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https://hackaday.com/2021/05/15/3d-printing-espresso-parts/ | 3D Printing Espresso Parts | Bryan Cockfield | [
"cooking hacks",
"Parts"
] | [
"3D printed parts",
"co2",
"coffee",
"Compressed Gas",
"espresso",
"pressure"
] | Virtually any hobby has an endless series of rabbit holes to fall into, with new details to learn around every corner. This is true for beekeeping, microcontrollers, bicycles, and gardening (just to name a few), but those involved in the intricate world of coffee roasting and brewing turn this detail dial up to the max. There are countless methods of making coffee, all with devout followers and detractors alike, and each with its unique set of equipment.
To explore one of those methods and brew a perfect espresso, [Eric] turned to his trusted 3D printer
and some compressed gas cylinders.
An espresso machine uses high pressure to force hot water through finely ground coffee. This pressure is often developed with an electric pump, but there are manual espresso machines as well. These require expensive parts which can withstand high forces, so rather than build a heavy-duty machine with levers, [Eric] turned to compressed CO2 to deliver the high pressure needed.
To build the pressure/brew chamber, he 3D printed most of the parts with the exception of the metal basked which holds the coffee. The 3D printed cap needs to withstand around nine atmospheres of pressure so it’s reasonably thick, held down with four large bolts, and holds a small CO2 canister, relief valve, and pressure gauge.
To [Eric]’s fine tastes, the contraption makes an excellent cup of coffee at minimal cost compared to a traditional espresso machine. The expendable CO2 cartridges only add $0.15 to the total cost of the cup and for it’s simplicity and small size this is an excellent trade-off. He plans to improve on the design over time, and we can’t wait to see what he discovers. In the meantime, we’ll focus on making sure that
our beans are of the highest quality
so they’re ready for that next espresso.
Thanks to [squashed_buckler] for the tip! | 28 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348914",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2021-05-15T20:32:41",
"content": "One could make it more environementally friendly by using an electric compressor ^^",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6348919",
"author": "Hirudinea",... | 1,760,373,087.263921 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/15/reverse-engineering-an-unknown-microcontroller-in-e-ink-displays/ | Reverse-Engineering An Unknown Microcontroller In E Ink Displays | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"display",
"e-ink",
"microcontrollers",
"obscure",
"reverse engineering",
"SSD1623L2",
"ZBS24x"
] | For a monochrome display where refresh rate isn’t particularly important, there’s almost no better option than an E Ink display. They’re available in plenty of sizes and at various price points, but there’s almost no option cheaper than repurposing something mass-produced and widely available like an E Ink (sometime also called eInk or ePaper) price tag.
At least, once all of the reverse engineering is complete
.
[Dmitry Grinberg] has been making his way through
a ton of different E Ink modules
, unlocking their secrets as he goes. In this case he set about reverse engineering the unknown microcontroller on the small, cheap display show here. Initial research showed an obscure chip from the ZBS24x family, packaged with a SSD1623L2 E Ink controller. From there, he was able to solder to the communications wires and start talking to the device over ISP.
This endeavor is an impressive deep dive into the world of microcontrollers, from probing various registers to unlocking features one by one. It’s running an 8051 core so [Dmitry] gives a bit of background to help us all follow along, though it’s still a pretty impressive slog to fully take control of the system.
If you happen to have one of these price tags on hand it’s an invaluable resource to have to reprogram it, but it’s a great read in general as well. On the other hand, if you’re more interested in reverse-engineering various displays, take a look at this
art installation which spans 50 years of working display technologies
. | 11 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348893",
"author": "Mog",
"timestamp": "2021-05-15T17:31:01",
"content": "Pretty funny that it’s using an 8051 core. You could probably have a hardware engineering drinking game – start pointing at various devices in your home, and if any part of it ends up having an 8051 or deriva... | 1,760,373,087.027162 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/15/should-i-automate-this/ | Should I Automate This? | Elliot Williams | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants",
"Slider"
] | [
"automation",
"efficience",
"newsletter",
"optimizing",
"xkcd"
] | The short answer to the question posed in the headline: yes.
For the long answer, you have to do a little math. How much total time you will save by automating, over some reasonable horizon? It’s a simple product of how much time per occurrence, times how many times per day it happens, times the number of days in your horizon. Or skip out on the math because
there’s an XKCD for that
.
What’s fun about this table is that it’s kind of a Rorschach test that gives you insight into how much you suffer from
automatitis
. I always thought that Randall was trying to convince himself not to undertake (fun) automation projects, because that was my condition at the time. Looking at it from my current perspective, it’s a little bit shocking that something that’ll save you five seconds, five times a day, is worth spending
twelve hours
on. I’ve got some automating to do.
To whit: I use
pass
as my password manager because it’s ultimately flexible, simple, and failsafe. It stores passwords on my hard drive, and my backup server, encrypted with a GPG key that I have printed out on paper in a fireproof safe. Because I practice good cookie hygiene, I end up re-entering my passwords daily. Because I keep my passwords separate from my browser, that means entering username and password by cut-and-paste. There’s your five seconds, five times per day. Maybe two seconds, ten times, but it’s all the same. It shouldn’t take me even as long as twenty minutes to whip up a script that puts username and password into selection and clipboard for one-click pasting. Why haven’t I done this yet? I’m going to get on it as soon as I’m done with this newsletter.
But the this begs the question. If you spend up to twelve hours on every possible 25-second-per-day savings, when will you ever get your real work done? Again, math gives us the answer. One eight-hour workday * 25 seconds * 12 hours (pessimistically) of labor = 1.58 years before everything that needs automating will be. Next week’s newsletter might be a little bit delayed.
What do you see in the XKCD “Is it worth the time” table? Automate more, or step back from the cliff edge?
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
! | 65 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348850",
"author": "deshipu",
"timestamp": "2021-05-15T14:47:53",
"content": "I have devised a rule for myself: no matter how long it takes, and how often you do it, never automate anything that is fun or pleasant to do. This is one reason why I never got a reflow oven: applying so... | 1,760,373,087.456143 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/15/putting-3d-printed-chain-through-its-paces/ | Putting 3D Printed Chain Through Its Paces | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"chain"
] | One of the more frustrating things facing makers in decades past was the problem of power transmission. Finding things like belts, pulleys, sprockets, and chain for your projects could be difficult, particularly if you lived far from the shipping radius of suppliers like McMaster-Carr. These days, there’s no need to fuss, because you can simply 3D print whatever you need,
as [Let’s Print] demonstrates by whipping up some chains.
The chains are a mixed design,
combining plastic inner and outer links with bolts and nuts
to fasten them together. [Let’s Print] tries out several combinations of ABS, PLA, and PETG, running them on 3D printed sprockets and determining that they are all functional, albeit at minimum load. The chains are also put through tensile testing by attaching a heavy brake disc to a length of chain and dropping the weight to see at which point the chains snap.
We’d love to see more 3D-printed chains; all-plastic snap-together designs, or even those that print pre-assembled are particularly tantalizing ideas. We’d also enjoy more testing done with the chain under some proper torque loads, rather than just spinning freely.
We’ve seen work from [Let’s Print] before, too –
in the case of this awesome water pump
. Video after the break. | 15 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348822",
"author": "Val",
"timestamp": "2021-05-15T11:26:03",
"content": "Pretty nice work, on the topic of McMaster Carr, to me having access to it alone constitutes a good reason to move to the US…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment... | 1,760,373,086.859435 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/14/hackaday-podcast-118-apple-airtag-hacked-infill-without-perimeters-hair-pulling-robots-and-unpacking-the-555/ | Hackaday Podcast 118: Apple AirTag Hacked, Infill Without Perimeters, Hair-Pulling Robots, And Unpacking The 555 | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts"
] | [
"Hackaday Podcast"
] | Elliot’s keeb: ortho, offset, thumby.
Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Mike Szczys gather to ooh and aah over a week of interesting hacks. This week we’re delighted to welcome special guest Kristina Panos to talk about the Inputs of Interest series she has been working on over the last couple of years. In the news is the effort to pwn the new Apple AirTags, with much success over the past week. We look at turning a screenless Wacom tablet into something more using a donor iPad, stare right into the heart of a dozen 555 die shots, and watch what happens when you only 3D print the infill and leave the perimeters out.
Take a look at the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
Direct download
(~55 MB)
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
Google Podcasts
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
Episode 118 Show Notes:
What’s that Sound?
We had about a dozen correct answers, it was a Teletype machine:
Teletype ASR 33 Part 10: ASR 33 demo. – YouTube
Congratulations to [itsraineing] who was drawn randomly from the correct responses and sent a Hackaday Podcast shirt.
New This Week:
Building An Oxygen Concentrator: It Isn’t Rocket Science
New Contest: Reinvented Retro
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
3D-Printed Desiccant Container Exploits Infill
Finite Element Analysis Results In Smart Infill
A Look Into The Future Of Slicing
Apple AirTag Spills Its Secrets
How I hacked the Apple AirTags – YouTube
Apple AirTag Teardown & Test Point Mapping – Colin O’Flynn
ChipWhisperer®: Security Research
Twitter thread about AirTag flash contents
Bypassing nRF52 debug protection
Improved Graphics-to-Drawing Tablet Conversion
MIT’s Hair-Brushing Robot Untangles Difficult Robotics Problem
DIN Rails For… Everything
Conduit, Birdhouse, And Skateboard Become Giant Pen Plotter
Bench Power Supply Packs A Lot Into A DIN-Rail Package
Smallest Discrete Transistor 555 Timer
Quick Hacks:
Elliot’s Picks
Simple GUI Menus In Micropython
The Keyboard You Really Don’t Need Or Want
Air-Assist Analysis Reveals Most Effective — And Quietest — Methods
Mike’s Picks
This POV Clock Combines A Nixie With A Pendulum
Original Game Boy Powered Up With GBA Motherboard
A Trip Down The Vacuum Clamping Rabbit Hole
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Ask Hackaday: If Aliens Came By, Would We Even Notice?
Staff Writer Kristina Panos joins us to talk about Inputs of Interest:
Inputs Of Interest
Inputs Of Interest: My First Aggressively Ergonomic Keyboard
yet another dactyl build
Inputs Of Interest: ErgoDox Post-Mortem
Greatest Keycaps And Where To Find Them
makin’ keycaps | 5 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348937",
"author": "Taper Wickel",
"timestamp": "2021-05-15T22:34:41",
"content": "I’m sure a dozen people will also truthfully claim this, but I heard the “What’s that Sound?” clip last week in transit, and thought, “Oh, that sounds like a teletype — it’s probably an ASR 33,” and ... | 1,760,373,087.197419 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/14/go-ape-with-a-banana-macropad/ | Go Ape With A Banana Macropad | Kristina Panos | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"arduino pro micro",
"cherry mx",
"macro keyboard",
"macro pad"
] | The super fun thing about macro pads is that they’re inherently ultra-personalized, so why not have fun with them? This appealing little keeb may have been a joke originally, but
[dapperrogue] makes a valid point among a bunch of banana-related puns on the project page
— the shape makes it quite the ergonomic little input device.
Inside this open-source banana is that perennial favorite for macro pads, the Arduino Pro Micro, and eight switches that are wired up directly to input pins. We’re not sure what flavor of Cherry those switches are, hopefully brown or green, but we suddenly wish Cherry made yellow switches. If you want to build your own, the
STLs
and
code
are available, and we know for a fact that other switch purveyors do in fact make yellow-stemmed switches.
Contrary to what the BOM says, we believe the sticker is mandatory because it just makes the build — we imagine there would be fewer double takes without it. Hopefully this fosters future fun keyboard builds from the community, and we can’t wait to sink our teeth into the split version!
There are a bunch of ways to make a macropad, including
printing everything but the microcontroller
.
Via
r/mk
and
KBD | 14 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348640",
"author": "Ken",
"timestamp": "2021-05-14T16:18:08",
"content": "First off, impressive imagination.But imagining a use case, I’d think you’d want to have the cable attach to the end of the banana (opposite end from the stem), and I’d like to see the buttons oriented so tha... | 1,760,373,087.077278 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/14/this-week-in-security-fragattacks-the-pipeline-codecov-and-ipv6/ | This Week In Security: Fragattacks, The Pipeline, Codecov, And IPv6 | Jonathan Bennett | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"Fragattacks",
"Patch Tuesday",
"ransomware",
"This Week in Security",
"xcode"
] | Some weeks are slow, and the picking are slim when discussing the latest security news. This was not one of those weeks.
First up is
Fragattacks
, a set of flaws in wireless security protocols, allowing unauthenticated devices to inject packets into the network, and in some cases, read data back out. The flaws revolve around 802.11’s support for packet aggregation and frame fragmentation.
The whitepaper is out
, so let’s take a look.
Fragmentation and aggregation are techniques for optimizing wireless connections. Packet aggregation is the inclusion of multiple IP packets in a single wireless frame. When a device is sending many small packets, it’s more efficient to send them all at once, in a single wireless frame. On the other hand, if the wireless signal-to-noise ratio is less than ideal, shorter frames are more likely to arrive intact. To better operate in such an environment, long frames can be split into fragments, and recombined upon receipt.
There are a trio of vulnerabilities that are built-in to the wireless protocols themselves. First up is CVE-2020-24588, the aggregation attack. To put this simply, the aggregation section of a wireless frame header is unauthenticated and unencrypted. How to exploit this weakness isn’t immediately obvious, but the authors have done something clever.
First, for the purposes of explanation, we will assume that there is already a TCP connection established between the victim and an attacker controlled server. This could be as simple as an advertisement being displayed on a visited web page, or an image linked to in an email. We will also assume that the attacker is performing a Man in the Middle attack on the target’s wireless connection. Without the password, this only allows the attacker to pass the wireless frames back and forth unmodified, except for the aggregation header data, as mentioned. The actual attack is to send a special IP packet in the established TCP connection, and then modify the header data on the wireless frame that contains that packet.
When the victim tries to unpack what it believes to be an aggregated frame, the TCP payload is interpreted as a discrete packet, which can be addressed to any IP and port the attacker chooses. To put it more simply, it’s a packet within a packet, and the frame aggregation header is abused to pop the internal packet out onto the protected network.
The second protocol-level vulnerability is CVE-2020-24587, the mixed key attack. This one is borderline theoretical, as the stars have to align to be able to pull it off. This could be called the
cut-and-paste
attack. Or if you prefer, “My voice is my passport, verify me.” In a similar vein, a local attacker can mix encrypted packet fragments together, to achieve an unintended combination, like resending login information to an attacker-controlled server.
The final protocol flaw is CVE-2020-24586, the fragment cache attack. This one is a bit different, as it requires full access to the encrypted wireless network ahead of time. The short explanation is that an attacker sends the first fragment of a fragmented frame, specifying the destination IP address, then disconnects. When a victim sends a fragmented message, the attacker makes sure that the first fragment is dropped, and the frame is reassembled from different clients. It’s another hard-to-pull-off attack.
In addition to these three protocol flaws, there are a handful of vendor dependent vulnerabilities, like CVE-2020-26144, where a wireless frame contains multiple aggregated packets, but appears to be initiating a connection handshake. This handshake is expected to be unencrypted, so it’s processed, and faulty logic results in the aggregated packets also being accepted. A network with this flaw can be trivially port scanned, and malicious connections launched, as the attacker can spoof the source IP of those connections with an outside IP he controls.
Silent as an XcodeGhost
Remember XcodeGhost? Quick refresher, it was a repackaging of Xcode, but included malicious code, so that any iOS app it compiled would also contain malware. It was spread by dropping download links on developer forums and the like, and the big sell was that it downloaded much quicker in China. At the time, it was reported to be responsible for 40 malicious apps. Then Qihoo360 suggested that they had found 344 affected apps, and finally FireEye detected over 4000. Apple’s response to this was radio silence. Now, thanks to the Epic Games lawsuit,
we have some insight into the incident
.
At the time the released emails were written, Apple knew they had 2500 malicious applications on their app store, and about 128 million impacted users. They apparently began the process of contacting the users via email, but opted to back down, and instead post a notice on the Chinese version of their site. It’s interesting to get the inside scoop on this and a few other security problems. Lawsuit discovery has a way of airing out laundry, dirty and otherwise.
Do Not Fill Plastic Bags with Gasoline
Ransomware has obviously been the hottest thing in computer crime in quite a while. It’s kinda rare, though, for a ransomware attack to affect so many people all at once, like the ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline. Sources have confirmed to multiple outlets that
Colonial paid the ransom
of 75 bitcoins, or five million US dollars, apparently within hours of the discovery of the ransomware. Even though recovery efforts started right away, the supply of gasoline to the southeastern US was impacted enough to trigger shortages and a bit of panic buying. There’s a lot that’s still unknown about the attack, but everyone seems to agree that the attack was facilitated by DarkSide, a Ransomware as a Service group based in Russia. It’s unclear who actually launched the attack, or how they initially breached the company.
Wormable Windows
A quartet of serious Windows vulnerabilities got patched this Tuesday, with
CVE-2021-31166 being the most serious
. That one is a problem in the HTTP provider in Windows 10 and an unknown set of the Windows Server versions. Because it’s a 0-click flaw in an often exposed service, this is considered wormable and very important. You might think that your Windows machines are all behind a firewall, so maybe you could let it slide, right? Stick around and we’ll chat about how your firewall might not be as locked down as you think, at the bottom of the article.
CVE-2021-26419 is a flaw in Internet Explorer 9 and 11. It seems that it can be launched simply by viewing a malicious website. On top of that, this one can potentially be triggered from an office document. If you don’t have a good reason to keep IE around, it might be time to uninstall it altogether.
Codecov
Part of the Codecov system, the Bash Uploader script, was
maliciously modified to send environment variables
to a remote server. The breech happened as a result of credentials unintentionally included in a Codecov docker image, that allowed an attacker to make changes to the script. Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to have been any further malicious action included in the modified script, but any secrets that get exported as environment variables in your Codecov build process should be considered compromised.
Clever Airtag Hacks
Apple recently announced and released their new Airtag devices, much to the dismay of Tile and the like. The community has already found some interesting uses for the little gadgets, like using them to
send information at about 3 bytes per second
. Yes, [Fabian Bräunlein] has invented an Airtag powered 24 baud modem. Really, it’s a microcontroller sending Bluetooth Low Energy packets with one of several public keys to the Apple Find My network. The upside is that you could piggyback on everyone else’s iPhones to dribble data from a sensor somewhere with no Wifi or cell connection.
And on the other hand, you might wonder what happens if you use an airtag as a tracking device. Well, curious reader, naturally someone has already
sent an Airtag through the mail
. It worked every bit as well as you would hope (or fear), giving fairly constant updated on the location of the package. I can’t help but think about the other possible uses. Sending a kid on a field trip? Throw an Airtag in their pocket to know where they are.
IPv6 security
As a new Starlink customer (review coming soon), and consequently using IPv6 for the first time, I’m excited and a bit concerned by IPv6. The excitement should be obvious, but I’m concerned because so many of our security habits and assumptions don’t necessarily translate to IPv6. For example, you probably know exactly what ports, if any, you’re exposing on your public IPv4 address. Have you stopped and thought about
what ports are exposed on your IPv6 addresses
? Remember that Windows HTTP hack from above? I fully expect to eventually see a worm that replicates over IPv6, though various means.
There are, thankfully,
already some IPv6 port scanning services
. It might be worth taking a minute to double-check that your IPv6 firewall is working as intended, if you have IPv6 service. IPv6 is working seamlessly enough that your ISP may have rolled out support without you noticing, but if you are concerned with security, you should notice — we’ve all gotten a bit lax, taking IPv4 NAT routing for granted. | 26 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348612",
"author": "Average Joe",
"timestamp": "2021-05-14T14:25:53",
"content": "Wouldn’t it be interesting if this was a self imposed attack (approved or not approved) to get insurance money. Since you mention it is rare to attack so many people at once. Maybe someone knew tha... | 1,760,373,086.982973 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/14/make-androids-new-power-menu-work-on-your-terms/ | Make Android’s New Power Menu Work On Your Terms | Tom Nardi | [
"Android Hacks",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"Android 11",
"home automation",
"smart home",
"tasker"
] | Introduced in Android 11, the power menu is a way to quickly interact with smart home gadgets without having to open their corresponding applications. Just hold the power button for a beat, and you’ll be presented with an array of interactive tiles for all the gadgets you own. Well that’s the idea, anyway.
[Mat] of “NotEnoughTech” wasn’t exactly thrilled with how this system worked out of the box,
so he decided to figure out how he could create his own power menu tiles
. His method naturally requires quite a bit more manual work than Google’s automatic solution, but it also offers some compelling advantages. For one thing, you can make tiles for your own DIY devices that wouldn’t be supported otherwise. It also allows you to sidestep the cloud infrastructure normally required by commercial home automation products. After all, does some server halfway across the planet
really
need to be consulted every time you want to turn on the kitchen light?
Adding tiles in
Tasker
.
The first piece of the puzzle is
Tasker
, a popular automation framework for Android. It allows you to create custom tiles that will show up on Android’s power menu, complete with their own icons and brief descriptions. If you just wanted to perform tasks on the local device itself, this would be the end of the story. But assuming that you want to control devices on your network,
Tasker
can be configured to fire off a command to a Node-RED instance when you interact with the tiles.
In his post, [Mat] gives a few examples of how this combination can be used to control smart devices and retrieve sensor data, but the exact implementation will depend on what you’re trying to do. If you need a bit of help getting started,
our own [Mike Szczys] put together a Node-RED primer last year
that can help you put this flow-based visual programming tool to work for you. | 7 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348597",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2021-05-14T13:56:26",
"content": "> After all, does some server halfway across the planet really need to be consulted every time you want to turn on the kitchen light?It is not just that, does that server really need to permanently log the ... | 1,760,373,087.501826 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/14/keep-an-eye-on-your-bike-with-this-diy-gps-tracker/ | Keep An Eye On Your Bike With This DIY GPS Tracker | Lewin Day | [
"gps hacks"
] | [
"bicycle",
"bike",
"gps",
"gps tracker",
"tracker",
"tracking device"
] | Owning a bike and commuting on it regularly is a great way to end up with your bike getting stolen, unfortunately. It can be a frustrating experience, and it can be particularly difficult to track a bike down once it’s vanished. [Johan] didn’t want to be caught out, however,
and thus built a compact GPS tracker to give himself a fighting chance to hang on to his ride.
It’s built around the Arduino MKR GSM, a special Arduino built specifically for Internet of Things project. Sporting a cellular modem onboard, it can communicate with GSM and 3G networks out of the box. It’s paired with the MKR GPS shield to determine the bike’s location, and a ADXL345 3-axis accelerometer to detect movement. When unauthorised movement is detected, the tracker can send out text messages via cellular connection in order to help the owner track down the missing bike.
The tracker goes for a stealth installation, giving up the deterrent factor in order to lessen the chance of a thief damaging or disabling the hardware. It’s a project that should give [Johan] some peace of mind, though of course knowing where the bike is, and getting it back, are two different things entirely.
We’ve seen creative techniques to build trackers for cats, too
. It used to be the case that such “tracking devices” were the preserve of movies alone, but no longer. If you’ve got your own build,
be sure to let us know on the tipline! | 31 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348518",
"author": "Alice Lalita Heald",
"timestamp": "2021-05-14T08:37:25",
"content": "DIY Airtags are more trendy these days.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6348529",
"author": "pelrun",
"timestamp": "2021... | 1,760,373,087.146923 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/apple-gets-cp-m/ | Apple Gets CP/M | Al Williams | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"apple",
"CP/M",
"mac",
"objective c",
"OsX",
"retrocomputing",
"turbo pascal",
"wordstar",
"zork"
] | In case you wanted to run WordStar on your Mac, [Tom Harte] offers
CP/M for OS/X
, and it looks like it would be a lot of fun. Of course you might be happier running Zork or Turbo Pascal, and you can do that, too.
There are plenty of Z80 emulators that can run CP/M, but what we found most interesting about this one is that it is written in Objective C, a language with a deep history in the Mac and NeXT worlds.
The project is logically laid out if you’d like to read the code or attempt changes. There are sections for the BIOS, the processor, and RAM memory. There’s also a directory with the CP/M BDOS interface. Once you have that, it is relatively easy to boot CP/M on the virtual Z80 computer.
If you ever built a 64K memory board for a computer of this era, it is mildly unsettling to see the whole thing reduced to about 50 lines of code. The CPU is a little better at nearly 1500 lines of code. We remember puzzling out the BDOS and BIOS interfaces in the 1980s and it required reading assembly language. If you wanted to learn today, there are plenty of easy-to-read examples in C, C++, or Objective C.
We’ve had CP/M running on everything from an
ESP32
to a
real Z-80
. | 13 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348485",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2021-05-14T06:15:32",
"content": "I remember using CP/M on an Apple ][e, using the very first hardware from Microsoft! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-80_SoftCard)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,373,086.914201 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/nuclear-reactors-get-small/ | Nuclear Reactors Get Small | Al Williams | [
"News",
"Science"
] | [
"Department of Energy",
"fission",
"microreactor",
"nuclear power",
"Nuclear Reactor"
] | Steve Martin was ahead of his time when he told us “Let’s get small!” While you usually think of a nuclear reactor as a big affair, there’s a new trend towards making small
microreactors
to produce power where needed instead of large centralized generation facilities. The U.S. Department of Energy has a video about the topic, you can watch below.
You probably learned in science class how a basic nuclear fission reactor works. Nuclear fuel produces heat from fission while a moderator like water prevents it from melting down both by cooling the reactor and slowing down neutrons. Control rods further slow down the reaction or — if you pull them out — speed it up. Heat creates steam (either directly or indirectly) and the steam turns a conventional electric generator that is no more high tech than it ever has been.
One of the key benefits of a small reactor is that it is transportable. That means you can build them in an efficient central location and move them where you need them. Generally, these new reactors have passive safety systems, automated control systems, and can operate for a decade without new fuel. While there are several technologies in development, the Department of Energy says that the earliest available microreactors will use gas or heat-pipe cooling. Liquid metal and molten salt systems are also promising but probably will arrive later.
Of course, small is a relative term. These reactors produce from 1 to 20 megawatts of power and look like they might fit on a large truck. We don’t expect a nuclear-powered laptop anytime in the near future.
Maybe these new reactors will benefit from
additive manufacturing
. Of course, submarines and naval surface ships have had tiny and reliable reactors for a long time. One obvious application for a transportable reactor is to
power a means of transportation
. | 92 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348449",
"author": "Komradebob",
"timestamp": "2021-05-14T02:26:57",
"content": "Don’t forget that the department of energy built a nuclear reactor with the objective of flying an airplane with it. It even flew a few times.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion",... | 1,760,373,087.623238 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/3d-printed-terminal-takes-computing-back-in-time/ | 3D Printed Terminal Takes Computing Back In Time | Tom Nardi | [
"classic hacks",
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"3D printed enclosure",
"raspberry pi",
"retro",
"terminal"
] | It’s hard to look at today as anything but the golden age of computing. Even entry level machines have quad-core processors and a terabyte or more of storage space, to say nothing of the incredible amount of tech packed into the modern smartphone. But even so, there’s something to be said for the elegant simplicity of early desktop computers.
Looking to recreate the feeling of those bygone days,
[Pigeonaut] created the
Callisto II
. Its entirely 3D printed case snaps together without glue or screws, making it easy to assemble, and the parts have been sized so they’ll be printable even on smaller machines like the Prusa Mini. Inside you’ll find a 1024×768 Pimoroni HDMI 8″ IPS LCD, 60% mechanical keyboard, four-port USB 3 hub, Raspberry Pi 4, and a 22 watt USB power supply to run it all.
The internal components can be easily accessed with the hatch on the rear of the case, and there’s plenty of room inside to add new hardware should you want to toss in a hard drive or even
swap out the Pi for a different single-board computer
.
To really drive home the faux-retro concept of the
Callisto II
,
[Pigeonaut] has created a website for the fictional computer company
behind the machine, replete with all the trappings you’d expect from the early web. There’s even a
web-based “operating system”
you can use to show off your freshly printed
Callisto II.
Incidentally the
II
suffix isn’t just part of the meme, there really was a
Callisto
before this one.
We covered the earlier machine back in 2019
, and while we’re a bit sad to see that the functional 3.5 inch floppy drive has been deleted, we can’t deny the overall aesthetics have been greatly improved in the latest version. | 14 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348432",
"author": "Ben",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T23:33:01",
"content": "Their website brings me much joy.If I had any usable desk space left I would definitely make one of these.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6348439",
... | 1,760,373,087.93016 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/pi-pico-project-plays-pong-perfectly/ | Pi Pico Project Plays Pong Perfectly | Zach Zeman | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"pong",
"raspberry pi",
"Raspberry Pi Pico",
"retro gaming",
"vga",
"video games"
] | Even as technology keeps progressing, we find ourselves coming back to the classics again and again. Pong is quite possibly
the
classic game, and the Raspberry Pi Pico is one of the latest microcontrollers. So [Nick Bild] combined them expertly in his
Pico Pong project, which includes gesture controls and a custom VGA output
.
Rolling your own VGA signal is no simple feat, and this project takes full advantage of the Pico’s features to pull it off. Display data is buffered in memory, while a
Programmable I/O (PIO)
program reads straight from the buffer via Direct Memory Access (DMA) and writes straight to the display. This allows for nanosecond-precision while leaving the CPU free to handle inputs and run the game. Even with the display work offloaded, the ARM processor had to be massively overclocked at 258 MHz, well over its
133 MHz specs
, to make things run smoothly. And still [Nick] found himself limited to a 640×350 resolution and serendipitously-retro-accurate monochrome color scheme.
Gesture controls come from a pair of IR light beams hooked up to the GPIO. IR LEDs shine up toward reflectors, and the light bounces back down to detectors. Blocking one of the beams causes your paddle to move up or down, which looks pretty responsive in the video (embedded below).
We’ve seen [Nick] play Pong before, though at that time it was
handheld and based on the venerable 6502
. And just recently we wrote about
the Raspberry Pi Pico powering another classic game: Snake
. | 9 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348413",
"author": "Mario",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T21:47:45",
"content": "Great project, I remember my first times when I tried to get something running with VGA with only a microcontroller.“Rolling your own VGA signal is no simple feat” – While this holds true for using microcon... | 1,760,373,087.668745 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/3d-printing-restores-bandsaw/ | 3D Printing Restores Bandsaw | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"bandsaw",
"pulley",
"stop switch"
] | A great addition to a home shop is a bandsaw, but when [Design Prototype Test] got a
well-used one
, he found it wasn’t in very good shape. The previous owner put in an underpowered motor and made some modifications to accommodate the odd-sized blade. Luckily, 3D printing allowed him to restore the old saw to good working order.
There were several 3D printed additions. A pulley, a strain relief, and even an emergency stop switch. Honestly, none of this stuff was something you couldn’t buy, but as he points out, it was cheaper and faster than shipping things in from China. He did wind up replacing the initial pulley with a commercial variant and he explains why.
The red and green buttons use a Sharpie, although we’ve been partial to oil-based markers lately which do a great job of coloring 3D printed plastic.
He wasn’t able to 3D print the saw blade, of course. Maybe one day. We do like to see 3D printers in use for something other than keychains and figurines.
The saw is from the 1950s and while it is older than most of us, it is nice to see it still working with a little help from modern technology.
If you have a bandsaw, you know you need to keep the blade under
appropriate tension
. | 24 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348356",
"author": "jckahk",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T18:49:14",
"content": "odd size blade = harbor freight spot welder & speaker magnets to the rescue",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6348363",
"author": "Iván Stepaniuk",
... | 1,760,373,087.729359 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/somethings-up-in-switzerland-explaining-the-b-meson-news-from-the-large-hadron-collider/ | Something’s Up In Switzerland: Explaining The B Meson News From The Large Hadron Collider | Bob Baddeley | [
"Current Events",
"Featured",
"News",
"Original Art",
"Science",
"Slider"
] | [
"accelerator",
"large hadron collider",
"lhc",
"LHCb",
"particle accelerator",
"particle physics",
"physics",
"quantum physics",
"quark",
"science",
"supercollider"
] | Particle physics is a field of extremes. Scales always have 10
really big number
associated. Some results from the Large Hadron Collider Beauty (LHCb) experiment have recently been reported that are statistically significant, and they may have profound implications for the Standard Model, but it might also just be a numbers anomaly, and we won’t get to find out for a while. Let’s dive into the basics of quantum particles, in case your elementary school education is a little rusty.
It all starts when one particle loves another particle very much and they are attracted to each other, but then things move too fast, and all of a sudden they’re going in circles in opposite directions, and then they break up catastrophically…
The Standard Model
In the 1970s physicists started coalescing around a thing called the Standard Model, which is similar to the Periodic Table of Elements, but at a much smaller scale. It describes the particles that make up the protons, neutrons, and electrons (which in turn make up atoms), and the forces that act on them. The Standard Model has held up to most experiments so far, but the one earlier this year may throw a small wrench in that.
The Standard Model reuses a lot of pre-existing words in confusing ways, so let’s break it down a little bit from (relatively) large to small.
A molecule is made of atoms.
An atom is made of protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons.
Protons and neutrons are called composite particles because they’re made of smaller elementary particles.
Protons and neutrons are made of combinations of quarks. There are other composite particles, and in general these particles made up of combinations of quarks are called hadrons.
There are 6 different types of quarks, named: up/down, charm/strange, top/bottom. Combinations of up and down quarks make up protons and neutrons.
In addition to quarks, there’s another class of particle called the lepton. Leptons can have a charge, like an electron, or they can not have a charge, like a neutrino.
Besides the classification of these tiny particles, the Standard Model also describes how the fundamental forces interact. There are 4; electromagnetism, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear. Gravity is the fourth, but the Standard Model doesn’t like to talk about this black sheep of a force, and intentionally leaves it as a blank space, an exercise for the reader (or some janitor to Good Will Hunting it). Some day either the force of gravity will be incorporated into the Standard Model, or a new model will emerge that explains the universe better than the Standard Model AND incorporates gravity, but until that happens, some hand-waving will occur. Besides, gravity works on such a larger scale than the other three, that its effect over the scale of subatomic particles is considered negligible. *shrug* I’m just repeating what the physicists are saying.
Keep Up with Bosons and Mesons
The way forces work is with force-carrying particles, a category called bosons. There are a few sub-categories here, because different bosons are responsible for the different forces. Photons and gluons are among them, and the recently discovered Higgs boson, which was theorized a long time ago as being a requirement for the Standard Model to work, so the physicists breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was finally found. There’s also a theorized graviton that would be the force-carrier for gravity, but it hasn’t been discovered… yet (looking at you, Matt Damon).
Particles of the Standard Model (click to enlarge).
[CC-BY
Carsten Burgard
]
There’s one more kind of funny-word-on to know about, and that’s the meson. It’s a particle composed of quarks and antiquarks (which makes mesons a subset of hadrons), and which ones and how many lead to a large number of different variants. Mesons are very unstable and last less than a microsecond, decaying into various combinations of other types of particles.
Clear?
The Experiment
Particles this small are impossible to measure directly, which is why we have the Large Hadron Collider. If one were to try to reverse engineer a cake, one could take pictures of it, do spectral analysis, maybe even taste it. These aren’t options at the subatomic level. Instead, the LHC makes particles move very fast, then bashes them against each other. The bits that result from these collisions have a lot of energy to dissipate, which results in them interacting with electromagnetic fields in tiny but measurable ways. From these collisions, we can work backwards to figure out the secrets of the universe, in much the same way that throwing a grenade at a cake and analyzing the spray pattern might allow you to determine whether the frosting was buttercream or fondant.
In the
experiment announced recently (pdf of paper)
, there was a discrepancy in how a particular variant, the B meson (which isn’t a single variant but a whole class of variants), decayed. The Standard Model says that leptons all behave the same and are identical in every way except for their mass. So when the LHC bashed a whole bunch of particles together (specifically protons vs. protons) and measured the B meson decays, they theorized the subatomic soup that resulted would contain equal parts of electrons and muons. Instead they found 15% fewer muons than they expected.
They couldn’t exactly look at the nutrition label, so they’re left wondering if what they found was a fluke, or if the recipe was wrong. If it’s the former, then it will have beaten the odds by 3 sigma (which corresponds to a 1 in 740 chance of a fluke). In particle physics, this is merely eyebrow-raisingly interesting, as it’s not a large enough exponent to satisfy them. If it’s the latter, it means big things for the Standard Model. That could mean either revisions to the Standard Model, or possibly understanding if there’s a difference between the leptons (other than their mass alone), ending what was formerly called lepton universality.
Unfortunately the testing machine, much like a McDonald’s ice cream machine, is down for servicing, so we’ll have to wait until 2022 before the upgraded LHC can deliver some frosty mesons and give us an answer about the Standard Model.
Fool Me Once, Well, Keep Fooling Me
Calling this eyebrow-raisingly interesting as opposed to earth-shatteringly amazing is an appropriate response, as we’re no strangers to the teasings of the physicists. There have been a number of anomalies over the last decade in particle physics that have all been overturned eventually as more data came in. There’s a vast difference between a 3 sigma anomaly and a 5 sigma (1:3.5 million) discovery, and we’ve been seduced by this before. Maybe you remember in 2011 the
superluminal neutrinos that turned out to be an improperly attached fiber optic cable
. In 2015 there was the
750 GeV bump
with a significance of 3.9 that ended up being a statistical fluctuation the next year when data was collected again. In 2016 there was an anomaly with the B meson that seems to have faded, too.
Each of these anomalies leads to hundreds of papers and theorizations and new types of physics until the next set of data sends them into the shredders to make pulp for the next round of papers, and the machine grinds on, with journalists siphoning headlines from these papers and drawing wild conclusions about warp speed and time travel and new particles like the leadingmeon.
And yet, forward progress keeps happening, slowly and scientific methodically, as we move towards understanding the workings of the universe. Maybe in the decades to come they’ll laugh at our quaint Standard Model like we look at the four elements of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire, but we will have gotten to that point by moving through where we are today, so I’ll continue to read about it and nod like I pretend to understand what they’re talking about, and respect the complexities of the process of measuring things so small. After all, my day job as an electrical engineer relies on making electrons move in ways that were inconceivable a century ago; maybe the discovery of lepton non-universality will eventually lead to the downfall of Amazon and Uber. | 50 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348333",
"author": "William Wesley",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T17:33:42",
"content": "unfortunately the publishing is the point, not the understanding, as in boxing or chess a final resolution is not actually desired, all the money is made through conflict in print.",
"parent_id... | 1,760,373,087.82362 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/less-stinky-resin-two-ways/ | Less Stinky Resin Two Ways | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"resin",
"soy"
] | After watching [Uncle Jessy’s] video about
soy-based 3D printing resin
from Elegoo and their miniature air purifiers, we couldn’t decide if the resin doesn’t smell as bad as some other resins or if the air purifier works wonders. Maybe it is a bit of both.
We’ve used
Eryone super low odor resin
and it has less smell than, say, paint. It sounds like the Elegoo is similar. However, we are always suspicious of claims that any resin is really made with natural ingredients. As [Brent], who apparently has a PhD in chemistry, pointed out,
AnyCubic Eco resin
makes similar claims but is likely only partially made from soy. Sure, a little less than half is soy-based, but then there’s the other half. Still, we suppose it is better than nothing. That video (also below) is worth watching if you ever wondered why resin solidifies under UV light or what a monomer is.
We’ve had our eye on the little mini air purifiers ourselves, wondering how they’ll do with extracting laser cutter fumes. They are small and quiet and full of messy charcoal filters, so maybe they’ll work out. We’ll let you know.
As for the resin printer, they seem to work without issue, although placing them can be a challenge. If the lid to your printer is hinged, you may need a bracket and [Jessy] found that you don’t want them too close to the Z axis.
If you want to use stinky resin, we have some suggestions for
how to deal with it
. If you haven’t started printing in resin yet,
let us help you
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev2IeJ1vdQ0 | 12 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348312",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T16:51:00",
"content": "I’d suggest trying to minimise the use of IPA in the printing process, as that’s now generally the smelliest element of the lot. Most recent resins don’t have that strong a smell – it’s not a pleasant smell... | 1,760,373,087.873658 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/toyotas-hydrogen-burning-racecar-soon-to-hit-the-track/ | Toyota’s Hydrogen-Burning Racecar Soon To Hit The Track | Lewin Day | [
"car hacks",
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Slider"
] | [
"car",
"car hacks",
"cars",
"engine",
"fuel cell",
"hydrogen",
"hydrogen car",
"hydrogen engine"
] | With the rise of usable electric cars in the marketplace, and markets around the world slowly phasing out the sale of fossil fuel cars, you could be forgiven for thinking that the age of the internal combustion engine is coming to an end. History is rarely so cut and dry, however, and new technologies aim to keep the combustion engine alive for some time yet.
Toyota’s upcoming Corolla Sport-based hydrogen-burning racer. Credit: Toyota media
One of the most interesting technologies in this area are hydrogen-burning combustion engines. In contrast to fuel cell technologies, which combine hydrogen with oxygen through special membranes in order to create electricity, these engines do it the old fashioned way – in flames. Toyota has recently been exploring the technology, and has announced a racecar sporting a three-cylinder hydrogen-burning engine
will compete in this year’s Fuji Super TEC 24 Hour race.
Hydrogen Engines?
The benefit of a hydrogen-burning engine is that unlike burning fossil fuels, the emissions from burning hydrogen are remarkably clean. Burning hydrogen in pure oxygen produces only water as a byproduct. When burned in atmospheric air, the result is much the same, albeit with small amounts of nitrogen oxides produced. Thus, there’s great incentive to explore the substitution of existing transportation fuels with hydrogen. It’s a potential way to reduce pollution output while avoiding the hassles of long recharge times with battery electric technologies.
The basics of a hydrogen-burning combustion engine are largely the same as any gasoline engine out there. In fact, virtually any existing gasoline engine can be converted to run on hydrogen simply by replacing the fuel injectors with parts suitable for injecting hydrogen instead. However, due largely to the fact that a combustible mixture of hydrogen and air takes up more space in a cylinder that would otherwise be for air,
power output would be reduced by 20-30% compared to the same engine burning gasoline,
assuming the hydrogen is injected prior to intake valve closure.
Low-tech methods of premixing gaseous hydrogen with the intake air charge reduce potential engine power output. Direct injection methods could theoretically allow a hydrogen-burning design to produce 120% of the power of a similar gasoline engine.
However, measures can be taken to offset this. By designing engines to burn hydrogen from the outset, things like compression ratio, combustion chamber design, and injection methods can all be optimised to suit hydrogen fuel. For example, by using direct injection technology to squirt hydrogen into the combustion chamber after the intake valve is closed,
power of a hydrogen engine can be increased significantly
, as demonstrated in the graphic above. This is due to the engine vacuum on the intake stroke pulling in 100% air, rather than 30% of the space being taken up by hydrogen in a stoichiometric mix.
There are still engineering problems that remain to be solved before hydrogen engines can go mainstream. There’s also the same chicken-and-egg distribution problem that affects fuel cell cars; it remains difficult for companies to sell hydrogen-powered vehicles in the absence of filling station infrastructure. There are also issues of crankcase ventilation, where gaseous hydrogen can ignite in the crankcase having slipped past the piston rings, as well as backfire issues in systems that premix the hydrogen gas in the intake. None of these problems are insurmountable, however, and solving them is more a case of routine engineering effort rather than blue-sky research.
It also bears noting that, while hydrogen-burning engines are far cleaner than their fossil-fuelled equivalents, and don’t emit any CO
2
, trace amounts of lubricant oils still sneak through the combustion process because no piston rings are perfect. Obviously, this is not a problem for hydrogen fuel cells.
Real-World Examples
By and large, hydrogen-burning engines look unremarkable compared to their gasoline counterparts. The only major difference is fuel injection method. Credit:
Claus Ableiter
, CC-BA-SA-4.0
Toyota’s racing entry will field a three-cylinder engine in a car based on the Toyota Corolla Sport, intending to compete in a 24-hour endurance race. There isn’t a whole lot more to go off, though
a YouTube video on the hydrogen engine
seems to imply that port injection, rather than direct injection, is being used. This is not surprising, because the racing entry is essentially a technology demonstrator to raise the profile of hydrogen cars, rather than an all-out effort to produce the highest possible power with a hydrogen engine.
Toyota aren’t the only company experimenting with the technology, however.
Mazda’s efforts resulted in the RX-8 Hydrogen RE
, sporting a duel-fuel Wankel engine capable of burning gasoline or hydrogen as required. A small number of these vehicles were leased out in various locations with suitable filling infrastructure.
BMW’s Hydrogen 7 featured a dual-fuel V12 and was on sale in limited markets from 2005 to 2007. Credit:
Sachi Gahan
, CC-BY-SA-2.0
BMW went as far as building a version of its 7-series luxury sedan complete with a 6.0 litre dual-fuel V-12 engine.
The engine gave up some performance compared to the solely gasoline powered models
, however, and was also only released in limited numbers from 2005 to 2007.
Earlier projects such as those from BMW and Mazda raised significant interest, but little genuine demand from the marketplace. High prices combined with rudimentary hydrogen storage technology, along with a near-total lack of infrastructure, meant that such cars weren’t a great proposition for the average driver.
While previous experiments with hydrogen combustion engines have fallen flat, the continual push to develop better hydrogen storage and filling stations, as well as better performing engines, may yet see it have some promise in the future. However, it will be an uphill battle against existing electric cars, which have a huge lead in the infrastructure race, as well as in hearts and minds. | 90 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348260",
"author": "x3n0x",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T14:26:09",
"content": "While electric cars have their place, we can’t overlook the Infrastructure problems caused by charging mass amounts of electric vehicles! They all have to get that electricity somewhere, and the grid is al... | 1,760,373,088.470245 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/realistic-mission-control-box-is-a-blast-for-all-ages/ | Realistic Mission Control Box Is A Blast For All Ages | Kristina Panos | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"arduino mega",
"Arduino Uno",
"sound board",
"Space Shuttle"
] | A lot of electronic busy boxes that are built for children are simply that — a mess of meaningless knobs and switches that don’t do much beyond actuating back and forth (which, let’s be honest, is still pretty fun to do). But
this Mission Control Center by [gcall1979] knocks them all out of orbit
. The simulation runs through a complete mission, including a 10-minute countdown with pre-flight system checks, 8.5 minutes of powered flight to get out of the atmosphere that includes another four tasks, and 90 minutes to orbit the Earth while passing through nine tracking stations across the world map.
That’s a lot time to keep anyone’s attention, but fortunately [gcall1979] included a simulation speed knob that can make everything go up to 15 times faster than real-time. This knob can be twiddled at any time, in case you want to savor the countdown but get into space faster, or you don’t have 90 minutes to watch the world map light up.
The main brain of this well-built box is an Arduino Mega, which controls everything but the launch systems’ mainframe computer — this is represented by bank of active LEDs that blink along with the voice in the sound clips and runs on an Arduino Uno and a couple of shift registers. To keep things relatively simple, [gcall1979] used an Adafruit sound board for the clips.
We love everything about this build, especially the attention to detail — the more important pre-flight tasks are given covered toggle switches, and there’s a Shuttle diagram that lights up as each of these are completed. And what Shuttle launch simulator would be complete without mushroom buttons for launch and abort? Grab your victory cigar and check out the demo video after the break.
Is your child too young to be launching the Shuttle?
Here’s an equally cool busy box with toddler brains in mind
. | 19 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348226",
"author": "Alysson Rowan",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T12:17:27",
"content": "I will point out that no toddler is too young to launch the shuttle (or at least a simulation of one).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6348235"... | 1,760,373,088.177154 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/13/hybrid-rocket-engine-combines-ceramic-aerospike-with-3d-printed-fuel/ | Hybrid Rocket Engine Combines Ceramic Aerospike With 3D Printed Fuel | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"hybrid rocket",
"rocket"
] | [Integza] has worked hard over the last year, crafting a variety of types of rocket and jet engine, primarily using 3D printed parts. Due to the weaknesses of plastic, all of which conflict with the general material requirements for an engine that gets hot, he has had less thrust and more meltdowns than he would have liked. Undeterred, he presses on,
now with a hybrid rocket aerospike design.
The goal? Actually generating some thrust for once!
The latest project makes the most of what [Integza] has learned. The aerospike nozzle is 3D printed, but out of a special thick ceramic-loaded resin, using a Bison 1000 DLP printer. This allowed [Integza] to print thicker ceramic parts which shrunk less when placed in a kiln, thus negating the cracking experienced with his earlier work. The new nozzle is paired with a steel rocket casing to help contain combustion gases, and the rocket fuel is 3D printed ASA plastic. 3D printing the fuel is particularly cool, as it allows for easy experimentation with grain shape to tune thrust profiles.
With the oxygen pumping, the new design produces some thrust, though [Integza] is yet to instrument the test platform to actually measure results. While the nozzles are still failing over a short period of time, the test burns were far less explosive – and far more propulsive –
than his previous efforts
. We look forward to further development, and hope [Integza’s] designs one day soar high into the sky. Video after the break. | 23 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348179",
"author": "johnowhitaker",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T08:20:41",
"content": "Was not expecting a diversion into the tomato death squad! Glad someone is having fun :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6348185",
"author"... | 1,760,373,088.057587 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/piggy-bank-slot-machine-puts-a-spin-on-saving/ | Piggy Bank Slot Machine Puts A Spin On Saving | Kristina Panos | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"piggy bank",
"slot machine"
] | Saving money is inherently no fun until the time comes that you get to spend it on something awesome. Wouldn’t you be more likely to drop your coins into a piggy bank if there was a chance for an immediate payout that might exceed the amount you put in? We know we would. And the best part is, if you put
such a piggy bank slot machine
out in the open where your friends and neighbors can play with it, you’ll probably make even more money. As they say, the house always wins.
Drop a coin in the slot and it passes through a pair of wires that act as a simple switch to start the reels spinning. Inside is an Arduino Uno and a giant printed screw feeder that’s driven by a small stepper motor and a pair of printed gears. The reels have been modernized and the display is made of four individual LED matrices that appear as a single unit thanks to some smoky adhesive film.
This beautiful little machine took a solid week of 3D printing, which includes 32 hours wasted on a huge piece that failed twice. [Max 3D Design] tried rotating the model 180° in the slicer and thankfully, that solved the problem. Then it was on to countless hours of sanding, smoothing with body filler, priming, and painting to make it look fantastic.
If you want to make your own,
all the files are up on Thingiverse
. The code isn’t shown, but we know for a fact that Arduino slot machine code is out there already. Check out the build and demo video after the break.
As much as we like this build’s simplicity, it would be more slot machine-like if there was a handle to pull.
Turns out you can print those, too
.
Thanks for the tip, [zwapz]! | 7 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348157",
"author": "Peter",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T05:42:01",
"content": "Check your local/country laws before putting it outside for neighbours because this thing could land you in a prison for couple of years with gambling without license and not paying taxes for it (and probab... | 1,760,373,088.119914 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/3d-printed-transistor-goes-green/ | 3D Printed Transistor Goes Green | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printed circuits",
"3d printed transistor",
"carbon nanotubes",
"graphene",
"nanocellulose",
"transistor"
] | We’ll be honest, we were more excited by Duke University’s announcement that they’d used
carbon-based inks to 3D print a transistor
than we were by their assertion that it was recyclable. Not that recyclability is a bad thing, of course. But we would imagine that any carbon ink on a paper-like substrate will fit in the same category. In this case, the team developed an ink from wood called nanocelluose.
As a material,
nanocellulose
is nothing new. The breakthrough was preparing it in an ink formulation. The researchers developed a method for suspending crystals of nanocellulose that can work as an insulator in the printed transistors. Using the three inks at room temperature, an inkjet-like printer can produce transistors that were functioning six months after printing.
The technology uses carbon nanotubes for the semiconductor material and graphene for the conductors. The addition of mobile sodium ions via sodium chloride to the insulating material improved the resulting transistor’s performance.
Of course, right now this isn’t a commercial technology, but we have to wonder if this isn’t something hackers could do. Modifying an inkjet printer isn’t hard to imagine. Preparing the ink may or may not be in the realm of the basement lab.
This looks conceptually simpler than the
last electronics printer
we talked about. Maybe you want your 3D printed semiconductors
a bit less practical
. | 29 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348132",
"author": "If only words were easy",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T02:40:15",
"content": "In this case, the team developed an ink from wood called nanocelluose.A bit unclear what is meant here…I’m prety sure that there’s no nanocelluose tree.Likewise, they didn’t come up with n... | 1,760,373,088.24537 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/sit-pretty-on-would-be-garbage-with-an-upcycled-chair/ | Sit Pretty On Would-Be Garbage With An Upcycled Chair | Kristina Panos | [
"green hacks"
] | [
"blue jeans",
"pillow",
"recycled",
"upholstery"
] | What’s the coolest thing about doing upholstery work? Aside from the fact that you end up with a new thing to sit on, sometimes the work only involves clever stapling, and no sewing is necessary. Such is the case with [wyldestyle]’s
upcycled jeans chair
, which started as a bare-wood swivel number from the dump. In fact, this project is almost completely made from recycled materials, except of course for those staples that hold it all together. And really, that heavy-duty stapler is likely the fanciest tool you’d need to make your own.
[wyldestyle] didn’t have any furniture foam, and we think that stuff is too expensive, anyway. So the padding treatment begins with a piece of thick Styrofoam that covers the seat screws and bolts. This is glued in place and trimmed down to match the contours of the chair’s seat and back.
Here’s where things gets tricky: the next step is wrapping over the stiff foam board with a few layers of that foam sheeting stuff that’s often used as packing material. This sheeting needs to be taut, but pull it too tight, and it will rip.
To add some loft to the chair, [wyldestyle] stretched and stapled the stuffing from an old pillow that was headed for the garbage. The final step is strategically scissoring jean scraps to fit, then stretching and stapling those to cover all the layers underneath. We like the way this chair looks, and would probably try to place pockets somewhere useful, like the back of the chair.
It’s a shame that so much denim goes to waste all over the world. There’s often a lot of life left in most of the fabric, which can be repurposed into all kinds of things,
including eyeglasses frames
using a wicked set of jigs. | 21 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348123",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-05-13T01:20:25",
"content": "Good job on the chair. Only problem I’ve found with those office chairs is the lift cylinder going out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6348131",
... | 1,760,373,088.53297 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/otters-deliver-a-high-power-stationary-audio-experience/ | Otters Deliver A High Power Stationary Audio Experience | Kerry Scharfglass | [
"digital audio hacks",
"google hacks",
"hardware"
] | [
"airplay",
"amplifier",
"analog audio",
"ARM Cortex-A7",
"audio",
"buildroot",
"chromecast",
"chromecast audio",
"Class D amp",
"Embedded Linux",
"linux",
"pulseaudio",
"snapcast",
"spotify",
"streaming audio"
] | Our favorite raft of otters is back at it again with another display of open source audio prowess as they bring us
the OtterCastAmp
, the newest member of the OtterCast family of open source audio multitools. If you looked at the previous entry in the series –
the OtterCastAudio
– and thought it was nice but lacking in the pixel count or output power departments then this is the device for you.
The Amp is fundamentally a very similar device to the OtterCastAudio. It shares the same Allwinner S3 Cortex-A application processor and runs the same
embedded Linux build assembled with Buildroot
. In turn it offers the same substantial set of features and
audio protocol support
. It can be targeted by Snapcast, Spotify Connect or AirPlay if those are your tools of choice, or act as a generic PulseAudio sink for your Linux audio needs. And there’s still a separate line in so it source audio as well.
One look at the chassis and it’s clear that unlike the OtterCastAudio this is
not
a simple Chromecast Audio replacement. The face of the OtterCastAmp is graced by a luscious 340×800 LCD for all the cover art your listening ear can enjoy. And the raft of connectors in the back (and mountain of inductors on the PCBA) make it clear that this is a fully fledged class D amplifier, driving up to 120W of power across four channels. Though it may drive a theoretical 30W or 60W peak across its various outputs, with a maximum supply power of 100W (via USB-C power delivery, naturally) the true maximum output will be a little lower. Rounding out the feature set is an Ethernet jack and some wonderfully designed copper PCB otters to enjoy inside and out.
As before, it looks like this design is very close to ready for prime time but not quite there yet, so order at your own risk. Full fab files and some hints are linked in
the repo mentioned above
. If home fabrication is a little much it looks like there might be a small manufacturing run of these devices coming soon. | 20 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348112",
"author": "jawnhenry",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T23:54:32",
"content": "I have only one / several problem(s) with this device: what’s it good for; what’s it do; why should I want one?The developers have obviously given a lot of thought and put a lot of effort into designing... | 1,760,373,088.595097 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/seeing-eye-shoes-pair-computer-vision-with-haptic-feedback/ | Seeing-Eye Shoes Pair Computer Vision With Haptic Feedback | Kristina Panos | [
"Lifehacks",
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"assistive technology",
"haptic feedback",
"navigation",
"neural networks",
"ultrasonic distance sensor",
"visually impaired"
] | Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of projects that use ultrasonic or time-of-flight sensors as object detection methods for the visually impaired. Ultrasonic sensors detect objects like sonar — they send sound pulses and measure the time it takes for the signal to bounce off the object and come back. Time-of-flight sensors do essentially the same thing, but with infrared light. In either case, the notifications often come as haptic feedback on the wrist or head or whatever limb the ultrasonic module is attached to. We often wonder why there aren’t commercially-made shoes that do this, but
it turns out there are, and they’re about to get even better
.
The shoe’s view — safe walking space is delimited with color. Image via
TU Graz
Today, Tec-Innovation makes shoes with ultrasonic sensors on the toes that can detect objects up to four meters away. The wearer is notified of obstacles through haptic feedback in the shoes as well as an audible phone notification via Bluetooth. The company teamed up with the Graz University of Technology in Austria to give the shoes robot vision that provides even better detail.
Ultrasonic is a great help, but it can’t detect the topography of the obstacle and tell a pothole from a rock from a wall. But if you have a camera on both feet, you can use the data to determine obstacle types and notify the user accordingly. These new models will still have the ultrasonic sensors to do the initial object detection, and use the cameras for analysis.
Whenever they do come out, the sensors will all be connected through the app, which paves the way for crowdsourced obstacle maps of various cities. The shoes will also be quite expensive. Can you do the same thing for less? Consider the gauntlet thrown!
We could all use some navigational help sometimes. Don’t want to look like a tourist?
Get turn-by-turn directions in the corner of your eye
.
Thanks for the tip, [Qes]! | 21 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348045",
"author": "Ray'",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T18:36:02",
"content": "I’m not gonna say the reason, but there’s a very obvious one why cameras-on-shoes isn’t a widely available commercial option outside of ebay or some dark street corners",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": ... | 1,760,373,088.657059 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/historical-hackers-emergency-antennas-launched-by-kite/ | Historical Hackers: Emergency Antennas Launched By Kite | Al Williams | [
"Featured",
"History",
"Radio Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"emergency radio",
"history",
"world war 2",
"world war II"
] | Your airplane has crashed at sea. You are perched in a lifeboat and you need to call for help. Today you might reach for a satellite phone, but in World War II you would more likely turn a crank on a special survival radio.
These radios originated in Germany but were soon copied by the British and the United States. In addition to just being a bit of history, we can learn a few lessons from these radios. The designers clearly thought about the challenges stranded personnel would face and came up with novel solutions. For example, how do you loft a 300-foot wire up to use as an antenna? Would you believe a kite or even a balloon?
Why Such a Big Antenna?
Operating the emergency radio from a life raft.
The international rescue frequency in those days was 500 kHz. This allowed simple spark gap transmitters to be placed on lifeboats even in the 1920s. Unfortunately that is 600 meters wavelength! A quarter-wave antenna at that frequency is 150 meters long or nearly 500 feet.
After the Titanic sunk, ships maintained a watch on 500 kHz, and ground-wave propagation ensured a good range. Even after spark gaps fell out of favor, they continued to be allowed on lifeboats due to their simplicity. So by the time the war started, 500 kHz was the frequency everyone monitored for distress traffic
History
German NS2 Set
The German NS2 (or NSG2) was a two-tube 500 kHz transmitter with a crystal oscillator. In 1941, the British captured one and created their own version, the T-1333. A second captured unit went to the United States, spawning the SCR-578 and its transmitter, the BC-778. An SCR-578 had a folded metal frame for making a box kite and a balloon with a hydrogen generator. Water would cause the generator to produce gas and the balloon would carry one end of the antenna aloft. The 4.8W transmitter could reach about 200 miles with its 300 feet of antenna wire lofted into the air. You needed at least 175 feet of antenna out for the radio to work.
The American set could use a kite or a balloon to lift the antenna.
The designers knew you wouldn’t be able to erect that much wire in a life raft. The kite or balloon were workable solutions and would deploy the antenna from a reel mounted in the radio (you can watch a modern-day kite launch in the video, below). Not only that, they could obviously envision what the situation would be like on a tiny raft bobbing around. These radios all had a shape designed to clamp between your knees during operation. The hourglass-like shape spawned the nickname “Gibson Girl” after the illustrations of Charles Dana Gibson. They were also waterproof and made to float.
There were variations. The NSG2 produced 8 watts out using a crystal oscillator while the United States version didn’t use a crystal — they were in short supply — and produced less power. The T1333 used a flare gun to launch the kite folded up, which would deploy at 200 feet. It was also rectangular and had pads to allow the operator to grip the box in operation and didn’t have a balloon.
The entire kit weighed about 33 pounds and included a signal lamp, two balloons, two water-activated hydrogen generators, two rolls of antenna wire, and a parachute so you could drop the whole bag from an airplane.
A True Lifeline
It would be a pretty bad situation if you fished out your survival radio when you needed it and found the batteries were dead. That’s why these radios typically had cranks to generate electricity. No batteries to replace or wear out. If you had enough strength to turn the crank, you were on the air. The crank could also automatically send SOS.
If you want to read more about these old radios, check out [RadioNerd’s]
scans of the military manuals
. There’s a lot of detail there. For example, it explains that the hydrogen generator uses lithium hydride to produce hydrogen gas when exposed to water. The automated system for sending SOS, AA, or dashes was clever and something we’d do with a microcontroller today but in the 1940s, required mechanical engineering. The circuit description is interesting, too.
The design was durable. Both military and civilian aircraft used the SCR-578 or its direct descendant the AN/CRT-3 until the 1970s. The newer radio acted like the older one, but could also transmit on 8,364 kHz. The Russians started making copies of the original transmitter in 1945. The AVRA-45 is hard to tell from its American counterpart, apart from the lettering on the case.
Hindsight
I don’t know which German engineers at Frieseke & Höpfner GmBH designed the NS2, but they were clearly thinking about their users and willing to solve problems in the true hacker fashion. The shape is easy to grip, the crank does away with battery problems, and the radio is suited for its intended use. You have to wonder what other ideas they had for lifting the antenna before they settled for the balloon and kite combo. I also wonder why the British kite is so different and requires a Very pistol to launch.
Of course, this wasn’t the first example of a kite-lofted antenna. In 1898, a weather balloon lifted an antenna over Massachusetts and in 1901, Marconi’s antenna at Newfoundland would communicate with England while connected to a man-carrying observation kite. Military use dates back to at least 1905 with the United States Army using them as late as 1920. The British and Germans were using them around the turn of the century, too and the U.S. Navy had kite-based antennas on seaplanes in 1922. Still, the NS2 was a marvel of packaging and practicality.
The NS2 was the successor to the heavier NS1. While it did have a kite, it also had an ungainly aluminum antenna for use with no wind and it also relied on batteries. You can presume that by taking honest feedback on the NS1, the engineers were able to build the NS2 and they really hit the mark. After all, isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery? I doubt those engineers considered themselves hackers — that term wasn’t even in use then — but I do.
It is amazing how simple a radio can be if you are
motivated enough
. Don’t think
hams haven’t used balloons
before, either.
[Main image source:
German WWII emergency kite
by Helge Fykse] | 24 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348033",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T17:26:55",
"content": "Wondering about Amelia Earhart and emergency communicaton equipment, a quick search revealed that she apparently discarded a morse code key as “dead weight” since no one aboard could use it. While the emergen... | 1,760,373,088.720393 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/sinclair-basic-for-today/ | Sinclair BASIC For Today | Al Williams | [
"Retrocomputing",
"Software Development",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"basic",
"sinclair",
"sinclair spectrum"
] | If you are of a certain age, your first exposure to computer programming was probably BASIC. For a few years, there were few cheaper ways to program in BASIC than the Sinclair ZX series of computers. If you long for those days, you might find the 1980-something variant of BASIC a little limiting. Or you could use
SpecBasic
from [Paul Dunn].
SpecBasic is apparently reasonably compatible with the Spectrum, but lets you use your better hardware. For example, instead of a 256×192 8-color screen, SpecBas accommodates larger screens and up to 256 colors. However, that does lead to certain incompatibilities that you can read about in the project’s README file.
The README also has instructions for configuring the system to use larger fonts which may help readability on large monitors. There’s also a file full of demos you’ll probably want to look at.
While learning 1980-era BASIC today isn’t much of a career move, we do think that learning simple programming concepts in a simple uncluttered environment that is very interactive isn’t a bad thing. After all, it worked for an entire generation of developers.
If you prefer your BASIC coding on the Web,
that’s possible
. Or, maybe you just want something
more modern
. | 29 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347548",
"author": "Michael Black",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T05:12:57",
"content": "But if you’re of a different certain age, you started with machine language, because your computer didn’t have BASIC in ROM, and the 1K of RAM couldn’t fit an interpreter.You had no assembler, or r... | 1,760,373,088.787554 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/the-laser-power-record-has-been-broken/ | The Laser Power Record Has Been Broken | Al Williams | [
"Laser Hacks",
"News",
"Science"
] | [
"laser",
"optics",
"science"
] | Lasers do all sorts of interesting things and — as with so many things — more is better. Korean scientists announced recently they’ve
created the most powerful laser beam
. 10
23
watts per square centimeter, to be exact. It turns out that 10
22
Watts/cm
2
may not be commonplace, but has been done many times already at several facilities, including the CoReLS petawatt (PW) laser used by the researchers.
Just as improving a radio transmitter often involves antenna work instead of actual power increases, this laser setup uses an improved focus mechanism to get more energy in a 1.1 micron spot. As you might expect, doing this requires some pretty sophisticated optics.
Some of those optics are over our heads, but it appears that some deformable mirrors and a closed-loop control system make the difference. There were also some super flat partial mirrors and other exotic optical equipment. We will guess this isn’t a setup most of us could duplicate, but if you could, the paper will probably make more sense.
What do you do with that much laser power? Beats us. But the team says they plan to “…explore strong field QED phenomena, such as the nonlinear Compton scattering and the nonlinear Breit–Wheeler processes, and proton/ion acceleration dominated by the RPA mechanism.” So, in other words, we still don’t know.
Most
homebrew lasers
we see have considerably less power. On the other hand, even low-power lasers can
still be a lot of fun
. | 46 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347511",
"author": "Garth Bock",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T02:22:46",
"content": "“What do you do with that much laser power? “…..The lead scientist responded….” We’re still looking into it” .. (as he picked up a cup of steaming ramen noodles from under the aperture).. 😄",
"par... | 1,760,373,088.86698 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/four-servo-fingers-play-simon-better-than-you-ever-could/ | Four Servo Fingers Play Simon Better Than You Ever Could | Dan Maloney | [
"Games"
] | [
"arduino",
"CdS",
"game",
"ldr",
"memory",
"replay",
"simon"
] | Remember Simon? We sure do. Simon — as in “Simon says…” — from the leading edge of electronic games in the 1970s, which used four buttons, colored lights, and simple tones as the basis for a memory game. Players had to remember the specific sequence of lights and replay the pattern in order to advance to the next round. It was surprisingly addictive, at least for the era.
For those who never quite got into the Simon groove, fear not —
the classic game has now been fully automated
. While there were plenty of approaches that could have taken to interfacing to the game, [ido roseman] went with the obvious — and best, in our opinion — technique and simulated a human player’s finger presses with servo-controlled arms. Each arm carries a light-dependent resistor that registers the light coming from the key it’s poised above; the sequence of lights is sensed and recorded by an Arduino, which then drives the servo fingers’ replay attack. The fingers aren’t exactly snappy in their response, which might cause problems — if we recall correctly, Simon is somewhat picky about the speed with which the keys are pressed, at least at higher levels of play.
On the whole, we really like this one, not least for the nostalgia factor. We’ve had a lot of recreations of Simon over the years, including
a Dance Dance Revolution version
, but few attempts to automate it. And a crazy idea: wouldn’t it be fun to replace the replay attack with a machine learning system that figures out how to play Simon by randomly pressing keys and observing the results? | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347498",
"author": "Yeshua Watson",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T00:42:36",
"content": "Cool! Maybe one can skip the servos and go straight to using relays or maybe even some small transistors to close the switches and put the Simon’s processor to work. I’ll wait for him to take bop-it... | 1,760,373,088.913216 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/tetris-for-game-boy-gets-online-multiplayer/ | TetrisFor Game Boy Gets Online Multiplayer | Tom Nardi | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks"
] | [
"game boy",
"Game Boy Link Cable",
"level shifter",
"Link Cable",
"python",
"Raspberry Pi Pico"
] | Released in 1989, the Game Boy version of
Te
tris
is notable for being the first game to support multiplayer via the so-called “Game Link Cable” accessory. So it’s fitting that, 32 years later, that same game is
now playable with others over the Internet thanks to an open source USB adapter from [stacksmashing]
.
As explained in the video below, the adapter is essentially just a Raspberry Pi Pico paired with some level shifters so that it can talk to the Game Boy’s link port. That said, the custom PCB does implement some very clever edge connectors that let you plug it right into the Link Cable for the original “brick” Game Boy as well as the later Color and Advance variants. This keeps you from having to cut up a Link Cable just to get a male end, which is what [stacksmashing] had to do during the prototyping phase.
The DIY breadboard approach works as well.
Of course, the hardware is only one half of the equation. There’s also an open source software stack which includes a Python server and WebUSB frontend that handles communicating with the Game Boy and connecting players. While the original game only supported a two person head-to-head mode, the relatively simplistic nature of the multiplayer gameplay allowed [stacksmashing] to expand that to an arbitrary number of players with his code. The core rules haven’t changed, and each client Game Boy still thinks it’s in a two player match, but the web interface will show the progress of other players and who ends up on top at the end.
To be clear, this isn’t some transparent Link Cable to TCP/IP solution. While something like that could potentially be possible with the hardware, as of right now, the software [stacksmashing] has put together only works for
Tetris
. So if you want to battle Pokemon over the net, you’ll have to do your own reverse engineering (or at least wait for somebody else to inevitably do it).
The Link Cable port on the Game Boy,
especially on the later versions of the hardware
, is a surprisingly versatile interface
capable of much more than just multiplayer gaming
. While we’re certainly keen to see [stacksmashing] develop this project farther, we’re equally excited to see the non-gaming applications of such an easy to use computer interface for the iconic handheld.
[Thanks to Mark for the tip.] | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347436",
"author": "Phillip",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T20:43:16",
"content": "Fantastic! And honestly I’d love to see it updated for use with Pokemon, especially if it could talk to the 3DS virtual console ports of the games, but I imagine that’s tricky. I found an emulator that wa... | 1,760,373,088.955367 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/truetape64-is-a-pc-interface-for-your-c64-datasette/ | TrueTape64 Is A PC Interface For Your C64 Datasette | Lewin Day | [
"News",
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"cassette",
"commodore 64",
"datasette"
] | Back in the distant past of the 1980s, software was distributed on audio tape. Ones and zeroes were encoded as tones of different frequencies, and tapes were decoded by specialised hardware which could then spit out raw digital data to an attached computer. While software methods now exist to simply record audio from old tapes and turn them into data, [Francesco] wanted to do it the hardware way,
and built a PC interface for his Commodore 64 Datasette.
The TrueTape64, as it has been named, is built around an Atmel ATTiny2313 microcontroller. This interfaces with the original Datasette hardware which takes care of reading the analog tape output and turning it into digital data. From there, the microcontroller communicates with an FTDI232 serial-to-USB adapter to get the data into a modern PC, where it’s compiled into a TAP image file via some Python magic.
It’s a barebones build, which goes so far as to run the Datasette’s motor off the USB power supply via a boost converter; those facing issues with the tape mechanism might do well to look there first. However, it does work, and a done job is a good job at the end of the day.
We’ve seen similar hacks before, too
– it’s great to see the community keeping cassette software alive! | 32 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347386",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T18:54:58",
"content": "Jack Tramiel would be proud, mainly because [Francesco] GutHub site says he built it from parts he had laying around.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_... | 1,760,373,089.024106 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/the-armv9-isa-and-what-it-can-do-for-you/ | The ARMv9 ISA, And What It Can Do For You | Maya Posch | [
"ARM",
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"hardware",
"Microcontrollers",
"Slider"
] | [
"arm",
"ARMv9",
"SVE2"
] | The number of distinct ARM Instruction Set Architectures (ISA) versions has slowly increased, with Arm adding a new version every few years. The oldest ISA version in common use today is ARMv6, with the ARMv6 ISA (
ARM11
) found in the original Raspberry Pi SBC and Raspberry Pi Zero (BCM2835). The ARMv6 ISA was introduced in 2002, followed by ARMv7 in 2005 (start of Cortex-A series) and ARMv8 in 2011. The latter was notable for adding 64-bit support.
With ARMv7 being the first of the Cortex cores, and ARMv8 adding 64-bit support in the form of AArch64, what notable features does ARMv9 bring to the table?
As announced earlier this year
, ARMv9’s focus appears to be on adding a whole host of features that should improve vector processing (vector extensions, or SVE) as well as digital signal processing (DSP) and security, with its Confidential Compute Architecture (CCA).
In addition to this, ARMv9 also includes all of the features that were added with ARMv8.1, v8.2, v8.3 and so on. In essence, this makes an ARMv9-based processor theoretically capable of going toe-to-toe with the best that Intel and AMD have to offer.
Welcome to the High-End
It should be obvious that ARMv9 is not an ISA which we’ll be seeing soon in budget single-board computers (SBCs) like the Raspberry Pi and kin. The BCM2711 SoC of the Raspberry Pi 4, for example, uses Cortex-A72 cores, which implement the ARMv8-A specification. Since then, the ARMv8.1-A update added:
Additional instructions for atomic read/write and more.
Improved virtualization support (e.g. Virtualization Host Extensions).
SIMD (vector) extensions.
In 2016, ARMv8.2-A added:
Additional instructions for a variety of of tasks like half-precision floating point data processing.
Scalable Vector Extensions (
SVE
): SIMD processing.
Followed later that year by ARMv8.3-A:
Nested virtualization.
Advanced SIMD complex number support.
The next three updates added and refined more functionality, creating an impressive list of required and optional updates to the base ARMv-8 specification. Not surprisingly, this large number of ISA specifications is a bit messy, and one of the things that ARMv9 accomplishes is bringing all of these versions together in one specification.
Another thing which ARMv9 adds over ARMv8 is
Scalable Vector Extension version two (SVE2)
, the successor to SVE, and essentially the replacement of the NEON SIMD instructions. As Arm notes, the NEON instructions are still in ARMv9, but only for backwards compatibility. As the ‘Scalable’ part of SVE suggests, a major benefit of SVE over NEON is that it scales to the underlying hardware, allowing for even smaller, less powerful platforms to still handle the same SVE2-based code as a higher-end chip.
It’s telling that SVE
has its roots
in HPC (high-performance computing), with the Japanese
Fugaku supercomputer
being one of the first systems to make use of it upon its introduction last year. This means that ARMv9’s SVE2 will be very important for applications that process data which benefit from SIMD-based algorithms.
Realms and Tagged Memory
New in ARMv9 is the concept of ‘realms’, which can be considered as a kind of secure container in which code can execute without affecting the rest of the system. This works together with e.g. a hypervisor, with the latter handing a large part of the security-related operations to a new Realm Manager. The exact details of which aren’t known at this point, beyond the information which Arm made available at its recent announcement.
Basic example of how CCA Realms can be used. (Credit: Arm)
Not new to v9, but available since v8.5 is Memory Tagging Extension (
MTE
). Memory tagging is a mechanism to track illegal memory operations on a hardware level. This is similar to what Valgrind’s Memcheck tool does when it keeps track of memory accesses in order to detect buffer overflows and out of bounds writes and reads, except with MTE this is supported on a hardware level.
Having these features in the ARMv9 specification means that upcoming ARM processors and SoCs are likely to offer virtualization and security options that make them interesting for data centers and other applications were virtualization and security are essential.
Stay Tuned
Just a few days ago, Arm
revealed the first two CPU cores
which are based on the ARMv9 specification. These Neoverse V1 (“Zeus”) and N2 (“Perseus”) cores. Both of
these are targeting data centers and HPC applications
, with Amazon AWS, Tencent, Oracle, and other cloud providers likely to use them.
The low-down is that for in the near term, ARMv9 is something that the average consumer will have little if anything to do with as there’s not much incentive for many platforms to change even from baseline ARMv8-A to ARMv6-A. The need to license new cores and new IP is of course another factor here. All of this means that for the coming years, it’s not likely that we’ll see ARMv9-based silicon appear in mobile devices or new single-board computers. (Sounds kind of like a challenge for Hackaday readers, doesn’t it?)
That is not to say that it isn’t an interesting development, especially once ARMv9 with SVE2 and CCA ultimately do appear on those platforms. With massively improved SIMD performance — for example — many data processing and encoding tasks will suddenly become a lot faster, which could be a boon for anyone who wishes to daily drive an ARM-based system.
The ARM Ecosystem Today
As alluded to in the beginning of this article, the ARM ecosystem is relatively fragmented at this point, especially when one considers the highly popular Raspberry Pi boards and their simultaneous, continued use of ARMv6, ARMv7, and ARMv8, with middling support for AArch64 on the latter. Although it has its benefits to be able to use the backwards compatibility in ARMv8 and v7 for running ARMv6 (‘armhf’) binaries, it also removes a large part of the benefits of moving to these newer ISAs.
With 32-bit support in the world of Intel and AMD already firmly a thing of the past, it does seem rather quaint to hang on to 32-bit-only ARM ISAs, especially when simultaneously proclaiming the capabilities of these systems as a
potential daily driver
. Even just the 4 GB system memory and per-process memory limitations that come with a 32-bit architecture are sufficient to ruin a lot of potential fun there.
How long will it take before ARMv6 and ARMv7 will join ARMv5 into retirement? That’s not an easy question to answer at this point, even though the answer will likely play a major role in the answer to the question of how long it will likely take for ARMv9 to start playing a pertinent role outside of data centers.
A Note on MCUs
Amidst all this talk about server chips and SoCs, it’s sometimes easy to forget that ARM-based microcontrollers also use ISAs related to the Application profile ISAs. These -M (Microcontroller) post-fixed specifications have been updated over the years as well, with the
Cortex-M55 using
the
ARMv8.1-M
instruction set. This ISA adds the Helium vector processing extensions, adding significant SIMD capabilities to MCUs.
While the Application profile of ARMv9 won’t directly translate to the Microcontroller profiles in a feature-for-feature manner, any features which do make sense for an MCU platform are very likely to be translated to the latter in some fashion. Virtualization features for one do make little sense, but memory tagging as in MTE and further debug and monitoring features could be desirable.
When the first MCUs based on the Cortex-M55 appear over the coming years, this should give us a glimpse of what ARMv9 may bring in this area as well. Whether we will be programming those MCUs from ARM-based desktop systems by then is however still up in the air. | 38 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347358",
"author": "rewolff",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T17:47:13",
"content": "Although I can still buy (except for “chip shortage”) cortex-M0, the new processors from ST and the likes tend to be reasonably modern ARM cores.If they aim for datacenter only use, then they can expect C... | 1,760,373,089.105377 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/embedded-rust-hack-chat/ | Embedded Rust Hack Chat | Dan Maloney | [
"Hackaday Columns"
] | [
"bare metal",
"concurrency",
"embedded",
"garbage collection",
"Hack Chat",
"memory",
"programming language",
"rust"
] | Join us on Wednesday, May 12 at noon Pacific for the
Embedded Rust Hack Chat
with James Munns!
Programming languages, like fashion, are very much a matter of personal taste. Professional developers often don’t have much say in which language they’ll use for a given project, either for legacy or team reasons, but if they did have a choice, they’d probably choose the language that works best with the way they think. Some languages just “fit” different brains better than others, and when everything is in sync between language and developer, code just seems to flow effortlessly through the keyboard and onto the screen.
One language that consistently scores at the top of developers’ “most loved” lists is Rust. For a language that started as a personal project and has only existed for a little more than a decade, that’s really saying something. The emphasis Rust puts on safety and performance probably has a lot to do with that. And thanks to its safe concurrency, its memory safety, and its interoperability with C and other languages, Rust has made considerable in-roads with the embedded development community.
To learn more about Rust in embedded systems, James Munns will stop by the Hack Chat. James
is an embedded systems engineer, with a history of working on software for a wide range of systems, including safety-critical avionics, and rapidly prototyped IoT systems. He’s a founding member of the
Rust Embedded Working Group
, as well as a founder of
Ferrous Systems
, a consultancy focused on systems development in Rust, with a specialty in embedded systems development.
James also
used to write for Hackaday,
so he must be a pretty cool guy. So swing by the Hack Chat and find out where Rust might be able to help you out with your next embedded project.
Our Hack Chats are live community events in the
Hackaday.io Hack Chat group messaging
. This week we’ll be sitting down on Wednesday, May 12 at 12:00 PM Pacific time. If time zones have you tied up, we have a
handy time zone converter
.
Click that speech bubble to the right, and you’ll be taken directly to the Hack Chat group on Hackaday.io. You don’t have to wait until Wednesday; join whenever you want and you can see what the community is talking about. | 18 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347372",
"author": "Iván Stepaniuk",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T18:16:59",
"content": "Just my view from 20+ yrs of software development experience: The whole person-fits-language idea only holds in amateur circles or in very inexperienced devs with little to choose from.In reality, ... | 1,760,373,089.547177 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/guitar-with-hot-swappable-pickups-lights-our-fire/ | Guitar With Hot-Swappable Pickups Lights Our Fire | Kristina Panos | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"guitar",
"guitar pickup",
"hot swap",
"humbucker",
"magnets",
"single-coil",
"woodworking"
] | There’s a story that goes something like this: Chet Atkins was playing his guitar when someone remarked, ‘that guitar sounds great!’ Mr. Atkins immediately stopped playing and asked, ‘how does it sound now?’ While it’s true that the sound ultimately comes from you and your attention to expression, we feel that different pickups on the same guitar can sound, well, different from each other.
However, this is merely speculation on our part, because changing pickups is pretty serious surgery, and there’s only one company out there making guitars with hot-swappable pickups. Since their low-end model is out of most people’s price range, [Mike Lyons] took one for the team and decided to build a guitar from scratch to test out various pickups of any size, from lipstick to humbucker.
[Mike] can swap them out in under a minute, and doesn’t need any tools to do it
.
[Mike] modeled the swapping system on that one company’s way of doing things, because why reinvent the wheel? The pickups are inserted through the back and held in place with magnets and a pair of cleverly-designed printed pieces — one to mount the pickup to, and the other inside the pickup cavity.
As far as actually connecting the things up, [Mike] went with a commercially-available quick-connect pickup solution that uses a mini four-conductor audio plug and jack. The body is based on the Telecaster, while the headstock is more Stratocaster — the perfect visual combination, if you ask us.
We are particularly fond of [Mike]’s list of caveats for this project, especially the requirement that it had to be built using only hand tools and a 3D printer. Although a drill press would have been nice to use, [Mike] did a fantastic job on this guitar. Whether you’re into guitars or not, this is a great story of an awesome build.
What, you don’t even have hand tools?
You could just print the whole guitar instead
. | 17 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347772",
"author": "Phil Gowan",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T21:14:33",
"content": "I don’t get the point of the Chet Atkins story, what did he mean to convey when he stopped playing?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347775",
... | 1,760,373,089.29227 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/din-rails-for-everything/ | DIN Rails For… Everything | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"din",
"DIN rail",
"DIN rails"
] | Cross-section of a 35mm top hat DIN rail.
One of the great things about the Internet is it lets people find out what other people are doing even if they normally wouldn’t have much exposure to each other. For example, in some businesses DIN rails are a part of everyday life. But for a long time, they were not very common in hobby electronics. Although rails are cheap, boxes for rails aren’t always easy or cheap to obtain, but 3D printing offers a solution for that.
So while the industrial world has been using these handy rails for decades, we are starting to see hobby projects incorporate them more often and people like [Makers Mashup] are discovering them and finding ways to
use them in projects
and demonstrating them in this video, also embedded below.
If you haven’t encountered them yet, DIN rails are a strip of metal, bent into a particular shape with the purpose of mounting equipment like circuit breakers. A typical rail is 35 mm wide and has a hat-like cross-section which leads to the name “top hat” rail. A 25 mm channel lets you hide wiring and the surface has holes to allow you to mount the rail to a wall or a cabinet. These are sometimes called type O or type Ω rails or sections.
There are other profiles, too. A C-rail is shaped like a letter C and you can guess what a G section looks like, too. Rails do come in different heights, as well, but the 35 mm is overwhelmingly common. However, there are 15 mm rails and 75 mm rails, too.
A device attached to a DIN rail.
Devices clamp against the “brim” of the top hat while the top of the hat is affixed to the wall or bulkhead. You’ll sometimes hear the width of a rail expressed in “modules.” A module is 17.5 mm wide, so a three-module device is 52.5 mm wide.
The DIN rail originated in Germany around 1928, with modern versions dating from the 1950s and in some environments they are everywhere. DIN, by the way, is an acronym for the originating German standards organization Deutsches Institut für Normung, but the rails also meet IEC and EN standards, today.
If you want to know more about DIN rails, we’ve
looked at them in-depth
. Combine them with
off-the-shelf extrusions and 3D printing
and you can make a variety of very sturdy structures. | 58 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347741",
"author": "steelman",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T18:45:54",
"content": "Actually the channel isn’t very convenient for hiding wires because there is no leeway left for unmouting equipment. Professional modules (in Europe we use DIN rails in electrical switchboards (is that h... | 1,760,373,089.38978 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/the-mysterious-wobble-of-muons/ | The Mysterious Wobble Of Muons | Moritz v. Sivers | [
"Current Events",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Original Art",
"Science",
"Slider"
] | [
"g-2",
"magnetic moment",
"muon",
"particle accelerator"
] | You might think that particle physicists would be sad when an experiment comes up with different results than their theory would predict, but nothing brightens up a field like unexplained phenomena. Indeed, particle physicists have been feverishly looking for deviations from the Standard Model. This year, there have been tantalizing signs that a long unresolved discrepancy between theory and experiment will be confirmed by new experimental results.
In particular, the quest to measure the magnetic moment of muons started more than 60 years ago, and this has been measured ever more precisely since. From an experiment in 1959 at CERN in Switzerland, to the turn of the century at Brookhaven, to this year’s result at Fermilab, the magnetic moment of the muon seems to be at odds with theoretical predictions.
Although a statistical fluke is basically excluded, this value also relies on complex theoretical calculations that are not all in agreement. Instead of heralding a new era of physics, it might just be another headline too good to be true. But some physicists are mumbling “new particle” in hushed tones. Let’s see what all the fuss is about.
The Electron’s Big Brother
The muon is often called the big brother of the electron: it is an elementary particle with a negative charge, and it is about 200 times heavier than its little brother. Muons are omnipresent because they are produced when cosmic rays smash into the atoms of our atmosphere. If you hold out your hand there is probably a muon going through it every second. To study muons, they can also be artificially produced using particle accelerators that mimic the reactions occurring in our atmosphere. The generated muon beam can then be circulated and stored in a big magnetic ring.
Muons have a spin and charge that creates a magnetic moment, which measures the strength and orientation of its magnetic field. You can imagine muons like tiny permanent magnets whose orientation aligns when they are placed in an external magnetic field. The “g-factor” is a dimensionless proportionality constant between the magnetic moment and the spin.
Using some
fancy math,
one can calculate the g-factor for muons (or electrons) from the
Dirac equation,
which gives a value of exactly 2. But this is not the whole truth: in quantum electrodynamics (QED),
“virtual” particles
can pop in and out of existence, so long as they do so quickly enough that they fall under the cover of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. This in-and-out-of-existance loop leads to correction terms in the calculations. For the muon, loop corrections lead to a g-factor that is not exactly 2 but
2.00233183620
, and the difference is referred to as the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon.
All You Need Is a Giant Magnet
Experimental setup of the g-2 experiment at CERN. Muons enter the magnet at the lower left and then propagate in a spiral path to the right where they exit and are analyzed.
Credit:
G. Charpak et al.
In 1959, CERN decided to run an experiment that should test the validity of quantum electrodynamics, which predicted the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Ignoring the usual tradition to come up with a creative acronym, the experiment was simply called “g-2” (pronounced “gee minus two”).
In the experiment, a beam of protons from CERN’s synchrocyclotron was shot onto a target to produce a beam of pions that immediately decay into muons. This muon beam then entered a six meter long magnet.
The magnetic field was oriented vertically to the muon beam which caused the muons to curve into a circular path. The magnetic field also varied from the left to the right, which was achieved by carefully inserting exactly calculated shims into the magnet. This caused the muons to slowly drift from left to right making a spiral curve.
In this magnetic field, the spin of the muons is wobbling (precessing) just like the spin of protons in an MRI machine. At the right end of the magnet, the muons are ejected and the direction of their spin relative to their momentum is analyzed. From this measurement, the anomalous magnetic moment can be calculated because it is sensitive to the difference between the orbital frequency and the spin precession frequency. Only six months after the start, the experiment
came up with a result
of g = 2.001165±5 which agreed well with the theoretical value at that time and thus confirmed the validity of QED. In the coming years, a second experiment with 25 times better accuracy actually found a difference between theory and measurement, but this vanished after theorists refined their models. A third and final experiment at CERN confirmed this new theoretical results with an astonishing accuracy of 0.0007% (7 ppm).
The Tension Between Theory and Experiment
In 1984, the US took over in investigating the muon anomalous magnetic moment. Using the proton accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) their experiment introduced several improvements over the CERN measurements. These included a higher proton intensity, a 14 m diameter superconducting magnet — the largest in the world at that time — more efficient muon injection, and electrostatic focusing of the muon beam as well as custom-made, 400 MHz waveform digitizers. The aim of the experiment was to achieve an accuracy of 0.35 ppm in order to check the loop corrections caused by W and Z-bosons which were discovered the year before at CERN.
To obtain an objective result the collaboration used a “blind analysis”. This is a common technique used in particle physics to avoid the unintended bias towards a certain result by the people analyzing the data. It is similar to the double-blind randomized clinical trial used in medical research. In the BNL experiment, the data analysis to obtain the two frequencies from which g-2 could be calculated was carried out by two different teams. In addition, each frequency had an artificially introduced offset which was unknown to the data analysis team and was only subtracted after the result had been fixed.
When the final data-taking run ended in 2001 the
combined result
was in disagreement with theory by 2.2 – 2.7 standard deviations depending on the theoretical calculation. This caused much discussion of whether it could be a hint towards new physics because yet undiscovered particles would lead to additional correction terms to the theoretically calculated value. As with every other result, there is of course the less spectacular possibility that it is merely a statistical fluctuation which at 2.7 standard deviations is unlikely, but as history has proven not at all impossible. Another boring explanation would be some unaccounted systematic error in the experiment.
And the theoretical value is not itself bulletproof. This is because there are large corrections from particle loops that involve strongly interacting particles that cannot be calculated from theory. Instead, theorists use measured production rates from other experiments for these particles to approximate the correction term.
An Eagerly Awaited Result
Summary of the theoretical and experimental values for g-2. The theoretical consensus value is in tension with the experimental results while new lattice calculations agree with their uncertainties.
Credit:
V. ALTOUNIAN/SCIENCE
In 2013, the superconducting magnet of the BNL experiment was transported 3,200 miles to Fermilab near Chicago in order to repeat the experiment using their more intense muon beam. The result was eagerly awaited by the physics community as the tension between theory and experiment had been standing unresolved for the last 20 years.
A few weeks ago Fermilab published their
first result
that was again obtained by a blind analysis where the frequency of their main clock was entrusted to two other physicists outside of the collaboration. After unblinding the data, it became clear that the result confirms the BNL measurement.
The combined tension between theory and experiment amounts now to 4.2 standard deviations which is just a bit short of the 5 standard deviation threshold to claim a new discovery. Still, the difference between the theoretical and experimental values is large enough that the chances of it happening randomly is about 1 to 40,000. An experimental screw-up is also unlikely, now that the result is confirmed by two independent experiments, even though they use the same technique and some of the same equipment.
Ironically, the theoretical value might be to blame. In fact, on the same day that Fermilab published their result, a new theory paper
published in Nature,
but already available since last year as a
preprint,
arrives at a value that is actually compatible with the experimental data. This new theoretical value was completely calculated from scratch using so-called lattice calculations running on a supercomputer. However, the result is far from the theoretical consensus value and has still to be confirmed by other independent calculations. But as mentioned earlier it already happened before that the tension between theory and experiment vanished after theorists reevaluated their model. When theory and experiment hone each other, they both become sharper.
So it is still unclear if the current Standard Model of particle physics has finally been cracked open. Many people doubt that the g-2 result is due to a new particle, because we should have already seen it in current particle colliders like the LHC. On the other hand, it could be just around the corner, to be found by current or near-future colliders. In the meantime, Fermilab is already busy analyzing some of their more recent data, and is still continuing data taking so we can expect a more accurate g-2 value soon. The topic is definitely one of the most exciting in particle physics right now and it is worth keeping an eye on it. | 8 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347805",
"author": "wanderer_",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T00:00:28",
"content": "Brain hurts. Just give this man a soldering iron and some wires, or an IDE, something other than particle physics (not that I didn’t enjoy not understanding this article, though! :)",
"parent_id": n... | 1,760,373,089.601355 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/3d-printed-desiccant-container-exploits-infill/ | 3D-Printed Desiccant Container Exploits Infill | Donald Papp | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"desiccant",
"humidity",
"infill",
"openscad"
] | Desiccant is common in 3D printing because the drier plastic filament is, the better it prints. Beads of silica gel are great for controlling humidity, but finding a porous container for them that is a convenient size is a little harder. 3D printing is a generally useful solution for custom containers, but suffers from a slight drawback in this case: printing dense grills or hole patterns is not very efficient for filament-based printers. Dense hole patterns means lots of stopping and starting for the extruder, which means a lot of filament retractions and longer print times in general.
The green model is used as a modifier to the orange container (of which only the corners are left visible here)
[The_Redcoat]’s solution to this is to avoid hole patterns or grills altogether, and instead
print large wall sections of the container as infill-only, with no perimeter layers at all
. The exposed infill pattern is dense enough to prevent small beads of desiccant from falling through, while allowing ample airflow at the same time. The big advantage here is that infill patterns are also quite efficient for the printer to lay down. Instead of the loads of stops and starts and retractions needed to print a network of holes, infill patterns are mostly extruded in layers of unbroken lines. This translates to faster print speeds and an overall more reliable outcome, even on printers that might not be as well tuned or calibrated as they could be.
To get this result, [The_Redcoat] modeled a normal, flat-walled container then used
OpenSCAD
to create a stack of segments to use as a modifier in PrusaSlicer. The container is printed as normal, except where it intersects with the modifier, in which case those areas get printed with infill only and no walls. The result is what you see here: enough airflow for the desiccant to do its job, while not allowing any of the beads to escape. It’s a clever use of both a high infill as well as the ability to use a 3D model as a slicing modifier.
There’s also another approach to avoiding having to print a dense pattern of holes, though it is for light-duty applications only: embedding a material like tulle into a 3D print, for example,
can make a pretty great fan filter
. | 15 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347692",
"author": "Phil",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T15:43:12",
"content": "Neat. Though I find just tipping the beads into the bottom of a vacuum pot and placing stuff on top works well also. May well try a wall free print to see what happens.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": ... | 1,760,373,089.928145 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/the-russian-woodpecker-official-bird-of-the-cold-war-nests-in-giant-antenna/ | The Russian Woodpecker: Official Bird Of The Cold War Nests In Giant Antenna | Kristina Panos | [
"Featured",
"History",
"Radio Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"blanker",
"Chernobyl",
"cold war",
"Duga radar",
"Duga-1",
"Moscow Muffler",
"OTH radar",
"radar",
"Russian woodpecker",
"shortwave",
"ukraine"
] | On July 4th, 1976, as Americans celebrated the country’s bicentennial with beer and bottle rockets, a strong signal began disrupting shortwave, maritime, aeronautical, and telecommunications signals all over the world. The signal was a rapid 10 Hz tapping that sounded like a woodpecker or a helicopter thup-thupping on the roof. It had a wide bandwidth of 40 kHz and sometimes exceeded 10 MW.
This was during the Cold War, and plenty of people rushed to the conclusion that it was some sort of Soviet mind control scheme or weather control experiment. But amateur radio operators traced the mysterious signal to an over-the-horizon radar antenna near Chernobyl, Ukraine (then part of the USSR) and they named it the Russian Woodpecker.
Here’s a clip of the sound
.
The frequency-hopping Woodpecker signal was so strong that it made communication impossible on certain channels and could even be heard across telephone lines when conditions were right. Several countries filed official complaints with the USSR through the UN, but there was no stopping the Russian Woodpecker. Russia wouldn’t even own up to the signal’s existence, which has since been traced to
an immense antenna structure
that is nearly half a mile long and at 490 feet, stands slightly taller than the Great Pyramid at Giza.
This imposing steel structure stands within the irradiated forest near Pripyat, an idyllic town founded in 1970 to house the Chernobyl nuclear plant workers. Pictured above is the transmitter, also known as Duga-1, Chernobyl-2, or Duga-3 depending on who you ask. Located 30 miles northeast of Chernobyl, on old Soviet maps the area is simply labeled Boy Scout Camp. Today, it’s all within
the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
.
It was such a secret that the government denied it’s existence, yet was being heard all over the world. What was this mammoth installation used for?
Distant Early Warning
The Duga radar was one of two transmitter/receiver pairs built
in response to the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line), a smattering of antennas that were built above the Arctic Circle in a joint effort between the US and Canada. Like any
over-the-horizon radar
, the theory behind Russia’s system was that Moscow would have about 25 minutes to respond to ICBMs in kind, rather than having a mere 10 minutes or so in which to duck and cover and kiss the world goodbye. To get a better idea of the scale of this thing, check out Tom Scott’s brief tour in the video embedded below.
The DEW, Mid-Canada, and Pinetree radar lines. Image via
Wikipedia
Over-the-horizon radar relies on a similar phenomenon that delivers such great range for amateur radio — the signals bounce off the ionosphere and are thus able to overcome the curvature of the Earth, which allows it to detect launches much earlier than standard ground radar can.
In the 2015 documentary
The Russian Woodpecker
, a film crew led by an artist from Kyiv attempts to uncover the mysteries of the antenna. He believes that the nuclear incident at Chernobyl was orchestrated to divert attention away from the structure, which was due for an upcoming inspection that it was never going to pass.
According to the documentary, the Duga antenna cost twice as much as the Chernobyl plant itself — around 7 billion Rubles. Putting this cost in historical context is tricky. Using the
Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange as of June 30, 1976
we find the exchange rate at the time was 0.7550 Rubles to Dollars. That places the 1976 cost at about $9.27 billion. Inflation adjusted that’s $43.16 billion in 2021 value — a mind-boggling sum that makes us question the documentary’s cost assessment (and the accuracy of our own conversion process).
Some sources say the radar system never worked. Other sources claim that it did, and that they were able to detect every single Shuttle launch with it. And when the Woodpecker was reported to be interfering with Russian SOS signals, they altered the frequency. But after they did that, it stopped working because of interference from Aurora borealis.
Making Moscow Mufflers
Eventually, companies and individuals built blanker circuitry to tune out the incessant tapping. Conventional interference blanker circuits work by looking for short pulse duration with fast rise time, and generate a signal to shut off a gate in the signal path. But these would be useless to drown out the Woodpecker, because they don’t work on lower-amplitude pulses.
The Moscow Muffler WB-1. Image via
QRZ Forums
The problem with blanking the Woodpecker’s signal was that it had a large bandwidth and inconsistent pulses. Ionospheric reflection would stretch the pulses and sometimes create echoes, turning it into a game of whack-a-mole. To make matters worse, they often looked like regular signals, making it even harder to isolate the Woodpecker from whatever the desired signal was.
The Datong SRB2 Woodpecker Blanker. Image via
Radioworld
One popular device was the
AEA Moscow Muffler
(PDF), which worked by generating an internal signal of 10 or 16 Hz to blank out the Woodpecker. But if the ionosphere was stretching the pulses, the blanker’s pulse width had to be increased to compensate, which often meant losing the desired signal in the shuffle.
Another device,
the Datong SRB2, was much more of a set-it-and-forget-it deal
(PDF, page 39). The SRB2 worked much like the Moscow Muffler, by generating an internal clock and comparing it with the Woodpecker signal.
The nifty thing about the SRB2 is that it was automatic. Once it found a match, it tailored the blocking pulse to suit by dialing in the pulse width, the number of blanking pulses, and their ideal positions. Conversely, the Moscow Muffler used fixed-width pulses, so you had to keep messing with it in order to keep the signal blanked out.
Still Standing, Silent
The Russian Woodpecker interference stopped after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, around which time its existence was finally confirmed by the Soviet government. By then, the Russians had moved on to satellites for their early warning purposes.
In 2013,
a similar signal started to terrorize the shortwaves
, though not as strongly as the original. It is believed to come from a new Russian OTH radar system called
Container
, which looks to be nearly as big as Duga. If you want to check it out,
tune to 14.270 on shortwave
and let us know what you hear!
[Main image source:
The Duga radar antenna
, human for scale. Image by Corsairoz
CC BY-SA 4.0
] | 44 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347667",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T14:31:56",
"content": "There was a DEW Line radar in Dickinson, ND when I was a kid.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347669",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,373,089.73748 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/original-game-boy-powered-up-with-gba-motherboard/ | Original Game Boy Powered Up With GBA Motherboard | Tom Nardi | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks"
] | [
"DMG-01",
"game boy",
"game boy advance",
"game boy color",
"restoration"
] | The Game Boy DMG-01 is about as iconic as a piece of consumer electronics can get, but let’s be honest, it hasn’t exactly aged well. While there’s certainly a number of games for the system that are still as entertaining in 2021 as they were in the 80s and 90s, the hardware itself is another story entirely. Having to squint at the unlit display, with its somewhat nauseating green tint, certainly takes away from the experience of hunting down Pokémon.
Which is precisely why [The Poor Student Hobbyist] decided to take an original Game Boy and
replace its internals with more modern hardware in the form of a Game Boy Advance (GBA) SP motherboard
and aftermarket IPS LCD panel. The backwards compatibility mode of the GBA allows him to play those classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color games from their original cartridges, while the IPS display brings them to life in a way never before possible.
Relocating the cartridge connector took several attempts.
Now on the surface, this might seem like a relatively simple project. After all, the GBA SP was much smaller than its predecessors, so there should be plenty of room inside the relatively cavernous DMG-01 case for the transplanted hardware. But [The Poor Student Hobbyist] made things quite a bit harder on himself by deciding early on that there would be no external signs that the Game Boy had been modified; beyond the wildly improved screen, anyway.
That meant deleting the GBA’s shoulder buttons, though since the goal was always to play older games that predated their addition to the system, that wasn’t really a problem. The GBA’s larger and wider screen is still intact, albeit hidden behind the Game Boy’s original bezel. It turns out the image isn’t exactly centered on the physical display, so [The Poor Student Hobbyist] came up with a 3D printed adapter to mount it with a slight offset. The adapter also allows the small tactile switch that controls the screen brightness to be mounted where the “Contrast” wheel used to go.
An incredible amount of thought and effort went into making the final result look as close to stock as possible, and luckily for us, [The Poor Student Hobbyist] did a phenomenal job of documenting it for others who might want to make similar modifications. Even if you’re not in the market for a rejuvenated Game Boy, it’s worth browsing through the build log to marvel at the passion that went into this project.
Some would argue [The Poor Student Hobbyist] should have
just put a Raspberry Pi into a Game Boy case
and be done with it, but where’s the fun in that?
Sure it might have been a somewhat better Bitcoin miner
, but there’s something to be said for playing classic games on real hardware. | 10 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347694",
"author": "arnoldexe",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T15:47:09",
"content": "I think we can all agree this is a very cool hack without denigrating the hardy DMG-01. What it lacks in a backlight it makes up for in mods, incredible battery life, and just general build quality. It’... | 1,760,373,089.649457 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/smallest-discrete-transistor-555-timer/ | Smallest Discrete Transistor 555 Timer | Chris Lott | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"555",
"discrete transistors",
"Hans Camenzind",
"recreation",
"reproduction"
] | Over at Tiny Transistor labs, [Robo] took it upon himself to
reproduce the classic 555 timer
in discrete transistor form. For bonus points, he also managed to put it in a package that’s the same basic size, pin compatible with, and a plug-in replacement for the original. The first task was deciding which 555 circuit to implement. He examined a handful of different implementations — and by examined, we mean
dissected them and studied the die circuitry
under a microscope. In the end, he went with Hans Camenzind’s original circuit, both as a tribute and because it used the fewest transistors — a point which helped manage the final size, which is only a little bit bigger than the IC!
Speaking of sizes, have you ever soldered an EIA 01005 resistor? We agree with [mbedded.ninja] who wrote on a
post about standard chip resistor sizes
, the 01005 is a “ridiculously small chip package that can barely be seen by the naked eye.” It is 16 thou x 8 thou (0.4 mm x 0.2 mm) in size, and despite its name and placement in the Imperial series, it is not half the size of an 0201. The transistors are your standard 2N3904 / 2N3906, but purchased in a not-so-standard DFN (Dual Flat Pack, No Leads). We might think a 1.0 x 0.6 mm component as small, but compared to its neighboring resistors in this circuit, it’s huge.
[Robo] has done this kind of project before, most recently making a
discrete recreation of of the classic 741 op-amp
. We covered a similar, but larger,
discrete 555 timer project
back in 2011. If you want to go really big-scale with your own reproduction project, check out
the MOnSter 6502
from five years ago for further inspiration. Thanks to [Lucas] for the tip. | 28 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347599",
"author": "Eric Chapin",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T08:25:22",
"content": "01005 is close to the size of a grain of table salt. No way I can hand solder those! The smallest I can do is 0603 and I prefer to use 0805 for hand soldering.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,... | 1,760,373,089.801073 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/scanner-captures-view-master-discs-as-glorious-3d-videos/ | Scanner Captures View-Master Discs As Glorious 3D Videos | Dan Maloney | [
"Retrocomputing",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"binocular",
"retro",
"scanner",
"stereoscopic",
"view-master",
"viewer"
] | The toys of the past may have been cheesy, but you can’t deny the creativity needed to build something engaging without any electronics. One stalwart toy from this category is View-Master, the little stereoscopic slide viewer that brought the world to life in seven vibrant scenes. And digitizing these miniature works of art is the purpose of
this neat View-Master reel scanner project
.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of using a View-Master, the gist is that a flat cardboard disc ringed with 14 color transparencies was inserted into a plastic viewer. Binocular eyepieces showed scenes from opposing pairs of slides, which were illuminated by a frosted screen and room lighting. The scenes were photographed from slightly different angles, leading to a stereoscopic image that was actually pretty good quality.
In the video below, project creator [
W. Jason Altice] describes View-Master as “the YouTube of the 1950s.” We partially agree; with only seven frames to tell a story, we’d say it’s more like TikTok than YouTube. Regardless, capturing these mini-movies requires quite a bit of complexity. All the parts for the reel carousel are 3D-printed, with a small stepper to advance the reel and an optical sensor to register its position. A ring of RGB LEDs beneath the reel illuminates the slides; being able to control the color of the light helps with color balancing for slides with faded colors. An 8-megapixel camera captures each slide, and some pretty slick software helps with organizing the image pairs, tweaking their alignment, capturing the captions from the disc, and stitching everything into a video.
There’s a whole YouTube channel devoted to View-Master captures, which are best viewed with
a Google Cardboard
or something similar. Even without the 3D effect, it’s still pretty cool to watch [Popeye] beat up a nuke again. | 25 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "6348001",
"author": "Alan McIntyre",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T15:37:23",
"content": "So this means we’re like, what, 8 months away from a Two Minute Papers video showing how a researcher took 3D stills from this project and used some bleeding-edge machine learning algorithm to turn ... | 1,760,373,089.866627 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/simple-encryption-you-can-do-on-paper/ | Simple Encryption You Can Do On Paper | Jenny List | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Slider"
] | [
"cryptography",
"end-to-end cryptography",
"one time pad"
] | It’s a concern for Europeans as it is for people elsewhere in the world: there have been suggestions among governments to either outlaw, curtail, or backdoor strong end-to-end encryption. There are many arguments against ruining encryption, but the strongest among them is that encryption can be simple enough to implement that a high-school student can understand its operation, and almost any coder can write something that does it in some form, so to ban it will have no effect on restricting its use among anyone who wants it badly enough to put in the effort to roll their own.
With that in mind, we’re going to have a look at the most basic ciphers, the kind you could put together yourself on paper if you need to.
A Captain Midnight secret decoder ring. Sobebunny,
CC BY-SA 3.0
.
There have no doubt been cryptologists and codebreakers at work as long as there have been humans capable of repeating messages, and the strong public-key cyphers we use today were created by mathematicians who stood on the shoulders of those before them in an unbroken line that goes back thousands of years. It’s the public-key ciphers that are in the eyes of the lawmakers, but perhaps surprisingly they are not the only strong encryption scheme that remains functionally unbreakable. A much older and simpler cypher also holds that property, and it’s this that we’re presenting as the paper-based answer to strong encryption legislation. The so-called one-time pad was a staple in tales of Cold War espionage for exactly the properties we’re looking for.
To explain a one-time pad it’s necessary to first travel back to ancient Rome, for the simple alphabetic substitution cypher. In its most basic form an alphabet from A to Z is either shifted or randomised, and the resulting list of letters is used to encrypt the message into the cyphertext by direct substitution. The cyphertext is encrypted, but its flaw comes in that it preserves the frequency distribution of the letters in the message text. Frequency analysis was a technique developed and refined by the mathematicians of the Islamic caliphates, in which the frequency of individual letters in a cyphertext could be compared with that of letters in the language as a whole. By this technique a codebreaker could identify enough of the letters in the message to reconstruct it by guessing those which remained.
A Viginère square. Log(z)equalsY,
CC BY-SA 3.0
.
Addressing this flaw in the substitution cypher leads us to 16th century Italy and the polyalphabetic cypher, which instead of using a single substitution alphabet uses a number of them, switching from one to the next in sequence. The Vigenère cipher uses a table of alphabets each shifted by one letter with respect to the previous one, and switches from one to the next with each successive letter. By the use of a keyword to determine the sequence of which shifted alphabets in the table would be used for the substitution it created a cypher which was considered unbreakable until the 19th century, when mathematicians including Charles Babbage succeeded in breaking it by spotting the repeating patterns of its keyword.
So the Vigenère cipher is compromised, but its weakness lies not with its method but in the use of a repeating keyword to implement it. If a short keyword is used, such as “hackaday”, then it becomes in effect a series of eight sequentially repeating substitution cyphers; alphabet shifts h, a, c, k, a, d, a, and y in order over and over again, and a more complex but still achievable set of calculations will reveal its secret. These calculations become more complex as the length of the keyword increases, to the point at which it is the same length as the cyphertext and the possibility for spotting its repeats no longer exists.
A One-Time Pad
Who remembers the Hackaday one-time pad? Anyone done a frequency analysis on it?
A Vigenère cypher whose key is the same length as its text is unbreakable by frequency analysis in an attempt to spot the repeating keyword. But if the keyword itself contains a recognisable pattern such as a passage from a book or even a pseudo-random sequence there is still a chance that it can be compromised
particularly if it is re-used
, and hence we come to the idea of the one-time pad.
If every message uses a fresh encryption key composed of random characters that is the same length as its text then it contains no clues to help a code-breaker, because the entropy of the cyphertext is the same as that of the random key. Those cold-war spies achieved this in a low-tech manner using a pad whose pages contained random key text and from which each page could be torn and discarded once it had been used, hence the term “one-time pad”.
One-time pad encryption then. It’s unwieldy because both parties have to have a copy of the same pad, and even though it’s simple enough to do with a paper and pencil (or even a set of XOR gates) it’s probably not a sensible alternative to more modern forms of encryption. But it is genuinely strong end-to-end encryption, which would make it subject to any attempts to curtail encryption. So the point of this article hasn’t been to persuade you all to switch to using a Vigenère square and a notebook full of random digits, instead it’s been to write down just how simple secure end-to-end encryption can be. If a child can do it with a pen and paper then the most novice of coders can implement it in a script with nothing more than a text editor, so any proposal to censure it seems like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. | 73 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347963",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T14:04:29",
"content": "Great, instructions so that you too can be a Zodiac Killer. ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347969",
"author": "abjq",
"timestam... | 1,760,373,090.037819 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/mind-controlled-flamethrower/ | Mind-Controlled Flamethrower | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Machine Learning"
] | [
"arduino",
"flamethrower",
"machine learning",
"mind control",
"neural network",
"raspberry pi",
"tensorflow",
"Tensorflow Lite"
] | Mind control might seem like something out of a sci-fi show, but like the tablet computer, universal translator, or virtual reality device, is actually a technology that has made it into the real world. While these devices often requires on advanced and expensive equipment to interpret brain waves properly, with the right machine learning system it’s possible to do things like
this mind-controlled flame thrower
on a much smaller budget. (Video, embedded below.)
[Nathaniel F] was already experimenting with using brain-computer interfaces and machine learning, and wanted to see if he could build something practical combining these two technologies. Instead of turning to an EEG machine to read brain patterns, he picked up a much less expensive Mindflex and
paired it with a machine learning system
running TensorFlow to make up for some of its shortcomings. The processing is done by a Raspberry Pi 4, which sends commands to an Arduino to fire the flamethrower when it detects the proper thought patterns. Don’t forget the flamethrower part of this build either: it was designed and built entirely by [Nathanial F] as well using gas and an arc lighter.
While the build took many hours of training to gather the proper amount of data to build the neural network and works as the proof of concept he was hoping for, [Nathaniel F] notes that it could be improved by replacing the outdated Mindflex with a better EEG. For now though, we appreciate seeing sci-fi in the real world in projects like this, or in other mind-controlled projects like this one which
converts a prosthetic arm into a mind-controlled music synthesizer
. | 16 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347928",
"author": "Alice Lalita Heald",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T11:17:10",
"content": "Mind controlled nail gun, with positive feedback :DAnyways we skipped mind controller sex toys!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347931"... | 1,760,373,090.088735 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/12/testing-3d-printed-worm-gears/ | Testing 3D Printed Worm Gears | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3D printed gears",
"gear drive",
"gearbox",
"worm gear"
] | Worm gears are great if you have a low-speed, high-torque application in which you don’t need to backdrive. [Let’s Print] decided to see if they could print their own worm gear drives that would actually be usable in practice.
The testing is enlightening for anyone looking to use 3D printed gearsets.
(Video, embedded below.)
The testing involved printing worm gears on an FDM machine, in a variety of positions on the print bed in order to determine the impact of layer orientations on performance. Materials used were ABS, PLA and PETG. Testing conditions involved running a paired worm gear and worm wheel at various rotational speeds to determine if the plastic parts would heat up or otherwise fail when running.
The major upshot of the testing was that, unlubricated, gears in each material failed in under two minutes at 8,000 RPM. However, with adequate lubrication from a plastic-safe grease, each gearset was able to run for over ten minutes at 12,000 RPM. This makes sense, given the high friction typical in worm gear designs. However, it does bear noting that there was little to no load placed on the gear train. We’d love to see the testing done again with the drive doing some real work.
It also bears noting that worm drives typically don’t run at 12,000 RPM, but hey – it’s actually quite fun to watch. We’ve featured some 3D printed gearboxes before too,
pulling off some impressive feats
. Video after the break. | 24 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347903",
"author": "Raniz",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T08:50:33",
"content": "Would have been interesting to see how nylon fares without lube",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6347916",
"author": "Thorsten",
"timestamp": "2... | 1,760,373,090.206089 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/play-your-favorite-nokia-game-on-the-raspberry-pi-pico/ | Play Your Favorite Nokia Game On The Raspberry Pi Pico | Lewin Day | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"oled",
"pico",
"Raspberry Pi Pico",
"snake"
] | In many people’s memories,
Snake
lived and breathed on Nokia handsets from the late 90s and early 2000s. However, the game has been around for much longer than that, and will continue to live on in the future. That’s at least in part
thanks to people like [Hari Wiguna] keeping it alive by implementing it on new platforms.
[Hari] set about writing
Snake
in MicroPython for the Raspberry Pi Pico. The hardware side of things is simple enough – five buttons hooked up to the Pico, along with an 128×64 I2C OLED screen to display the game on. On the software side of things, [Hari] pushed the boat out, deciding that his version of
Snake
had to have the player character slither like the real thing. This took a little effort to get right, particularly when navigating corners in different directions. However, perseverance paid off and [Hari] got the job done.
Code is on GitHub for those that want to tinker at home.
It’s a tidy piece of work, though not the weirdest place we’ve seen the game appear –
we’ve actually seen it run within PCB routing software before thanks to some nifty scripting
. Video after the break. | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347970",
"author": "Doc Oct",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T14:17:05",
"content": "I remember when this was my favorite QBasic game.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347991",
"author": "Joshua",
"timestamp": "2021-... | 1,760,373,090.305962 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/simple-gui-menus-in-micropython/ | Simple GUI Menus In Micropython | Chris Lott | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"gui",
"menu code",
"micropython",
"python"
] | Love ’em or hate ’em, sometimes your embedded project needs a menu system. Rather than reimplement things each and every time, [sgall17a] put together a
simple GUI menu system in Micropython
that can be reused in all sorts of projects. The approach uses tables to define the menus and actions, and the demo program comes with a pretty good assortment of examples. Getting up to speed using this module should be fairly easy.
The hardware that [sgall17a] chose to demonstrate the concept couldn’t have been much smaller — it’s a Raspberry Pi Pico development board, an OLED 128 x 64 pixel display, and a rotary encoder with built-in push-button switch (it’s also been tested on ESP32 and ESP8266 boards). The widget under control is one of the commonly available Neopixel development boards. The program
is hosted on GitHub
, but beware that it’s under development so there may be frequent updates.
This is a good approach to making menus, but is often rejected or not even considered because of the overhead cost of developing the infrastructure. Well, [sgall17a] has done the hard work already — if you have an embedded project requiring local user setup, check out this module. | 7 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347827",
"author": "John",
"timestamp": "2021-05-12T02:23:12",
"content": "I think this could become more widely adopted if there were some nice example photos or screenshots of the generated menus in action. The only example I found was the raw code, and that tells me nothing abou... | 1,760,373,090.440723 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/11/the-coffee-must-flow-replacing-a-spent-lithium-cell-in-a-coffee-machine/ | The Coffee Must Flow: Replacing A Spent Lithium Cell In A Coffee Machine | Maya Posch | [
"Lifehacks",
"Tech Hacks"
] | [
"automatic coffee machines",
"m48t58",
"timekeeper"
] | When [hacky] bought a used Douwe Egberts Gallery 200 all-in-one coffee maker, the machine was known to have a ’empty battery’. Being one of those fancy coffee makers that handle everything from the grinding of coffee beans to the application of hot water and steam, it relies on instructions for each coffee recipe. Unfortunately, it turns out that this machine stores these on battery-backed SRAM, as [hacky]
found out with help from friendly folk
over at the Dutch Tweakers forum.
The Douwe Egberts Gallery 200 is a rebranded machine that’s also sold in Scandinavia as the Wittenborg FB 5100. These machines have an ST
M48T58
TimeKeeper module that combines 8 kB of persistent SRAM with a real-time clock. Being powered from a single coin cell (lithium carbon monofluoride chemistry), their lifespan is limited.
Replacing the coin cell in an M48T58 TimeKeeper module with AA cells.
Fortunatley, a DE-9 connector is provided on the back to provide service/maintenance access to to the hardware. Using a conveniently available
programming guide
for the hardware, it was easy to figure out the pinout and baud rate (9600, 8 bit, ignore parity, no flow control). This allows for reprogramming the SRAM, but without replacing the battery this data would be gone again on the next start.
Based on the ST M48T58 datasheet, it’s not clear that the clip-on module containing the coin cell and crystal can be replaced, though one could simply plug in a new M48T58 module. Or, as [hacky] did, it’s also possible to cut open the ‘SNAPHAT’ top section and wire in a replacement battery module. With two 1.5V AA cells providing the 3V to the module, it was operational again.
Next up: working out what to write to the SRAM to make the coffee flow again. | 37 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347797",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2021-05-11T23:22:06",
"content": "If this isn’t planned obsolescence I don’t know what is!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347800",
"author": "Rogfanther",
"timestamp... | 1,760,373,090.763061 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/apple-airtag-spills-its-secrets/ | Apple AirTag Spills Its Secrets | Jenny List | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Security Hacks",
"Teardown"
] | [
"AirTag",
"apple",
"Apple AirTag",
"nRF52832"
] | The Apple AirTag is a $29 Bluetooth beacon that sticks onto your stuff and helps you locate it when lost. It’s more than just a beeper though, the idea is that it can be silently spotted by any iDevice — almost like a crowd-sourced mesh network — and its owner alerted of its position wherever they are in the world.
There are so many questions about its privacy implications despite Apple’s reassurances, so naturally it has been of great interest to those who research such things.
First among those working on it to gain control of its
nRF52832
microcontroller is [Stacksmashing]
, who used
a glitching technique whereby the chip’s internal power supply is interrupted with precise timing
, to bypass the internally enabled protection of its debug port. The firmware has been dumped, and of course
a tag has been repurposed for the far more worthwhile application of Rickrolling Bluetooth snoopers
.
The idea of a global network of every iDevice helping reunite owners with their lost possessions is on the face of it a very interesting one, and Apple are at great pains on the AirTag product page to reassure customers about the system’s security. On one hand this work opens up the AirTag as a slightly expensive way to get an nRF microcontroller for other applications, but the real value will come as the firmware is analysed to see how at the tag itself works.
[Stacksmashing] has appeared on these pages many times before, often in the context of Nintendo hardware. Just one piece of work is
the guide to opening up a Nintendo Game and Watch
. | 17 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347323",
"author": "Scott",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T15:35:51",
"content": "One thing: These Tile ripoffs don’t “stick onto your stuff”. They require a keychain or other accessory to do that, which will cost you anywhere from $13 to $449, in the Apple store. Convenient!",
"pare... | 1,760,373,090.584021 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/south-australia-vs-too-much-home-solar/ | South Australia Vs. Too Much Home Solar | Lewin Day | [
"green hacks",
"Hackaday Columns",
"home hacks",
"Slider",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"electrical grid",
"electricity grid",
"gpsdo",
"grid",
"home solar",
"inverter",
"solar inverter",
"solar power"
] | Once upon a time, the consensus was that renewable energy was too expensive and in too sparse supply to be a viable power source to run our proud, electrified societies on. Since then, prices of solar panels have tanked, becoming more efficient along the way, and homeowners have been installing them on their rooftops in droves.
Where once it was thought we’d never have enough solar energy, in some cities, it’s becoming all too much. In South Australia, where solar output can be huge on a sunny day, electricity authorities are facing problems with grid stability,
and are taking measures to limit solar output to the grid.
Isn’t More Usually Better?
The problem faced by South Australian utilities is one of how to properly control an electrical grid with many thousands of distributed power sources. Typically, in conventional modern power grids, voltage and frequency is controlled within set limits by carefully matching the supply from major power plants with the demand from users. Fast-response plants can be brought online to meet shortfalls, and switched off when demand drops, and everything hums along nicely.
Unfortunately, solar power isn’t so easy to throttle, and even less so when it’s coming from thousands of separate households each with their own rooftop install and an inverter to feed back into the grid. This has led to authorities contemplating measures such as
charging homeowners to export energy to the grid in peak periods
in an effort to slow the huge uptake of home solar systems. Export limits have also been proposed
for suburbs with the highest concentration of home solar
, as substations in certain residential areas struggle to cope under the huge inflows of energy.
Wayne National Forest Solar Panel Construction
by Wayne National Forest, CC BY 2.0
With 280,000 homes in South Australia equipped with rooftop solar, or 35% of the state’s housing stock, it essentially creates a huge power plant that authorities have little to no control over. In some situations,
South Australia’s energy needs have been 100% met by solar power alone,
with gas, wind and other generation resources then exporting their energy to interstate markets. Things can quickly become dangerous in situations where there is nowhere to export the excess energy, however. In a recent incident, interstate links were down for routine maintenance on a day of particularly high solar delivery.
The electricity regulator made the decision to shut down 12,000 home solar systems via a newly-granted power
in order to keep grid demand above 400 MW, a level high enough that major gas plants could stay online.
This was achieved through relatively crude means, but if left unchecked, voltages would have risen high enough that home solar inverters would suddenly flick off en masse, leading to a sudden drop in supply and widespread blackouts. The same can happen in the case of short-term voltage dips. If a major generator goes offline and the grid voltage drops below set levels, thousands of home inverters can trip off suddenly in response, exacerbating the problem and causing blackouts.
Major blackout where large chunks of the grid goes offline at once are hard to come back from;
black starts are stressful and expensive
and avoided at all costs. Authorities are therefore taking measures to limit the chance of these problems in future. New installations are
mandated to have inverters that come with voltage ride-through protection
, allowing them to keep operating through voltage perturbations to avoid sudden shocks to the grid. Additionally,
inverters that can be remotely commanded by the electrical authority
are required, controlled over the Internet or via 4G data links. Substations are also being upgraded with improved voltage management hardware,
to allow suburbs with high penetration of rooftop solar to better export their energy to the wider grid.
Other measures can help, too. Grid storage batteries like
the Hornsdale Power Reserve
can help, by storing excess energy when available for later use when the solar demand is lower. Home batteries could become an excellent solution in these cases as well, allowing homeowners to make the most of their solar panel output even when the grid has had enough. These measures aren’t cheap at the moment, and home battery penetration is a fraction of that of solar,
but government subsidies are in place to boost uptake.
Home storage is best implemented in concert with grid control measures however, rather than alone, else thousands of home battery systems going offline at the same time could present the same risk as home solar currently does. Additionally, it’s not a panacea on its own – a long, bright week in summer could saturate home battery resources.
Such measures weren’t necessary when home solar first hit the market. The small number of homeowners with the hardware didn’t have enough generation capacity to sway the grid one way or the other. However, since the number of home generators has taken off, it’s become necessary to implement a way to command this huge resource. By implementing controls on home solar generators, it allows the electrical authority to make the most of the generation capacity, without placing the grid at risk of blackouts due to over- or undervoltage events. Having huge amounts of solar power is a great victory for renewable energy in the fight against climate change. However, investment will be required for the electrical grid to keep up if this new technology is going to be exploited to the fullest. If home solar generators are going to provide Australia with electricity, they’re going to have to work together. | 209 | 41 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347279",
"author": "Tom Greenhaw",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T14:10:17",
"content": "They should use the surplus power to desalinate seawater into a reservoir.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347288",
"author": "Rog Fa... | 1,760,373,091.005876 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/building-an-oxygen-concentrator-it-isnt-rocket-science/ | Building An Oxygen Concentrator: It Isn’t Rocket Science | Jenny List | [
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"COVID",
"india",
"M19 collective",
"oxygen",
"oxygen concentrator"
] | Back at the start of the pandemic, a variety of hacker designs for life-saving machinery may have pushed the boundaries of patient safety. There are good reasons that a ventilator must pass extensive safety testing and certification before it can be attached to a patient, because were it to in some way fail, the patient would die. A year later, we have many much safer and more realistic ways to use our skills as part of the effort.
Probably one of the most ambitious projects comes from a coalition of Indian hackerspaces who are adapting a proven oxygen concentrator for local manufacture. Among them is Hackaday’s own [Anool Mahidharia], who hosts
a Maker’s Asylum video (embedded below) explaining how the oxygen concentrator works
and how they can be made safely.
The team have proven their ability in manufacturing over the past year, here showing off the M19 motorised air purifying respirator.
An oxygen concentrator is both surprisingly simple and imbued with a touch of magic. At its center are two columns of zeolite, a highly porous aluminosilicate mineral that performs the task of a molecular sieve. When air is pumped into the column, the zeolite traps nitrogen, leaving the oxygen-enriched remnant to be supplied onwards. There are two such columns to allow each to be on an alternate cycle of enrichment or purging to remove the accumulated nitrogen.
The point of the video is to show that such a device can be constructed from readily available parts and with common tools; as the title says it isn’t rocket science. Concentrators produced by the hackerspace coalition won’t save the world on their own, but as a part of the combined effort they can provide a useful and reliable source of oxygen that will make a significant difference in a country whose oxygen distribution network is under severe strain.
We previously covered the Indian oxygen concentrator effort
when they launched the project.
Their website can be found on the Maker’s Asylum website
, and
their crowdfunding campaign can be found on the Indian crowdfunding platform, Ketto
. They have already proved their ability to coordinate large-scale manufacturing with their previous PPE and respirator projects, so please consider supporting them if you can. Meanwhile, we can’t help a twinge of space envy, from the fleeting glimpse of Maker’s Asylum in the video. | 41 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347247",
"author": "dingodreams",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T12:15:51",
"content": "Nitrogen? Surely you mean hydrogen, no?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6347301",
"author": "andarb",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T... | 1,760,373,090.528821 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/10/mobile-electronics-workstation-has-it-all-in-a-small-package/ | Mobile Electronics Workstation Has It All In A Small Package | Kristina Panos | [
"classic hacks",
"Lifehacks"
] | [
"component storage",
"electronics tools",
"part storage",
"storage",
"tool case"
] | Home is absolutely everything these days. Plenty of spaces around the abode have had to do double and triple duty as we navigate work, play, and everything in between. Although it’s been a great time to engage in hobbies and even find new ones, where exactly are we supposed put all the stuff that accumulates?
[Fabse89] needed a portable, usable solution for doing electronics work that could be easily packed away. They happened upon a tool case being thrown out, and repurposed it into
a great one-stop solution for whenever the urge to play with pixies strikes
.
[Fabse89] started by stripping the box out to the bare walls and modeling the inside in Fusion360. Then they built and cut an acrylic insert that holds two power supplies and a soldering station. There are fixed 5 V and 12 V outputs on one power supply, plus a variable supply that maxes out at 48 V.
When it came to tool storage options, [Fabse89] got lucky with a small, seldom-used set of plastic drawers that fits perfectly next to the power station. These hold all the small tools like flush cutters, pliers, and a de-soldering pump. The top section of the case folds back and is the perfect place for component storage boxes. We think this is a tidy solution and especially like that you don’t have to dismantle it to use it — can be used with everything in place and packed up quickly. We also like that the front lid pulls down into a makeshift table, so this really could go anywhere with mains power.
Acrylic not rugged enough for your tastes?
Here’s a DIY supply that doubles as a melee weapon
. | 13 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347209",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T09:09:47",
"content": "Here’s an interesting dilemma: if you make a portable bench, do you make it fold and stretch open to provide access and work area as well, or do you use it as a toolbox only?If you use it as a work bench, yo... | 1,760,373,091.057121 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/php-gets-a-demoscene-engine-of-its-very-own/ | PHP Gets A Demoscene Engine Of Its Very Own | Lewin Day | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"demoscene",
"php"
] | When we think demoscene, our first thought is typically of 80s computers, particularly the Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 which were widely regarded as the
awesomest
of their time. However, you can write a demo on any platform you wish,
and [OxABADCAFE] has done just that – in PHP.
Pretty, no?
Going by PDE, standing for Pointless, Portable, or PHP Demo Engine,
the code is available on GitHub for the curious.
The code is set up for RGB ASCII terminal output, for a beautifully old-school aesthetic. Demo sequences can be programmed in JSON files, with the code executing a default in-built demo if none is provided.
There’s no audio yet, so you’ll have to cool your thumping chiptune jets until that’s available in a later release. With that said, we look forward to more development expanding what can be done with the engine – after all,
there’s nothing more demoscene than pushing the limits
. Video after the break.
[Thanks to Useless Landline for the tip!] | 6 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347192",
"author": "Entropia",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T06:26:37",
"content": "I tried my hand at oldskool demoscene effects in PHP some 10 years ago. It’s not realtime though.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfgDSp3naqkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT3GJigwlPg",
"parent_id": ... | 1,760,373,092.976635 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/ello-is-a-tiny-computer-with-a-c-interpreter/ | Ello Is A Tiny Computer With A C — Interpreter? | Jenny List | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"C interpreter",
"c++",
"pic32mx",
"retrocomputer"
] | When we talk about a retrocomputer, it’s our normal practice to start with the hardware. But with [KnivD]’s
ELLO 1A
while the hardware is interesting enough it’s not the stand-out feature. We are all used to microcomputers with a BASIC interpreter, but how many have we seen with a C interpreter? The way C works simply doesn’t lend itself to anything but a compiler and linker, so even with a pared-down version of the language it still represents a significant feat to create a working interpreter.
The hardware centres around a PIC32MX, and has onboard SD card, VGA, sound, and a PS/2 keyboard port. The PCB is a clever design allowing construction with either through-hole or surface-mount components to allow maximum accessibility for less advanced solderers. Full information can be found
on the project’s website
, but sadly for those wanting an easy life only the PCB is as yet available for purchase.
We’re privileged to see a huge array of retrocomputing projects here at Hackaday, but while they’re all impressive pieces of work it’s rare for one to produce something truly unexpected. This C interpreter certainly isn’t something we’ve seen before, so we’re intrigued to see what projects develop around it. | 32 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347155",
"author": "Bruce Perens K6BP",
"timestamp": "2021-05-10T02:21:14",
"content": "To quote the developer: “Trumpeting about great hardware and then leave the user banging his or her head in the wall, and having to search the Internet every time they need to write something, g... | 1,760,373,092.872507 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/hackaday-links-may-9-2021/ | Hackaday Links: May 9, 2021 | Dan Maloney | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"ambulance",
"boston dynamics",
"Calibri",
"commodore",
"europe",
"font",
"fungus",
"hackaday links",
"mars",
"mushrooms",
"nypd",
"office",
"qr code",
"robot"
] | Well, that de-escalated quickly. It seems like no sooner than a paper was announced that purported to find
photographic evidence of fungi growing on Mars
, that the planetary science and exobiology community
came down on it like a ton of bricks
. As well they should — extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and while the photos that were taken by Curiosity and Opportunity sure seem to show something that looks a lot like a terrestrial puffball fungus, there are a lot of other, more mundane ways to explain these formations. Add to the fact that the lead author of the Martian mushroom paper is a known crackpot who once
sued NASA for running over fungi instead of investigating them
; the putative shrooms later turned out to be rocks, of course. Luckily, we have
a geobiology lab wandering around on Mars right now
, so if there is or was life on Mars, we’ll probably find out about it. You know, with evidence.
If you’re a fan of dystopic visions of a future where bloodthirsty robots relentlessly hunt down the last few surviving humans, the news that the New York Police Department
decided to stop using their “DigiDog” robot
will be a bit of a downer. The move stems from outrage generated by politicians and citizens alike, who dreamt up all sorts of reasons why the NYPD shouldn’t be using this tool. And use it they apparently did — the original Boston Dynamics yellow showing through the many scuffs and dings in the NYPD blue paint job means this little critter has seen some stuff since it hit the streets in late 2020. And to think — that robot dog was only a few weeks away from filing its retirement papers.
Attention, Commodore fans based in Europe:
the Commodore Users Europe event
is coming soon. June 12, to be precise. As has become traditional, the event is virtual, but it’s free and they’re looking for presenters.
In a bid to continue the grand Big Tech tradition of knowing what’s best for everyone, Microsoft just announced that
Calibri would no longer be the default font in Office products
. And here’s the fun part: we all get to decide what the new default font will be, at least ostensibly. The font wonks at Microsoft have created five new fonts, and you can vote for your favorite on social media. The font designers all wax eloquent on their candidates, and there are somewhat stylized examples of each new font, but what’s lacking is a simple way to judge what each font would actually look like on a page of English text. Whatever happened to “The quick brown fox” or even a little bit of “Lorem ipsum”?
And finally, why are German ambulances — and apparently, German medics — covered in QR codes? Apparently, it’s a way to
fight back against digital rubberneckers
. The video below is in German, but the gist is clear: people love to stop and take pictures of accident scenes, and smartphones have made this worse, to the point that emergency personnel have trouble getting through to give aid. And that’s not to mention the invasion of privacy; very few accident victims are really at their best at that moment, and taking pictures of them is beyond rude. Oh, and it’s illegal, punishable by up to two years in jail. The idea with the QR codes is to pop up a website with a warning to the rubbernecker. Our German is a bit rusty, but we’re pretty sure that translates to, “Hey idiot, get back in your frigging car!” Feel free to correct us on that.
[Editor’s note: “Stop. Rubbernecking kills”.] | 17 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347139",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T23:24:26",
"content": "“And that’s not to mention the invasion of privacy; very few accident victims are really at their best at that moment, and taking pictures of them is beyond rude. Oh, and it’s illegal, punishable by up t... | 1,760,373,092.633078 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/artwork-spans-fifty-years-of-display-technology/ | Artwork Spans Fifty Years Of Display Technology | Chris Lott | [
"Art"
] | [
"art",
"display technology",
"flip-dot",
"outdoor display"
] | Swiss artist and designer [Jürg Lehni] was commissioned to create an artwork called
Four Transitions
which has been installed in the
HeK (House of electronics Arts)
in Basel. This piece visually depicts the changes in technologies used by public information displays, such as those in airports and train stations. As the title of the installation suggests, four different technologies are represented:
Flip-Dot, early 1960s, 15 each 7 x 7 modules arrayed into a 21 x 35 pixel panel
LCD, 1970s and 1980s, two each 36 x 52 modules arrayed into 52 x 76 pixel panel
LED, 2000s, six each 16 x 16 RGB modules arrayed into a 32 x 48 pixel panel
TFT, current, one 24 inch module, 1200 x 1920 pixel panel
The final work is quite striking, but equally interesting is the
summary of the the design and construction process
that [Jürg] provides on Twitter. We hope he expands this into a future, more detailed writeup — if only to learn about reverse engineering the 20 year old LCD controller whose designer was in retirement. His tweets also gives us a tantalizing glimpse into the software, controllers, and interconnections used to drive all these displays. There is quite a lot of interesting engineering going on in the background, and we look forward to future documentation from [Jürg].
You may recognize [Jürg] as the creator of
Hektor, a graffiti output device
from 2002 which we’ve referenced over the years in Hackaday. Check out the short video below of the displays in operation, and be sure to unmute the volume so you can listen to the satisfying sound of 735 flip-dots changing state. [Jürg] also gives in interview about the project in the second video below. Thanks to [Niklas Roy] for sending in the tip about this most interesting exhibition. | 20 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347119",
"author": "Lee Hart",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T21:13:38",
"content": "What; no CRTs? They were the most common displays in the airports and train stations I’ve visited.Also, no incandescent lamp dot-matrix displays. These were the oldest display technique I recall seeing."... | 1,760,373,092.929976 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/air-assist-analysis-reveals-most-effective-and-quietest-methods/ | Air-Assist Analysis Reveals Most Effective — And Quietest — Methods | Dan Maloney | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"air assist",
"air flow",
"compressor",
"laser cutter",
"lens",
"mirror",
"pump",
"residue",
"smoke"
] | If there’s one thing that continues to impress us about the Hackaday community as the years roll by, it’s the willingness to share what we’ve learned with each other. Not every discovery will be news to everyone, and everything won’t be helpful or even interesting to everyone, but the mere act of sharing on the off chance that it’ll help someone else is really what sets the hardware hacking world apart.
Case in point:
this in-depth analysis of laser cutter air-assist methods
. Undertaken by [David Tucker], this project reads more like a lab writeup than a build log, because well, that’s pretty much what it is. For those not into laser cutters, an air assist is just a steady flow of air to blow smoke and cutting residue away from the beam path and optics of a laser cutter. It’s simple, but critical; without it, smoke can obscure and reflect the laser beam, foul lenses and mirrors, and severely degrade cut quality.
To see what air-assist methods work best, [David] looked at four different air pumps and compressors, along with a simple fan. Each of these methods was compared to a control of cuts made without air assist. The test was simple: a series of parallel lines cut into particle board with the beam focused on the surface at 80% power, with the cut speed slowly decreasing. It turned out that any air-assist was better than nothing, with the conspicuous exception of using just a fan, which made things worse. Helpfully, [David] included measurements of the noise levels of the compressors he tested, and found there’s no advantage to using an ear-splitting shop compressor over a quieter aquarium air pump. Plus, the aquarium pumps are cheap — always a bonus.
Not sure how to get up to speed with lasers?
Laser Cutting 101
might be a great place to start. | 19 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347092",
"author": "Yeshua Watson",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T18:15:30",
"content": "The 1/6 HP Airbrush Compressor from Harbor Freight with a regulator on the K40 has been my go to although the regulator is so wide that it makes it useless. But with a quick connect I can throw the ... | 1,760,373,093.214631 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/polyphony-on-a-tiny-scale/ | Polyphony On A Tiny Scale | Jenny List | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"capacitive touch",
"organ",
"polyphonic"
] | Older readers may remember the Stylophone, a small battery powered electric organ using conductive PCB pads and a stylus to create notes. The simple multivibrators in those instruments made them monophonic, but here in 2021 we can do better than that! [Sjm4306] has gone the extra mile with a PCB organ,
by making a capacitive-touch instrument that boasts four-note polyphony
.
At its heart is an ATmega328p whose software sports four tone generators that each emerge on a different pin. These are summed using a set of 100 Ω resistors and fed to a tiny speaker. Power comes from a CR2032 lithium cell, and he notes that a higher voltage delivers more volume.
The full story is detailed in the video below the break, along with a bit of four-note polyphonic action. We’re guessing that
this instrument would sound sensational when hooked up to a reverb unit
. | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347098",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T18:55:14",
"content": "Hmm, I wonder how software-based tone generation would compare with hardware-based on this platform.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6347101",
"a... | 1,760,373,092.674766 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/fix-your-nokias-white-screen-of-death/ | Fix Your Nokia’s White Screen Of Death | Jenny List | [
"Phone Hacks"
] | [
"bluepill",
"N-Gage",
"nokia",
"symbian"
] | Today the Nokia brand can be found on a range of well-screwed-together Androind phones and a few feature phones, but as older readers will remember that before their descent into corporate chaos and the Windows Phone wilderness, there was once a time when the Finnish manufacturer dominated the mobile phone landscape and produced some of the most innovative and creative handset designs ever created. It’s for some of these that [Michael Fitzmayer]
has done some work providing tools revive the devices from an unfortunate bricking
.
The N-Gage was the phone giant’s attempt to produce a handset that doubled as a handheld game console, and though it was a commercial failure at the time it has retained a following among enthusiasts. The flaw comes as its Symbian operating system fills its user partition, at which point the infamous “White Screen Of Death” occurs as the device can no longer reboot. Rewriting the flash chip used to be handled by Nokia service tools, but these can no longer be found. His fix substitutes a “Blue pill” STMF103-based dev board that connects to the Nokia FBus serial port and does its job. It’s possible that it could be used on other Symbian devices, but for now it’s only been tested on the N-Gages.
It’s easy to forget when a smartphone is defined by iOS and Android, that Symbian gave us a smartphone experience for the previous decade. For those of us who still pine for their miniaturised Carl Zeiss Tessar cameras and candybar form factors, it’s good to see them receiving some love.
Thanks [Razvan] for the tip. | 17 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347046",
"author": "2ftg",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T11:56:32",
"content": "FBus tools in general will likely help hobbyists with Nokias.No need to hunt down old service tools if some FOSS variant can be built easily.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,373,092.733179 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/09/a-midi-controller-from-a-twister-mat/ | A MIDI Controller — From A Twister Mat? | Jenny List | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"force sensitive resistor",
"midi",
"twister"
] | Twister, the mildly embarrassing but strangely enjoyable floor contortion game that most of us have vague youthful memories of from Christmas parties. Could a Twister mat be used as an input device? [
Guy Dupont
]
took those 24 coloured dots and made just that
, after a conversation with a friend.
Wiring up a floor-sized plastic mat isn’t as easy as it might seem, and early experiments with copper foil and capacitive touch sensor chips proved to be a failure. The replacement came in the form of force sensitive resistors, read by a brace of MCP3008 multiplexed analogue-to-digital converters. These are then read by an ESP32 that does all the MIDI magic. We’re treated in the video below the break to full details including the entertaining sight of him playing Twister to a beat, prompted by a robotic-voiced random move generator, and we can see that this devices has some potential.
We’ve not seen another Twister mat before, but force sensitive resistors have made an appearance in
a much higher-resolution array
. It’s
the LED floor game controller
that has us going though. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6347108",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T19:44:54",
"content": "“Hey, what happened to Bob?”“He broke his pelvis trying to play ‘Mary had a little lamb’.”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6347269",
"author": ... | 1,760,373,093.064942 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/calibrating-a-vna-the-proper-way/ | Calibrating A VNA The Proper Way | Jenny List | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"calibration",
"termination",
"vna"
] | Those of us who have bought cheap TinyVNA devices for our RF experimentation will be used to the calibration procedure involving short-circuit, 50 Ω, and open terminations, followed by a direct connection between ports. We do this with a kit of parts supplied with the device, and it makes it ready for our measurements. What we may not fully appreciate at the level of owning such a basic instrument though, is that the calibration process for much higher-quality instruments requires parts made to a much higher specification than the cheap ones from our TinyVNA.
Building a set of these high-quality parts is a path that [James Wilson] has taken
, and in doing so he presents a fascinating discussion of VNA calibration and the construction of standard RF transmission line components.
We particularly like the way that after constructing his short, load and open circuit terminations using high-quality SMA sockets, he put a custom brass fitting 3D printed by Shapeways on the end of each to make them easier to handle while preserving their RF integrity. If we’d bought a set of terminations looking like these ones as commercial products we would be happy with their quality, but the real test lay in their performance. Thanks to a friend he was able to get them tested on instruments with much heftier price tags, and found them to be not far short of the simulation and certainly acceptable within his 3 GHz range.
Curious about VNAs at the affordable end of the spectrum?
We took a look at the TinyVNA
, which while it is something of a toy is still good enough for lower frequency measurements. | 16 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346991",
"author": "Magpie",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T05:34:38",
"content": "I don’t really see the benefit of DIY your own calibrators, when the BOM seems to be going over 50$, considering what the NanoVNA costs from china. The most interesting part is definately the 50 Ohm load r... | 1,760,373,093.027794 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/finally-an-inexpensive-route-to-digital-radio-listening/ | Finally An Inexpensive Route To Digital Radio Listening | Jenny List | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"digital radio",
"digital radio mondiale"
] | An inexorable trend over the last decade or more has been the exodus of AM radio stations from the low frequency and HF broadcast bands. The bandwidth and thus audio quality at these frequencies puts them at a disadvantage against FM and internet streamed services, and the long-distance advantage of HF has been reduced by easy online access to overseas content. The world has largely moved on from these early-20th-century technologies, leaving them ever more a niche service.
Happily for medium- and long-wave enthusiasts there is a solution to their decline, in the form of DRM, or Digital Radio Mondiale, a digital scheme that delivers cleaner audio and a range of other services in the same space as a standard-sized AM channel. DRM receivers are somewhat rare and usually not cheap though, so news of
an Android app DRM receiver from Starwaves
is very interesting indeed.
DRM
uses a licensed encoding scheme from the Fraunhofer Institute, and this product follows on from a line of hardware DRM receivers that Starwave have developed using their technology. It uses the Android device as a front-end for any of a number of SDR receivers, including the popular RTL-SDR series. It supports the VHF variant of DRM, though we’re guessing that since the best chance of finding a DRM channel for experimentation is on HF that an RTL-SDR with the HF modification will be required. We think it’s an interesting development because the growth of DRM is a chicken-and-egg situation where there must be enough receivers in the wild for broadcasters to consider it viable. | 30 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346975",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-05-09T02:17:47",
"content": "In a world of plenty there’s also the matter of worthy content making it desirable for the public to invest in this new hardware.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,373,092.801439 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/leap-motion-controls-hands-with-no-glove/ | Leap Motion Controls Hands With No Glove | Al Williams | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Kinect hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"animatronic",
"animatronic hand",
"hand",
"Leap motion",
"leap motion controller",
"robot hand",
"servo"
] | It isn’t uncommon to see a robot hand-controlled with a glove to mimic a user’s motion. [All Parts Combined] has a different method. Using a Leap Motion controller, he can r
ecord hand motions with no glove
and then play them back to the robot hand at will. You can see the project in the video, below.
The project seems straightforward enough, but apparently, the Leap documentation isn’t the best. Since he worked it out, though, you might find the
code useful
.
An 8266 runs everything, although you could probably get by with less. The Leap provides more data than the hand has servos, so there was a bit of algorithm development.
We picked up a few tips about building flexible fingers using heated vinyl tubing. Never know when that’s going to come in handy — no pun intended. The cardboard construction isn’t going to be pretty, but a glove cover works well. You could probably 3D print something, too.
The Unity app will drive the hand live or can playback one of the five recorded routines. You can see how the record and playback work on the video.
This reminded us of another
robot hand
project, this one 3D printed. We’ve seen
more traditional robot arms
moving with a Leap before, too. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,373,093.250942 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/mits-new-robot-brushes-your-hair/ | MIT’s Hair-Brushing Robot Untangles Difficult Robotics Problem | Kristina Panos | [
"Lifehacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"closed loop control",
"elder care",
"force feedback",
"hair brushing",
"mit csail",
"robot arm",
"wigsphere"
] | Whether you care to admit it or not, hair is important to self-image, and not being able to deal with it yourself feels like a real loss of independence. To help people with limited mobility,
researchers at MIT CSAIL have created a hair-brushing robot
that combines a camera with force feedback and closed-loop control to adjust to any hair type from straight to curly on the fly. They achieved this by examining hair as double helices of soft fibers and developed a mathematical model to untangle them much like a human would — by working from the bottom up.
It may look like a hairbrush strapped to a robot arm, but there’s more to it than that. Before it ever starts brushing, the robot’s camera takes a picture that gets cropped down to a rectangle of pure hair data. This image is converted to grayscale, and then the program analyzes the x/y image gradients. The straighter the hair, the more edges it has in the x-direction, whereas curly hair is more evenly distributed. Finally, the program computes the ratio of straightness to curliness, and uses this number to set the pain threshold.
The brush is equipped with sensors that measure the forces being exerted on the hair and scalp as it’s being brushed, and compares this input to a baseline established by a human who used it to brush their own hair. We think it would be awesome if the robot could grasp the section of hair first so the person can’t feel the pull against their scalp, and start by brushing out the ends before brushing from the scalp down, but we admit that would be asking a lot. Maybe they could get it to respond to exclamations like ‘ow’ and ‘ouch’. Human trials are still in the works. For now, watch it gently brush out various wigs after the break.
Even though we have wavy hair that tangles quite easily, we would probably let this robot brush our hair.
But this haircut robot?
We’re not that brave. | 12 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346950",
"author": "Phil the slaphead",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T21:53:18",
"content": "If only I had hair.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346953",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T22:25... | 1,760,373,093.493 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/using-canopy-to-visualize-the-can-bus/ | Using CanoPy To Visualize The CAN Bus | Stephen Ogier | [
"car hacks",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"CAN",
"can-bus",
"canbus",
"car hacking",
"ICSim",
"reverse engineering"
] | As cars have become more sophisticated electronically, understanding the CAN bus that forms the backbone of automotive digital systems has become more and more important for hacking cars. Inexpensive microcontroller CAN interfaces have made obtaining the raw CAN bus traffic trivial, but interpreting that traffic can be pretty challenging. In order to more easily visualize CAN traffic, [TJ Bruno] has developed
CanoPy, a Python tool for visualizing CAN messages in real time.
A basic PC CAN interface simply dumps the bus’s message traffic into the terminal, while more sophisticated tools organize messages by the address of their intended recipients. Both of these approaches digitally lift the hood and let you examine what your car is thinking, but the wall-of-numbers approach makes finding the patterns that hold the keys to reverse engineering difficult. Automatically plotting the data with CanoPy makes finding correlations much easier, after which the text-based tools can be used to focus in on a few specific addresses.
CanoPy being used to identify the speedometer’s CAN activity.
If you’d like to try CanoPy out for yourself,
[TJ] has shared it on GitHub
. You may also remember [TJ] from his
previous guide to hacking CAN with Arduino
. | 11 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346896",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T17:25:23",
"content": "Isn’t one of the problems with OBD-II is encrypted messages?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346922",
"author": "Col_Panek",
"tim... | 1,760,373,093.337406 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/reinventing-the-wheel/ | Reinventing The Wheel | Elliot Williams | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants",
"Slider"
] | [
"invention",
"learning",
"newsletter",
"reinvention"
] | You’ve got a perfectly working software library to do just exactly what you want. Why aren’t you using it? Some of you are already yelling something about
NIH syndrome
or reinventing the wheel — I hear you. But at least sometimes, there’s a good enough reason to reinvent the wheel: let’s say you want to learn something.
Mike and I were talking about a cool hack on the podcast: a library that
makes a floppy drive work with an Arduino
, and even builds out a minimalistic DOS for it. The one thing that [David Hansel] didn’t do by himself was write the FAT library; he used the ever-popular
FatFS
by [Elm-ChaN]. Mike casually noted that he’s always wanted to write his own FAT library from scratch, just to learn how it works at the fundamental level, and I didn’t even bat an eyelash. Heck, if I had the time, I’d want to do that too!
Look around on Hackaday, and you’ll see tons of hacks where people reinvent the wheel. In this
superb soundbar hack
, [Michal] spends a while working on the IR protocol by hand until succumbing to
the call of IRMP
, a library that has it all done for you. But if you read his writeup, he’s not sad; he learned something about IR protocols. This
I2C paper tape reader
is nothing if not a reinvention of the I2C wheel, but isn’t that the best way to learn?
Yes it is. Think back to the last class you took. The teacher or professor certainly explained something to you in reasonable detail — that’s the job after all. And then you got some homework to do by yourself, and you did it, even though you were probably just going over the same stuff that the prof and countless others have gone through. But by doing it yourself, even though it was “reinventing the wheel”, you learned the material. And I’d wager that you wouldn’t have learned it without.
Of course, when the chips are down and the deadline is breathing hot down your neck, that might be the right time to just include that tried-and-true library. But if you really want to learn something yourself, you have every right to reinvent the wheel.
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
! | 62 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346847",
"author": "Rogfanther",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T14:09:22",
"content": "And do not forget that , sometimes, that wheel looks like a hexagon, and with some thinking and work, one can devise a better, rounder one.In the venue of the article and code libraries, just because t... | 1,760,373,093.437734 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/automate-your-poultry-with-coopcommand/ | Automate Your Poultry With CoopCommand | Jenny List | [
"green hacks"
] | [
"animal welfare",
"chickens",
"farming",
"hens",
"poultry"
] | A fresh egg taken from beneath a slumbering hen is something to which the taste of a supermarket equivalent rarely compares. The satisfaction of having a contented flock does come at a price though, in the form of constant monitoring and husbandry of your poultry’s well-being. It’s a problem that
[hms-11] has tried to address with CoopCommand
, a system to automate the monitoring of and environment within a chicken coop. It controls a light to counteract for shorter winter days, warms their water when it’s cold, has a fan for cooling and ventilation on hot days, and a camera to keep any eye on them.
At its heart is an ATmega328 controlling the coop functions, and an ESP32 camera board for network connectivity and visual monitoring. An alphanumeric LCD and a set or buttons provide the interface, and all is fitted on a custom PCB in a smart 3D-printed housing. Meanwhile all the files
can be found in a GitHub repository
.
A machine cannot replace human care and attention when it comes to good animal husbandry, as there’s always an essential need for the poultry owner to attend to the needs of their charges. But a system like this one can make an important contribution to their welfare, with a consequent increase in their laying ability. | 24 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346827",
"author": "Phil",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T11:05:18",
"content": "No anti-fox turrets?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6346828",
"author": "Jabberwock",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T11:11:46",
"content": "There... | 1,760,373,093.554979 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/08/a-dutch-city-gets-a-e600000-fine-for-wifi-tracking/ | A Dutch City Gets A €600,000 Fine For WiFi Tracking | Jenny List | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"eu",
"Netherlands",
"privacy",
"wifi tracking"
] | It’s not often that events in our sphere of technology hackers have ramifications for an entire country or even a continent, but there’s
a piece of news from the Netherlands
(Dutch language,
machine translation
) that has the potential to do just that.
Enschede is an unremarkable but pleasant city in the east of the country, probably best known to international Hackaday readers as the home of
the UTwente webSDR
and for British readers as being the first major motorway junction we pass in the Netherlands when returning home from events in Germany. Not the type of place you’d expect to rock a continent, but the news concerns the city’s municipality. They’ve been caught tracking their citizens using WiFi, and since this contravenes Dutch privacy law they’ve been fined €600,000 (about $723,000) by the Netherlands data protection authorities.
The full story of how this came to pass comes from Dave Borghuis
(Dutch language,
machine translation
) of the
TkkrLab hackerspace
, who first brought the issue to the attention of the municipality in 2017. On his website he has
a complete timeline
(Dutch,
machine translation
), and in the article he delves into some of the mechanics of WiFi tracking. He’s at pains to make the point that the objective was always only to cause the WiFi tracking to end, and that the fine comes only as a result of the municipality’s continued intransigence even after being alerted multiple times to their being on the wrong side of privacy law.
The city’s response
(Dutch,
machine translation
) is a masterpiece of the PR writer’s art which boils down to their stating that they were only using it to count the density of people across the city.
The events in Enschede are already having a knock-on effect in the rest of the Netherlands as other municipalities race to ensure compliance and turn off any offending trackers, but perhaps more importantly they have the potential to reverberate throughout the entire European Union as well. | 53 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346803",
"author": "Artenz",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T08:22:09",
"content": "City council makes a mistake, but the fine gets paid with public tax money.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346804",
"author": "GGManiack",... | 1,760,373,093.94723 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/this-pov-clock-combines-a-nixie-with-a-pendulum/ | This POV Clock Combines A Nixie With A Pendulum | Dan Maloney | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"clock",
"IN-12b",
"nixie",
"pendulum",
"persistence of vision",
"POV"
] | Talk about your mixed timekeeping metaphors: there are clocks, and pendulum clocks, and there are Nixie clocks, and persistence of vision clocks. But this is
a Nixie pendulum POV clock
, and we think it’s pretty cool.
We first spied this on
Twitter
and were subsequently pleased to learn that [Jayzon Oeve] has posted a more detailed build log over on Hackaday.io. Rather than a moving array of dots to create the characters to display, this uses a single IN-12b Nixie tube at the end of a pendulum. The pendulum is kept moving by a small nudge created by a pulse through a fixed hard drive voice coil acting on a magnet affixed to the bottom of the pendulum —
we’ve seen a similar approach used before
.
Pretty much all of the electronics are mounted on the pendulum arm, including a Nano, an RTC, and an accelerometer to figure out where in the swing the bob is and when to flash a number on the display. There’s a video below that shows it at work both at full speed and in slow-motion; as always with POV clocks, these things probably look better in person than on video. And while swinging Nixies around like that seems a little dicey, we like the way this turned out. | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346783",
"author": "Hari Wiguna",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T05:19:19",
"content": "Cool idea!It must be a very delicate balance to turn on each digit long enough so it’s visible but short enough so it won’t be a complete blur!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": ... | 1,760,373,093.858848 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/the-fine-structure-constant-in-a-blink/ | The Fine Structure Constant In A Blink | Al Williams | [
"Science"
] | [
"electrons",
"fine structure constant",
"physics"
] | Electronics is really an applied branch of physics, so it isn’t surprising that if you are serious about your electronics, you probably know a little physics, too. If you’ve ever heard the term
“fine structure constant”
and weren’t entirely sure what it means, [Parth G] wants to explain it to you in about a minute. His video explanation appears below.
You may know that the constant, often represented by α, is approximately 1/137, but what does that mean? The answer relates to the orbit of electrons. You might remember from school that electrons orbit in shells around the nucleus. That is, an atom might have some electrons in the innermost shell, and more electrons in an outer shell.
As it turns out, if you look close enough, each of these shells is further divided into subshells, each with a discrete energy level. These subshells are the fine structure the constant refers to.
Each subshell is spaced a bit apart from the adjacent subshells in the same main shell. How far apart? The distance depends on the square of the product of the number of protons in the nucleus and — you guessed it — the fine structure constant.
Granted, maybe you need to know a little more about the fine structure constant, and that’s probably why the video is marked part one. But if you like little bite-sized chunks of physics, [Parth’s] channel has plenty including
how to solve Schrödinger’s Equation
and intuition about
vector calculus operators
. Typical of a physicist, [Parth] even tells us that
Ohm’s law isn’t as simple
as we think it is, although in real life, it almost always is.
We have a soft spot for people who can make
physics more relatable
. Or anyone, really, who wants to teach the true
understanding of math and science
instead of just rote formulae. | 8 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346790",
"author": "Drone",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T06:13:25",
"content": "This is my favorite expression for the Fine-Structure Constant, there are a handful of others. But as an EE my bias is showing. Let’s see if this will post intact in WP Jetpack, even without pre. It looks O... | 1,760,373,093.755337 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/knex-pinball-machine-is-a-playable-work-of-art/ | K’nex Pinball Machine Is A Playable Work Of Art | Kristina Panos | [
"Games"
] | [
"DIY pinball",
"knex",
"MaKey MaKey",
"pinball"
] | It’s really a wonder that we missed this one, what with all the extra time in front of a computer we’ve had over the last year or so. But better late than never, we always say, so behold, (a little at a time, because there’s quite a lot to look at),
[Tyler Bower]’s pinball machine built entirely from K’nex
.
Where do we even start? This is a full-size pinball machine, as in 7′ tall, 5′ long, and 3′ wide. [Tyler] estimates that it’s made from about 16,000 pieces, or around 73 pounds of plastic, much of which was obtained locally and is secondhand. Many of those pieces make up the ten drill motor-driven chain lifts in the back — these move the ball through the machine after it goes through one of the track triggers and return it to the playfield in various delightful ways.
Speaking of ways to score, there are nine of them total, and some are harder to get to than others. They all involve some really amazing K’nex movement, and each one uses aluminum foil switches to trigger scoring through a MaKey MaKey.
Of course there’s a multi-ball mode, but our favorite has to be the trap door in the playfield that gets you to the mini pinball game in the upper left, because only the best pinball games have some kind of mini game. Either that, or our favorite is the rotating arm that swings around gracefully and drops the ball on a track. Anyway, all nine elements are explored in the video after the break, which frankly we could watch on repeat. If you’re hungry for more details, there’s quite a bit of info in the description.
The only thing this machine is missing is a tilt switch, but as you’ll see in the video, it would probably get triggered quite often. Is this somehow not cool enough for you?
Here’s a slightly bigger K’nex ball machine that doesn’t seem to move as much
, but also isn’t a full freaking pinball machine complete with meta game.
Thanks for the tip, [Itay]! | 12 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346744",
"author": "Howard",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T23:22:31",
"content": "That’s an impressive build. Designing a game with more than just targets but with actual game play is hard enough, but then building it in Knex is wicked cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,373,093.814001 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/a-trip-down-the-vacuum-clamping-rabbit-hole/ | A Trip Down The Vacuum Clamping Rabbit Hole | Dan Maloney | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"BMP280",
"clamping",
"pressure",
"vacuum",
"wood"
] | We all know how easy it is to fall down the rabbit hole, something that turns a seemingly simple job into an accidental journey of experimentation and discovery. And perhaps nobody is more prone to rabbit-holing than [Matthias Wandel], at least judging by
his recent foray into quantitating different techniques for vacuum clamping in the woodshop
. (Video, embedded below.)
To understand where this all came from, you’ll have to dial back to
[Matthias]’s first video
, where he was just trying to make a simple corkboard. In an effort to get even pressure over the whole surface of the board, he came up with a shop-expedient vacuum clamp, made from a sheet of thick plastic, some scraps of wood and clamps, and a couple of vacuums. With the workpiece sandwiched between a smooth, flat table and the plastic sheet, he was able to suck the air out and apply a tremendous amount of force to the corkboard.
The comments to the first video led to the one linked below, wherein [Matthias] aimed to explore some of the criticisms of his approach. Using a quartet of BMP280 pressure sensor breakout boards and a Raspberry Pi, he was able to nicely chart the pressure inside his clamping jig. He found that not only did the sensors make it easy to find and fix leaks, they also proved that adding a porous layer between the workpiece and the vacuum bag wouldn’t likely improve clamping. He was also able to show which of his collection of vacuums worked best — unsurprisingly, the Miele sucked the hardest, although he found that it wasn’t suitable for continuous clamping duty.
We can see a lot of uses for a jig like this, and we really like it when trips down the rabbit hole yield such interesting results. Especially quantitative results; remember
[Matthias]’s exploration of basement humidity
? | 6 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346719",
"author": "Canoe",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T20:55:46",
"content": "If the plastic bag is taped down to the table around its edges, sealing it to the table (assuming the table surface is smooth enough to get a good seal), that may work better.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,373,094.040931 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/homemade-metal-band-saw/ | Homemade Metal Band Saw | Danie Conradie | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"band saw",
"metal working",
"workshop from scratch"
] | As the channel name implies, [Workshop From Scratch] is building a growing list of tools and machines from scratch. His latest edition is a heavy-duty
metal band saw
.
As with all his tools, the frame consists of thick welded steel components. The blade runs on a pair of modified belt pulleys and is driven by a motor with a worm gearbox. The blade tension is adjustable, and so are the pair of blade guides. To slowly lower the blade while cutting, [Workshop From Scratch] added a hydraulic piston with an adjustable valve to limit the lowering speed. When it reaches the bottom, a limit switch turns off the motor. The saw is mounted on a heavy steel table and can rotate at the base to cut at different angles. A heavy-duty vise, also built from scratch holds the workpieces securely in place.
Judging by the amount of steel he cuts for his projects, we imagine this saw will be a welcome addition to the shop. It’s impressive what he is able to build with just a drill, angle grinder, and welder. Many of the other tools used in the video, like the
magnetic drill press
and
hydraulic vise
are also his handiwork. | 16 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346696",
"author": "scott.tx",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T19:04:01",
"content": "builds machine shop tool with fully equipped machine shop… from scratch!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346709",
"author": "Soc Rat",
... | 1,760,373,093.996079 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/how-to-build-a-turbo-car-the-cheap-90s-way/ | How To Build A Turbo Car The Cheap, 90s Way | Lewin Day | [
"car hacks",
"Featured",
"Slider"
] | [
"automotive",
"car",
"cars",
"Fuel injection",
"turbo",
"turbocharger"
] | If you want to coax more power out of your car’s engine, a turbocharger is a great way to go about it. Taking waste energy from the exhaust and using it to cram more air into the engine, they’re one of the best value ways to make big gains in horsepower.
However, unlike simpler mods like a bigger exhaust or a mild cam swap, a turbocharger install on a naturally aspirated, fuel-injected engine often requires a complete replacement of the engine management system, particularly on older cars. This isn’t cheap, leaving many to stick to turbocharging cars with factory tuneable ECUs, or to give up altogether. In the 1990s, aftermarket ECUs were even more expensive, leading many to avoid them altogether. Instead, enthusiasts used creative hacks to make their turbo builds a reality on the cheap, and there’s little stopping you from doing the very same today.
Fuel and Timing
The best solution is to use an aftermarket ECU for full control over fuel and timing, but this can be cost prohibitive.
The reason a turbocharger install typically necessitates an engine management overhaul is due to the need to vastly change the engine’s fuel and timing map. A stock, naturally aspirated (NA) engine with fuel injection can measure the incoming airflow and load on the engine, and uses this information to determine the correct amount of fuel to inject and when to fire the sparkplugs.
However, with a turbocharger installed, the pressure in the intake, which is usually below atmospheric pressure for an NA engine, becomes positive under boosted conditions, and this can completely confuse a stock ECU. At best, it reverts to an “open loop” control method, ignoring its pressure or airflow readings into the engine. This uses a base table to decide how much fuel to inject and when to fire the ignition, based on engine RPM and throttle position only. With the turbocharger forcing much more air into the engine than expected by the ECU, the air/fuel ratio will be severely lean, likely leading to detonation, in which the air/fuel charge in the cylinder detonates instead of burning at a smooth constant rate. This can damage or destroy an engine in short order.
A typical rising rate fuel pressure regulator. The two ports on the back are the fuel inlet and outlet, while the port on the front is the boost reference, connected to the intake manifold.
Thus, to properly run a turbocharger on a formerly naturally aspirated car, it’s necessary to inject more fuel to match the added air forced into the intake. This is where the power gains come from, after all. The best way to do this is by using a custom ECU that allows full control over the fuel and timing maps. This allows the engine to be tuned to deliver optimum performance right up against the limits of detonation and damage, and provides solid, repeatable performance. However, there are other more rudimentary ways to get the job done — increasing fuel flow and controlling timing — without going to the trouble of a full ECU replacement.
Fuel-wise, the cheap, low-tech solution is known as a rising-rate fuel regulator. Such a regulator increases the pressure in the fuel rail in proportion with the boost level. This is often done at a ratio — for example, a 10:1 rising rate regulator will deliver an extra 10psi of fuel pressure for every 1 psi of boost. The higher pressure causes the injectors to deliver more fuel for the same duty cycle. This makes it possible to increase fuel flow into the engine as the turbocharger spools up and delivers boost without having to make any changes to the fuel map in the stock ECU. These devices can be had cheaply, often with a variety of swappable diaphragms to change the ratio and tune the fuel delivery somewhat, though with far less finesse than a properly tuned fuel map.
The Apexi Super-ITC was a popular ignition timing controller from the 1990s. The high cost of aftermarket ECUs in this time period led to the popularity of such “piggyback” solutions.
Timing-wise, there are a few options available to avoid detonation. On cars where such adjustment is available, the cheapest method is to simply wind down the base timing of the engine to a lower level. This will keep timing lower across the board, hopefully avoiding detonation when running at high RPM and high boost levels. However, this means that at lower RPM and lower load situations, the car will be running with suboptimal timing, and will sacrifice power and drivability and likely cause the engine to idle poorly. This can be acceptable for cheap race builds, but may be frustrating for a street driven car.
Alternatively, a timing box, or ignition timing controller, can be wired into the car. These consist of a microcontroller that monitors signals like intake air temperature, RPM, engine position and boost. When the timing box detects boost, it intercepts signals from engine position sensors and spoofs them back to the ECU, offset so as to change the time at which the ECU triggers the ignition pulses. Popular models include the Bipes ACU for the Mazda Miata, and the
Apexi S-ITC
for a broad spectrum of JDM cars. Often, these timing boxes were also used to tune turbocharged cars running larger turbos and other major upgrades. Timing boxes usually offer some degree of tuning via DIP switches, LED displays, and knobs, which can be set to determine the exact level of timing retard desired to keep the engine out of detonation.
ECU Swaps Have Become the Preferred Hack
One thing you’ll notice when researching these devices is that the vast majority of forum posts regarding the technology date from before 2005. This is because as technology has progressed, aftermarket ECUs have come down in price enough to make them a more attractive option. The capability to properly dial in a fuel and timing map, versus trying to push and prod a stock ECU into delivering huge amounts of extra fuel and less timing, generally leads to a car that drives smoother, more reliably, and is less likely to blow up. It also is a lot easier to tune. However, these parts still have a place in the scene. They’re used for the absolute lowest-budget builds,
such as the Broke and Boosted project,
or
in racing series like the 24 Hours of Lemons which feature restrictive budget limits.
These techniques are also relevant to supercharging NA engines, as well as turbo builds on carburetted engines, though substituting rising rate regulators for
boost-referenced carburettors
and timing interceptors for
boost-ready ignition systems
.
A modern engine management system may be the most reliable, accurate way to tune a boosted engine, but it’s not the only way. However, don’t expect to get much help from the broader automotive community if you attempt such a build. The tricks and techniques have largely been consigned to the dustbin of history, so you may find yourself poring over old manuals and having to troubleshoot blind. But if money, racing regulations, or simply the sheer thrill of doing things the old fashioned way put you in that situation, we hope this guide gives you the best possible shot at success. Good luck, and happy wrenching! | 56 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346676",
"author": "MSH Spithoven",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T17:19:54",
"content": "Got me a megasquirt opensource ECU for my project car back in the day. Worked like a charm!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346679",
... | 1,760,373,094.135586 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/hackaday-podcast-117-chiptunes-in-an-rca-plug-an-arduino-floppy-drive-50-cnc-and-wireless-switches/ | Hackaday Podcast 117: Chiptunes In An RCA Plug, An Arduino Floppy Drive, $50 CNC, And Wireless Switches | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts"
] | [
"Hackaday Podcast"
] | Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams discuss the latest hacks from around the Internet. 3D-Printed linear rails don’t sound like a recipe for a functional CNC machine but there was one this week that really surprised us. We were delighted by the procedurally generated music from a $0.03 microcontroller inside of an RCA plug (the clever flexible PCB may be the coolest part of that one). There’s an interesting trick to reverse engineering Bluetooth comms of Android apps by running in a VM and echoing to WireShark. And we look at what the buzz is all about with genetically engineered mosquito experiments taking place down in the Florida Keys.
New this week is a game of “What’s that sound?”. Use the form link on the show notes below to send in your answer, one winner will receive a podcast T-shirt.
Take a look at the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
Direct download
(~55 MB)
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
Google Podcasts
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
Episode 117 Show Notes:
What’s that Sound?
Tell us your answer for this week’s “What’s that sound?”
. Next week on the show we’ll randomly draw one name from the correct answers to win a limited-edition Hackaday Podcast T-shirt. (Thus far limited to zero, but we’ll make you one!)
New This Week:
Look Out Below! China’s Heavy-Lift Rocket Due For Uncontrolled Reentry Within Days
SpaceX rocket debris lands on Washington state homeowner’s property
SpaceX Rocket Parts Rain Down over Indonesia – Falcon 9 – JCSat-16
Sylacauga (meteorite) – Wikipedia
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
RCA Plug Plays Sixteen-Minute Chiptune Piece, All By Itself
The ATtiny MIDI Plug Synth
The Smallest MIDI Synthesizer?
Soundbar Bested By Virtual Android Bluetooth Sniffer
Reverse Engineering Self-Powered Wireless Switches
An Arduino With A Floppy Drive
I2C Paper Tape Reader Is Not What You Think
What Could Go Wrong? I2C Edition
A $50 CNC
Garbage Can CNC Machine Build
Is It A Toy? A Prototype? It’s A Hack!
Quick Hacks:
Mike’s Picks
Lamps Double As Secret Surround Sound Speakers
Pool Temperature Monitor Mollifies Fortunate But Frustrated Children
ASCII Schematic Diagrams
Elliot’s Picks
Silicon Carbide Chips Can Go To Hell
Feel What The Temperature Is Like Outside Without Leaving Your Bed
Enjoy An ASCII Version Of Star Wars In The Palm Of Your Hand For May The 4th
An Epic Quest To Put More Music On An IPod Nano 3G
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Genetically Modified Mosquitos: Biohacking For Disease Prevention
Solar Scare Mosquito 2.0
Exploring The World Of Nintendo 3DS Homebrew | 6 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346859",
"author": "Bryan",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T15:00:42",
"content": "Greetings from sunny Catalunya, where our viral state of emergency ends tomorrow, May 9. Woohoo!See Colin Furze’s YouTube channel for all your stainless steel umbrella requirements.https://youtu.be/OCq8adZd... | 1,760,373,094.225351 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/improved-graphics-to-drawing-tablet-conversion/ | Improved Graphics-to-Drawing Tablet Conversion | Chris Lott | [
"Art",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Tablet Hacks"
] | [
"digitizer",
"drawing tablet",
"graphics tablet",
"Retina display hack",
"wacom"
] | [Akaki Kuumeri] had an old Wacom Intuos digitizing graphics tablet collecting dust, and
figured out how to non-destructively transform
it into a drawing tablet. He was inspired by an
old Hackaday post
of a similar hack, but it required literally hacking
a big hole into your Wacom tablet
. Not wanting to permanently ruin the Wacom tablet, [Akaki] instead designed a 3D printed frame which he holds in place with a pair of straps. The design files are
available on Thingiverse
. He names the project, incorrectly as he later points out,
WacomOLED
(it rhymes with guacamole, we think).
As for the screen, he buys an old third-generation iPad and removes its Retina display panel and the foil backing, which would otherwise block the stylus’s connection to the tablet. Toss in an HDMI driver board to connect the display to your computer, and presto — you have made your own a drawing tablet. Even if you don’t need a drawing tablet, [Akaki]’s hack is still interesting, if only to remind us that we can put custom HDMI displays into any project for $65 using this technique.
In the end, [Akaki] notes that unless you already have a non-graphical digitizing tablet laying around, it’s probably cheaper to just buy a iPad. This is not [Akaki]’s first go at user input devices — we wrote about his
Smash Brothers game controller
and
flight controller yoke project
last year.
Do any of you use a graphics tablet in your day to day workflow? Let us know in the comments below. | 7 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346792",
"author": "Regfade",
"timestamp": "2021-05-08T06:35:00",
"content": "Can anyone suggest good open source software for drawing on a tablet, ideally outputting SVG? Maybe I just need to practice with inkskape…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{... | 1,760,373,094.363406 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/building-a-robotic-band-to-make-up-for-lack-of-practice/ | Building A Robotic Band To Make Up For Lack Of Practice | Danie Conradie | [
"Musical Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"guitar",
"hi-hat",
"ivan miranda",
"snare drum"
] | Learning to play a musical instrument well requires a significant time investment. [Ivan Miranda] had dreamt of doing this but made peace with the fact that his talents and motivation lay in building machines. However, he has decided to play to his strengths and is building a robotic band. See the videos after the break.
So far he has mechanized a
hi-hat
,
snare drum
, and a very
basic guita
r. The guitar is nothing more than a single string stretched across an aluminum frame, with an electronic pickup. Most of the work has gone into the solenoid-driven picking mechanism. He wanted to avoid picking the string when the solenoid is turned of, so he created a simple little mechanism that only comes in contact with the string when it’s moving in one direction. A bistable solenoid might be a simpler option here.
For the high hat, [Ivan] built a custom stand with two bistable solenoids to lift and drop the top cymbal. A solenoid-driven drumstick was also added. The snare drum uses a similar mechanism, but with a larger solenoid. So far he hasn’t really worked on a control system, focusing mainly on electronics.
[Ivan] points out several times that he has knows very little about making music, but we do enjoy watching him explore and experiment with this new world. Usually, his projects involve a lot more 3D printing, like when he built a giant
nerf bazooka
or a
massive 3D printed tank
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2XFL65gCNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VStpPx7u2_I | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346376",
"author": "RP",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T19:11:20",
"content": "Bringing Animusic to life!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ1nr3wk_nE",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6346466",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,373,094.181334 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/spacex-drops-the-ball-on-catching-fairings/ | SpaceX Drops The Ball On Catching Fairings | Tom Nardi | [
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Slider",
"Space"
] | [
"fairing",
"Falcon 9",
"ocean",
"recovery",
"SpaceX"
] | You don’t have to look very hard to find another rousing success by SpaceX. It’s a company defined by big and bold moves, and when something goes right, they make sure you know about it. From launching a Tesla into deep space to the captivating test flights of their next-generation Starship spacecraft, the private company has turned high-stakes aerospace research and development into a public event. A cult of personality has developed around SpaceX’s outlandish CEO Elon Musk, and so long as he’s at the helm, we can expect bigger and brighter spectacles as he directs the company towards its ultimate goal of putting humans on Mars.
Of course, things don’t always go right for SpaceX. While setbacks are inevitable in aerospace, the company has had a few particularly embarrassing failures that could be directly attributed to their rapid development pace or even operational inexperience. A perfect example is the loss of the Israeli AMOS-6 satellite during a static fire of the Falcon 9’s engines on the launch pad in 2016, as industry experts questioned why the spacecraft had even been mounted to the rocket before it had passed its pre-flight checks. Since that costly mistake, the company has waited until all engine tests have been completed before attaching the customer’s payload.
SpaceX’s concept art for propulsive landing
But sometimes the failure isn’t so much a technical problem as an inability for the company to achieve their own lofty goals. Occasionally one of Musk’s grand ideas ends up being too complex, dangerous, or expensive to put into practice. For instance, despite spending several years and untold amounts of money perfecting the technology involved, propulsive landings for the Crew Dragon were nixed before the idea could ever fully be tested. NASA was reportedly uncomfortable with what they saw as an unnecessary risk compared to the more traditional ocean splashdown under parachutes; it would have been an impressive sight to be sure, but it didn’t offer a substantive benefit over the simpler approach.
A similar fate recently befell SpaceX’s twin fairing recovery ships
Ms. Tree
and
Ms. Chief
, which were quietly retired in April. These vessels were
designed to catch the Falcon’s school bus sized payload fairings
as they drifted down back to Earth using massive nets suspended over their decks, but in the end, the process turned out to be more difficult than expected. More importantly, it apparently wasn’t even necessary in the first place.
Deadliest Catch
Credit where credit is due, both
Ms. Tree
and
Ms. Chief
did successfully catch fairings during their tenure with SpaceX. The ships proved the concept was viable, and on two missions in 2020, they even managed to capture both fairing halves. But taken as a whole, their success rate was quite poor.
According to a tally from SpaceXFleet.com
, of the 37 missions on which one or both ships attempted to recover the fairings, they only managed a total of nine catches. That’s already a pretty bad average, but when you realize each mission actually has two fairings that needed to be caught, it’s abysmal.
The low success rate is bad enough, but even when the ships actually nabbed one of the fairings in mid-air, it didn’t always end well. During the October 18th, 2020 Starlink mission, the live video feed from
Ms. Tree
briefly showed a fairing ripping through the net and smashing down onto the deck. With each fairing half estimated to weigh approximately 950 kilograms (2094 pounds), having one break lose presents a clear danger to the crew and equipment aboard the recovery vessel, to say nothing of the fairing itself. After all, the goal is to recover them intact so they can be used on a subsequent flight.
Only a few seconds of low-resolution video were shown before SpaceX cut the stream.
It might seem odd that SpaceX had so much trouble catching these relatively large and docile objects as they drifted down to the surface under their parafoils, especially when compared to the fire and fury of the Falcon 9’s first stage landing. Over the last three years SpaceX has managed to maintain a success rate of around 90% for booster recoveries at sea, and at least on the surface, it would seem both procedures are more alike than they are different.
But ultimately, it’s a question of command authority. The active grid fins and thrust vectoring capabilities of the Falcon 9 make it far more maneuverable on descent than the steerable parafoils used by the fairings. Even with the recovery ship actively communicating with the fairing’s own avionics and attempting to plot an intercept point, a strong gust of wind at the wrong moment was all it took to knock them off course.
Making a Splash
From the beginning, SpaceX believed that they’d need to catch the fairings with a net because allowing them to come into direct contact with salt water would damage them beyond the point of economical repair. While specific details are hard to come by publicly, it’s widely believed that the concern stemmed not so much from the electronics onboard, which could presumably be waterproofed, but the unique construction of the fairings themselves. Made from an aluminum honeycomb structure sandwiched between layers of composite material, water intrusion could be a serious problem; as once salt water got inside the structure of the fairing itself, getting it back out quickly and economically might not be possible.
But in the face of a recovery program that seemed to be going nowhere, the engineers at SpaceX have apparently figured out a way to make it work. Closeup photographs of recently constructed fairings show that various vents and openings have been relocated so they’ll be higher from the surface of the water, and rumor has it that the internal sound dampening panels are now considered a consumable and discarded after each mission rather than trying to dry them out. What, if any, steps were taken to prevent water from seeping into the fairing’s aluminum/composite construction is currently unknown.
While the refurbishment process for these “wet” fairings is undoubtedly more costly and time consuming than if they had been caught in the net, the difference is evidently not enough to justify the continued operation of
Ms. Tree
and
Ms. Chief
. Instead, SpaceX has chartered the much larger
Shelia Bordelon
to take over as primary fairing recovery vessel. Intended for underwater research, the 78 m (256 ft) long ship features wide open decks, a built-in crane, and a Triton XLX remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that can dive down to 3,000 m (9,840 ft).
Shelia Bordelon
unloading a fairing half. Photo by
Kyle Montgomery
.
The integrated crane makes it easier to pull fairings out of the water and drop them on the dock, but otherwise, this vessel doesn’t seem particularly well suited to the task at hand. For one thing, its underwater capabilities are being completely squandered. But more importantly, the rapid launch cadence demanded by Starlink missions means that the recovery vessel should ideally be able to hold four fairing halves before returning to port. So either the
Shelia Bordelon
is going to be getting some modifications of its own soon, or SpaceX is only using it temporarily until they can come up with a long-term solution. | 91 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346315",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T16:21:21",
"content": "Failure is the fastest method to learn about a mistake. It can be costly and even dangerous but if time is your primary concern then failure is often the best path to success.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,373,094.490879 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/hacker-spends-a-few-cycles-upgrading-an-under-desk-bike/ | Hacker Spends A Few Cycles Upgrading An Under-Desk Bike | Kristina Panos | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"desk bike",
"wireshark"
] | Pandemic got you way behind on your exercise goals? Us too. But not [codaris] who bought an under-desk bike to get in a bit of cycling while banging away on the keyboard. The only bad thing about this bike is the accompanying app — it’s all-around weak and requires too many steps just to get to peddlin’. It pays to know thyself, and [codaris] knows that this will be a major de-motivator and
made a desktop app that does it all
, including/starting up as soon as the pedals start spinning.
[codaris] built a Windows application that displays workout data in real time and then saves the stats in a SQLite database after the pedaling stops. It took a fair amount of work to get there, logging the Bluetooth traffic during a ride and comparing that with Wireshark output from a live session to decode the communication between the bike and the app. Turns out there are six commands total, and [codaris] really only needs three — Connect, Start Workout, and Continue Workout.
The app displays the elapsed workout time, speed, distance traveled, and the current RPM. We love that it starts logging and displaying data as soon as [codaris] starts pedaling, because that would be a major goal for us, too.
There’s more than one way to hack a bike. [codaris] was inspired by
[ptx2]’s excellent work to un-brick a much more expensive bike with a Raspberry P
i.
Thanks for the tip, [Jhart99]! | 12 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346294",
"author": "Mike Szczys",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T15:37:46",
"content": "Whoops, I think we already covered this one:https://hackaday.com/2021/04/17/pedaling-away-under-the-cover-of-your-desk/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comme... | 1,760,373,094.542857 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/ask-hackaday-if-aliens-came-by-would-we-even-notice/ | Ask Hackaday: If Aliens Came By, Would We Even Notice? | Al Williams | [
"Curated",
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Original Art",
"Science",
"Slider"
] | [
"aliens",
"ceti",
"Extraterrestial",
"meti",
"SETI"
] | A few years ago we talked about the chance that the
first known extrasolar visitor
— Oumuamua — might be a derelict solar sail. That notion has been picking up steam in the popular press lately, and it made us think again about the chances that the supposed rock was really a solar sail discarded or maybe even a probe flying with a solar sail. At the same time, Mars is as close as it ever gets so there is a gaggle of our probes searching the red planet, some of them looking for signs of past life.
All this makes us think: if we did find life or even artifacts of intelligent life, would we realize it? Sure, we can usually figure out what’s alive here on Earth. But to paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart, “We know it when we see it.” Defining life turns out to be surprisingly tricky, recognizing alien technology would be even harder.
Failure to Communicate
Let’s start with messages. Dolphins and primates are closer to us than any alien we can imagine, and yet although we have known for a while that
dolphins talk to each other,
we have no idea what they are saying. It won’t be easier with the aliens.
Drake’s Arecibo message was similar to the test message that few people could decode.
Recently I read
Extraterrestrial Languages
by [Daniel Oberhaus]. The book tackles the question: can we communicate with ET? There have been many serious attempts to send things to aliens that they could interpret, but some of the efforts have been little more than stunts. After all, it would be tricky to decode an unknown audio or video format from Earth, and you have some idea what it ought to sound or look like. Only on Star Trek does your video from an alien spacecraft come out perfect on your viewing screen.
The more you think about the problem, the thornier it gets. For example, do aliens use sound to communicate? Can they hear the same range of sounds we hear? Do they see more colors, fewer colors, or do they not have vision as we understand it? Moles are blind, after all, and they seem to do fine. Maybe our alien neighbor sees radio waves or senses electric charges, who knows?
Then there’s the frame of reference. If you’ve ever traveled to a land where you don’t speak the native language, you know how frustrating that can be, and yet we have a lot of common ground with the typical Earth resident. [Oberhaus] points to papers that question if even math is universal — a supposition made by many attempts at alien communication. Personally, I think math has to be universal but apparently some smart people say that it could just be
something we make up
so aliens might have a different reality of math. [Oberhaus] even has a chapter suggesting art might be a more suitable universal language. Given that I only understand about half of human art, I’m not sure I agree.
In any case, it is a difficult task. [Frank Drake] a well-known name in searching for extraterrestrials, created a test message of 551 bits that you could arrange as an image. The number 551 is
semiprime
, so that’s a clue as to the layout of the bits. Upon sending the message to nine prominent researchers, only one seemed to have any idea it was an image and replied with an image of a martini glass. Some Nobel laureates did no better. One decided the string was an approximation of the number describing the position of electrons in an iron atom. And these were fellow humans.
Thought Experiment
What if you found an alien artifact or stumbled onto an alien transmission. Would you know? After all, if you found, say, a calculator made in another country that didn’t speak your language, you’ll still expect it to have many identifiable components and you could probably figure out its operation. An alien calculator might look like anything, and there’s no telling what a resistor, a capacitor, or an IC would look like even assuming it uses analogs of those. The same goes for a transmission. Even though there are many types of digital and analog modulation in use by humans, you have some idea of what you are looking for and what the result will look like or sound like when you are done.
Our challenge to you, then, is twofold. If an alien artifact dropped from the sky, what would you do with it? This would be the most amazing reverse engineering job ever. You could assume nothing and you probably only have one priceless copy to experiment on. A 20 cm gray cube (or large black monolith or a giant solar sail) lands on your desk. Do you open it? How? What if it is full of some gas that is essential for its operation? What if it is extremely radioactive inside? What if it is made to detonate if tampered with? None of those things are terribly far-fetched. What’s more is, how do you know the cube isn’t the alien itself or its spacesuit or vessel? Opening it could be considered quite unfriendly!
The second challenge: A signal comes in and you are pretty sure it is from an intelligent alien. How do you decode it and what would you do to respond to it? Turns out that [Drake’s] test message was eventually published to the public and an electrical engineer in Brooklyn successfully decoded it. So we expect Hackaday readers could do well at this task.
Tell us your approach to either or both in the comments. | 112 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346274",
"author": "Foldi-One",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T15:04:01",
"content": "Maths as we commonly use it is definitely entirely made up, its a set of rules that allow us to do things like count big batches and communicate values conveniently. Just have to look at say base 8 math... | 1,760,373,094.908573 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/putting-an-ultra-tiny-linux-board-in-a-phone-charger-eventually/ | Putting An Ultra-Tiny Linux Board In A Phone Charger…Eventually | Tom Nardi | [
"computer hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"A33",
"Allwinner",
"ARM Cortex-A7",
"network security",
"pentesting",
"SBC",
"single board computer",
"WiFiWart"
] | Among security professionals, a “drop box” is a device that can be covertly installed at a target location and phone home over the Internet, providing a back door into what might be an otherwise secure network. We’ve seen both commercial and DIY versions of this concept, and as you might expect, one of the main goals is to make the device look as inconspicuous as possible. Which is why
[Walker] is hoping to build one into a standard USB wall charger
.
This project is still in the early stages, but we like what we see so far. [Walker] aims to make this a 100% free and open source device, starting from the tools he’s using to produce the CAD files all the way up to the firmware the final hardware will run. With none of the currently available single-board computers (SBCs) meeting his list of requirements, the first step is to build a miniature Linux machine that’s got enough processing power to run useful security tools locally. Obviously such a board would be of great interest to the larger hacker and maker community.
The RTL8188CUS is likely to get integrated later on.
So far, [Walker] has decided on his primary components and is working on a larger development board before really going all-in on the miniaturization process. As of right now he’s planning on using the Allwinner A33 to power the board, a sub-$10 USD chipset most commonly seen in low-cost Android tablets.
The A33 boasts a quad-core Cortex-A7 clocked at 1.2 GHz, and offers USB, I2C, and SPI interfaces for expansion. It will be paired with 1 GB of DDR3 RAM, and an SD card to hold the operating system. Naturally a device like this will need WiFi, but until [Walker] can decide on which chip to use, the plan is to just use a USB wireless adapter. The Realtek RTL8188CUS is a strong contender, as the fact that it comes in both USB and module versions should make its eventual integration seamless.
Even if you’re not interested in the idea of
hiding security appliances inside of everyday objects
, this project is a fascinating
glimpse into the process of creating your own custom Linux board
. Whether you’re looking to put into a wall wart or a drone, it’s pretty incredible to think we’ve reached the point where an individual can spin up their own miniature SBC. | 67 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346200",
"author": "Alice Lalita Heald",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T11:53:46",
"content": "Finally someone thought of this! With a nice 3D printed black enclosure.And tor proxy to penetrate NAT.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "... | 1,760,373,094.747006 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/the-keyboard-you-really-dont-need-or-want/ | The Keyboard You Really Don’t Need Or Want | Matthew Carlson | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"chording",
"chording keyboard",
"ESP32",
"keyboard"
] | Most people think of a keyboard as a flat, vaguely rectangular thing with around 100ish different keys. A mechanical keyboard enthusiast would heartily disagree and point out various tenkeyless, 75%, 60%, or 40% keyboards that strip down the idea of what a keyboard is by taking keys out. [Stavros Korokithakis] takes that notion and turns it on its side by
creating the five-button vertical keyboard known as Keyyyyyyyys
.
This keyboard, or keystick, is designed to be onehanded and to be eye-contact-free. With just five keys, it makes heavy use of chording to output all the characters needed. It has a maximum of 32 possible states and taking out pressing nothing as a no-op leaves 31 possible key combinations. So [Stavros] had to get creative and laid out the letters according to their frequency in the English language. The brains of Keyyyyyyyys is the ubiquitous ESP32, emulating a Bluetooth keyboard while being wrapped in a simple 3d printed box. The
code is hosted on GitLab
.
If you don’t know how hard it is to learn a five-key chording keyboard from scratch, definitely check out [Stavros]’ video embedded below. “C’mon h.” We have heard reports that you can learn these things, though.
While this five-button keyboard may seem small,
this two-button keyboard
still has it beat by three keys. A one-button keyboard is just a morse code keyboard, and we are looking forward to a wireless Bluetooth version. | 48 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346166",
"author": "imqqmi",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T08:45:07",
"content": "I can imagine if someone has a disability that only allows finger movement this could be a godsend.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6346172",
"aut... | 1,760,373,094.641167 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/vme-reverse-engineering/ | VME Reverse Engineering | Chris Lott | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"Motorola 68000",
"reverse engineering",
"VMEbus"
] | With some free time on his hands waiting for delayed parts to arrive, [Rik] set out to
reverse engineer an old VME system
he had acquired.
VMEbus
computers are based on the standard
Eurocard
PCB format, which defines a wide range of card sizes — the most common being 6U height like [Rik]’s system. They usually consist of a rack-mounted card cage with a passive backplane. Originally, Motorola 68000-based CPU cards were used in VMEbus systems, but any processor could be used as long as you provided the right signals and timings to the system bus. Eurocard systems are less common these days, but are still used in some applications. In fact, if you’re into synthesizers, you may be using Eurocards today — the
Eurorack standard
is based on the standard 3U card size.
Back to [Rik]’s project, he had no idea what this system was nor how to use it. A bit of probing around and he found two UARTs, a system monitor, and a way to load and dump S-record files. He documents the process quite well, as the internal layout and memory map of the system is unlocked piece by piece. We also like his method of instrumenting the VMEbus signals — logic analyzers are so small today, you can just mount one inside the rack.
Spoiler alert: [Rik] succeeds in mapping out the memory, writes some small programs in 68k assembly language, and even builds his own LED accessory card so he can blink some lights (as one must do).
We
wrote about modularity recently
, and VMEbus + Eurocard systems are good examples of modular design. You could quickly put together a robust assembly using entirely off-the-shelf cards, or mix in your own custom cards. But technology advancements in clock speeds and miniaturization have made these card cage, passive backplane systems less and less relevant today. Do any of you still use the VMEbus, or have you designed with them in the past? Let us know down in the comments below. | 28 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346146",
"author": "mime",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T06:37:33",
"content": "wow look how many ICs they managed to cram onto that PCB. Like sardines in a can.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346174",
"author": "J. Pete... | 1,760,373,095.033753 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/modified-microwave-cures-resin-parts-with-style/ | Modified Microwave Cures Resin Parts With Style | Tom Nardi | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"curing",
"microwave",
"microwave oven",
"pic16",
"UV LED",
"UV resin"
] | Once you make the leap to resin-based 3D printing, you’ll quickly find that putting parts out in the sun to cure isn’t always a viable solution. The best way to get consistent results is with a dedicated curing chamber that not only rotates the parts so they’re evenly exposed to the light, but allows you to dial in a specific curing time. A beeper that goes off when the part is done would be handy as well. Wait, this is starting to sound kind of familiar…
As you might expect, [Stynus] isn’t the first person to notice the similarities between an ideal UV curing machine and the lowly microwave oven. But his conversion is
certainly one of the slickest we’ve ever seen
. The final product doesn’t
look
like a hacked microwave so much as a purpose-built curing machine, thanks in large part to the fact that all of the original controls are still functional.
The big break there came when [Stynus] noticed that the control panel was powered by a one-time programmable PIC16C65B microcontroller. Swapping that out for the pin-compatible PIC16F877A opened up the possibility of writing custom firmware to interface with all the microwave’s original hardware, he just needed to reverse engineer how it was all wired up. It took some time to figure out how the limited pins on the microcontroller ran the LED display and read the buttons and switches at the same time, but we’d say the final result is more than worth the work.
With full control over the microwave’s hardware, all [Stynus] had to do was strip out all the scary high voltage bits (which were no longer functional to begin with) and install an array of UV LEDs. Now he can just toss a part on the plate, spin the dial to the desired curing time, and press a button. In the video below, you can see he’s even repurposed some of the buttons on the control panel to let him do things like set a new default “cook” time to EEPROM.
Compared to the more traditional fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers,
resin printing requires a lot of additional post-processing and equipment
. You
don’t necessarily have to gut your microwave
just to cure your prints, but you’d be wise to fully consider your workflow will look like before pulling the trigger on that shiny new printer. | 18 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345919",
"author": "Marvin",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T11:24:28",
"content": "why do these videos always need utterly annoying blaring music?!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6345929",
"author": "BT",
"timestam... | 1,760,373,094.965065 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/rca-plug-plays-sixteen-minute-chiptune-piece-all-by-itself/ | RCA Plug Plays Sixteen-Minute Chiptune Piece, All By Itself | Dan Maloney | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"asm",
"ATtiny4",
"AVR",
"chiptune",
"low pass filter",
"Padauk",
"pwm",
"RCA"
] | Frequenters of arcades back in the golden age of video games will likely recall the mix of sounds coming from a properly full arcade, the kind where you stacked your quarters on a machine to stake your claim on being next in line to play. They were raucous places, filled with the simple but compelling sounds that accompanied the phosphor and silicon magic unfolding all around.
The days of such simple soundtracks may be gone, but they’re certainly not forgotten, with
this chiptunes generator built into an RCA plug
being both an homage to the genre and a wonderful example of optimization and miniaturization. It’s the work of [girst] and it came to life as an attempt to implement [Rob Miles]’
Bitshift Variations in C Minor
algorithmically generated chiptunes composition in hardware. For the first attempt, [girst] chose an ATtiny4 as the microcontroller, put it and the SMD components needed for a low-pass filter on a flex PCB, and wrapped the whole thing around a button cell battery. Stuffed into the shell of an RCA plug, the generator detects when it has been inserted into an audio input jack and starts the 16-minute piece. [girst] built a second version, too, using the Padauk PSM150c
“Three-Cent Microcontroller”
chip.
This is quite an achievement in chiptunes minimization. We’ve seen
chiptunes in 32 bytes
,
Altoids tin chiptunes
, and
an EP on a postage-stamp-sized PCB
, but this one might beat them all on size alone. | 12 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345872",
"author": "Steven",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T08:16:41",
"content": "Cool, but can you squeeze Eruption by Van Halen in there? I’ve got a personal tradition of putting that song first on any device I can, just for fun.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies":... | 1,760,373,095.126444 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/04/lego-wheels-and-tracks-benchmarked-for-your-pleasure/ | Lego Wheels And Tracks Benchmarked For Your Pleasure | Lewin Day | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"lego",
"lego tracks",
"lego wheels"
] | For many people, Lego is their first entry into the world of engineering. With the Technic line of building blocks complete with all manner of gears and shafts and wheels, there’s a ton of fun to be had while learning about the basic principles of mechanical things. The [Brick Experiment Channel] takes Lego quite seriously in this context,
and has collected data concerning the performance of a variety of Lego wheels and tracks.
The testing setup is simple. A small vehicle is fitted with a particular set of Lego wheels or tracks. Then, it’s placed on an inclined wooden board. The angle of inclination is then increased until the vehicle neither climbs the board nor slips down it. This angle can then be used to calculate the coefficient of friction of the given tyre or track set. [Brick Experiment Channel] filmed this testing and collected data on 33 different wheel and track combinations, publishing it in the description of the Youtube video.
Interestingly, the date of release of the various parts is recorded with the data. This is interesting as one would expect older rubber parts to lose grip with age, however, the release date of the parts obviously does not correspond with the manufacturing date, so the utility of this is somewhat unclear. There’s also some surprising results, with what appear to be soft, flat and smooth rubber wheels performing somewhat worse than those with curved profiles that you’d expect to have less contact patch. Regardless, it’s the best data we’ve ever seen in this field and we think it’s great that it was collected and shared with the broader Lego community. We look forward to seeing more of this in future, as it’s obviously something of great use to builders.
We can imagine it would have proved handy when [Brick Experiment Channel] built their obstacle climbing rover
. Video after the break. | 7 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345856",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T05:26:19",
"content": "Just a guess, but the reason why smaller contact patch could have more friction in this test is that with the force concentrated on a smaller area, the rubber deforms more. It can then reach deeper to the sma... | 1,760,373,095.078883 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/04/avr-bare-metal-with-lisp/ | AVR Bare Metal With Lisp | Al Williams | [
"Software Development",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"AVR",
"lisp",
"ulisp"
] | There are two kinds of programmers: those who don’t use Lisp, and those who need new parenthesis keycaps every six months. Lisp is one of those languages you either really love or really hate. If you love it, you may have checked out ulisp, which runs on Arduino boards of the AVR and ARM variety, as well as ESP chips, RISC-V, and others. A recent update allows the language to insert
assembler into AVR programs
.
We probably don’t need to convince anyone reading Hackaday why adding assembler is a good thing. It seems to integrate well with the environment, too, so you can write assembler macros in Lisp, which opens up many possibilities.
Of course, the format isn’t the same as your garden variety assembler. After all, Lisp should stand for “lots of irritating spurious parenthesis.” Plus your code needs to be position-independent since you’ll never know where it loads.
Here’s a simple example:
; Greatest Common Divisor
(defcode gcd (x y)
swap
($movw 'r30 'r22)
($movw 'r22 'r24)
again
($movw 'r24 'r30)
($sub 'r30 'r22)
($sbc 'r31 'r23)
($br 'cs swap)
($br 'ne again)
($ret))
(gcd 3287 3460)
There are more examples on the
website
, including direct I/O register manipulation.
We’ve seen
badges running ulsip
. Honestly, though, we’d be just as happy with
Forth
and it is easier on our parenthesis keys. | 21 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345849",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T03:18:47",
"content": "“There are two kinds of programmers: those who don’t use Lisp, and those who need new parenthesis keycaps every six months. ”Exercise the foot.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,373,095.681352 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/04/prioritising-mechanical-multiplexer/ | Prioritising Mechanical Multiplexer | Danie Conradie | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"james bruton",
"mechanical",
"multiplexing"
] | When automating almost any moderately complex mechanical task, the actuators and drive electronics can get expensive quickly. Rather than using an actuator for every motion, mechanical multiplexing might be an option. [James Bruton] has considered using it in some of his many robotics projects, so he built a
prioritizing mechanical multiplexer
to demonstrate the concept.
The basic idea is to have a single actuator and dynamically switch between different outputs. For his demonstration, [James] used a motor mounted on a moving platform actuated by a lead screw that can engage a number of different output gears. Each output turns a dial, and the goal is to match the position of the dial to the position of a potentiometer. The “prioritizing” part comes in where a number of outputs need to be adjusted, and the system must choose which to do first. This quickly turns into a task scheduling problem, since there are a number of factors that can be used to determine the priority. See the video after the break to see different algorithms in action.
Instead of moving the actuator, all the outputs can connect to a single main shaft via clutches as required. Possible use cases for mechanical multiplexers include dispensing machines and production line automation. Apparently, the Armatron robotic arm sold by Radioshack in the ’80s used a similar system, controlling all its functions with a single motor.
[James] knows or two about robotics, having built many of them over the last few years. Just take a look at
OpenDog
and his
Start Wars robots
. | 17 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345824",
"author": "Daniel Dunn",
"timestamp": "2021-05-04T23:11:36",
"content": "This is incredibly awesome, but I have my doubts from a cost saving perspective, because mechanical stuff makes assembly and repair harder, and is usually the thing that wears out.I think the most imp... | 1,760,373,095.180893 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/04/robotic-gripper-from-a-squishy-ball/ | Robotic Gripper From A Squishy Ball | Danie Conradie | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"Bean Bag",
"gripper",
"james bruton",
"soft robotics"
] | Soft robotic grippers have some interesting use cases, but the industrial options are not cheap. [James Bruton] was fascinated by the $4000 “bean bag” gripper from Empire Robotics, so he decided to
build his own
.
The gripper is just a flexible rubber membrane filled with small beads. When it is pushed over a object and the air is sucked out, it holds all the beads together, molded to the shape of the object. For his version [James] used a soft rubber ball filled with BBs. To create a vacuum, he connected a large 200cc syringe to the ball via a hose, and actuated it with a high torque servo.
It worked well for small, light objects but failed on heavier, smooth objects with no edges to grip onto. This could possibly be improved if the size and weight of the beads/BBs are reduced.
For some more soft robotics, check out this
soft 3D printed hand
, and the
flexible electrically driven actuators
. | 11 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345768",
"author": "JWhitten",
"timestamp": "2021-05-04T20:09:23",
"content": "I wonder if a combination of pneumatics and ridged surface (“skin”) to give it some grip would solve the problem?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "63... | 1,760,373,095.227591 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/04/synth-gains-plug-and-play-analog-mux/ | Synth Gains Plug And Play Analog MUX | Chris Lott | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"cd4051",
"mux",
"plug and play",
"synth"
] | High school computer engineering teacher [Andy Birch] kept losing track of I/O pins on his home-built synth, so he made a custom
plug and play addressable MUX system
to solve the problem. [Andy]’s synth is based on the Teensy microcontroller, and he was already using CMOS analog 8:1 multiplexer chips (CD4051) to give him more I/O pins. But I/O pin expansion means that now there are more I/O pins to forget.
Did I hook up that pitch potentiometer on U3 pin 13 or was it U10 pin 2?
He proceeds to design an addressing system for each I/O card using three bits (expandable to four) supporting eight cards, with a maximum of 16 possible in the future. Since each card may not use all eight signals, each card can tell the Teensy how many signals it has. [Andy] does his address decoding on each card using OR and XOR gates. We would have considered using a single 74HC85 four-bit magnitude comparator instead. That would require only one chip instead of two, but would deprive his students of the opportunity to learn gate level address decoding.
When seeing the term “I/O card”, you may be fooled like we were into thinking this was using PCBs and some kind of motherboard. [Andy]’s I/O cards are actually solderless breadboards mounted on the back of the synth control panel. We really like his bus technique — he removes the power strip sections from several breadboards and repurposes them as address and data buses. Check out the
thorough documentation that [Andy] has prepared
, and let us know if you have ever designed your own plug and play method for a project in the comments below.
[Ed Note:
We love us some muxes!
]
I/O Cards — Note the use of Power Strip Bars as Data / Address Buses | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345850",
"author": "Dave",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T03:38:52",
"content": "I want to go to Andy’s high school.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6345982",
"author": "M_A_S",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T16:59:50",
"conten... | 1,760,373,095.359505 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/this-week-in-security-byovd-spectre-vx-more-octal-headaches-and-exiftool/ | This Week In Security: BYOVD, Spectre Vx, More Octal Headaches, And ExifTool | Jonathan Bennett | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"android",
"ExifTool",
"Exim",
"Spectre",
"This Week in Security"
] | I learned a new acronym while reading about
a set of flaws in the Dell BIOS update system
. Because Dell has patched their driver, but hasn’t yet revoked the signing keys from the previous driver version, it is open to a BYOVD attack.
BYOVD, Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver, is an interesting approach to Windows privilege escalation. 64-bit versions of Windows have a security feature that blocks unsigned kernel drivers from the kernel. The exploit is to load an older, known-vulnerable driver that still has valid signatures into the kernel, and use the old vulnerabilities to exploit the system. The caveat is that even when a driver is signed, it still takes an admin account to load a driver. So what use is the BYOVD attack, when it takes administrative access to pull off?
SentinelLabs is witholding their proof-of-concept, but we can speculate. The particular vulnerable driver module lives in the filesystem at
C:\Windows\Temp
, a location that is writable by any process. The likely attack is to overwrite the driver on the filesystem, then trigger a reboot to load the older vulnerable version. If you’re still running Windows on your Dell machines, then make sure to go tend to this issue.
Yet Another Spectre Flaw
Spectre, the speculative execution vulnerability, has struck again
. Where previous versions leaked data via cached memory, this iteration leaks memory through the micro-op cache. I’ve often joked that x86 processors don’t really run the x86 instruction set, they emulate it. It’s partially true, as part of the execution pipeline is translating the x86 macro-ops into processor specific “RISC-like micro-ops”. This translation process has the potential to be a complex operation, so modern processors have a cache to avoid repeating the process for repeated instructions.
The researchers, working from the University of Virginia and University of California, San Diego have published
their paper on the technique
. There is some disagreement about the seriousness of this new technique, with the researchers claiming that they can bypass all the current built-in Spectre protections. Intel has stated that the new technique does not bypass their existing mitigations, and AMD hasn’t yet made a statement about the paper. Time will tell how much work will actually be needed to mitigate yet another problem with speculative execution.
Android Updates
This month’s
Android security patches
bring a trio of serious bugs.
CVE-2021-0473
is a set of problems in how the Android system handles NFC tags. Invalid NFC messages could result in a double free, a buffer overflow, and memory disclosure. The primary solution appears to be just dropping NFC packets that don’t appear valid, rather than trying to handle them anyway.
CVE-2021-0474
and
CVE-2021-0475
are both problems in Bluetooth handling. These are both pretty simple. The first is a easy-to-do coding error: checking a packet’s length using
sizeof(p_pkt->len)
. The size of the
len
member is fixed — they really want to just read the value. The second Bluetooth bug is a pair of missing
return
statements, leading to a use-after-free when hitting certain error conditions.
More Ambiguous IPs
The insanity that is octal-formatted IP addresses appears to be
the gift that keeps on giving
, and this time it’s the Python
ipaddress
library. Just over two years ago, this Python3 library was
changed to tolerate a leading “0”s in IP addresses
. As we’ve previously covered, this leads to confusion between the different layers of an application, where a security check might allow an address that is understood as a different address when it is acted on. The Python devs have gone with what I consider to be the correct solution:
invalidating all IP addresses with leading “0”s
. The octal address format was never RFC compliant, and should be avoided anyway. We’ll likely return to this story multiple times, as I’ve been told that several other languages and libraries have the exact same problem.
Turning Off the Security System
It’s a trope that we normally laugh at, when the geeky sidekick hacks into a house’s security system to disable it from afar. But, apparently in the case of an ABUS Secvest system,
it’s really that easy
.
A Secvest system needs port 4433 forwarded to the system in order to manage it from the internet. [Niels Teusink] points out that this is an advantage, in that the system can be remotely administered without relying on a cloud system. The downside is that this HTTPS interface is particularly broken. Multiple endpoints on the system can be accessed without authentication, including one that dumps the system configuration. Included in that configuration data? The cleartext user PINs needed to control the system.
For one more movie-worthy trick, many systems are configured with Dynamic DNS. The update credentials are also in that configuration data, so not only could an attacker disable the system, he can also take over the Dynamic DNS name, to play a loop of uninteresting video whenever the owner tries to pull up their cameras remotely. It’s a hack worthy of a bad Hollywood blockbuster.
21nails in Exim Email
The Exim mail server was started in 1995 as a Mail Transfer Agent for Unix machines. Qualys audited Exim, and
the results weren’t pretty
. Qualys calls the result 21Nails, as there are 21 serious vulnerabilities found in the effort, many of which existing as far back as the git history of the project. While the report doesn’t include PoC code, they will likely be quickly developed independently, so if you run Exim, go update your servers now.
ExifTool
And lastly, we have a big problem in ExifTool:
Anyone using ExifTool make sure to update to 12.24+ as CVE-2021-22204 can be triggered with a perfectly valid image (jpg, tiff, mp4 and many more) leading to arbitrary code execution!
pic.twitter.com/VDoybw07f5
— William Bowling (@wcbowling)
April 24, 2021
The
patch makes it fairly clear what was going on
. Strings with special characters were handled with a combination of regex and an
eval
statement. That last technique is almost certainly the problem. If an attacker could inject Perl code into the string being evaluated, and escape the “quotes jail” (shout out to
@bananabr
for that turn of phrase), then running arbitrary Perl code is trivial.
This one has the potential to be really problematic, as ExifTool likely runs on the backend of many sites, pulling metadata out of uploaded images. Any such site can now trivially be compromised by uploading a trapped image. | 16 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346645",
"author": "tekkieneet",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T14:55:10",
"content": ">I’ve often joked that x86 processors don’t really run the x86 instruction set, they emulate it.It is emulation if you have different hardware.e.g. 68xxx FPU emulation for a processor is done in except... | 1,760,373,095.413296 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/pocket-sized-wii-sets-the-bar-for-portable-builds/ | Pocket Sized Wii Sets The Bar For Portable Builds | Tom Nardi | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"clamshell",
"console modding",
"trimmed",
"wii portable"
] | Over the last few years we’ve seen several projects that convert Nintendo’s Wii into a handheld console by way of a “trimming”, wherein the system’s motherboard is literally cut down to a fraction of its original size. This is made possible due to the fact that the majority of the console’s critical components were physically arranged in a tight grouping on the PCB. While it might not be the smallest one we’ve ever seen, the
Wii SPii by [StonedEdge] is certainly in the running for the most technically impressive
.
It took [StonedEdge] the better part of a year to go from the first early 3D printed case concepts to the fully functional device, but we’d say it was certainly time well spent. The general look of the portable is strongly inspired by Nintendo’s own GameBoy Advance SP, albeit with additional buttons and control sticks. In terms of software, the system is not only able to run Wii and Gamecube game ISOs stored on its SD card, but also several decades worth of classic titles through the various console emulators available for the system.
The Wii SPii makes use of a particularly difficult variation of the Wii miniaturization concept known as the OMEGA trim, and is supported by a custom PCB that’s responsible for things like power management and audio output. As it was never designed to be particularly energy efficient, the trimmed Wii motherboard will deplete the system’s dual 18650 cells in about two and a half hours, but at least you’ll be able to get charged back up quickly thanks to USB-C PD support. All of the hardware
just
fits inside the custom designed case, which was CNC milled from acrylic and then sandblasted to achieve that gorgeous frosted look.
[StonedEdge] says the Wii SPii was
inspired by the work of accomplished smallerizer [GMan]
, and even uses some of the open source code he developed for the audio and power management systems. In fact, given its lengthy list of acknowledgements, this project could even be considered something of a community affair. Just a few years after we marveled at
a functional Wii being crammed into an Altoids tin
, it’s truly inspiring to see what this dedicated group of console modders has been able to accomplish by working together.
[Thanks to Benjamin for the tip.] | 4 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346614",
"author": "wanderer_",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T12:54:03",
"content": "Linus Tech Tips did a version of this, but theirs is larger and uses a kit. They do show how they cut down an original PCB, and they put some jailbroken software on it.Here, in case you want to take a l... | 1,760,373,095.457067 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/07/auto-strummer-can-plectrum-the-whole-flat-strumming-spectrum/ | Auto Strummer Can Plectrum The Whole Flat-Strumming Spectrum | Kristina Panos | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"28BYJ-48",
"arduino",
"arduino pro mini",
"bipolar stepper motor",
"blinkenbuttons",
"guitar",
"stepper motor",
"strumming"
] | Playing the guitar requires speed, strength, and dexterity in both hands. Depending on your mobility level, rocking out with your axe might be impossible unless you could somehow hold down the strings and
have a robot do the strumming for you
.
[Jacob Stambaugh]’s Auto Strummer uses six lighted buttons to tell the hidden internal pick which string(s) to strum, which it does with the help of an Arduino Pro Mini and a stepper motor. If two or more buttons are pressed, all the strings between the outermost pair selected will be strummed. That little golden knob near the top is a pot that controls the strumming tempo.
[Jacob]’s impressive 3D-printed enclosure attaches to the guitar with a pair of spring-loaded clamps that grasp the edge of the sound hole. But don’t fret — there’s plenty of foam padding under every point that touches the soundboard.
We were worried that the enclosure would block or muffle the sound, even though it sits about an inch above the hole. But as you can hear in the video after the break, that doesn’t seem to be the case — it sounds fantastic.
Never touched a real guitar, but love to play Guitar Hero?
There’s a robot for that, too
. | 3 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346694",
"author": "aG_anthony_Gomes",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T18:57:11",
"content": "Sounds terrible",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346749",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T23:40:09",
... | 1,760,373,095.57565 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/shake-up-your-magic-8-ball-with-gifs/ | Shake Up Your Magic 8-Ball With GIFs | Kristina Panos | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"decision making",
"GIF",
"Magic 8-ball",
"raspberry pi",
"Raspberry Pi 3"
] | When you need quick answers to life’s burning yes or no questions, most reasonable people reach for a Magic 8-Ball. But since we all have most of those answers memorized at this point, has the Magic 8-Ball sunk to a cliche and become less useful in the present day?
Signs point to yes.
Yeah, maybe.
Not to worry, because [DJ Harrigan] has given the Magic 8-Ball a modern makeover by
redesigning it to serve up suitable GIFs instead
. Inside that beautifully-engineered snap-together shell lives a Raspberry Pi 3, and it displays the GIFs on a 240 x 240 IPS LCD screen. [DJ] wanted to use a round screen, but couldn’t find one with a good enough refresh rate. Maybe someday. We love this build either way.
Our favorite part is probably the power button, which is incorporated as the period in the ‘.gif’ logo. Although it takes a bit longer to get this 8-Ball ready to answer questions, it’s worth the wait. And besides, the splash screen is nice.
Once it’s booted up and ready to go, you still have to shake it — for this, [DJ] used a simple DIY spring-based tilt switch. Check out the demo and build video after the break. If you want to build one for yourself, the files are up on
the project site
.
Need decision-making support on the go?
This Magic 8-Ball business card should fit in your wallet
.
Thanks for the tip, [foamyguy]! | 8 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346567",
"author": "Karlotta Harrumphed",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T07:48:30",
"content": "Crossbreed it with a gyroscopic ball for wriststrenghtening batteryfree soothsaying and I’ll consider a purchase.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"com... | 1,760,373,095.622401 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/finding-dark-ships-via-satellite/ | Finding Dark Ships Via Satellite | Al Williams | [
"Space"
] | [
"ais",
"automatic identification system",
"dark ships",
"ESA",
"hawkeye 360",
"Sentinel 1",
"spy satellite",
"Synthetic aperture radar",
"tanker"
] | It would seem that for as long as there have been ships on the ocean, there’s been smuggling. The International Maritime Organisation requires ships to have AIS, the automatic identification system which is akin to a transponder on an airplane. However, if you don’t want to be found, you often turn off your AIS. So how do governments and insurance companies track so-called dark ships?
Using satellite technology
. A recent post in Global Investigative Journal tells the story of how lower-cost satellites are helping track these dark ships.
Optical tracking is the obvious method, but satellites that can image ships can be expensive and have problems with things like clouds. Radar is another option, but — again — an expensive option if you aren’t a big military agency with money to spend. A company called HawkEye 360 uses smallsats to monitor ship’s RF emissions, which is much less expensive and resource-intensive than traditional methods. Although the data may still require correlation with other methods like optical sensing, it is still cost-effective compared to simply scanning the ocean for ships.
The post tells the tale of an Iranian crude oil tanker. Noting a long gap in the AIS signal from the ship, HawkEye 360 attempted to locate the ship the next time it went dark. Of course, AIS can be off for other reasons, such as equipment failure or fear of piracy. Simply not squawking AIS isn’t a definite sign of malfeasance.
Using the satellite, radio transmissions on VHF channel 16 (156.8 MHz) — the standard calling frequency — were found from the ship and it appeared they were offloading crude oil to a refinery in Syria. With a specific target in mind, commercial satellite imaging picked up 3-meter resolution images of the ships and — apparently there is a database of ships at that resolution — identified four Iranian flag tankers at the site, three of which had arrived in stealth mode.
The HawkEye 360 satellites can pick up radar, emergency beacons, satellite phones, and VHF radio signals. A map shows the difference between the number of AIS signals in the South China Sea and the number of X-band radar signals. The AIS map looks sparse, whereas the radar map shows 3-4 times the number of vessels.
In another example, uses ESA’s Sentinel 1 satellite and synthetic aperture radar to locate ships going from China to North Korea. ICEYE, another smallsat company, is tracing illegal fishing activity around Argentina and smuggling near the UAE.
It is amazing to see how much satellite tech that would have been deep secret a few years ago is now commercially available. It isn’t just
useful for law enforcement, either
. The resolution is a far cry from the old
weather satellites
people tend to eavesdrop on. | 34 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346497",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T02:17:26",
"content": "Enemy of the state, may soon be possible.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346525",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T0... | 1,760,373,095.798079 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/adding-mqtt-to-a-solar-powered-pir-light/ | Adding MQTT To A Solar Powered PIR Light | Danie Conradie | [
"ATtiny Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"mqtt",
"pir",
"solar light"
] | The size and price of the ESP wifi modules have quickly made them into one of the preferred building blocks for IoT devices. Unfortunately they are not particularly well suited for very low power applications. [LittlePetieWheat] wanted to
add MQTT to a cheap PIR solar light
, so he paired an ESP with an Attiny85 to hold it to a strict power budget.
Most of these lights contain some sort of no-name microcontroller that monitors the analog PIR sensor, and turns on the LEDs as required. [LittlePetieWheat] replaced the PIR sensor with one that gives a digital output for simpler interfacing. The Attiny serves as the low power brains of the project. Its tasks include reading the solar panel and battery voltages, and PIR output. When movement is detected by the sensor, it activates a clever little
latching power circuit
to power on the ESP01 just long enough to send a MQTT message. The LEDs are only turned on if there is no power coming from the solar panel. The solar power is stored in a 18650 battery.
The Attiny85 might not be a powerhouse, but it is perfect for simple, low power applications like this. We’ve also seen it pushed to its limits by running
tiny machine learning models
, or
receiving software updates over I2C
. | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346544",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2021-05-07T05:59:50",
"content": "Solar heat and flags of plastic sticky tape. What could go wrong? Fourth of July flag waving with fireworks! At least a sticky black mess if ever opened again.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,373,095.728869 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/06/coffee-stirrers-act-as-lens-for-this-digital-straw-camera/ | Coffee Stirrers Act As Lens For This Digital Straw Camera | Dan Maloney | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"digital",
"ground glass",
"optics",
"photography",
"Pi",
"raspberry",
"straw"
] | What happens when you mix over 23,000 coffee stirrers and a Raspberry Pi camera together? Probably nothing except for a mess, unless you very specifically pack the plastic straws and orient the camera just right. In that case, you get
this very cool lenless digital straw camera
that takes artfully ghostly images.
Image of Yoda photographed through many straws
Actually, lensless is a bit of a reach for [Adrian Hanft]’s creation. While the camera he’s using to grab the image has a lens, the objective, for lack of a better term, is just a tightly packed bundle of straws. We’ve seen
this approach to photography before
, but there the camera used film placed at the back of the straw bundles to capture the pixelated image.
Here, a ground glass screen stands in for the film; a long lightproof box behind that provide a place to mount a camera to capture the images. Cleverly, [Adrian] built the camera mount from Lego, allowing cameras and lenses to be quickly swapped out. A Nintendo gamepad controller talks to custom software running on a Raspberry Pi and allows the photographer to control exposure and scroll through pictures using a smartphone as a display. There’s a short build video below, for those who can’t get enough of straw-packing techniques.
As with the film version of this camera, we just love the look of the photographs that come from this — the texture of the straw honeycomb and the defocused subject make for a striking effect.
Thanks to [Itay Ramot] for the tip. | 32 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346395",
"author": "SPD",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T20:20:29",
"content": "So its a reverse shadowmask?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6346396",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T20:20:37",
"content": "Damm... | 1,760,373,095.871804 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/learn-engineering-concepts-with-some-cool-animations/ | Learn Engineering Concepts With Some Cool Animations | Danie Conradie | [
"Science"
] | [
"animation",
"engineering",
"fea"
] | All feats of engineering build on a proper understanding of the basic engineering concepts. Learning these concepts from a book or class tends to be a rather uninspiring exercise, unfortunately. To make this task a lot more enjoyable,
[The Efficient Engineer]
has produced a series of high-quality, easy-to-watch videos on the concepts.
The videos focus mainly on mechanical and structural engineering and contain excellent animations and just enough math to give you a basic understanding. There are 22 videos so far and cover a wide variety of topics, including
FEA analysis
,
stress and strain
,
aerodynamics
, and
Young’s modulus
. Each video starts with the basics, then digs down into the topic, all the while visualizing the subject being discussed. For example, for FEA he starts with the applications, then covers discretization (meshing) and how to solve the calculations.
For more excellent educational videos, check out
[Real Engineering]
and
[Practical Engineering]
. | 5 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346121",
"author": "Kevin Katz",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T02:56:58",
"content": "Wow, marry me. (That means you, too, hackaday)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6346145",
"author": "Elliot Williams",
"timestamp... | 1,760,373,095.915168 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/a-wireless-speaker-pair-from-dead-earbuds/ | A Wireless Speaker Pair From Dead Earbuds | Danie Conradie | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"diy perks",
"speakers",
"wireless"
] | Building a Bluetooth speaker is easy with the availability of cheap Bluetooth receivers, but surprisingly there isn’t a simple way to build a pair of truly wireless stereo speakers. [Matt] from
DIY Perks
realized that modern
Bluetooth earbuds contain all the electronics to do just that
.
Due to the popularity of these earbuds, a broken pair can be picked up very cheaply on eBay. Usually, it’s only the battery or speaker unit that give out, neither of which are required for this build. [Matt] goes through the process of taking a pair of earbuds apart, and then soldering on battery and speaker wires. The speaker wires are connected to an audio amp, which drives a mid-range and treble speaker driver, and a subwoofer. The outputs to the amp are also filtered to match the speakers. Power is provided by a set of four 18650 cells.
[Matt] housed the driver and electronics in some attractive CNC machined wood enclosures. In the video, he places a lot of emphasis on properly sealing all the gaps to get the best possible audio quality. As with all of his projects, the end result looks and performs like a high-end commercial product. We’re almost surprised that he didn’t add any brass to the speakers, as he did on his
USB-C monitor
or
PS5 enclosure build
. | 23 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346100",
"author": "wanderer_",
"timestamp": "2021-05-06T00:38:27",
"content": "Mark? I thought it was Matt…Anyway, I have a project going to take some Bluetooth earbuds and make them into a receiver with a 3.5mm jack. All parts are currently acquired except an enclosure, which wil... | 1,760,373,095.979202 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/a-diy-enclosed-motorcycle-to-keep-you-dry-in-the-rain/ | A DIY Enclosed Motorcycle To Keep You Dry In The Rain | Danie Conradie | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"crash",
"enclosed",
"motorcycle"
] | Motorcyclist’s vulnerability to bodily harm and weather has spawned several enclosed motorcycle designs over the years. Fascinated by the idea, [Meanwhile in the garage] finally got around to
building his own
. (Video, embedded below.)
The vehicle started life as a 125cc scooter, stripped of all the unnecessary bits, he welded a steel cockpit onto it. A windshield, doors, and side windows were also added. The ends of the handlebars were cut off and reattached at 90 degrees to fit inside the narrow cockpit. A pair of retractable “training wheels” keep the vehicle upright and at slow speeds.
Legalities aside, we can’t help but think that the first test drives should not have been on a public road. It almost ended in disaster when a loose axle nut on the front wheel caused steering oscillations which caused the vehicle to tip over. Fortunately, there were no injuries and only light cosmetic damage, so a more successful test followed the first.
While many companies have tried, enclosed motorcycles have never achieved much commercial success. Probably because they inhabit a no-mans-land between the rush and freedom of riding a motorcycle and the safety and comfort of a car.
For some less extreme conversion, check out this
electric motorcycle
, or a
rideable tank track
. | 41 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346039",
"author": "Eric Cherry",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T20:14:46",
"content": "Something I’ve been kicking around making is something akin to the Honda Carenhttp://auctiong.uamulet.com/AuctionGoodsDetail.aspx?qid=688851To limit the head scratching, it’s basically a small displac... | 1,760,373,096.054009 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/using-docker-to-sail-through-open-source-xilinx-fpga-development/ | Using Docker To Sail Through Open-Source Xilinx FPGA Development | Stephen Ogier | [
"FPGA"
] | [
"docker",
"fpga toolchain",
"openocd",
"symbiflow",
"yosys"
] | Until a few years ago, developing for FPGAs required the use of proprietary locked-down tools, but in the last few years, the closed-source dam has burst, and open-source FPGA tools such as Yosys, SimbiFlow, and Icestorm have come flooding out. Setting up a build environment for these exciting new tools can still be quite a challenge, but [Carlos Eduardo] has decided to make
setting up an open-source toolchain for Xilinx FPGAs a breeze with Docker.
His image only has three prerequisites: Docker, Python 3, and OpenOCD (which is used to load your FPGA with your bespoke bitfile). After the Docker image has been built and all of the tools installed, [Carlos] guides you through using Python, FuseSoc, and
SymbiFlow
to build your first open-source Xilinx FPGA project.
In addition to making setup a whole lot easier, utilizing containers allows the same development environment to be built on Linux, Mac, and Windows (using WSL), which will make life a lot easier for teams working across different OSs. [Carlos’s] Dockerfile is unique because it supports the popular Artix-7 series of FPGAs — for the Lattice FPGAs that have been supported for a lot longer, there are existing Docker files already up on DockerHub. It’s easier than installing the vendor’s toolchain!
If this has you thinking it might be time to dip your toes into open-source FPGA development, check out t
his rundown of open-source FPGA tools from the 2019 Superconference
. | 21 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6346015",
"author": "Victor",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T18:46:30",
"content": "Here is another one (it’s only ~1GB) that includes support for ICE40 and ECP5 and formal verification open source toolshttps://github.com/vmunoz82/eda_tools",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"re... | 1,760,373,096.11038 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/05/05/julius-sumner-miller-made-physics-fun-for-everyone/ | Julius Sumner Miller Made Physics Fun For Everyone | Kristina Panos | [
"Art",
"Biography",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Slider"
] | [
"physics",
"physics demonstrations",
"Professor Wonderful",
"profiles in science",
"Why Is It So?"
] | Let’s face it — for the average person, math and formulas are not the most attractive side of physics. The fun is in the hands-on learning, the lab work, the live action demonstrations of Mother Nature’s power and prowess. And while it’s true that the student must be willing to learn, having a good teacher helps immensely.
Professor Julius Sumner Miller was energetic and enthusiastic about physics to the point of contagiousness. In pictures, his stern face commands respect. But in action, he becomes lovable. His demonstrations are dramatic, delightful, and about as far away from boring old math as possible. Imagine if Cosmo Kramer were a physics professor, or if that doesn’t give you an idea, just picture Doc Brown from
Back to the Future
(1985) with a thick New England accent and slightly darker eyebrows. Professor Miller’s was a shouting, leaping, arm-waving, whole-bodied approach to physics demonstrations. He was completely fascinated by physics, and deeply desired to understand it as best he could so that he could share the magic with people of all ages.
Professor Miller reached thousands of students in the course of his nearly 40-year teaching career, and inspired millions more throughout North America and Australia via television programs like
The
Mickey Mouse Club
and Miller’s own show entitled
Why Is It So?
His love for science is indeed infectious, as you can see in this segment about the shock value of capacitors.
Scintillated by Science
Julius Sumner Miller was born May 17th, 1909 in Billerica, Massachusetts, and was the youngest of nine children. His father was Latvian, and his mother was “a Lithuanian peasant who spoke twelve languages”. When Julius wasn’t busy with homework or chores on the family farm, he was consuming knowledge voraciously and “read the town’s library dry by the age of sixteen”. Years later, he used his own money to expand the library’s collection.
After high school, Julius went to Boston University and graduated in 1933 with degrees in philosophy and theoretical physics. It was impossible to find work in physics during the Depression, so Julius and his wife Alice spent two years working as butler and maid for a wealthy doctor. Finally, after sending out over 700 letters, Julius found work at a private school in Connecticut. A few years later, he was hired by the physics department of Dillard University in New Orleans in 1937 and stayed there for several years. During World War II, Julius also served as a civilian physicist for the US Army Signal Corps.
The professor makes wine glasses sing. Image via
Adelaide Now
A Teacher Like None Other
In 1950, Professor Miller won a grant that gave him the opportunity to study under Albert Einstein, with whom he became lifelong friends. Einstein was his idol, and he had a collection of memorabilia, including a copy of the man’s birth certificate.
Around this time, Julius did a brief teaching stint at UCLA, but decided he wanted to be in a smaller setting. He went to teach at a junior college called El Camino in Torrance, California and stayed there until his retirement in 1974. Professor Miller was extremely popular with students throughout the years, though he was not all fun and games. He expected students to listen and work hard, and he didn’t tolerate misspelled words or misplaced punctuation.
He was also tough on his colleagues, believing that most educators weren’t rigid enough, and that students weren’t learning anything as a result. As early as the 1940s, the professor was
quite vocal about the decline of education in the United States
and pulled no punches when speaking about the situation. Although he enjoyed teaching anyone who would listen, Professor Miller’s favorite audience was children because “their spirit and curiosity has not yet been dulled by schools.”
Professor Wonderful, the home game. Image via
Etsy
Professor Wonderful, Why Is It So?
During the 1950s, Miller made 40 appearances as Professor Wonderful on the
Mickey Mouse Club
giving lively demonstrations each week. The professor proved popular and launched his own TV show in 1959 called
Why Is It So?
from Los Angeles. After a few years, he moved to Australia and stayed there for over twenty years. Professor Miller became a beloved celebrity in Australia and visited many times over the years. He also made the U.S. late-night talk show circuit
and appeared on several television shows as himself
.
Toward the end of his life, he made an unforgettable
Cadbury commercial including a physics demonstration
of pushing a hard-boiled egg into a glass bottle unscathed. In between demonstrations, he found the time to write several books including an autobiography that’s difficult to source, and contributed over 300 papers to scientific journals. A few of the books were full of “Millergrams” — physics-based brainteasers such as this gem:
Q32: A juggler comes to a footbridge of rather flimsy design. He has in hand four balls. The maximum load is no more than the juggler himself and one ball. Can he get across the bridge by juggling the balls, always having at most one ball in the hand (and three in the air)?
A: No. A falling ball exerts a force on the hand greater than its own weight. Rather, a “thrown” ball exerts greater force than a “held” one. That is, the additional force equal and opposite to that imparted to a flung ball, in addition to the juggler’s mass, would exceed the bridge’s tolerance (the bridge can tolerate a juggler and held ball, but not the additional downward force associated with forcing a ball “up”).
In the spring of 1987, Professor Miller developed leukemia and died soon after at age 77, having requested no services. Instead, he willed his body to the USC School of Dentistry.
The professor’s legacy lives on thanks to YouTube
, where you can watch many delightful demonstrations.
[Main image source:
The Age
]
Thanks for the tip, [John Wayt]. | 38 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6345994",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-05-05T17:31:47",
"content": "“Let’s face it — for the average person, math and formulas are not the most attractive side of physics.”E=MC^2 : I just get a bang out of it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,373,096.24484 |
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