farscape? Living, sentient ship…",
"parent_id": "8121846",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121894",
"author": "Piecutter",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:46:02",
"content": "The living spaceship from Farscape, perhaps?",
"parent_id": "8121846",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121900",
"author": "Brian J Monaghan",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T12:59:49",
"content": "Very likely the author is referring to the living ship in Farscape, a scifi television series from the turn of the millennium.",
"parent_id": "8121846",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8121936",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T14:57:38",
"content": "Maybe the living sentient bio-mechanical space ship from Farscape.",
"parent_id": "8121846",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "8122554",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:52:46",
"content": "I was thinking it was a reference to Moya from Farscape.https://farscape.fandom.com/wiki/Moya",
"parent_id": "8121846",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
},
{
"comment_id": "8121972",
"author": "Peter Gransee",
"timestamp": "2025-04-25T16:30:10",
"content": "been waiting for an LLM that I can run locally that can understand DNA. then I could load my data from my full genome and have a conversation with my DNA, family lineage, etc. Combine with my local agent’s knowledge of my medical records, it might be a better opinion than any doctor or cloud service might give.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "8122555",
"author": "Panondorf",
"timestamp": "2025-04-28T12:55:26",
"content": "I think you underestimate the nurture side of the nature vs nurture. Listen to your doctor who has actually ran tests on your physical body, not just inspected the blueprints.",
"parent_id": "8121972",
"depth": 2,
"replies": []
}
]
}
] | 1,760,371,565.437427
|
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