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https://hackaday.com/2021/03/25/3d-printed-wobbly-wheels-put-through-their-paces/ | 3D Printed Wobbly Wheels Put Through Their Paces | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"wheel",
"wheels"
] | When we talk about wheels, the vast majority of the time we’re talking about ho-hum cylindrical rollers as seen on all manner of human conveyances. However, there are all manner of wild and wacky shapes that roll, and having had some experience with them,
[Maker’s Muse] decided to take a shot at having a robot drive on them.
(Video, embedded below.)
The benefit of a 3D printer is that it makes producing these parts with strange geometries a cinch. The video shows a variety of designs, from the wobbly “Nightshades” to the entertaining “Prongle” wheels being put through a variety of tests. In an attempt to equalise the playing field, each design was matched in its surface area so as not to artificially bias the results.
While the wobbly designs look strange, they also come with some benefits over simple disc wheels, providing extra traction on both carpet and sand. Particularly impressive was the performance of the 8-spoke wheels on the beach, though as this design mimics real-world sand tyres, we’re not surprised at the results.
We’ve seen similar 3D printed parts do the job for driving on water, too
. | 8 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334389",
"author": "persistent_tinker",
"timestamp": "2021-03-25T11:54:07",
"content": "Excellent presentation with loads of fun! It seems to me that the Spokes wheels design in use in the video features the inner diameter of a plain disk wheel. That is, the inner diameter of the s... | 1,760,373,143.314057 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/25/to-kill-a-blockchain-add-naughty-stuff-to-it/ | To Kill A Blockchain, Add Naughty Stuff To It? | Jenny List | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"blockchain",
"blockchain fork",
"security"
] | Even if not all of us are blockchain savants, we mostly have a pretty good idea of how they function as a distributed database whose integrity is maintained by an unbroken chain of conputational hashes. For cyryptocurrencies a blockchain ledger stores transaction records, but there is no reason why the same ledger can not contain almost any other form of digital content. [Bruce Schneier] writes on
the potential consequences of content that is illegal or censored being written to a blockchain
, and about how it might eventually form a fatal weakness for popular cryptocurrencies.
It’s prompted by the news that some botnet operators
have been spotted using the Bitcoin ledger to embed command and control messages
to hide the address of their control server. There have already been cases of illegal pornography being placed within blockchain ledgers, as well as leaked government data.
[Schneier] uses these two content cases to pose the question as to whether this might prove to be a vulnerability for the whole system. If a government such as China objects to a block containing censored material or a notoriously litigious commercial entity such as Disney objects to a piece of copyrighted content, they could take steps to suppress copies of the blockchain that contain those blocks. Being forced by hostile governments or litigious corporations to in effect remove a block from the chain by returning to the previous block would fork the blockchain, and as multiple forks would inevitably be made in this way it would become a threat to the whole. It’s an interesting possible scenario, and one that should certainly be ready by anyone with an interest in blockchain technologies.
Only a few weeks ago we looked at another threat to blockchain technologies –
that they might be legislated out of existence by environmental rules
. | 65 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334348",
"author": "Jan-Maarten",
"timestamp": "2021-03-25T08:27:07",
"content": "I think it would be really interesting to use the blockchain for veracity of media, i.e. has a journalistic photograph been tampered with somewhere between camera and end user",
"parent_id": null,... | 1,760,373,143.418162 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/a-raspberry-pi-tablet-with-a-dsi-screen/ | A Raspberry Pi Tablet, With A DSI Screen | Jenny List | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"dsi",
"raspberry pi",
"tablet",
"touchscreen"
] | Since the Raspberry Pi arrived back in 2012, we’ve seen no end of interesting and creative designs for portable versions of the little computer. They often have problems in interfacing with their screens, either on the very cheap models using the expansion port or on more expensive ones using an HDMI screen with associated controller and cabling. The official Raspberry Pi touchscreen has made life easier with its DSI convector, but
as [jrberendt] shows us with this neat little tablet
, there are other DSI-based options. This one uses a 5″ DSI touchscreen available through Amazon as well as a Pi UPS board to make a tablet that is both diminutive and self-contained.
Having fooled around ourselves in the world of Pi tablets we like this one for its clean look and a bezel that is little bigger than the screen itself. As is the case with so many Pi tablets though it has to contend with the bulk of a full-sized Model B board on its behind, making it more of a chunky brick than a svelte tablet. The screen has potential though, and we can’t help wondering whether there’s any mileage in pairing it with a much thinner Pi Zero board and a LiPo board for a slimmer alternative.
Probably the nicest Pi tablet we’ve brought you was this one
, which managed to remain impressively slim despite its HDMI screen. | 36 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334328",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2021-03-25T06:31:50",
"content": "Has no one managed to use a cm4 in tablet form factor yet?If someone designed a breakout board for the cm4 with connections on the edges and battery management built in, I’d buy it. Bonus points if they utili... | 1,760,373,143.734695 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/pctg-filament-has-interesting-properties/ | PCTG Filament Has Interesting Properties | Al Williams | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"engineering plastic",
"PCTG",
"Polyethylene Terephthalate-Glycol"
] | Early 3D printers used ABS, but bad fumes and warping made most people go to PLA. However, PETG has a lot of the great properties of ABS along with some of the ease-of-use of PLA. According to a recent [VisionMiner] video, however, PCTG — Polyethylene Terephthalate-Glycol — could be the next filament of choice. The filament itself is from
Essentium
, but it appears that [VisionMiner] is a reseller of the filament (along with other engineering plastics). Thus the video below has a bit of marketing speak in it, but it also has good information and examples of using PCTG.
The plastic is relatively inexpensive, but still not as cheap as PLA or even PETG. A 750g roll is about $40 The benefits? According to the video, this plastic is stronger, tougher, and clearer than other common options.
The material will print on many normal FDM printers. It requires 250 °C to 270 °C on the nozzle and 70 °C to 80 °C on the bed. Just be sure your hotend can handle the higher temperature. If you have PTFE in there it is probably your limiting factor, although you also need temperature sensing that can go over 250 °C, as well.
Speaking of temperature, apparently the filament can have a glossy or matte finish depending on the print temperature. We wondered if the layer adhesion — which is supposed to be very strong — changes based on the print temperature.
If you are printing with PLA or even PETG with good results, you may not need PCTG. But if it would prevent you from having to print with other materials that are hard to set up for like nylon, it might be worth experimenting with a roll to see how it works out.
Carbon fiber filament
is cool if your nozzle can stand it. We have to confess, we still haven’t made it through the thirty types of
exotic filaments we listed
awhile back. | 37 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334273",
"author": "Michael Johnson",
"timestamp": "2021-03-25T02:13:27",
"content": "Um… “PCTG — Polyethylene Terephthalate-Glycol”No, Polyethylene Terephthalate-Glycol is PETG. PCTG is a copolyester.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comme... | 1,760,373,143.487534 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/coil-winding-machine-makes-it-easy/ | Coil Winding Machine Makes It Easy | Al Williams | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"3d printed",
"coil winder",
"servo"
] | [Mr Innovative] needed to wind some coils, and decided to
make a machine to do the work
. Making such machines has become a lot easier over the years. There was a time when we might probably have had to hack an old printer or scanner to get linear rods and stepper motors. Now, thanks to widespread 3D printing, we can order parts like that from lots of places. The 3D printing helps, too, to fabricate all the little custom widgets you need to put something like that together.
The machine looks great. It uses a number of parts that would look at home on a 3D printer or CNC build. We thought his Chinese mini table saw did a great job cutting the aluminum extrusions, but we did worry about the safety of his fingers. We’ll admit we are generally lazy and buy the extrusions precut.
Of course, for those who are only making a few coils, a dowel rod in a variable speed drill will get you there. But if you were doing even a small production run, we could see the value of this. It would be pretty simple to add software to control the number of turns, the speed, and other parameters.
This reminded us of a recent build we saw for
winding pickup coils
. The real value, though, is a machine to wind those
pesky tesla coils
with lots of turns of fine wire. | 19 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334228",
"author": "Andy Pugh",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T23:22:00",
"content": "It’s cute, but why not use your CNC lathe?If you don’t have a CNC lathe, build one instead. Then you have a CNC lathe too.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comm... | 1,760,373,143.27009 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/a-simple-but-effective-high-flow-oxygen-concentrator-from-hardware-store-parts/ | A Simple But Effective High-Flow Oxygen Concentrator From Hardware Store Parts | Dan Maloney | [
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"concentrator",
"Covid-19",
"nitrogen",
"oxygen",
"oxygen concentrator",
"pressure swing adsorption",
"SARS-CoV-2",
"therapy",
"zeolite"
] | To say that a lot has happened in the year since the COVID-19 pandemic started is an understatement of epic proportions, so much so that it may be hard to remember how the hardware hacking community responded during those early days, with mass-produced PPE, homebrew ventilators and the like. But we don’t recall seeing too many attempts to build something like
this DIY oxygen concentrator
during that initial build-out phase.
Given the simplicity and efficacy of the design, dubbed
OxiKit
, it seems strange that we didn’t see more of these devices. OxiKit uses zeolite, a porous mineral that can be used as a molecular sieve. The tiny beads are packed into columns made from hardware store PVC pipes and fittings and connected to an oil-less air compressor through some solenoid-controlled pneumatic valves. After being cooled in a coil of copper pipe, the compressed air is forced through one zeolite column, which preferentially retains the nitrogen while letting the oxygen pass through. The oxygen stream is split, with part going into a buffer tank and part going into the outlet of the second zeolite column, where it forces the adsorbed nitrogen to be released. An Arduino controls the valves that alternate the gas flow back and forth, resulting in 15 liters per minute of 96% pure oxygen.
OxiKit isn’t optimized as a commercial oxygen concentrator is, so it’s not particularly quiet. But it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than a commercial unit, and an easy build for most hackers.
OxiKit’s designs are all open source
, but they do sell kits and some of the harder-to-source parts and supplies, like the zeolite. We’d be tempted to build something like this just because the technology is so neat; having a source of high-flow oxygen available isn’t a bad idea, either. | 76 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334144",
"author": "irox",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T20:09:52",
"content": "15 Liters a minute seems very impressive. For scale, that’s enough to keep 7 people a live (@ ~2 liters per person per minute) in nominal circumstances.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies... | 1,760,373,143.666585 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/30-year-old-macintosh-se-30-gets-a-brand-new-logic-board/ | 30-Year-Old Macintosh SE/30 Gets A Brand New Logic Board | Zach Zeman | [
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"custom PCB",
"diy pcb",
"eagle",
"eagle cad",
"Eagle PCB",
"EagleCad",
"EaglePCB",
"macintosh",
"Macintosh SE",
"Macintosh SE/30",
"pcb",
"PCB design"
] | Some time ago, [Bolle] got the idea to redraw the Macintosh SE/30 schematics in Eagle. Progress was initially slow, but over the past month (and with some prodding and assistance from fellow forum frequenter [GeekDot]), he’s taken things a step further by
creating a fully functional replacement Macintosh SE/30 logic board PCB
.
By using the available schematics, the project didn’t even require much reverse engineering. Though he plans for more modernization in later iterations, this design is largely faithful to the original components and layout, ensuring that it is at least basically functional. He did update the real time clock battery to a CR2032 and, as a benefit of redrawing all the traces, he was able to use a 4-layer PCB in place of the costly 6-layer from Apple’s design.
The board came back from fabrication looking beautiful in blue; and, once he had it soldered up and plugged in, the old Mac booted on the very first try! A copy-paste mistake with the SCSI footprints led to some jumper wire bodging in order to get the hard drive working, but that problem has already been fixed in the next revision. And, otherwise, he’s seen no differences from the original after a few hours of runtime.
Recreating old Macintosh logic boards
almost seems like its own hobby these days. With the design and fabrication capabilities now accessible to hobbyists, even projects that were once considered professional work are in reach. If you’re interested in making your own PCB designs,
there are many resources available
to help you get started. Alternatively,
we have seen other ways to modernize your classic Macs
.
[Thanks to techknight for the tip!] | 36 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334109",
"author": "kc8rwr",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T18:36:01",
"content": "Same RTC?Does it handle Year >= 2000?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6334111",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T18:48:49... | 1,760,373,143.557554 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/ask-hackaday-how-do-you-prepare/ | Ask Hackaday: How Do You Prepare? | Jonathan Bennett | [
"Ask Hackaday",
"home hacks",
"News",
"Slider"
] | [
"disaster",
"electricity",
"heat",
"power",
"preparedness",
"water"
] | Last month, large parts of the southern United States experienced their coldest temperatures since
the 1899 Blizzard
. Some of us set new all-time lows, and I was right in the middle of the middle of it here in Southwestern Oklahoma. Since many houses in Texas and Oklahoma are heated with electricity, the power grids struggled to keep up with the demand. Cities in Oklahoma experienced some short-term rolling blackouts and large patches of the Texas grid were without power for several days. No juice, no heat.
In places where the power was out for an extended period of time, the water supply was potentially contaminated, and a boil order was in effect. Of course, this only works when the gas and power are on. In some places, the store shelves were empty, a result of panic buying combined with perishables spoiling without the power to keep them cold. For some, food and drinkable water was temporarily hard to come by.
There have been other problems, too. Houses in the south aren’t built for the extreme cold, and many have experienced frozen pipes, temporarily shutting off their water supply. In some cases, those frozen pipes break open, flooding the house once the water starts flowing again. For instance, here’s an eye-witness account of the carnage from The 8-bit Guy, who lives at ground zero in the DFW area.
To put it simply, it was bad. It could have been worse — power was only out for a few days, not
the worst case scenario of months without power
. Even so, it was bad enough, and dozens have died. The experience has many of us thinking seriously about what we can do to be better prepared for the *next* unexpected event that threatens our households.
I’ll tell you what I did that seemed to work, what I’ve seen others do, and then you all can tell us what preparation make sense for where you live. I’m also pulling information from
the official FEMA recommendations
(PDF). The key here is to make preparations ahead of time, when there is no emergency. Not only does this save your skin, it also keeps you from being part of the problem, out panic buying toilet paper, milk, and bread.
Thinking Through Your Necessities — Water
Too many little bottles!
plastic water bottles
by zone41, CC BY-ND 2.0
The rule of thumb is a gallon of water per person per day. A family of four, for a week, would go through 28 gallons of water, and that might be more than you think. Bottled water is great for something easy to grab and go, but at pints to a gallon, we’re talking over 200 bottles of water. Alternatively, you can buy gallon jugs of water, though those get expensive and take up a lot of room as well.
But this is Hackaday, we prefer a clever, off-the-beaten-path approach. My local home improvement stores sell branded 5-gallon plastic buckets that happen to be food-grade rated. At under four dollars a piece, you can set aside a decent cache of drinkable water for not very much.
If you fill water containers yourself, do keep in mind the fact that water will not stay potable indefinitely. The big problem is algae growth. The key here is to keep air and light out of your water. My buckets of water are well sealed, and tucked away in the corner of the garage, well out of the sunshine. It’s a good idea to refresh the water periodically, though how often this should happen is subject for debate, and taste. If you’re using your city’s chlorinated water supply, and keeping it stored well, water should keep for years, but to be safe you might refresh it once a year. The important thing is to think about it now, rather than filling your bathtub in panic after a water rationing order has been issued.
Let Them Eat Cake
empty shelves
by tomhakase, CC BY 2.0
Food is less immediately pressing than water, but if your local grocery store couldn’t receive shipments for a couple weeks, would you have enough food to comfortably get by? Don’t forget, a refrigerator or freezer full of food isn’t very useful if the power is out, and you can’t keep it cold. Shelf stable goods are the way to go. Canned beans and vegetables are particularly good choices, and it’s hard to go wrong with a five-pound bag of rice. The key here is to rotate your supply. When you buy a can of green beans, put it at the back of your pantry, and pull the older cans to the front. You don’t want to finally need to eat your emergency supply, only to find that it was all best by 1985.
There are companies that make food packs specifically for emergency use. They’re usually dehydrated foods, and often all boxed up for easy grab-and-go. If you have the budget for it, they’re a great part of your kit. Many of these will have extra-long shelf life, 25 years in some cases. But of course, you’ll need water.
It’s also worth having a few camp-style cooking tools. A cast iron pan and a campfire coffee pot or percolator can help prepare food or boil water that’s suspect. Make sure you have a can opener with your cans. A backpack full of canned goods isn’t useful without a way to open them. A quick tip from my wife, a few disposable plates and silverware is handy if you don’t have water to spare for washing dishes.
Shelter And All It Implies
Shelter can mean different things, depending on whether you’re in a cold snap like I was last week, or in a blazing hot summer. For now, we’ll talk about heat, and then electricity.
When it comes to makeshift heating solutions,
be careful
. It appears that more of the deaths in Texas were from either house fires or carbon monoxide poisoning than from the cold itself. In one case, a family brought a gas grill in from outside in an attempt to stay warm. Gasoline, natural gas, and propane combustion can all produce carbon monoxide. If you’re going to use a running vehicle to generate heat or power, pull it well away from your house. The same goes for a generator — make sure it is well away from the house, and downwind if possible. Propane and natural gas heaters that are rated for indoor use have been carefully engineered to produce minimal amounts of carbon monoxide, and are safe for indoor use. Even then, it’s very strongly recommended to have a carbon monoxide detector in working order. Carbon monoxide will kill in your sleep, with no warning. Get a detector, and keep batteries in it. Make sure it’s working.
There are some great options for keeping yourself warm. To really cover your bases, though, you need to diversify. We used an oil-filled electric radiator to keep one of the bedrooms a bit warmer through the cold nights. It uses only electricity, and is considered one of the safer electric heaters. If your house is gas heated like ours, this could be a life-saver. Another option is one of the portable propane heaters, like a “Heat Buddy”. These often run on camping propane canisters, which are easy enough to keep on hand, and don’t really ever go bad. Heaters are probably hard to purchase right now, as everyone needs one. Pick up what you need this summer, and be prepared for the next time it turns into a frozen wasteland.
Fireplace Logs, Winter Heat
by moonjazz, CC BY-SA 2.0
If you have a fireplace or wood stove, that’s great. There are some potential problems there, too, but that can keep you warm in an emergency. If it hasn’t been inspected and cleaned recently, find a chimney-sweep to take a look at it. A dirty chimney, if it’s full of creosote, can catch on fire and burn your house down. To avoid creosote build-up, make sure you’re burning well-seasoned wood. Try to have some wood on hand, just in case you really need a fire.
Do not
use an outdoor fire pit indoors, as this will almost certainly burn your house down. A wood stove can easily do the same, if flammable materials are too close to it while it’s running.
The last tip I have for heating might be very regional, but it’s still something to check for. If you have a natural gas central heating system, go check for a wall plug where the unit is plugged in. That heater only needs enough power to run the electronics and turn the blower fan. If you have gas but not power, all you need to do is get power to that plug, and the heater will work. We’ll chat about how you might do that shortly.
Electricity
Let’s talk about electricity. The gold standard here is a large generator, and a transfer switch — a large switch that only allows you to connect the generator to the house power if the connection to the power company has been disconnected. Many a lineman have been injured or killed by a line that was supposed to be off, but it was in fact energized by a generator in someone’s house. Don’t be that someone.
If a full transfer switch is too expensive, look into a bolt-on interlock kit. (
You can even make your own
!). This is a bit of a hack, but it physically prevents your mains power and your generator circuit from being engaged at the same time. In a life-or-death situation, you can energize your house though a dryer plug and a “suicide cable”, but make absolutely sure that you turn off the main breaker first.
one red generator
by kylemac, CC BY 2.0
If you have a generator, then make sure that you stay on top of the maintenance issues involved. Pull it out from time to time and make sure it starts and runs. Keep some gas on hand, but rotate that gas through your mower or car, to keep it from going bad. Some people swear by the idea that ethanol free gas stores better, and is better for small engines. And for goodness sake, don’t run a generator in your garage. Just like your car, the engine is putting out loads of carbon monoxide, and that will kill you.
Lithium ion batteries have exploded (hah!) in popularity in the last few years, and a couple of must-have gadgets are now available for purchase. The first is the lithium-ion jump starter. It’s incredible that such a tiny brick can jump start a large engine, but these units also allow phone charging, and usually have an emergency light to boot. If that’s not enough to meet your power needs, consider its big brother, the power station. These are essentially a lithium ion with a power inverter, giving you mains power for a limited time. Some of the nicer models can even charge off a solar panel, making this a perfect way to keep power flowing in a pinch. At something like a dollar per watt, the convenience does come at a premium.
Jenny did a great job covering power outages a few years ago
, so check that out too.
Community
The most important step to being prepared for disaster isn’t a generator, barrels of water, or a pantry full of food. Believe it or not, it’s knowing your neighbors. When we moved into our current house, our neighbor came over and explained that she had a storm shelter in her back yard. If there was ever a tornado, we didn’t even need to ask, we could just dash over and jump in. When we received the notice that power might go off during the cold last week, I contacted a couple people who live nearby, and told them to come over right away if power went out.
Is there a nurse in your neighborhood? She might be the one to stitch you up if you’re hurt and can’t get to an ER. In the video embedded above, David came home to a flooded house, and had help from a bunch of neighbors to get everything taken care of. Is there someone elderly close by that might struggle in an emergency? Plan to check up and help out as needed.
You have space for a generator, but can’t afford one? You might ask your neighbors to help pay for it with their next tax returns, and have a plan to power up their furnaces in a power outage. The ham down the street with a radio antenna — maybe that’s you — is the most likely to be able to get a message out when other communication links are down.
One more related thought: keep a bit of cash on hand. If the power is out all over town, then ATMs probably won’t work, and neither will a credit card. You might be able to find something you need for sale, but not be able to get to your savings to purchase it. A handful of hard currency squirreled away somewhere might just get you out of a jam.
It Never Happens Here
Finally, the attitude that is the most dangerous: It never happens here. Texas never gets that cold, right? But freak events are dangerous just exactly because they’re unexpected. It’s hard to know what the next disaster will be, but it’s coming. A bit of preparation now can make a world of difference when you’re put to it, and it’s far too late to prepare once disaster has knocked on your door.
There’s more to be said about preparation. We’ve pretty much only covered how to stay alive at home. For a primer on being ready to go at a moment’s notice, read Dan’s take on the
digital bugout bag
.
Now, I’ve laid out some basic universal considerations, and then given some advice that makes sense in my part of the world. Sound off, let us know what makes sense where you live. Did I forget something important, let us know! | 140 | 47 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334057",
"author": "Nicci",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T17:07:28",
"content": "I was in the 2010 earthquake here in Chile, 8.8 Richter. My apartment was undamaged, power was out for 3 days but I managed. Internet worked, landline worked, water worked because or building had its own re... | 1,760,373,144.15491 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/removing-supervisor-passwords-and-learning-python/ | Removing Supervisor Passwords And Learning Python | Bryan Cockfield | [
"News"
] | [
"beaglebone",
"bios",
"eeprom",
"flash",
"i2c",
"password",
"supervisor",
"thinkpad"
] | When learning a new programming language, it’s best to have a goal in mind and work towards it. [Timo] thought it was about time to learn python, and he also had a project in mind: removing the BIOS supervisor password from his old Thinkpad. From there it was just a few keystrokes (and some soldering) and he was
able to change the BIOS password of this black box from the outside
.
The build utilizes a BeagleBone to communicate with the laptop’s EEPROM via the I2C bus. An oscilloscope also monitors the bus to look for a specific window every four-seconds when the computer is not accessing the bus. During that short period, the EEPROM can be read and written to. Once the window opens, the BeagleBone executes the Python script, which attempts to read the EEPROM and can also perform actions such as removing or changing the BIOS supervisor password.
Of course, tinkering with the EEPROM on a laptop has a high risk of bricking the device, and not all laptops use the same security measures or even memory addresses for things like this, so documentation and precision are key. Also, with Thinkpads of this vintage it’s possible to replace the firmware on these chips entirely with a FOSS version called libreboot,
and even though the process is difficult
, it’s definitely recommended. | 15 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334022",
"author": "mime",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T15:35:25",
"content": "a proper hack :)Nice",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6334041",
"author": "sqelch",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T16:18:50",
"content": "Awesome, ... | 1,760,373,143.970903 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/how-the-ligo-observatory-detects-gravitational-waves/ | How The LIGO Observatory Detects Gravitational Waves | Lewin Day | [
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Science",
"Slider"
] | [
"gravitational waves",
"gravity",
"interferometer",
"LIGO",
"physics"
] | Gravity is one of the more obvious forces in the universe, generally regarded as easily noticeable by the way apples fall from trees. However, the underlying mechanisms behind gravity are inordinately complex, and the subject of much study to this day.
A major component of this study is around the concept of gravitational waves. First posited by Henri Poincaré in 1905, and later a major component of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, they’re a phenomena hunted for by generations of physicists ever since. For the team at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO, finding direct evidence of gravitational waves is all in a day’s work.
What Are Gravitational Waves Anyway?
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime itself, caused due to accelerating masses with some form of asymmetry. For example, a dumbbell spinning about its main axis would not generate gravitational waves, nor would a spinning sphere or a flat disc. However, a dumbbell tumbling end over end, or one with a significant asymmetry,
would
generate gravitational waves. Most sources of gravitational waves are due to major cosmological-scale events, as the larger the masses involved, the larger the gravitational waves that are created. Typical sources include binary star systems, where two large stars orbit around each other, or binary black holes. Supernova explosions asymmetrically accelerate huge amounts of mass, so should also create gravitational waves. In rare cases, incredibly dense spinning neutron stars that aren’t quite perfectly spherical should also cause such waves, due to surface irregularities that make them asymmetrical — though these are yet to be detected in practice.
Detecting Gravitational Waves
A gravitational wave distorts spacetime, squeezing it together or stretching it apart as it passes. Unfortunately for the hard working physicists of the world, the interaction between gravitational waves and matter is very weak. Combined with the fact that the strength of gravitational waves grows weaker with the inverse of the distance of the source, detecting gravitational waves is very difficult indeed.
The basic layout of the LIGO Interferometer. Note the Fabry Perot cavities that enable the 4 km long interfereometer to extend its functional length to 1200 km.
Using conventional measuring devices isn’t viable for investigating such phenomena. LIGO has to measure changes in distance under 10,000 times the size of a proton (or around 8.4 x 10
-20
m) to determine the effect of gravitational waves on its detectors.
It does this with an L-shaped laser interferometer
. A laser beam is fired at a 45 degree beam splitter, which sends some light down one leg of the L, and the rest of the light down the other. At the end of each leg is a mirror, which bounces the light back. The light from each leg is then recombined and shined on a photodetector. As the length of each leg of the L changes, the light travels a different distance on each path.
When when the reflected light is recombined, an interference pattern is generated because the light from each path constructively and destructively interferes. This interference pattern can then be used to determine the length of each leg incredibly accurately, and thus used to determine if a gravitational wave has passed by, distorting space time around the interferometer. The longer an interferometers legs, the more sensitive it is to gravitational waves, hence each leg of LIGO’s interferometer is a full four kilometers long.
To further improve sensitivity, the interferometer features what are known as Fabry Perot cavities, which bounce the light back and forth down each leg 300 times before it reaches the photodetector. This has the effect of causing the laser light to travel 1200 kilometers up and down each leg before it reaches the detector, greatly increasing the sensitivity to minute changes in the size of each leg.
Stabilising the Instruments
LIGO’s mirrors, known internally as “test masses”, are suspended from a four-stage pendulum by glass fibers, acting as a passive stabilisation measure against disturbances.
If building a gigantic 4km-per-side interferometer didn’t sound hard enough, don’t worry —
there’s more to it.
With the minute changes in distance being measured, even a slight rumble from a passing truck or distant earthquake could shake the interferometer assembly enough to ruin any measurements. To prevent this, an active damper system is used to stabilise the system. A variety of sensors detect tremors and environmental vibrations, and counter-motion is generated to keep things steady.
Additionally, the mirrors themselves are hung from a four-stage pendulum, called the “quad”, to keep disturbances to a minimum. The heavy 40 kg weight of the system’s mirrors, or “test masses”, also helps stability thanks to pure inertia. The entire light path is also kept at vacuum of one-trillionth of the air pressure at sea level, as errant air molecules bouncing around create noise that disrupts sensor readings.
The LIGO system is actually one of the world’s largest vacuums by volume, with the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland being notable as a larger example. Achieving this vacuum is no mean feat. With the tubes first heated to drive out as much residual gas as possible, a series of turbo-pumps and ion pumps were used to drive down the pressure inside. It took a full 40 days to bring each tube of LIGO down to the requisite vacuum level. The interferometer arms have been maintained at vacuum since the 1990s; gate valves are used to seal off the corner chambers for maintenance and upgrades where necessary.
A 200 Watt Laser Isn’t Messing Around
End Reaction Masses used in the LIGO interferometer. Each one weighs 40 kg and needs to be absolutely defect free for top performance.
The laser used in LIGO is also vital to the performance of the detector. With a stronger, more powerful laser beam, the signals picked up by the photodetector are less likely to be disturbed by noise. “We want as many photons interacting with the test mass as we can,” says Georgia Mansell, a post-doctoral member of the LIGO Commissioning Team. The Advanced LIGO upgrade fitted the facilities with a 200W laser system, though the full power level has not been used in practice yet. “In our last observing run, we had a problem where there’s a point defect in one of the test mass coatings… it absorbs a lot of heat and creates a weird thermal profile in the optic. In the end we used 40 watts in the last observing run.” In January 2021, the defective test mass was replaced, and the interferometer began undergoing preparations for its next observing run.
Somewhat uniquely to LIGO among large physics installations is that it isn’t a single facility. Instead, the entire interferometer assembly was built twice, in two separate locations — the LIGO Livingston Observatory in Louisiana, and the LIGO Hanford Observatory in Washington. This has the benefit of allowing the system to correlate potential gravitational wave findings across the two locations. This can help with ruling out phenomena like vibrations due to traffic or seismic activity from genuine gravitational wave detections.
Observations
Signal traces of the first confirmed gravitational wave detection. T-shirts were made celebrating the find, and this author is lucky enough to have one.
The first direct gravitational wave detection was made on the 14th of September 2015
, detected by both the LIGO observatories at the time. Since then, many more successful observations have been made,
with the most recent observation run netting 55 detections before being curtailed by COVID-19
. With the existence of gravitational waves confirmed by direct observation, work is ongoing to better understand the phenomena. Each detection comes from a different stellar event, and sheds more light on the underlying physical processes at play. The biggest detection yet was from May 21, 2019,
likely due to the merger of two black holes
. Data is compared between the two LIGO observatories, as well as a similar facility in Italy by the name of VIRGO, to help pinpoint the source of any observed waves.
Being able to detect gravitational waves enables the investigation of phenomena that were difficult to access with traditional optical or electromagnetic astronomy.
Before LIGO, we didn’t really know how many binary black holes there were in the universe… you can’t really see them. What LIGO is sensitive to is that final moment where they merge … We’re doing some cool stuff with the distribution of binary black holes… they could be isotropically distributed through the universe, or there could be more black holes in certain systems.
As more measurements roll in, and physical theories evolve, the data collected from the project may shed further insights on the very structure of the universe itself.
The LIGO experiment is a great example of the level of sophistication required to investigate the phenomena at the cutting edge of physics. Often, there’s a huge lag between theories being proposed and successful experimental confirmations; in this case, a full century went by before gravitational waves could be directly detected. It’s hard work untangling the secrets of the universe, but as always, scientists stand ready to rise to the challenge.
[Thanks to Georgia Mansell of the LIGO project who consulted on this article!
Her livestreams working on LIGO’s interferometer can be seen on Twitch.tv
.] | 43 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333995",
"author": "Richard P Cook",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T14:27:48",
"content": "Simply amazing! Thank you for such a concise but detailed explanation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6334262",
"author": "Lewin D... | 1,760,373,143.921675 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/open-source-motion-controller-for-diy-drones/ | Open Source Motion Controller For DIY Drones | Tom Nardi | [
"drone hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"gesture control",
"motion control",
"OpenTX",
"RC transmitter",
"remote control"
] | DJI recently introduced a slick motion controller that eschews the traditional dual-stick transmitter and allows you to fly their new “FPV Drone” with just one hand. The fact that it looks like it could double as the control stick for an X-Wing is just an added bonus. Unfortunately, that single model is the only thing the $199 USD controller is currently compatible with. Unwilling to get locked into the DJI ecosystem,
[Paweł Spychalski] has developed an open source work-alike motion controller
that brings gesture flying to home-built quadcopters and airplanes.
Now to be clear, you’ll still need a traditional transmitter to use this device. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, [Paweł] decided to implement his motion controller as an add-on for OpenTX hardware like the RadioMaster TX16S. It simply plugs into the trainer port on the back of the transmitter and acts as a secondary input. This greatly simplifies the design, as it essentially just needs to read angle data from its MPU-6050 gyro/accelerometer and forward it along to OpenTX over the serial port. Plus the fact that it’s connected to the trainer port means you can disable it and return to traditional controls in an instant if anything goes wrong.
Outside of the motion sensing gear, the ESP32-powered peripheral also has a thumb stick and a pair of push buttons nestled into its 3D printed frame. An OLED display provides some user feedback, and a holder for a 18650 cell is mounted to the back side as the controller will need its own power source when [Paweł] gets around to making its connection to the transmitter wireless.
In the video below, [Paweł] takes the motion controller for a test flight and comes away largely satisfied with the results. Some tweaks are in the works as you might expect for a first attempt, but nothing that would prevent you from building your own version today and experiencing
what might be the next evolution of RC flying
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e1Dzy56vOk | 7 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6334018",
"author": "Tenaja",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T15:32:30",
"content": "I love this project!(But am I the only person who wondered if this guy could take care of some DMV stuff for me? [Blacklist])",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"commen... | 1,760,373,144.198038 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/24/south-korea-mapping-satellite-reaches-orbit/ | South Korean Mapping Satellite Reaches Orbit | Chris Lott | [
"News",
"Space"
] | [
"CAS500",
"KARI",
"mapping",
"Satellites",
"south korea",
"Soyuz"
] | South Korea’s space program achieved another milestone yesterday with the launch of the first
Compact Advanced Satellite 500 (CAS500)
in a planned series of five vehicles. A second-generation
Russian Soyuz 2.1a
lifted the Korean-made CAS500-1 from historic
Baikonur Cosmodrome
in southern Kazakhstan and successfully placed it into a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit, inclined by 97.7 degrees or 15 orbits/day. Living up to its reputation as a workhorse, the Soyuz then proceeded to deposit multiple other satellites into 600 km and 550 km orbits. The satellite is pretty substantial, being 2.9 m tall and 1.9 m diameter and topping the scales at 500 kg. (Don’t be confused, like we were, by this
Wikipedia article
that says it is a 1.3 kg CubeSat.)
South Korea already has over a dozen satellites in orbit, and the CAS500 adds a modular space platform to the mix. It was designed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to provide a core backbone which can be easily adapted to other missions, not unlike a car manufacturer that sells several different models all based on the same underlying chassis. Another down-to-earth goal of the CAS500 program was to foster the transfer of core technologies from state-owned KARI to private industry. We wonder how such figures are calculated, but reportedly 91.3% of CAS500-1 was made in Korea. Subsequent flights will further involve local services and industry.
The purpose of the first two satellites is to provide images to the private sector, for example, online mapping and navigation platforms. How popular this will be is yet to be determined — as
one local newspaper notes
, the 2 meter image resolution (50 cm in monochrome) pales in comparison to Google’s
advertised 15 cm resolution
. The next three satellites will focus on space science imagery.
The Soyuz launch is shown below, and this
short video clip
from KARI shows a nice animation of the satellite. Try not to cringe at the simulated whooshing sound as two satellites pass each other in the vacuum of space — turn down the volume if you need to. | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333917",
"author": "mip",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T08:22:26",
"content": "Google’s advertised 15 cm resolution isaerial orthoimagerycollected via an airplane.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333991",
"author": "Gravi... | 1,760,373,144.240697 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/traffic-jam-in-the-suez-canal-container-ship-run-aground/ | Traffic Jam In The Suez Canal; Container Ship Run Aground | Lewin Day | [
"News"
] | [
"boat",
"canal",
"ship",
"shipping",
"suez canal"
] | A vital shipping lane has been blocked in Egypt, as a 220,000 ton container ship, the MV Ever Given,
became lodged sideways in the channel Tuesday morning local time.
The Suez Canal, long a region of trading and strategic importance, has been blocked to travel in both directions as authorities make frantic efforts to free the ship.
Live tracking shows a flurry of activity around the stricken vessel. If you find yourself transiting the Suez Canal next week, don’t do this. Everyone’s patience is going to be pretty thin.
The Ever Given is carrying goods from China to Rotterdam, making a northward journey through the canal. The exact reason for grounding remains unclear, though such incidents are often due to mechanical malfunction or navigational errors in the tight confines of the channel. Like many important waterways, the Suez Canal requires transiting vessels to take on a pilot. This is to ensure that ships passing through the canal have someone onboard with experience of navigating the 673-foot wide passage. However, incidents still happen, as with huge container ships, there is minimal room for error.
A flotilla of tugboats dispatched to the area have begun working to free the ship, working in concert with excavators on the banks of the canal.
This photo taken by [Julianne Cona]
at the incident shows the sheer scale of the problem — with the excavator digging at the bow a tiny speck in the shadow of the gigantic ship.
We’re sure shipping firms and residents of the Netherlands are eager for a quick resolution, whether its to avoid costly delays or simply to get those online purchases sooner. If you live near the canal and want to keep an eye on what’s happening,
you could always grab a software-defined radio and track things in real time.
Alternatively,
watch the progress on Vessel Finder.
And, if you’ve got strong opinions on the proper procedure for navigating the Suez Canal, sound off in the comments! | 66 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333874",
"author": "Bruce Perens K6BP",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T05:11:25",
"content": "One thing that many people don’t understand about cargo ships is that they can’t steer without headway: you have to be moving to steer. If you have to stop, and you don’t by some miracle, have t... | 1,760,373,144.862232 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/diy-i2c-tester/ | DIY I2C Tester | Chris Lott | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"atmega",
"homebrew",
"i2c",
"tester"
] | [Dilshan] built a
dedicated I2C tester
which allows for I2C bus control over USB using simple commands such as
init
,
read
,
write
, etc. The Linux kernel has had I2C driver support for a couple of decades, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a computer or laptop with a I2C connector (excluding Bunnie Huang’s
Novena hacker’s laptop
, of course). This tester does require a Linux host, and his programs use
libusb
on the computer side and
V-USB
on the embedded side.
[Dilshan] put a lot of time into building this project, and it shows in the build quality and thorough documentation. With its single-sided PCB and all thru-hole construction, it makes a great beginner project for someone just getting into the hobby. At the heart of the tester is an ATmega16A in a 40-pin PDIP package (despite the
Microchip overview page
calling it a 44-pin chip), supported by a handful of resistors and transistors. Schematics are prepared in KiCad, code is compiled using
gcc
and
avr-gcc
, and he provides a label for the enclosure top. The only thing missing is information on the enclosure itself, but we suspect you can track that down with a little sleuthing (or asking [Dilshan] himself).
If you use I2C quite a lot, give this project a look. Easy to build, useful in the lab, and it looks nice as well. We have featured [Dilshan]’s work over the years, including this
logic pattern generator
and his
two-transistor-on-a-breadboard superheterodyne receiver
. | 26 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333867",
"author": "Ø",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T03:20:28",
"content": "“you’ll be hard pressed to find a computer or laptop with a I2C connector”If it’s gotten a standardized external display connector, then you technically have a i2c connector already, as long as the OS is Linux.... | 1,760,373,144.756837 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/3d-printed-vortex-cooled-rocket-needs-to-stop-leaking/ | 3D Printed Vortex Cooled Rocket Needs To Stop Leaking | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"ceramic",
"rocket",
"rocket engine"
] | Rocket engines are known for one thing above all else, and that’s getting hot. It’s this very property that makes them such a challenge to build and run from a materials engineering standpoint. It’s hard enough to build one with advanced metal alloys, but [Integza] presses on with trying to make one on a 3D printer. Progress is being made,
but success remains elusive.
(Video, embedded below.)
To try and mitigate the thermal effects of burning propellants in his engine design, [Integza] looked to vortex cooling. This is where oxygen is swirled around the outer edge of the combustion chamber in a vortex, acting as a buffer layer between the burning fuel and the chamber walls. With 3D printed chamber components, keeping temperatures as low as possible is key, after all. Unfortunately, despite using a special ceramic-laden resin for printing and lathering the rocket components in various refractory materials, it wasn’t possible to stop the chambers leaking. Solid combustion was possible for a few seconds at a time, but eventually each motor tested turned into a ball of flames as the walls broke down.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt in testing, and [Integza] has a clear idea of the problems that need to be fixed in the next iteration.
We’ve featured other vortex cooled rockets before
– the theory is sound. As always, the devil is in the implementation. | 27 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333864",
"author": "h2odragon",
"timestamp": "2021-03-24T02:50:24",
"content": "Learning about all the ways that *dont* work is a good way to find one that does. Often. And getting to blow stuff up is always its own reward.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,373,144.690899 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/a-mobius-strip-track-for-superconductor-levitation/ | A Mobius Strip Track For Superconductor Levitation | Lewin Day | [
"Science"
] | [
"levitation",
"superconductor"
] | Superconductors are interesting things, though we don’t really rely on them for much in our day to day lives. They’d be supremely useful, if only they didn’t need to be so darned cold. While the boffins toil away in the lab on that problem however, there’s still some fun to be had,
as demonstrated by the Möbius Strip levitation track at Ithaca College.
(Video, embedded below.)
The rig takes advantage of the fact that superconductors can levitate over magnets, and vice versa. Under certain conditions, the superconductor can even lock into position over a magnet, due to flux pinning, wherein flux “tubes” from the magnet’s field penetrate a superconductor and are pinned in place by currents in the superconductor. It’s an awe-inpsiring effect, with the superconducting material appearing to magically float at a locked height above the magnetic surface, quite distinct from traditional magnetic levitation.
Construction of the track wasn’t straightforward.
Early attempts at producing a Möbius Strip twisted through 540 degrees were unsuccessful in steel. The team then switched tack, using a flexible plastic which was much more pliable. This was then covered in neodymium magnets to create the necessary field, and the resulting visual effect is one of a silver-bricked magnetic road.
It’s a great display, and one that quite intuitively demonstrates the concepts of both a Möbius Strip and superconducting levitation. If room-temperature semiconductors become a real thing, there’s every possibility this could become an always-on installation.
It’s also the trick behind one of the coolest hoverboards we’ve ever seen
. Video after the break. | 13 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333785",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T20:32:03",
"content": "“The rig takes advantage of the fact that superconductors can levitate over magnets, and vice versa. This is due to flux pinning”This isn’t quite right. Superconductors levitate over magnets due to the Meissn... | 1,760,373,144.502947 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/hacking-the-ortur-laser-with-spoil-board-z-height-and-air-assist/ | Hacking The Ortur Laser With Spoil Board, Z-Height, And Air Assist | Al Williams | [
"cnc hacks",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Laser Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"air assist",
"laser cutter",
"laser engraver",
"ortur"
] | Last month in my
hands-on review of the Ortur Laser
I hinted that I had done a few things to make it work a little better. I made three significant changes in particular: I anchored the machine to a spoil board with markings, I added a moving Z axis to adjust focus by moving the entire laser head, and I added an air assist.
Turns out, you can find designs for all of these things all over the Internet and I did, in fact, use other people’s designs. The problem is the designs often conflict with one another or don’t exactly work for your setup. So what I’ll tell you about is the combination that worked for me and what I had to do to get it all working together. The air assist is going to take a post all by itself, but some of the attempts at air assist led to some of the other changes I made, so we’ll talk about it some in this post, as well.
One of the modifications — the spoil board mount — I simply downloaded and the link for that is below. However, I modified the moving Z axis and air assist parts and you can find my very simple modifications on
Thingiverse
. You’ll also find links to the original designs and you’ll need them for extra parts and instructions, too.
Spoil Board
It is fun to watch the laser cut its own spoil board — but wear goggles!
A spoil board protects the bed of the machine by using an inexpensive, replaceable material as a sacrificial surface when the laser passes through your workpiece. One easy addition is to grab a 2 foot square piece of plywood, attach the laser to it, and then use it to engrave a grid pattern. There are plenty around or you can make your own and everyone seems to have slightly different favorites. The one I used was from one of the Facebook groups, but if you look around, you’ll find something you like.
Instead of cutting from a full sheet, I just bought the square of plywood the right size. The big box stores sell project panels that are 2×2 or 2×4 and they are easier to haul in my two-seater or even on the motorcycle. You’ll eventually make some cuts through to the board so you’ll eventually want to replace it, so maybe buy a couple of panels while you are at it.
There’s only one problem. For the grid to make any sense, the laser has to be in the exact same position every time. So it makes sense to attach the laser to the board.
I printed some feet
from [diy3Dtech]. I liked them because they hold the machine steady but you can just lift it out if you want to put it somewhere else. Problem solved.
One of the four feet that grip the bottom of the machine.
If you use Lightburn — or probably other software — you can also turn the built-in grid off and put your graphic image in a layer that is ignored during burning, such as a tool layer. That way what you see on the screen will match what you see in the real world.
A disposable spoil board protects the fancy spoil board.
One nice addition to your spoil board is some common push pins. It is handy to push them in at different points when you want to repeatedly put an object in the same place. For example, if you are burning a bunch of aluminum business cards and the corner should be at an X of 100mm and a Y of 100mm, you can stick a pin at that point and then stick another pin at (120,100) and one at (100,120) to make an L-shape you can butt the card up against. Painters tape is also handy and you may find you want a small throw-away spoil board on top of your nice spoil board to make it last longer.
Air Assist (with No Air, Yet)
If you’ve ever used a big laser cutter, they usually have a way to blow smoke and fine ash away from the lens and the part. This can make a big difference since smoke absorbs some laser energy and also tends to discolor some workpieces. I tried several air assist designs I found on the Internet but didn’t like most of them.
The laser attaches to this bracket. I cut off the part at the bottom.
There seem to be two problems with modifying the laser cutter. First, it appears that these machines might be made in small batches and not all of them are exactly the same. Something that fits someone’s machine might be a little bit off for your machine. For example, there seems to be a wide variation in the outside diameter of the lens holder. One design depends on the lens fitting through a hole that was far too small for my lens. Thingiverse is littered with lens knobs that mention they were remixed from others because the original didn’t fit a particular lens.
The other problem is that the X-axis end stop is pretty tight — it is a microswitch with no leaf — and anything you put on the left side of the laser has to be awfully thin, or else it will prevent the laser from homing.
I found
a great design
from [ChatToBrian] that I wanted to try. It allows you to blow air under the laser from an air pump using a nozzle from a 3D printer. It also lets you slide the laser head up and down.
Apparently, some of the newer Ortur lasers allow this, but the version I have doesn’t let the laser head move up without major work on the holding bracket. If you only engrave thin things, that’s fine. You focus the laser using the difficult-to-turn lens once and you are set.
This plate mounts where the laser normally sits and holds the new laser bracket.
But if you do things of different heights, it is a pain. And if you want to do somethings that are really tall, you might have to jack the laser’s legs up on stilts. There are several designs for
3D printed steps
for this purpose, but that seems like a lot of trouble and defeats the markings on the spoil board, too.
[Brian’s] design is simple and gives a good range of motion to the laser. But the air assist was a bit of trouble. To get the proper bend in the air pipe, you stuff the hole with air hose for an aquarium and plunge the whole thing into near-boiling water. Once the PLA is soft, you bend the tube.
I decided that was too much trouble and was likely to take a few attempts to get it right. Plus, I want to experiment with different lenses and was afraid the angle might have to change. So to start with, I just put the air assist aside and cut off the air tube. I figured I could always print another one when I was ready to try the hot water bending method.
No More Focusing
Having the laser easily move up and down is definitely the way to go. Focusing the laser, as I mentioned last time, is a bit of a pain. I’ve found it is slightly easier if you put a piece of black paper on top of whatever you want to engrave or cut. With your safety goggles on, use the lowest power where you can still see the laser and twist that finicky knob for the finest possible point of light. It sounds simple, but it isn’t. I’ve also resorted to adjusting a higher-power beam until I get burning paper, but that runs the risk of burning what’s underneath, too.
However, if the laser can move in the Z direction, you can set the focus one last time. It is still a pain, but either tune it for good burning paper or engrave a scrap board with fine lines and see how tight you can get the resolution. I’ve also seen people put a board at an angle, engrave it, and then figure out the sweet spot’s height. However, you do it, once you have it right, measure from the bottom of the laser housing to the piece and that’s your focal length. Then never rotate the lens housing again, so that number doesn’t change.
According to Ortur, the 15W laser I have should have a focal length of 55mm. Of course, the lens adjustment affects that, so you can’t simply measure that and be done, but it does give you a rough idea. But once you have the focus dialed in it should stay at that height as long as you don’t adjust the lens.
It is easy enough to 3D print or laser cut a little piece with that exact distance you need. I just did a rectangle, but you could also make something shaped like the letter “I” if you want to get
fancy
. Or, you can really go
overboard
with your 3D printer.
Armed with your spacer, you put your workpiece on the spoil board, put the spacer on top, and loosen the Z fixing screw. Then you slide the laser until it fits over the spacer, tighten the screw, and pull the spacer out. You are now focused! If you like a different focal length for engraving or cutting, you can create different spacers. For example, for engraving, you might want the focus on the surface of the item, but when cutting you might prefer the best focus to be a little deeper into the material.
What about Air Assist?
Making the focus repeatable has about the same effect on laser cutting and engraving that putting a bed sensor on a 3D printer does. It makes your use of the tool much more plug and play.
This session still left me with no air assist even though I had the bracket to support it. As I mentioned, I dreaded taking another bracket and plunging it into boiling water. Turns out, I didn’t have to. I found a nice design that doesn’t require boiling water and will adjust easily even if I change lenses. It also stays out of the way when homing the laser. But that’s a story for the next post. | 14 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333756",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T18:51:30",
"content": "My spoil “board” is a $10 1 foot x 2 foot weldable 22 ga steel sheet from amazon:(M-D Building Products 56066 1-Feet by 2-Feet 22 ga Weldable Steel Sheet)I lased a 20mm x 20mm grid with LaserBond 100 (200mm/s... | 1,760,373,144.627904 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/fire-at-renesas-plant-fuels-chip-supply-woes/ | Fire At Renesas Plant Fuels Chip Supply Woes | Chris Lott | [
"News"
] | [
"automotive",
"fire",
"japan",
"manufacturing",
"Renesas"
] | The small city of Naka (pop. 53K), a two-hour train ride from Tokyo on the eastern coast of Japan, was thrust into the international spotlight in the early dawn of Friday morning.
A fire broke out among electroplating equipment in Renesas’s 300 nm N3 fabrication facility
. It was extinguished before breakfast time, and fortunately nobody was injured nor were there any toxic chemical leaks. Only six hundred square meters on the first floor of the plant was damaged, but the entire building has to be closed for repairs. It will take approximately one month to restore normal operations, and CEO Hidetoshi Shibata is “concerned that there will be a massive impact on chip supplies”.
Renesas Naka Plant Location
In a
press conference
on Sunday afternoon, Renesas reports that the source of the fire has been determined, but the details are still unclear:
The casing of the equipment and the plating tank have relatively low resistance to heat, and the equipment ignited due to overcurrent. However, the cause of the overcurrent and the reason for the ignition is currently being investigated.
Semiconductors are already in short supply, as
we reported back in January
, forcing slowdowns at many auto manufacturers. The Naka plant primarily makes automotive semiconductors, worsening an already stressed supply chain. While the news focuses on the automotive sector, this shortage spills over into many other industries as well. | 24 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333724",
"author": "Tobasco da Gama",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T17:20:49",
"content": "Another chip plant fire in Japan? Yikes. I guess they’re all running skeleton crews due to COVID and aren’t able to keep up with their maintenance backlogs?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1... | 1,760,373,144.570094 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/digital-playstation-3-purchases-may-only-live-as-long-as-your-pram-battery-without-sony-servers/ | Digital PlayStation 3 Purchases May Only Live As Long As Your PRAM Battery Without Sony Servers | Drew Littrell | [
"Games",
"how-to",
"News"
] | [
"digital rights management",
"playstation 3",
"pram",
"ps3",
"sony"
] | Word of Sony shutting down PlayStation storefront servers for PS3 this summer spread like wildfire on the internet Monday. The discourse in comment sections were filled with anti-DRM rhetoric and renewed pledges of physical-only game collections, because without content servers to connect to, your digital PS3 purchases will eventually become unplayable. Even if legitimate purchases are installed to the console’s hard drive before Sony “flips the switch”, they may only live on as long as the internal clock stays in sync. Which is why
this guide to replace a PS3 PRAM battery written by [Andrew]
has renewed importance. After a battery replacement the internal clock needs to be reset and this requires validation from the PlayStation network (you know, the one that’s soon to be shut down).
Game preservationist group [Does it play?] drove home
the impact of such a business decision by Sony on Twitter
. The thread is quick to point out that even if users are quick to re-download all of their purchases to a PS3 system before the purported July 2nd deadline, those games will eventually become unplayable if the system clock becomes desynchronized. Replacing the PRAM battery and reconnecting to the PlayStation Network prior to Sony shuttering their servers should buy the user some more playtime. However, without any further changes to Sony’s licensing policy little else can be done physically to ensure those digital PS3 games will work in perpetuity.
Sony isn’t the only one to have drawn the ire of digital rights advocates in regards to terminating their online services. Nintendo
shuttered the DSI-Shop in 2017
and Microsoft turned off access to the
original Xbox LIVE servers in 2010
. The big three console makers have all let their consumers down by removing the ability to reacquire purchases in some way, but the fact that so many PS3 exclusives were only ever available digitally just further exacerbates issues with digital rights. Dropping in a fresh coin-cell may not be the permanent solution everyone is looking for at the moment, but it couldn’t hurt to re-familiarize yourself with the Cell processor. | 105 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333672",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T15:10:22",
"content": "Tinfoil hot take:The GPU crypto mining frenzy was orchestrated by console manufacturers to hobble the PC gaming market by making worthwhile GPUs unattainable for less than twice the cost of a console.",
... | 1,760,373,145.100121 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/hey-google-is-my-heart-still-beating/ | Hey Google, Is My Heart Still Beating? | Tom Nardi | [
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Medical Hacks",
"Original Art",
"Slider"
] | [
"active sonar",
"medical sensors",
"microphone array",
"smart speaker",
"ultrasonic",
"whitepaper"
] | University of Washington researchers studying the potential medical use of smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Nest have recently
released a paper detailing their experiments with non-contact acoustic heartbeat detection
. Thanks to their sensitive microphone arrays, normally used to help localize voice commands from the user, the team proposes these affordable and increasingly popular smart home gadgets could lead a double life as unobtrusive life sign monitors. The paper goes so far as to say that even with multiple people in the room, their technique can be used to monitor the heart and respiratory rate of a specific target individual.
Those are some bold claims, but they aren’t without precedent. Previous studies performed at UW in 2019 demonstrated how smart speaker technology could be used to
detect cardiac arrest
and
monitor infant breathing
. This latest paper could be seen as the culmination of those earlier experiments: a single piece of software that could not just monitor the vitals of nearby patients, but actually detect a medical emergency. The lifesaving potential of such a program, especially for the very young and elderly, would be incredible.
So when will you be able to install a heart monitor skill on the cheap Echo Dot you picked up on Prime Day? Well, as is often the case with this kind of research, putting the technique to work in the real-world isn’t nearly as easy as in the laboratory. While the concept is promising and is more than worthy of further research, it may be some time before our lowly smart speakers are capable of
Star Trek
style life-sign detection.
Can You Hear Me Now?
The researchers explain in the paper that their work is built on earlier experiments that used powerful ultrasound transducers to detect minute displacements of a patient’s chest, abdomen, and neck. Relatively large motions are the result of normal breathing action, while smaller sub-millimeter deflections correspond to the individual’s heartbeat. While this research showed it was possible to detect vital signs acoustically from a distance, the paper says the ultrasound transmissions used were of a frequency and intensity not achievable by the consumer smart speaker hardware they were investigating.
In fact, the paper explains that standard smart speakers are not particularly well suited to ultrasonic transmission or reception in the first place, as they have naturally been designed to prioritize human speech and music. That said, the researchers reference the fact that
Google’s Nest already uses ultrasonic range finding to adjust visual elements
such as font size. Determining how far a viewer is standing from the screen is a far cry from picking up 0.5 mm vibrations in their carotid artery, but it’s a start.
The team’s sonar implementation was designed around the inherent limitations of smart speaker hardware, and generates a 50 ms frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) chirp between 18 kHz and 22 kHz. This allows the software to not only calculate a very precise distance to a stationary target, but ignore any echos that are returned beyond a predefined range.
Even still, the wavelength of sound at these frequencies is far larger than some of motions the software is looking for. With a bodily deflection of just 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm, individual heartbeats are particularly difficult to detect. Several layers of filters are applied to try and improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and adaptive beamforming allows the speakers to zero in on the target.
The paper concludes while that the resulting pulse data is not as accurate as the traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) readings being used as a control, it was close enough to be a useful diagnostic tool for both healthy patients and those suffering from various cardiac abnormalities. Especially when taking into account the advantages offered by the non-contact approach, particularly for telemedicine applications.
Ideal Conditions
While the researchers were able to pull some impressive data with their test setup, it should be said that there are several caveats which (at least for now) would make it difficult to put this technique into practice. For one thing, the smart speaker needs to be aimed at the patient’s chest and placed at a distance of 40 cm to 60 cm (15 in to 23 in). Accuracy drops off with distance, and at least in this version of the software, any returns beyond one meter are considered background noise and are ignored entirely.
Ideal placement for the smart speaker.
This is obviously at odds with normal smart speaker placement. Even if the speaker was close enough to the patient, say on a table next to a bed or chair, it’s normally going to be pointed up towards the ceiling. While testing did show the software was able to function when the patient was off to the left or right side, the error rate increased considerably.
To be useful, the device would likely need to be placed in a custom mount that would keep it in the ideal position while measurements were being taken. This isn’t a huge burden, and the cost would largely be negligible, but it does speak to the relative inflexibility of this approach.
Interestingly, the tests showed that the clothing worn by the patient had only a slight impact on the acoustic readings. While tight fitting garments produced the best results, even loose blouses and hospital gowns didn’t prevent the system from collecting useful data. Thick fabrics or multiple layers of clothing did attenuate the signal however, which could potentially be a problem depending on climate.
Similarly the paper found that the system couldn’t reliably extract a cardiac rhythm from extremely obese patients, as the excess tissue dampened the underlying bodily motion. Accordingly, patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher were excluded from the primary test group. The software was separately evaluated with a group of five individuals who had a median BMI of 38.6, and of those, it was only able to detect the heart rate of one participant. The paper notes that this falls in line with the findings of previous experiments, and notes that obese patients simply aren’t good candidates for non-contact sensing technology at this time.
Breaking into The Walled Garden
Issues with speaker placement and the type of clothing the patient is wearing are, in the grand scheme of things, fairly minimal. Some refinement is obviously necessary, and clearly it won’t be as simple as just installing a piece of software on your Amazon Echo and getting the baby’s heart rate displayed on your phone without some special considerations being made, but all the pieces seem to be in place for somebody to run with the idea. Unfortunately, despite such promising research, bringing this capability to consumer smart speakers simply isn’t possible right now.
While the paper makes extensive references to these commercial devices, and uses their hardware capabilities as a limiting factor in all of their experiments, the researchers admit the software they’ve developed can’t actually be used on any currently available product from the likes of Google or Amazon. The simple fact is that the
APIs available to developers don’t provide the low-level hardware access
required to implement their sonar technique. Giving third party applications direct control over the speaker and microphones would raise obvious security concerns, so this type of functionality would either need to be built into the system from the start by the manufacturer, or potentially be relegated to specifically provisioned units intended for healthcare providers.
Taking The Long Way Around
Even if bureaucratic concerns keep the team’s software off of commercially available smart speakers, the research they’ve conducted is still extremely valuable. The possibilities offered by an affordable, automated method of taking a patient’s vitals without physical contact are undeniably compelling, especially with the lingering threat of COVID-19. Technology that can help monitor and diagnose potentially contagious patients without risking exposure to the nurses and physicians attending to them is in high demand, and will continue to be of great interest even when this current crisis is behind us.
miniDSP UMA-8-S
If commercial smart speakers aren’t a viable platform for this software, what then? Well for one thing, you could simply build your own hardware. As outlined at the end of the paper, all of the experiments were performed with a
UMA-8-S seven microphone array from miniDSP
and a PUI Audio AS05308AS-R speaker connected to desktop computer. The UMA-8-S is something of a development kit itself, and includes onboard digital signal processor (DSP) with beamforming capability. Marketed towards both professional and DIY users, it looks to be a particularly interesting device in its own right.
The team says the Python source code for their project is also available upon request, so long as you agree to a non-commercial license. Put simply, everything needed to recreate this project is readily available for anyone who wants it.
Whether it becomes an area of exploration for biohackers
or gets refined and marketed by a some tech entrepreneur, it seems inevitable that this technology will bubble its way to the surface in the coming years. | 18 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333660",
"author": "CRJEEA",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T14:43:19",
"content": "Impressive, yes. Practical real world benefits, yes.Potential for the already creepy world, of big tech spy technology, to become even more Orwellian, definitely. Reading your heart rate and monitoring you... | 1,760,373,145.211613 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/machine-learning-current-sensor-snoops-on-mcus/ | Machine Learning Current Sensor Snoops On MCUs | Tom Nardi | [
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"current monitoring",
"machine learning",
"reverse engineering",
"tensorflow",
"Tensorflow Lite"
] | Anyone who’s ever tried their hand at reverse engineering a piece of hardware has wished there was some kind of magic wand you could tap on a PCB to understand what its doing and why. We imagine that’s what put security researcher [Mark C] on the path to developing CurrentSense-TinyML, a fascinating proof of concept that
uses machine learning and sensitive current measurements to try and determine what a microcontroller is up to
.
Energy consumption as the LED blinks.
The idea is simple enough: just place a INA219 current sensor between the power supply and the microcontroller under observation, and record the resulting measurements as it goes about its business. Of course in this case, [Mark] knew what the target Arduino Nano was doing because he wrote the code that blinks its onboard LED.
This allowed him to create training data for TensorFlow, which was ultimately optimized into a model that could fit onto the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense which stands in for our magic wand. The end result is that the model can accurately predict when the Nano has fired up its LED based on the amount of power it’s using.
[Mark] has done a fantastic job of documenting the whole process
, which also doubles as a great intro for putting machine learning to work on a microcontroller.
Now we already know what you’re thinking: obviously the current would go up when the LED was lit, so the machine learning aspect is completely unnecessary. That may be true in this limited context, but remember, this is just a proof of concept to base further work on. In the future, with more training data, this technique could potentially be used to identify a whole range of nuanced activities. You’d be able to see when the MCU was sitting idle, when it was writing to flash, or when it was reading from sensors. In fact, with a good enough model, it might even be possible to identify the individual sensors that are being polled.
These are early days, but we’re very interested in seeing where this research goes. It might not be magic,
but if analyzing the current draw of a coffee maker
can tell you how much everyone in the office is drinking, then maybe it can
help us figure out what all these unlabeled ICs are doing
. | 8 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333634",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T13:26:18",
"content": "This is great if you don’t know how things are memory mapped in the chip. Dumping the firmware is still you’re best bet for figuring out what is being executing because even if you can tell which instruct... | 1,760,373,145.152507 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/23/a-crash-course-on-sniffing-bluetooth-low-energy/ | A Crash Course On Sniffing Bluetooth Low Energy | Tom Nardi | [
"Software Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"ble",
"bluetooth low energy",
"intercept",
"sniffing",
"wireshark"
] | Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is everywhere these days. If you fire up a scanner on your phone and walk around the neighborhood, we’d be willing to bet you’d pick up dozens if not hundreds of devices. By extension, from fitness bands to light bulbs, it’s equally likely that you’re going to want to talk to some of these BLE gadgets at some point. But how?
Well,
watching this three part video series from [Stuart Patterson]
would be a good start. He covers how to get a cheap nRF52480 BLE dongle configured for sniffing, pulling the packets out of the air with Wireshark, and perhaps most crucially, how to duplicate the commands coming from a device’s companion application on the ESP32.
Testing out the sniffed commands.
The first video in the series is focused on getting a Windows box setup for BLE sniffing, so readers who aren’t currently living under Microsoft’s boot heel may want to skip ahead to the second installment. That’s where things really start heating up, as [Stuart] demonstrates how you can intercept commands being sent to the target device.
It’s worth noting that little attempt is made to actually decode what the commands mean. In this particular application, it’s enough to simply replay the commands using the ESP32’s BLE hardware, which is explained in the third video. Obviously this technique might not work on more advanced devices, but it should still give you a solid base to work from.
In the end, [Stuart] takes an LED lamp that could only be controlled with a smartphone application and turns it into something he can talk to on his own terms. Once the ESP32 can send commands to the lamp, it
only takes a bit more code to spin up a web interface
or REST API so you can control the device from your computer or other gadget on the network. While naturally the finer points will differ, this same overall workflow should allow you to
get control of whatever BLE gizmo you’ve got your eye on
. | 26 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333599",
"author": "mime",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T09:23:59",
"content": "thanks! I put it on my watch list",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6333617",
"author": "Jonathan Brookes",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T11:45:31",
... | 1,760,373,145.283315 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/a-hi-fi-speaker-from-some-foil-and-magnets/ | A Hi-Fi Speaker From Some Foil And Magnets | Stephen Ogier | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"3d printed speaker",
"aluminum foil",
"speaker"
] | In the world of speakers, mass is the enemy of high frequency response. In order to get the crispest highs, some audiophiles swear by speakers in which the moving element is just a thin ribbon of metal foil. As the first step towards building a set of ribbon headphones,
[JGJMatt] has designed a compact ribbon speaker made from aluminum foil.
A 3D-printed body holds six permanent magnets, which produce the static magnetic field necessary for the speaker to work. The sound itself is produced by a corrugated aluminum diaphragm made by taking a strip of foil and creasing it with a gear. Aluminum is difficult to solder, so electrical contact is made with a couple of short segments of copper tape. A little Blu Tack and glue hold it all together, and the result is stunning in its simplicity.
Check out the video after the break to hear how it sounds. If you want to try this yourself, it’s important to remember that ribbon speakers have very low input impedances (0.1 Ω for this design), so in order to prevent damage to your amplifier, a transformer or series resistor must be used to bring the impedance up to the 4-8 Ω your amplifier expects.
[JGJMatt] is no newcomer to exotic speaker technology—
check out these thin distributed-mode loudspeakers they made!
If you’re more interested in recording music than playing it, you might want to read about how
a metal ribbon suspended in a magnetic field is used to make incredible microphones.
Shout out to [Itay] for the tip. | 44 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333571",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T05:35:23",
"content": "Awesome! Sounds just like my smartphone!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333572",
"author": "RÖB",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T05:42:0... | 1,760,373,145.361347 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/an-entire-game-inside-of-a-font/ | An Entire Game Inside Of A Font | Kristina Panos | [
"Games",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"finite state machine",
"font",
"glyph",
"ligature"
] | Where’s the last place you’d expect to be able to play a game on your computer? The word processing program? Image editor? How about your text editor? That’s right — you can fight your Fontemons in any program that makes use of fonts, because mad genius [Michael Mulet] has created a game that exists entirely within a single Open Type font file.
[Michael] has harnessed the power of ligatures to create a choose-your-own-adventure-style turn-based game that pokes fun at both Pokemon and various typeface names. You start by choosing between Papyromaniac, Verdanta, and Proggito and face off against enemies like Helvetikhan and Scourier.
This works because there are many ways to draw glyphs on a screen
. [Michael] chose Type 2 Charstrings, which is a vector graphics format that Adobe created for PostScript. It can draw pixels with a series of move specifications that tell it to draw up, to the right, and then back down before closing off the pixel with an implicit operator that draws from the starting point to the ending point. [Michael] was able to create two shades of gray by drawing smaller versions of the pixels and making the image by combining white and black pixels.
If you just want to play the game, you can
either download the .otf file or just try it out in the browser
. You’re supposed to use ‘a’ and ‘b’ to make choices that advance the game, but we soon discovered that spamming other keys like ‘v’ and Enter will lead to strange places. If you play it straight, it takes about 20 minutes, but there are enough secrets built in to make it last five times as long. [Michael] was kind enough to create
a tutorial for making font-based games
, but if you just want to get going,
the game engine is open source
.
What other fun things can you do on that locked-down work computer? If it has Excel,
you can use it to do animation
or just
kick back and watch a movie
. | 17 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333549",
"author": "X",
"timestamp": "2021-03-23T02:37:27",
"content": "emacs has games built in, so yes I do expect to see games in my text editor.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333632",
"author": "TM32",
... | 1,760,373,145.421511 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/build-it-yourself-lc-meter/ | Build-It-Yourself LC Meter | Stephen Ogier | [
"how-to",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"atmega328p",
"how-to",
"lc meter",
"test and measurement"
] | A basic digital multimeter (DMM) is usually the first measurement tool the aspiring electronics tinkerer buys. Even a bargain-bin DMM will happily measure voltage, current, and resistance; check continuity; and may even have a mode to measure transistor gain. Every toolbox needs at least one DMM, but most have an crucial limitation— they can’t measure two of the fundamental electrical quantities: inductance and capacitance. On Hackaday.io, [core weaver] has
developed an open-source LC meter to allow you to build your own tool to measure inductance and capacitance.
[core weaver]’s design is all through-hole, so even just assembling one would be a great exercise for someone getting started in electronics. However, he didn’t just release a design,
in a series of videos
he goes through the theory of the device’s operation; explains the design of the circuit, firmware, and case; and shows you how to put it all together. For times when you need to measure a lot of parts (e.g. if you have to sort a bag of cheap capacitors looking for specific value), he’s even developed a desktop program to save you some trouble!
The finished meter looks incredible!
If you want to build one for yourself, he’s put all of the files up on GitHub
, and we highly recommend you check out his first video after the break. If you’d like to build yourself a 6.5-digit DMM to go with our LC Meter, consider
this one which even has a home-built ADC. | 31 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333510",
"author": "RÖB",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T23:41:41",
"content": "I was hoping it was slope conversion so that it could be extended to be a low ESR meter as well.Also D1 (1N4148 like 1N914) has Vr of about 100v. That seems a little low for a relay back EMF protection diode... | 1,760,373,145.566265 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/amazon-echo-gets-open-source-brain-transplant/ | Amazon Echo Gets Open Source Brain Transplant | Tom Nardi | [
"home hacks",
"Linux Hacks",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"Amazon Alexa",
"echo",
"microphone array",
"smart speaker",
"voice assistant"
] | There’s little debate that Amazon’s Alexa ecosystem makes it easy to add voice control to your smart home, but not everyone is thrilled with how it works. The fact that all of your commands are bounced off of Amazon’s servers instead of staying internal to the network is an absolute no-go for the more privacy minded among us, and honestly, it’s hard to blame them. The whole thing is pretty creepy when you think about it.
Which is precisely why [André Hentschel] decided to look into
replacing the firmware on his Amazon Echo with an open source alternative
. The Linux-powered first generation Echo had been rooted years before thanks to the diagnostic port on the bottom of the device, and there were even a few firmware images floating around out there that he could poke around in. In theory, all he had to do was remove anything that called back to the Amazon servers and replace the proprietary bits with comparable free software libraries and tools.
Taping into the Echo’s debug port.
Of course, it ended up being a little trickier than that. The original Echo is running on a 2.6.x series Linux kernel, which even for a device released in 2014, is painfully outdated. With its similarly archaic version of glibc, newer Linux software would refuse to run. [André] found that building an up-to-date filesystem image for the Echo wasn’t a problem, but getting the niche device’s hardware working on a more modern kernel was another story.
He eventually got the microphone array working, but not the onboard digital signal processor (DSP). Without the DSP, the age of the Echo’s hardware really started to show, and it was clear the seven year old smart speaker would need some help to get the job done.
The solution [André] came up with is not unlike how the device worked originally: the Echo performs wake word detection locally, but then offloads the actual speech processing to a more powerful computer. Except in this case, the other computer is on the same network and not hidden away in Amazon’s cloud. The Porcupine project provides the wake word detection, speech samples are broken down into actionable intents with
voice2json
, and the responses are delivered by the venerable eSpeak speech synthesizer.
As you can see in the video below the overall experience is pretty similar to stock, complete with fancy LED ring action. In fact, since Porcupine allows for multiple wake words, you could even argue that the usability has been improved. While [André] says
adding support for Mycroft would be a logical expansion
, his immediate goal is to get everything documented and available on the project’s GitLab repository so others can start experimenting for themselves.
https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/openecho_video.webm | 20 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333442",
"author": "MrStinky",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T20:14:08",
"content": "Mad respect and I can’t wait to try this with my Echo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333540",
"author": "BillSF9c",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,373,145.626469 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/lightweight-os-for-any-platform/ | Lightweight OS For Any Platform | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"compile",
"container",
"containerization",
"cross compile",
"linux",
"skiffos",
"software"
] | Linux has come a long way from its roots, where users had to compile the kernel and all of the other source code from scratch, often without any internet connection at all to help with documentation. It was the wild west of Linux, and while we can all rely on an easy-to-install Ubuntu distribution if we need it, there are still distributions out there that require some discovery of those old roots. Meet SkiffOS,
a lightweight Linux distribution which compiles on almost any hardware
but also opens up a whole world of opportunity in containerization.
The operating system is intended to be able to compile itself on any Linux-compatible board (with some input) and yet still be lightweight. It can run on Raspberry Pis, Nvidia Jetsons, and x86 machines to name a few, and focuses on hosting containerized applications independent of the hardware it is installed on. One of the goals of this OS is to separate the hardware support from the applications, while being able to support real-time tasks such as applications in robotics. It also makes upgrading the base OS easy without disrupting the programs running in the containers, and of course has all of the other benefits of containerization as well.
It does seem like
containerization is the way of the future
, and while it has obviously been put to great use in web hosting and other network applications, it’s interesting to see it expand into a real-time arena. Presumably an approach like this would have many other applications as well since it isn’t hardware-specific, and we’re excited to see the future developments as people adopt this type of operating system for their specific needs.
Thanks to [Christian] for the tip! | 35 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333395",
"author": "kc8rwr",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T18:42:26",
"content": "All I’ve seen from containerization is hard drives filled with bloated, duplicated libraries, applications that cannot share data with one another and work that should have been easy to back up from a well... | 1,760,373,145.495909 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/a-lockdown-brightened-by-a-library-of-vintage-usborne-books/ | A Lockdown Brightened By A Library Of Vintage Usborne Books | Jenny List | [
"classic hacks",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Retrocomputing",
"Slider"
] | [
"basic",
"books",
"machine code",
"usborne"
] | Lockdown is boring. No, let’s emphasize that, lockdown is
really
boring. Walking for exercise is much less fun than it was last year because it’s a wet and muddy February, and with nowhere open, a rare trip out to a McDonalds drive-through becomes a major outing. Stuck inside for the duration we turn our eyes to some of the older ways to wile away the time. Books. Remember them? In doing that I found that the friend whose house I’m living in has the whole library of Usborne children’s computer and technology books from the 1980s. Suddenly a rainy day doesn’t matter, because we’re in a cheerful world of cartoon robots and computer parts!
When Kids Learned Machine Code
A comprehensive selection to get one’s teeth into.
If this leaves you none the wiser, it’s worth explaining that during the 1980s home computer boom there was no Internet handily placed for finding out how your new toy worked. Instead you had to read books and hoard the scraps of information they contained. Publishers responded to this new world of technology with enthusiasm, and the British children’s publisher Usborne did so in their characteristic entertaining and informative style. For probably the only time in history, children were presented with mainstream books telling them how to write machine code and interface directly to microprocessors, and those among them who probably now read Hackaday took to them with glee. They remain something of a cult object among retrocomputing enthusiasts, and fortunately
a selection of them are available for download
. Usborne are still very much in business producing up-to-date books educating today’s children, and to promote some of their more recent titles for the Raspberry Pi they’ve released them in electronic form.
The books I had in front of me were a varied range covering software (
Machine Code for Beginners, Practise your BASIC, Introduction to Computer Programming
), general technology and computer instruction (
Information Revolution, Inside the Chip, Understanding Your Micro, Computer Jargon, and The Pocket Calculator Book
), and hardware (
Practical Things To Do with a Microcomputer
). There’s so much that it’s difficult to share everything in a Hackaday piece, but I’ll try to pick out the more choice pages.
Let The Robots Show You Around
Of them all my favourite is probably
Machine Code for Beginners
, a book that introduces kids to machine code through the medium of cartoons and diagrams. It seems incredible, but from another perspective why shouldn’t kids be able to master it? The processors in question are the Z80 and the 6502, and with the help of a cast of cartoon robots it handles explaining some very in-depth aspects of the computer’s operation. Registers and flags are not the normal fare for kids even today.
A particularly period touch comes in the buyers guide that’s part of
Understanding Your Micro
, in which the various models of the day, circa 1982, are presented. It’s interesting that some slightly more unusual machines for the British market are mentioned, such as the handheld Sharp PC1500, or the Commodore Pet.
College-Level Stuff, Presented For Children
Inside The Chip
really lives up to its name, it concentrates on microprocessors and takes the kid through every part of a typical late-70s chip. Kids get to understand the clock and control circuits, and the ALU. This is normally stuff that’s taught to first-year university students, yet here it is in a kids book!
8-bit microcomputers seem quaint in 2021, but at the time there was a real sense of being on the threshold of a technological revolution. This was a time in which almost everything in a domestic setting was still all-analogue, and even something with a seven-segment display was still seen as
impossibly
cool. So the vision of the future seems coloured by this, and it’s interesting to see where they hit the mark. Cassette recorders and acoustic couplers, maybe not, but networked computers and downloading “telesoftware” are right on the button.
With so many pages to choose from, it’s been really difficult to distill a selection to show you. I wonder whether every generations grows up and imagines that theirs was the last one to have a particular freedom, but it does sometimes seem as though my generation had a privileged position of being the first to have computers of their own, and almost the only one to have computers that were designed to be programmed rather than merely used. Those that immediately followed us had that promise taken away from them and replaced by schooling in word processors and spreadsheets, so it’s left to the Raspberry Pi cohort to pick up the baton we dropped back in the 1980s.
The Usborne books present a great chance for a quick wallow in nostalgia, as well as an interesting explanation even today of how some of the tech they are explaining works. I’m grateful to my friend for letting me borrow them to make this piece, and I hope you find them as interesting as I did. | 33 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333354",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T17:08:15",
"content": "Those Usborne books were a amazing resource. I had a bunch back in the 80s but the Machine Code for Beginners book was my favorite. Even today after a long career in programming I still think of the little... | 1,760,373,145.850843 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/midi-all-the-things-hack-chat/ | MIDI All The Things Hack Chat | Dan Maloney | [
"Hackaday Columns"
] | [
"din",
"Hack Chat",
"instrument",
"midi",
"music",
"Musical Instrument Digital Interface",
"standard",
"synthesizer"
] | Join us on Wednesday, March 24 at noon Pacific for the
MIDI All the Things Hack Chat
with
Tim Alex Jacobs
!
In our technologically complex world, standards are a double-edged sword. While they clearly make it possible for widgets and doodads to interoperate with each other, they also tend to drift away from their original intention over time, thanks to the march of progress or even market forces. If there’s one thing you can expect about standards, it’s that they beget other standards.
One standard that has stood the test of time, with modification of course, is the Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI. It’s hard to overstate the impact MIDI has had on the music world since it was first dreamed up in the early 1980s. Started amid a Wild West of competing proprietary synchronization standards, MIDI quickly became the de facto interface for connecting electronic musical instruments together. And as it did, it moved from strictly pro-grade equipment down the market to prosumer and home users, fueled in part by the PC revolution.
Tim Alex Jacobs, who is perhaps better known as Mitxela on
his YouTube channel
, has long been interested in applying MIDI to unusual corners of the musical world. We’ve seen him
MIDI-fy things that barely qualify as musical instruments
, and also build
a polyphonic synthesizer so small it fits within the shell of the DIN connector
that’s so strongly associated with the MIDI standard. Tim joins us on the Hack Chat this week to talk about his experiences with MIDI, and to help us understand all the ways we can work with the interface in our builds.
Our Hack Chats are live community events in the
Hackaday.io Hack Chat group messaging
. This week we’ll be sitting down on Wednesday, March 24 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. | 5 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333369",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T17:48:45",
"content": "Be nice if Hitfilm (VFX) added MIDI capability.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6333463",
"author": "Morberis",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T21:... | 1,760,373,145.761552 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/read-your-movies-as-automatically-generated-comic-books/ | Read Your Movies As Automatically Generated Comic Books | Michael Shaub | [
"Art",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"artificial intelligence",
"comic book",
"image processing",
"manga",
"movie",
"subtitles"
] | A
research paper from Dalian University of Technology in China and City University of Hong Kong
(direct
PDF link
) outlines a system that
automatically generates comic books from videos
. But how can an algorithm boil down video scenes to appropriately reflect the gravity of the scene in a still image? This impressive feat is accomplished by saving two still images per second, then segments the frames into scenes through analysis of region-of-interest and importance ranking.
For its next trick, speech for each scene is processed by combining subtitle information with the audio track of the video. The audio is analyzed for emotion to determine the appropriate speech bubble type and size of the subtitle text. Frames are even analyzed to establish which person is speaking for proper placement of the bubbles. It can then create layouts of the keyframes, determining panel sizes for each page based on the region-of-interest analysis.
The process is completed by stylizing the keyframes with flat color through
quantization,
for that classic cel shading look, and then populating the layouts with each frame and word balloon.
The team conducted a study with 40 users, pitting their results against
previous techniques
which require more human intervention and still besting them in every measure. Like any great superhero, the team still sees room for improvement. In the future, they would like to improve the accuracy of keyframe selection and propose using a neural network to do so.
Thanks to [Qes] for the tip! | 13 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333324",
"author": "Tobasco da Gama",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T15:42:56",
"content": "I could do without the posterize effect, but the layout and frame selection is incredible.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333332",
... | 1,760,373,145.712482 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/how-laser-headlights-work/ | How Laser Headlights Work | Lewin Day | [
"car hacks",
"Engineering",
"Featured",
"Laser Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"laser",
"laser headlight",
"laser headlights",
"light"
] | When we think about the onward march of automotive technology, headlights aren’t usually the first thing that come to mind. Engines, fuel efficiency, and the switch to electric power are all more front of mind. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t thousands of engineers around the world working to improve the state of the art in automotive lighting day in, day out.
Sealed beam headlights gave way to more modern designs once regulations loosened up, while bulbs moved from simple halogens to xenon HIDs and, more recently, LEDs. Now, a new technology is on the scene, with lasers!
Laser Headlights?!
BWM’s prototype laser headlight assemblies undergoing testing.
The first image brought to mind by the phrase “laser headlights” is that of laser beams firing out the front of an automobile. Obviously, coherent beams of monochromatic light would make for poor illumination outside of a very specific spot quite some distance away. Thankfully for our eyes, laser headlights don’t work in this way at all.
Instead, laser headlights consist of one or more solid state laser diodes mounted inside the headlight. These blue lasers are fired at a yellow phosphor, similar to that used in white LEDs. This produces a powerful, vibrant white light that can then be bounced off reflectors and out of the headlights towards the road. Laser headlights built in this way have several benefits. They’re more energy efficient than LEDs that put out the same amount of light, while also being more space efficient, too.
BWM’s futuristic i8 was one of the first vehicles to ship with laser headlight technology.
Laser headlights are still a nascent technology, thus far only appearing in a few BMW, Audi, and other select vehicles.
BMW’s technology was developed in partnership with lighting experts OSRAM
. In practice, a regular LED low-beam lamp is used, with the laser used to create an incredibly bright and focused spot, used for high-beams. This can provide illumination out to 600 meters ahead of the vehicle, double that of conventional LED high beams. The lights use indium gallium nitride diode lasers that were originally used in projectors, with power levels above 1 watt. One of the challenges in implementing such technology in an automotive environment is the need for it to operate at temperature extremes. While research lasers and laser pointers may primarily be used at typical room temperatures, automotive headlights must be able to withstand everything from 40 degrees below zero up to 50 degrees C. Thankfully, the laser’s high efficiency means it doesn’t have huge heat output of its own to further complicate things. Other engineering challenges involve tailoring the optics package for the rough-and-tumble, high vibration environment found in the automotive application. It’s also important to ensure, as with any such device, that the end user can’t be exposed to harmful laser radiation in the event of accident or malfunction.
Tearing Down the Laser Headlight
A marketing image showing the construction of an aftermarket LED/laser headlight. We’d take the laser power with a grain of salt — it’s difficult to imagine a 10 W laser shining directly on some small LEDs without melting a hole through the board in short order.
An aftermarket has sprung up too, with delightfully innovative designs. Combined laser/LED headlights are readily available on Alibaba,
designed as a drop in replacement for projector lamps on existing vehicles.
These often use an LED low-beam, and a combined LED/laser high beam, where the laser diode shoots directly at the LED phosphor to excite it further, rather than using its own. These units often also come with fan cooling to keep the laser and LEDs below their maximum operational temperature. Such developments are exciting, though it’s important to be wary of the performance of unknown aftermarket headlights.
Many aftermarket LED headlight “upgrades” fail to pass muster
when it comes to real-world performance, and there’s no reason to believe hybrid LED/laser designs will be any different. We’d love to pass a selection of these parts through
a full IIHS test protocol
, but that’s sadly beyond the scope (and budget!) of this article.
However, [mikeselectricstuff] has happened to lay his hands on both the BMW and aftermarket parts,
tearing them all down in his workshop to see what makes them tick.
The differences are multitude when laid bare on the bench. The AliExpress part is relatively simple, wired up no differently from a regular headlight. Interestingly, however, the laser high-beam circuit runs all the time in these parts. To prevent blinding other road users, a shutter is kept in place to block the light, which is moved out of the way with a solenoid when the driver turns on the high beam switch.
Where the aftermarket part is a little out of left field, the BMW design is another thing entirely. The cutting-edge headlights are hooked up with multiple connectors and over 30 conductors, with much of the driver electronics living in an external controller. Much of this is to drive the various LEDs and stepper motors for slewing the headlights when steering. However, the laser assembly brings its own complexities. Twin light sensors are built inside to monitor the laser beam, and a special metal blocking arm sits directly in front of the diode, presumably to stop the laser light leaving the headlight in the event the phosphor coating burns through. It’s truly wild to get a look inside a modern luxury car’s headlight and see just how far we’ve come from the old days of simple sealed beams.
Cost Versus Performance
Despite the efficiency gains available, the technology remains expensive. Powerful laser diodes don’t come cheap, after all. However, as the technology trickles down to lower-end models, it’s likely that we could see economies of scale change that for the better. Indeed, if national authorities begin to demand higher performance headlights as standard, we could see laser headlights become the norm, rather than an expensive luxury. The technology could naturally be applied to home and commercial lighting, too — though we suspect the potential gains are limited enough that LED lighting will remain the norm for some time to come.
The high light output of laser headlights in a compact package allows engineers greater freedom when designing the front-end of a car.
As it currently stands, much of the appeal of the new technology is about the packaging benefits, which allow automotive designers greater freedom around the headlight area. Such concerns are less of a factor when it comes to light fittings in the home or office, or indeed, on lower-end automobiles. Regardless, it’s an exciting new application for lasers and one we’ll be sure to see more of in the future. | 142 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333286",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T14:21:08",
"content": "Headlights with…*pew*pew*pew*. But the main issue I find is how harsh they are on other drivers vision.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333309",
... | 1,760,373,146.340712 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/cursed-usb-c-when-plug-orientation-matters/ | Cursed USB-C: When Plug Orientation Matters | Maya Posch | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Tech Hacks"
] | [
"cursed devices",
"USB C"
] | One of the selling points of the USB-C plug is that supposedly there is no way to incorrectly insert it. As [Pim de Groot] shows with a ‘
Cursed USB-C 2.0 Device
‘, reality is a bit more complicated when it comes to USB 2.0 compatibility in USB-C. He made a PCB that elegantly demonstrates the simplicity of the problem, featuring two LEDs. Only one orientation of the USB-C plug will cause one of the LEDs to light up green, with the other orientation leaving both LEDs blinking red.
Sigil on the back of the cursed USB-C 2.0 device, by Pim de Groot.
The reason for this behavior is simple: as [Pim] explains, although the USB-C plug has only a single pair of data lines (D+/-) for USB 2.0 connectivity, the receptor duplicates these on either side of its pins, leading out two pairs of D+/- lines. Normally you would connect the matching lines in these pairs together to ensure consistent behavior no matter the plug orientation, but you don’t have to.
By leading each USB 2.0 data pair to its own SAMD11C MCU, only one of the MCUs would be connected to USB, resulting in the connected MCU blinking the LEDs. With a bit more circuitry it’s possible to detect which way around the plug is inserted and use this information in a single MCU system, altering its behavior. While at first glance this seems little more than a fun party trick, but it also offers insight in a possible failure mode of USB-C 2.0 devices where only one plug orientation works, due to broken traces or pads.
Board view of [Pim]’s Cursed USB-C 2.0 Device.
(Heading image: Cursed USB-C 2.0 Device, by Pim de Groot) | 71 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333249",
"author": "dan",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T11:06:23",
"content": "Already ran into this failure mode on my pixel 3 (hint: a caustic pool isn’t an ideal waterproof situation)Only charges in one orientation of the plug",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [... | 1,760,373,146.165093 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/22/bringing-some-coulter-to-the-bench-measuring-tiny-particles-with-nanopore-sensing/ | Bringing Some Coulter To The Bench: Measuring Tiny Particles With Nanopore Sensing | Adam Zeloof | [
"chemistry hacks"
] | [
"Coulter principle",
"experiment",
"particles"
] | We’ve all been there: you’re sitting at your bench, with a beaker full of some conductive fluid with a bunch of tiny particles suspended in it, and you want to measure the sizes of each particle.
Okay, maybe this isn’t a shared experience we’ve all had, but It’s at least an ordeal Hackaday alum [Nava Whiteford] has been through, and he was able to
carry out the measurements in question using a neat apparatus known as a Coulter counter
.
Imagine a container full of a conductive fluid. If you place an electrode at each end, the fluid will carry a current.
Now, drop an insulating divider in the middle of the container, and the current will stop flowing. Finally, poke a small hole (or nanopore) in the divider. Huzzah! The current is flowing again… but how does this let us measure particle sizes? Well, now think about a tiny particle moving through the hole in the divider. As the particle passes through, the hole will be partially blocked, and the current flow will be partially interrupted. It turns out, the resulting dip in current is proportional to the volume of the particle — a fun property known as the
Coulter principle
.
[Nava] built a great demo of the system with a macropore in place of the nanopore. The pore in question was a hole melted into a bottle cap, which was suspended in a beaker by two toothpicks. [Nava] used small chips of Acrylic as the particles to be measured, which they pipetted into the solution of KCl. They then passed a current through the solution and used an oscilloscope to sense the interruptions. Be sure to check out their write up for a video of the system in action!
Of course, this technique has a much wider range of applications than measuring little bits of plastic — obtaining blood cell counts, for one. We’ve seen
particle counters for use in the air before
, but it’s great to see that there’s a way to measure particles in an aqueous solution — you know, in case we ever find ourselves in such a situation. | 6 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333272",
"author": "przemek klosowski",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T13:26:51",
"content": "Doesn’t it depends on the particles being somehow ionized/charged? Otherwise they would not be forced through the opening?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,373,145.907955 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/pcb-reflow-with-a-pcb/ | PCB Reflow With A PCB | Al Williams | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"metal core pcb",
"pcb",
"reflow soldering"
] | We wonder if [Carl Bugeja] was looking at a 3D printer’s heated bed when he got the idea to
create a PCB reflow heater using a PCB
. He tried a quick test to heat up a standard PCB and made it self-reflow. That worked, though it obviously wouldn’t be practical for all boards. But it proved he could make it work.
To improve the heating performance, he laid out a metal core PCB, along with some custom control electronics. The board’s resistance didn’t quite perform to calculations, but luckily, it was too high so a shunt wire was able to reduce the overall resistance. One important thing to consider is that the heater board needs to use higher temperature solder so it doesn’t desolder its own components
We were glad to see [Carl] use a metal core board as standard PCB material can get cranky at high temperatures over 130C. Even so, it would be good to check the boards you plan to use this way to make sure they are rated for the kind of temperatures required.
We’ve seen lots of reflow heat sources.
Halogen lights
come to mind. Or, raid the toy closet and find an
Easy Bake oven
. | 17 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333213",
"author": "jpa",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T06:25:24",
"content": "I wonder why the hotplate method of reflowing (like this basically is) isn’t used more often. For me it has been much easier to get good results with it than using a DIY reflow oven, and a hotplate takes up m... | 1,760,373,146.562843 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/webserial-browser-based-development-for-your-boards-and-electronic-badges/ | WebSerial: Browser Based Development For Your Boards And Electronic Badges | Jenny List | [
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"badgelife",
"serial",
"usb",
"webserial"
] | For years, one of the most accessible and simplest-to-implement methods of talking to a dev board has been to give it a serial port. Almost everything has serial in some form, so all that’s needed is to fire up a terminal. But even with that simplicity, there are still moments when the end user might find a terminal interface a little daunting. Think of a board aimed at kids for example, or an event badge which must be accessible to as many people as possible.
We’ve seen a very convenient solution to this problem in the form of WebUSB, but for devices without the appropriate USB hardware there’s WebSerial, an in-browser API for communicating with serial ports including USB-to-serial chips.
[Tom Clement] argues that this could serve as the way forward for event badges
. Best of all it can be a retro-fit to enable in-browser development for older badges or dev boards with a serial port.
The boards on which he demonstrates the technique are the series of event badges running the badge.team firmware platform including his own
i-Pane
from CampZone 2019 and going right back to
the SHA 2017 badge
, but there’s no reason why the same technique can’t be extended to other boards.
There’s a snag with all this though, sadly only browsers in the Chrome family support it at the time of writing, with no plans from Mozilla and apple, and silence from Microsoft. So things look likely to stay that way. It is however inevitable that in time there will be commercial products taking advantage of it via the use of cheap USB to serial chips, so perhaps the case to incorporate it will make itself.
Header: Mobius,
Public domain
. | 9 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333192",
"author": "Mmiscool",
"timestamp": "2021-03-22T02:35:14",
"content": "Web Serial API in chrome is great. I actually just threw together a serial terminal for my Chromebook this past week that uses it. Less than 150 lines of code including HTML, CSS and Javascript.https://w... | 1,760,373,146.387932 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/hackaday-links-march-21-2021/ | Hackaday Links: March 21, 2021 | Dan Maloney | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"Active Directory",
"cricut",
"desktop",
"freeware",
"gearbox",
"hackaday links",
"Jeep",
"model",
"Perseverance",
"premium",
"ratio",
"sysadmin"
] | If you think you’re having a bad day at work, pity the poor sysadmin at Victoria University of Wellington in
Australia
New Zealand, who
accidentally nuked the desktops of pretty much everyone at the university
. This apparently happened last week and impacted everyone connected to the university network with a Windows machine, which had any files stored on their desktops deleted and also appears to have reset user profiles to the default state. This caused no end of consternation, especially among those who use their desktop folder to organize work in progress; we’d imagine more than one student at VUW is hating life right now for not storing work on a backed-up network drive. The problem seems to have started with an attempt to clean up files and profiles left behind by former students; how that escalated to nuking files on the desktop will require some ‘splaining.
Speaking of mea culpas, there was quite a dustup this week in the Cricut community. It started when the maker of CNC cutting machines
announced its intention to limit uploads
to their online design software unless the user signs up for a $10 a month account. After getting an earful from the users,
the CEO of the company announced
that these changes would be delayed until the end of 2021. That decision still didn’t sit well with the community, which includes a fair number of users designing PCBs, and two days later, the CEO announced that
they were throwing in the towel
on the whole plan, and that everything was going back to status quo ante. Story over? We’ll see — it seems like Cricut has tipped its hand here that they’re looking to extract more money from the users, and the need for that likely hasn’t gone away just because they relented. As Elliot Williams pointed out when we discussed the whole debacle, it’s easy to see how Cricut could start adding new features to the paid version of their software, basically abandoning the free user base. We’ll have to see how the obviously vociferous community responds to something like that.
Much interesting news from Mars this week, where the Perseverance rover is getting used to its new home and getting itself ready to roll. Late last week,
Perseverance successfully dropped the “belly pan”
that was covering the sensitive instruments under the rover, including
the Adaptive Sample Caching system
that will seal up Martian core samples and drop them out onto the surface for later pickup. This seemingly simple task was a critical one; had the pan not cleanly separated, the mission could have been severely impacted. Perseverance also did a little test drive this week, and recorded
what it sounds like to drive on Mars
. The audio clip is 16 minutes long, and the noises coming from the billion-dollar rover are just awful at times. We hear clunks and clanks and squeals galore, and while we’re sure they all have a good explanation and will provide valuable engineering data, they sound somewhat alarming to us.
But not so alarming as the sounds that must have come from
a Jeep that suffered a bad tow job recently
. The cringe-making story starts with a brand-new Jeep being towed on its wheels behind a motorhome, which allows the RV owners to park their rig and still have something to drive around in while they camp. The towed vehicle, or “pusher”, is normally equipped with a manual transmission, as towing with the wheels on the ground for extended distances is easier with them. Unfortunately, the Jeep’s owner set up the shift levers wrong and left the transmission in first gear, with the transfer case in low range. The linked article estimates the gearing ratios meant that the poor Jeep’s engine was being spun at something like 54,000 RPM; chances are good the engine exploded long before that point. The damage shown in the video accompanying the article is just brutal — the oil pan and bell housing are gone, the bottom of the crankcase is blown out, and at least two pistons and their share of the crankshaft are missing in action. We feel sorry for the owner, but really wish the Jeep had had a belly cam like the one on Perseverance. | 31 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333159",
"author": "Sierra",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T23:02:39",
"content": "The victoria University of Wellington is in Wellington… Which is the capital city of New Zealand… Which, contrary to popular belief, is not an Australian colony.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,373,146.455814 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/arduino-cli-for-i-o-pin-testing/ | Arduino CLI For I/O Pin Testing | Chris Lott | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"bit banging",
"cli",
"debugging"
] | Need to quickly toggle or read some logic signals without the hassle of writing a quick program? [Thor_x86], aka [Eric], built an
Arduino sketch
that does just that — and he threw in the ability to send (or receive) serial messages, too. This is a neat idea — kind of a simplified Bus Pirate.
We should warn you that this is an early release, and there are a few minor issues which we are sure [Eric] will iron out soon. We discovered the function
strtol()
was misspelled in
cmd_send.cpp
, and there are some configuration
#defines
which need to be sorted out in file
parsePin.cpp
, depending on which Arduino module you are running. We got it running on an Arduino Leonardo the quickest, because it has support for
Serial1()
.
Don’t be discouraged by these glitches in this rev 0 deployment — [Eric] has really made quite a nice tool here. Check his
GitHub repository
for updates (or submit corrections yourself). All in all, it’s a good addition to your digital tool box. On a completely unrelated note, we really like [Eric]’s USB cable with the right-angle micro connector, grungy though it may be.
Besides the standard tools like Bus Pirate, GreatFET, FTDI modules, etc., are there any similar tools you like to use for bit banging and serial testing? Let us know in the comments below. | 12 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333143",
"author": "rpavlik",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T21:02:56",
"content": "I am eagerly awaiting my Glasgow for high powered interfacingI have actually used my mcp2221a breakout from Adafruit with their libraries to use it with CircuitPython on desktop for working with electroni... | 1,760,373,146.693196 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/retrotechtacular-manufacturing-philco-germanium-transistors/ | Retrotechtacular: Manufacturing Philco Germanium Transistors | Dan Maloney | [
"Retrotechtacular"
] | [
"germanium",
"indium",
"manufacture",
"retrotechtacular",
"surface-barrier",
"transistor"
] | There was a time when all major corporations maintained film production departments to crank out public relations pieces, and the electronic industry was no exception. Indeed, in the sea-change years of the mid-20th century, corporate propaganda like
this look at Philco transistor manufacturing
was more important than ever, as companies tried to pivot from vacuum tubes to solid-state components, and needed to build the consumer electronics markets that would power the next few decades of rapid growth.
The film below was produced in 1957, just a decade since the invention of the transistor and only a few years since Philco invented the surface-barrier transistor, the technology behind the components. It shows them being made in their “completely air-conditioned, modern plant” in Pennsylvania. The semiconductor was germanium, of course — the narrator only refers to “silly-con” transistors once near the end of the film — but the SBT process, with opposing jets of indium sulfate electrolyte being used to both etch the germanium chip and form the collector and emitter of the transistor, is a fascinating process, and these transistors were quite the advance back in the day. It’s interesting, too, to watch the casual nature of the manufacturing process — no clean rooms, no hair nets, and only a lab coat and “vacuum welcome mats” to keep things reasonably clean.
As in most such corporate productions, superlatives abound, so be prepared for quite a bit of hyperbole on the part of the Mid-Atlantic-accented narrator. And we noticed a bit of a whoopsie near the end, when he proudly intoned that Philco transistors would be aboard the “first Earth satellite.” They were used in the radio of Explorer 1, but the Russians had other ideas about who was going to be first.
And speaking of propaganda, don’t forget that at around this time, vacuum tube companies were fighting for their lives too. That’s where something like
this designer’s guide to the evils of transistors
came from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BillR7xtTxc | 17 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333122",
"author": "MM",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T19:30:23",
"content": "is this a German V1 missile at 12:04?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333140",
"author": "bob",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T20:53:48",
... | 1,760,373,146.507133 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/arduino-and-fpga-done-differently/ | Arduino And FPGA Done Differently | Al Williams | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"FPGA"
] | [
"arduino",
"fpga",
"XLR8"
] | FPGA guru [Max Maxfield] recently
took a look at the XLR8
(pronounced accelerate) board from a company called Alorium. On the surface, it looks like another Arduino UNO clone. But instead of a CPU, it contains an Intel MAX10 FPGA that runs a softcore AVR processor. Of course, that’s only part of the story. If the board was just a mock Arduino using an FPGA, that’s not very interesting for practical purposes. However, by incorporating accelerator blocks or XBs, you can add FPGA modules to the soft CPU. [Max] shows an example that you can see in the video below where an FPGA block controls servos more easily than a standard Arduino. There’s also a version that looks like an Arduino Nano, but can clock much faster as well as use the XBs.
In addition to prebuilt XBs, there is a workflow to build your own if you are familiar with working with FPGAs. The products aren’t exactly new, but we enjoyed [Max’s] take on the product. We also appreciated the simple code examples showing exactly how you would convert a program to use the accelerated functions.
The idea isn’t new or original, of course. You might argue that
Arduino’s official FPGA support
should have worked like this. The comments on the post also talk about several similar boards from earlier that never gained much traction, including
ZPUino
.
We talked about the
nano-like board
a few years ago. We’ve seen
projects with the ZPUino
before, too. | 37 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333077",
"author": "spiritplumber",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T14:29:50",
"content": "Cool, so you can do with it everything that you could do with a Propeller chip in 2008, except that it costs… slightly more?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,373,146.639568 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/flip-dots-enter-the-realm-of-fine-art/ | Flip-Dots Enter The Realm Of Fine Art | Mike Szczys | [
"Art"
] | [
"breakfastny",
"flip disc",
"flipdot",
"flipdot display"
] | Flip-dot displays look and sound awesome. At least to all of us electronics geeks who dumpster dive for second-hand panels to add to our collections of esoteric display technology. But there are people thinking beyond the yellow/white dots on a black background. [BreakfastNY] have produced
a new take on what a flip-dot display can be with color and a bit of theatrics
.
Mechanically these are standard pixels that use an electromagnetic coil to pivot a disc between two states. But immediately you’ll see the inert display has a mosaic printed right on the dots. It gets even more fun to realize the same image is present on the rear of the dots but in a different color palette. In the case of this piece, entitled
Empire State
, it looks like a sunny day on one side and an overcast day on the reverse.
We wondered what this art collective was up to when they began selling
flip-dot modules they had designed back in 2016
. Having those kinds of connections meant they were able to sweet-talk their manufacturing partners into custom printing colors on the discs during manufacture. The group continues to use their camera-based interactivity that represents silhouettes on the display. The innovative color palette still lets that work quite well, but one really interesting animation choice here is an indeterminate flutter of the pixels. It builds a
Matrix
-style waterfall animating into the image, beckoning the viewer to walk over with the ulterior motive that this brings them within camera range.
If you want to give the flutter effect a try for yourself, you might want to peek at
the 30 FPS flip-dot driver we saw a few weeks back
as a responsive option. | 13 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333050",
"author": "yetihehe",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T11:51:30",
"content": "Next level: make several colored lights shine from different angles and make each dot be able to swivel in 2 dimensions to select which light to reflect.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"rep... | 1,760,373,146.885846 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/21/the-long-journey-ahead-for-linux-on-apple-silicon/ | The Long Journey Ahead For Linux On Apple Silicon | Bryan Cockfield | [
"ARM",
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"arm",
"boot",
"linux",
"macOS"
] | An old joke from the Linux community about its prevalence in computing quips that Linux will run on anything, including some animals. While the joke is a little dated, it is true that Linux can run on just about any computing platform with a certain amount of elbow grease. The current exception is the new Apple M1 silicon, although
one group called Asahi Linux is currently working to get Linux running on this novel hardware as well
.
While the Apple M1 is specifically built to run macOS, there’s no technical reason why Linux couldn’t run on it once all of the kinks are ironed out.
This progress report
from last month outlines some of the current areas of focus, especially around booting non-Mac kernels. The new Apple silicon
runs on an ARM processor
and because of this it functions more like an embedded device than a PC with standardized BIOS or UEFI. This means a lot of workarounds to the proprietary boot process have to be created to get a Linux kernel to boot. Luckily there are already versions of Linux that run on ARM so a lot of work has already been done, but there’s still much ahead.
While it’s probably best to buy an x86 machine for the time being if you need a Linux on your own personal machine, it seems like only a matter of time until all of the barriers to Linux are overcome on the M1 silicon. If Linux is able to take advantage of some of the efficiency and performance benefits of these chips, it could be a game-changer in the Linux world and at least give us all another option for hardware. Of course, we will still be needing
software that can run on ARM
, too.
Thanks to [Mark] for the tip! | 41 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333014",
"author": "Cyna",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T08:29:31",
"content": "Why bother? Apple does almost everything possible to prevent you from installing it in any case. Years ago, it used to be good and open hardware, ripe for removing that top-layer crap and installing some oth... | 1,760,373,146.769611 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/video-ram-transplant-doubles-rtx-3070-memory-to-16-gb/ | Video Ram Transplant Doubles RTX 3070 Memory To 16 GB | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"bga",
"gpu",
"NVIDIA",
"ram upgrade",
"RTX 3070"
] | Making unobtainium graphics cards even more unobtainable, [VIK-on] has
swapped out the RAM chips on an Nvidia RTX 3070
. This makes it the only 3070 the world to work with 16 GB.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because he tried the same trick
with the RTX 2070 back in January
but couldn’t get it working. When he first published the video showing the process of desoldering the 3070’s eight Hynix 1 GB memory chips and replacing them with eight Samsung 2 GB chips he hit the same wall — the card would boot and detect the increased RAM, but was unstable and would eventually crash. Helpful hints from his viewers led him to use an EVGA configuration GUI to lock the operating frequency which fixed the problem. Further troubleshooting (YouTube
comment in Russian
and
machine translation of it
) showed that the “max performance mode” setting in the Nvidia tool is also a solution to stabilize performance.
The new memory chips don’t self-report their specs to the configuration tool. Instead, a set of three resistors are used to electronically identify which hardware is present. The problem was that [VIK-on] had no idea which resistors and what the different configurations accomplished. It sounds like you can just start changing zero Ohm resistors around to see the effect in the GUI, as they configure both the brand of memory and the size available. The fact that this board is not currently sold with a 16 GB option, yet the configuration tool has settings for it when the resistors are correctly configured is kismet.
So did it make a huge difference? That’s difficult to say. He’s running some benchmarks in the video, both Unigine 2 SuperPosition and 3DMark Time Spy results are shown. However, we didn’t see any tests run prior to the chip swap. This would have been the key to characterizing the true impact of the hack. That said, reworking these with a handheld hot air station, and working your way through the resistor configuration is darn impressive no matter what the performance bump ends up being. | 31 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333004",
"author": "dlcarrier",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T06:00:37",
"content": "I’d hate to go through all that, then realize “oops, I forgot to characterize it beforehand”.It might be worth changing the resistor configuration back to the original, to determine the performance diff... | 1,760,373,146.836952 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/arduino-serial-vs-serialusb/ | Arduino Serial Vs SerialUSB | Chris Lott | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"Arduino DUE",
"Arduino Uno",
"USB serial",
"wireshark"
] | [Andrew] wonders
why the
SerialUSB()
function on the Cortex M3-based Arduino Due is so much faster than
Serial()
on the Uno or Nano
, and shares his observations in this short video. He sets up an experiment with a simple sketch on both boards and uses Wireshark to evaluate the results.
Data is sent in the USB packets in groups of four characters on the ATmega-based boards, but the entire string is put in a packet on the Due board. If you look under the hood, the answer is hiding in plain sight. While the Arduino family of boards connect to your computer using a USB virtual serial port, the ATmega ones have an actual serial connection on-board. For instance, on the Nano there is an FT232RL between the USB connector and the microprocessor (on an Arduino Uno board, a small ATMEGA8U2 is used instead of an FTDI chip, but the concept is the same). On the Arduino Due, the USB connects directly to the SAM3X8E processor.
This concept doesn’t apply only to Arduino boards, of course. On any serial connection between two computers, when a virtual USB device is used on both sides of the link (no actual serial signals involved), the serial baud rate is a fictional thing — data transfer speeds depends on USB alone. We are curious why the packets contain four characters in [Andrew]’s ATmega Wireshark captures — why not 1, 2, or 10? Is this something that can be controlled by the programmer, or is it fixed by the protocol and/or the FTDI chip? If you have the answer, let us know in the comments below. | 18 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332990",
"author": "Pat",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T02:51:58",
"content": "Latency timer. The driver checks the chip for data periodically, and grabs whatever data’s there. So in that case, the baud rate of the UART leads to 4 chars in it’s check time.The latency timer’s usually pro... | 1,760,373,146.986133 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/this-week-in-security-spectre-in-the-browser-be-careful-what-you-clone-and-hackintosh/ | This Week In Security: Spectre In The Browser, Be Careful What You Clone, And Hackintosh | Jonathan Bennett | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"Docker-OSX",
"Git",
"hackintosh",
"This Week in Security"
] | Google has been working on mitigations for the Spectre attack, and has made available a
Proof of Concept that you can run in your browser right now
. Spectre is one of the issues that kicked off the entire series of speculative execution vulnerabilities and fixes. What Google has demonstrated is that the Spectre attack can actually be pulled off in Javascript, right in the browser. Spectre is limited to reading memory allocated to the same process, and modern browsers have implemented measures like
site isolation
, which puts each site in a separate, sandboxed process.
These security features don’t mean that there is no practical dangers from Spectre. There are a handful of ways an attacker can run Javascript on another site, from something as simple as an interactive advertisement, to a cross-site scripting injection. Google has produced
features and guidance to mitigate those dangers
.
Via Bleeping Computer
.
Git Vulnerability Retreaded
CVE-2021-21300 is an issue
where a malicious git repository can execute a script during the cloning proceedure. The limitations are that the clone must be located on a case-insensitive filesystem, Git must allow symlinks, and clean/smudge filters have to be enabled. That combination just happens to default in the case of Git for Windows. Sound familiar? Git for Windows had a nearly identical vulnerability a few months back, CVE-2020-27955. This is probably an instance where the first vulnerability inspired more research into the attack type, uncovering more problems. In any case, don’t do a Git clone from an untrusted repository.
DuckDuckGo Extension Insecurity
DuckDuckGo makes a browser extension, “DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials”. It’s fairly straightforward, blocking some tracking approaches, and automatically redirecting to the HTTPS version of sites. [Wladimir Palant] did a brief audit of the extension, and found a couple ironic problems. The first is that like many other anti-fingerprinting solutions,
the extension is a fingerprint in itself
. Those extensions usually depend on a series of hacks to work at all, and it’s often possible to figure out the real data anyway. Example: an anti-fingerprinting extension might set
screen.width = 1280;
. A simple fingerprinting script might simply accept that value, but a more clever script would take the set value, then call
delete screen.width;
and check the value again. The failure of the anti-fingerprinting extension made the user even more distinctly identifiable. Note that this example is not specifically from the DuckDuckGo extension, but part of [Wladimir]’s explanation of how these extensions can go wrong.
Specific to DDG’s Privacy Essentials,
there are a couple of more serious issues
. First off, one of the extension’s scripts used
window.postMessage()
to communicate between different instances. That function is a bit dangerous, particularly in an extension, as it doesn’t segregate messages between the extension and loaded page. If the scripts on a page determined that the visitor was using the vulnerable version of the DDG extension, it could send some commands directly, using that function.
The other problem is a snippet of code that uses
tabs.executeScript()
. That call uses data pulled from the DuckDuckGo servers, without proper sanitization. If malicious code was ever hosted where the extension was pulling this data from, the browser extension would have happily executed it on every site you visited. [Wladimir] notified DDG privately about the issues he found, and they’ve been fixed. He does note that at least part of the blame for insecure extensions falls on the extension API itself. In many cases, writing secure extension code is far more difficult that it should be.
Hackintosh for Researchers
Doing either research or app development for the Apple ecosystem is something of a pain. If you’re like me, then you have no interest in running a Mac as your daily driver. The cost of a Mac just for research and development is a bit steep, too. The standard solution for many is the Hackintosh — installing the MacOS on generic hardware or in a VM. Our old friend, [Sick Codes], has a project that makes the Apple system much more approachable:
Docker-OSX
. Need a MacOS system to run Xcode on? Deploy the docker image and start Xcode, hosted right on your Linux or Windows machine. Want to do security research on an Apple binary? Yep, run it right there and dive in.
Now, one might wonder about these solutions: are they legal? Doesn’t Apple’s Terms of Service make it clear that we’re not licensed to run MacOS on any hardware not produced by Apple? Well,
[Sick Codes] took a look at that question, too
. As far as I know, he is not a lawyer, so take this with that grain of salt. The Apple Security Bounty has terms that override the normal terms of service, so long as you are doing good-faith security research.
This and That
Ever wanted to get into Linux kernel hacking and exploitation, but didn’t know where to start? [Jordy Zomer] just published
part one of a series of articles about that very subject
. It’s a quick intro to writing kernel drivers, pointing out the security flaw in that driver, and then a step-by-step guide to exploiting that flaw. This looks like a space to pay attention to, particularly if more installments follow.
Your Netgear smart switch just might be very hackable. Ncc Group released
their set of vulnerabilities from a Prosafe Plus switch
. The worst appears to be the accessibility of a debug interface by an unauthenticated user. You might not have either of the exact switches from the report, but it’s safe to assume that some of these vulnerabilities are present in other devices, with minor variations.
Ever wonder what happens when you click on the obviously fake sponsored search results from a Google search? The guys at SUID wanted to know, and they wrote up
a very detailed report on their results
. The short answer is that Malvertising campaigns will try to snarf saved credentials and other private data from your machine, if you’re unfortunate enough to let them install their payload.
And finally, Nettitude Labs is doing a walkthrough of techniques an attacker might use to determine if the target is a virtual machine, and what platform it is.
Part one is all about the memory layout
of the virtual hardware, and
part two discusses fingerprinting the driver behavior of each VM platform
. We sometimes use VMs to run dangerous binaries and visit suspicious websites, so it’s useful to be familiar with some of the detection and escape tactics. | 12 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332684",
"author": "Jon H",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T14:15:32",
"content": "Speaking of Spectre, anyone know if Apple’s M1 is vulnerable to such attacks?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332721",
"author": "Truth",
... | 1,760,373,146.935266 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/interfacing-the-dreamcast-controller-with-just-an-arduino/ | Interfacing The Dreamcast Controller With Just An Arduino | Lewin Day | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"dreamcast",
"dreamcast vmu",
"vmu"
] | The Dreamcast is a somewhat forgotten console today, but for a shining minute in the late 1990s, it was possible to believe Sega were still in the fight. Regardless, their hardware lives on, lovingly preserved by collectors and enthusiasts. [Nicholas FitzRoy-Dale] is one such enthusiast,
and set about interfacing the old console’s controllers to an Arduino.
Initial work involved getting the Arduino (presumably a basic 16 Mhz Uno) to read the controller’s buttons, and spitting the data out over serial. The Dreamcast’s Maple bus is fast, which presented some challenges, but it was simple enough. [Nicholas] then moved on to interfacing the VMU, the Dreamcast’s fancy controller-mounted memory card. After initial attempts were shaky and unstable, he redoubled his efforts. Research indicated that the VMU can vary the speed of the bus when it’s in control,
so he updated his code to suit.
It’s full of great hacks, like connecting the Dreamcast’s two data pins to four input pins on the Arduino, to save a handful of cycles by not having to shift incoming data.
The work is a great read for anyone into assembly-level optimisation of interfaces, as well as proper use of limited resources. Obviously, it’s easy to just throw a faster, more expensive microcontroller at the problem, but then nobody would have learned anything. We’ve featured a great many Dreamcast hacks over the years; [Nicholas]’s work here
builds upon [Dmitry]’s work in 2017.
We can’t wait to see what comes next out of the underground Sega hacking scene! | 5 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332706",
"author": "tekkieneet",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T15:31:46",
"content": "The Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) peripheral in Microchip enhanced (AVR) parts can make these type of real time bit twittering interfacing a lot easier.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"... | 1,760,373,147.33792 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/high-speed-flight-in-a-homebrew-fpv-cockpit/ | High Speed Flight In A Homebrew FPV Cockpit | Lewin Day | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"flying",
"FPV",
"fpv cockpit",
"fpv flight"
] | First-person view, or FPV, has become hugely popular in RC flying circles. A pair of video goggles lets the pilot fly with vision from the plane itself. To make things even more realistic, the team at [FliteTest]
built a replica cockpit with working controls and took it down to the field for testing.
(Video, embedded below.)
Since the pilot is wearing video goggles, aesthetics aren’t the key here. A RC transmitter was gutted for its gimbal and potentiometers. The former fitted with a long stick for aileron and elevator control, and the latter hooked up to pedals for the rudder. There’s even a proper throttle handle. It’s a low-budget build, with PVC pipe and bungee straps doing much of the work, but that doesn’t detract from the fun factor one bit. The team later upped the stakes,
flying a faster model with the rig at speeds up to 120 mph.
Interesting to note is the somewhat visceral reaction by the pilot when crashing, as the combination of first-person view video and realistic controls gives a powerful sense that one is actually in a real plane. FPV flying actually has a longer history than you might expect,
with roots as far back as the 1980s
. | 13 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332657",
"author": "Johan",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T10:39:45",
"content": "Cool, but not as cool as something I saw ~10 years ago with a guy placing an FPV helmet controlled camera inside the cockpit of a model airplane. When he turned his head, the camera turned accordingly. Reme... | 1,760,373,147.388206 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/wireless-360-controllers-now-on-the-dreamcast/ | Wireless 360 Controllers Now On The Dreamcast | Lewin Day | [
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"360",
"360 controller",
"dreamcast",
"sega dreamcast",
"xbox 360",
"xbox 360 controller"
] | Perhaps the greatest convenience feature of modern consoles is the wireless controller. Eliminating the risk of tripping over cords and enabling play in all manner of poorly ergonomic positions, they added huge comfort to the console gaming experience. [ismell] was no fan of the Dreamcast’s original controller, and the cable was too short to boot.
It was time to bring the 360 Wireless controller to Sega’s swansong.
Early attempts by [ismell] involved a Windows computer acting as a USB host for the 360 controller, which would then send out commands back to the Dreamcast via a Cypress EZ-USB FX2 microcontroller. If this sounds esoteric and messy, that’s because it is. It was also too slow to reliably work, as the Dreamcast’s Maple controller bus expects updates every millisecond, else it considers the controller disconnected.
Instead, a dedicated USB host was needed to speak to the 360 controller and also the Dreamcast. [ismell] landed on the MicroZed 7010, a System on Chip that also packs an FPGA on board. With Petalinux running on the board, it interfaces with the Xbox 360 USB wireless controller interface, and then sends the data out over a custom “network” driver that sends packets to the Dreamcast over the Maple bus.
It’s by no means a simple hack, and the MicroZed is far from cheap, but it works and works well as shown in the video below. We’ve seen other wireless controller adapters over the years, too –
like the wild BlueRetro build
. We always love to see a good retro console hack,
so don’t be shy about sending in your own!
| 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332686",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T14:20:38",
"content": "Interesting but oi that is overkill! The board could run the Dreamcast games itself.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332842",
"author": "Wingman... | 1,760,373,147.298954 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/an-algorithm-for-art-thread-portraits/ | An Algorithm For Art: Thread Portraits | Kristina Panos | [
"Art",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"algorithmic art",
"portrait",
"python",
"String Art"
] | We’ve all been there — through the magic of the internet, you see someone else’s stunning project and you just have to replicate it. For [Jenny Ma], that project was computer-generated string art, as in the computer figures out the best nail order to replicate a given image, and you lay out the thread yourself.
So, how does it work? Although a few algorithms are out there already,
[Jenny] wanted to make her own using Python
. Essentially it crops the image into a circle and then lays out evenly-spaced software nails around the circumference. The algorithm starts from a random nail and then determines the best next nail to wrap around by drawing a line from that nail to every other nail and choosing the darkest one based on the darkness of the image underneath that little line. It repeats this one chord at a time, subtracting from the original image until every pixel has been replaced with a thread or lack thereof, and then it spits out an ordered list of nail numbers.
Once the software was ready, [Jenny] made a wood canvas that’s 80 cm (31.5″) in diameter and started laying out the nail hole locations. There wasn’t quite enough room for 300 nails, so instead of starting over, [Jenny] changed the algorithm to use 298 nails and re-ran it.
[Jenny] does a great job of discussing the many variables at play in this hardware representation of software-created art. The most obvious of course is that the more nails used, the higher the resolution would be, but she determined that 300 is the sweet spot — more than that, and the resolution doesn’t really improve. We have to wonder if 360 nails would make things any easier. Check out the build video after the break.
Want to cut out most of the manual labor altogether?
Build yourself a string art machine
. | 27 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332601",
"author": "Walt",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T02:33:41",
"content": "What a great project, it came out fantastic. Thank you for explaining how this was done. This is a real cool math -art- computer programming project. thank you for sharing.",
"parent_id": null,
"... | 1,760,373,147.455865 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/industrial-grade-storage-built-with-laser-cut-steel/ | Industrial-Grade Storage Built With Laser-Cut Steel | Lewin Day | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"lasercut",
"lasercutting",
"steel"
] | A tidy workshop is much more likely to be a happy workshop, and one that better supports the practice of making. Organisation is key to maintaining tidiness over time, and for that, you need storage. [Wesley Treat] needed some more space recently, and set about building a serious storage unit using laser-cut parts.
The key to the build lies in the elegant steel flanges used to make the drawers. These were designed in CAD, with a DXF cutting file exported and sent off to OSH Cut for laser cutting and bending, in much the same way one would send 3D printed parts off to Shapeways or PCB files to JLCPCB. The drawer flanges are then joined with steel angle and fitted with plywood bases and sides. The drawers are then given
CNC-engraved nameplates for a nice aesthetic touch.
Once finished, the heavy duty drawers slide on wooden rails built into the walnut frame.
It’s a great example of how farming out a single piece of a larger project can lead to a quicker build and better final results. Producing 12 flanges by hand in the home shop would take longer and likely have far more variability. For those that only have a 3D printer at home, farming out production for metal parts is a good way to do heavy-duty projects without having to invest in an entire machine shop.
[Wesley] has graced these pages before, too –
with a great guide on reproducing knobs for vintage hardware.
Video after the break. | 19 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332587",
"author": "CityZen",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T00:34:38",
"content": "Just looking at the picture, my fingers say “Ouch!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332588",
"author": "Somun",
"timestamp": "2021... | 1,760,373,147.50624 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/wooden-you-love-to-build-a-ribbon-microphone/ | Wooden You Love To Build A Ribbon Microphone? | Dan Maloney | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"element",
"microphone",
"RCA 44",
"ribbon",
"transducer",
"veneer",
"walnut"
] | Carbohydrate foams derived from dead trees are not the first material that springs to mind when considering building audio equipment. But really, there’s no reason not to explore new materials for jobs normally reserved for metal or plastic, and when pulled off right, as with
this wooden ribbon microphone
, the results can both look and sound great.
To be fair, there are plenty of non-wood components in [Frank Olson]’s replica of a classic RCA model 44 microphone. After all, it’s hard to get wood to exhibit the electromagnetic properties needed to turn acoustic energy into electric currents. But that doesn’t mean that wood, specifically walnut veneer, isn’t front and center in this design. [Frank] worked with thin sheets of veneer; cut into shape with a commercial vinyl cutter and stacked up with alternating grains, the wood was glued up with copious cyanoacrylate adhesive to form a plywood of sorts. The dogbone-shaped body was fitted with two neodymium magnets, leaving a gap just wide enough for the microphone’s ribbon diaphragm. That was made from a thin piece of aluminum foil that was corrugated using a DIY crimp roller. Suspended between the magnets and connected to leads, the mic element was adorned with a wood and fabric windscreen and suspended from elastic bands in a temporary frame for testing. The narration on the video below was recorded with the mic, which sounds quite nice to our ears.
We’ve seen
ribbon microphones
before, as well as
wooden microphones
, but this is the first time we’ve seen a wooden ribbon microphone. It looks as though [Frank] has more work he wants to do to finish it off properly, and we eagerly await the finished product. | 11 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332562",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T21:18:14",
"content": "Fun build. I was hoping to see a corresponding low-impedance bipolar preamp design, but I see he just used a transformer.I wonder how much more signal you’d get if you used a proper flux return path, using ... | 1,760,373,147.554358 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/a-handy-reference-for-display-drivers-and-lcd-controllers/ | A Handy Reference For Display Drivers And LCD Controllers | Chris Lott | [
"hardware",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"display controllers",
"displays",
"lcd",
"oled",
"tft"
] | Ever tried to find the data on a mysterious LCD controller that’s kicking around in your parts bin? Well
check out this list of various LCD controllers
that [Achim] has put together. He summarizes the basic specifications for each controller and includes data sheet links if available (note — the website is in German, although most of the data itself is in English). All in all, he has collected 72 controllers from five different manufacturers, and 46 of them have data sheets. For each controller, he tabulates maximum resolution, color depth, type of interface, and the targeted display technology. For example, here is the entry for the Ilitech ILI9341 TFT controller commonly found in embedded projects:
Furthermore, many of the controllers also have a short video clip showing them in operation posted over on [Achim]’s
YouTube channel
, where he also has a bunch of quick (less than one minute) videos of all sorts of embedded goodies. We do find this table of controllers to be a little dated — for example, another popular controller used on small color OLED displays, the Solomon Systech SDS1351, is not included. But it is certainly a good resource to bookmark.
We suspect that [Achim] made this table as a result of developing µGUI, a small (only three files) C-language graphics library (see the
GitHub repository
) he released back in 2015. Do you have any good resources for tracking down unknown LCD controllers? If so, share in the comments below. And thanks to [Dmitry] for sending in this tip. | 3 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6333018",
"author": "fdufnews",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T09:02:57",
"content": "I usehttps://www.displayfuture.com/engineering/datasheets.aspwere there are many screen controlers datasheets.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "633... | 1,760,373,149.463102 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/reproducing-a-reproducer-servicing-a-cylinder-phonograph-in-the-year-2021/ | Reproducing A Reproducer: Servicing A Cylinder Phonograph In The Year 2021 | Kristina Panos | [
"classic hacks",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"cylinder",
"diaphragm",
"phonograph",
"reproducer",
"sound box"
] | [Jan Derogee] pulled out his phonograph the other day to hear the 100+ year old wax cylinder warble of “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary”, but couldn’t locate the reproducer — this is the small circular bit that holds the stylus and transfers the groove-driven vibrations to the center of a thin diaphragm, which vibrates into the sound horn. It’s easily the most important part of a cylinder phonograph. What do you do when you lose your reproducer? You could search ebay for a replacement, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun as
reproducing your reproducer yourself
.
Traditionally, diaphragms were made from mica or celluloid, and the Edison disk phonograph used seven layers of shellac-soaked rice paper. Reproducers typically have a Dagwood sandwich of gaskets surrounding the membrane, but they don’t have to be so convoluted to work — a single strong membrane will do just fine. Just ask [Jan], who made a new reproducer with a 3D-printed case, a hand-pulled glass stylus, and a disposable aluminum foil pan for the diaphragm.
It’s difficult for us to say which part looks more fun — stretching the glass shard over a gas kitchen stove with the flame focused by a stack of wrench sockets, or cutting up a bicycle inner tube and using a car jack to press the aluminum into shape against a 3D-printed mold. The whole video is awesome and you can check it out after the break.
As [Jan] notes in the video and on the project site, the glass stylus should really be made from borosilicate because it’s harder than regular soda lime glass (that’s why
they often make vaccine vials out of it
). Regular glass will work and takes much less time and gas to reach the pull-able stage, so that’s what [Jan] used in the video, but it will wear out much more quickly. Fortunately, this was a temporary solution, because as soon as [Jan] made a replacement, the missing reproducer showed up.
Want to see a stylus bounce around in the groove up close?
[Ben Krasnow] used a scanning electron microscope to make some groovy animations
. | 11 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332945",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T20:10:14",
"content": "Please let that cat’s name be “Nipper”…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332968",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T22:04:38",... | 1,760,373,149.317539 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/a-milky-way-photo-twelve-years-in-the-making/ | A Milky Way Photo Twelve Years In The Making | Zach Zeman | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Space"
] | [
"amateur astronomy",
"astronomy",
"astrophotography",
"milky way",
"photography",
"telescope"
] | Starting projects is easy. It’s the finishing part that many of us have trouble with. We can hardly imagine completing a project after more than a decade, but seeing the breathtaking results of
[J-P Metsavainio]’s gigapixel composite image of our galaxy
might just make us reconsider. The photograph, which we highly suggest you go check out in its full glory, has been in progress since 2009, features 1250 total hours of exposure time, and spans across 125 degrees of sky. It is simply spectacular.
Of course, it wasn’t an absolutely continuous effort to make this one image over those twelve years. Part of the reason for the extended time span is many frames of the mosaic were shot, processed, and released as their own individual pieces; each of the many astronomical features impressive in its own right. But, over the years, he’s filled in the gaps between and has been able to release a more and more complete picture of our galactic home.
A project this long, somewhat predictably, eventually outlives the technology used to create it. Up until 2014, [Metsavainio]’s setup included a Meade 12-inch telescope and
some modified Canon optics
. Since then, he’s used
a dedicated equatorial mount, astrocamera, and a Tokina lens (again, modified)
with an 11-inch Celestron for longer focal lengths. He processes the frames in Photoshop, accounting for small exposure and color differences and aligning the images based on background stars. He’s had plenty of time to get his process down, though, so the necessary tweaking is relatively minor.
Amateur astronomy is an awesome hobby, and the barrier to entry is lower than it might seem. You can
get started on a budget with the ubiquitous Raspberry Pi
or
with the slightly less practical Game Boy Camera
. And if you’re just interested in viewing the cosmos, there are options for
building your own telescope
as well.
[via
PetaPixel
] | 22 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332937",
"author": "Donald Drumpf",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T19:25:07",
"content": "Neat. Now on to cat videos.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333048",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2021-03-21T11:41:51",
... | 1,760,373,149.570272 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/machinists-precision-vs-woodworkers-precision/ | Machinist’s Accuracy Vs. Woodworker’s Precision | Elliot Williams | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Rants",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"measuring",
"metalworking",
"newsletter",
"precision",
"woodworking"
] | There are at least two ways of making parts that fit together exactly. The first way is the Cartesian way, and the machinists way. Imagine that you could specify the size of both the hole and the peg that you’d like to put into it. Just make sure your tolerances are tight enough, and call out a slightly wider hole. Heck, you can
look up the type of fit you’d like
in a table, and just specify that. The rest is a simple matter of machining the parts accurately to the right tolerances, and you’re done.
The machinist’s approach lives and dies on that last step — making the parts accurately fit the measure. Contrast the traditional woodworker’s method, or at least as it was taught to me, of just making the parts fit each other in the first place. This is the empirical way, the Aristotelian way if you will. You don’t really have to care if the two parts are exactly 30.000 mm wide, as long as they’re precisely the same length. And woodworkers have all sorts of clever tricks to make things the same, or make them fit, without measuring at all. Their methods are heavy on the jigs and the clever set-ups, and extraordinarily light on the calipers. To me, coming from a “measure carefully, and cut everything to measure” background, these ways of working were a revelation.
This ends up expressing perfectly the distinction between
accuracy and precision
. Sometimes you need to hit the numbers right on, and other times, you just need to get the parts to fit. And it’s useful to know which of these situations you’re actually in.
Of course, none of this is exclusive to metal or wood, and I’m actually mentioning it because I find myself using ideas that I learned in one context and applying them in the other. For instance, if you need sets of holes that match each other perfectly, whether in metal or wood, you get that precision for free by drilling through two sheets at one time, or by making a template — no measuring needed. Instead of measuring an exact distance from a feature, if all you care about is two offsets being the same, you can find a block of scrap with just about the right width, and use that to mark both distances. Is it exactly 1.000″ wide? Nope. But can you use this to mark identical locations? Yup.
You can make surprisingly round objects in wood by starting with a square, and then precisely marking the centers of the straight faces, and then cutting off the corners to get an octagon. Repeat with the centers and cutting until you can’t see the facets any more. Then hit it with sandpaper and you’re set. While this won’t make as controlled a diameter as would come off a metal lathe, you’d be surprised how well this works for making round sheet-aluminum circles when you don’t care so much about the diameter. And the file is really nothing other than the machinist’s sandpaper (or chisel?).
I’m not advocating one way of working over the other, but recognizing that there are two mindsets, and taking advantage of both. There’s a certain freedom that comes from the machinist’s method: if both parts are exactly 25.4 mm long, they’re both an accurate inch, and they’ll match each other. But if all you care about is precise matching, put them in the vise and cut them at the same time. Why do you bother with the calipers at all? Cut out the middle-man!
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
! | 73 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332891",
"author": "Brian Dolge",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T14:17:20",
"content": "precision is fast, accuracy is portable",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6333041",
"author": "RoGeorge",
"timestamp": "2021-03-2... | 1,760,373,149.693371 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/get-a-better-look-at-e3ds-tool-changing-3d-printer-kit/ | Get A Better Look At E3D’s Tool-changing 3D Printer Kit | Donald Papp | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"E3D",
"kinematic",
"tool changer",
"toolchanging"
] | Want a closer, in-depth look at E3D’s motion system and tool-changing platform? [Kubi Sertoglu]
shared his impressions after building and testing the system
, which comes in the form of
a parts bundle direct from E3D
costing just under $3000 USD. The project took [Kubi] about 15 hours and is essentially built from the ground up. The system is definitely aimed at engineers and advanced prosumers, but [Kubi] found it to be of remarkable quality, and is highly pleased with the end results.
E3D Motion system and toolchanger, with four extruders
We
first saw E3D’s design announced back in 2018,
when they showed their working ideas for a system that combined motion control and a toolchanger design. The system [Kubi] built uses four 3D printing extruders for multi-material prints, but in theory the toolheads could just as easily be things like grippers, lasers, or engravers instead of 3D printing extruders.
One challenge with tool changing is ensuring tools mount and locate back into the same place, time after time. After all, a few fractions of a millimeter difference in the position of a print head would spell disaster for the quality of most prints. Kinematic couplings are the answer to being sure something goes back where it should, but knowing the solution is only half the battle. Implementation still requires plenty of clever design and hard engineering work, which is what E3D has delivered.
Want a closer look at the nitty-gritty?
Check out E3D’s GitHub repository
for all the details on their toolchanger and motion system. | 4 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332925",
"author": "smerrett79",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T18:06:45",
"content": "You usually do a good job of linking to related articles. In this case, kinematic couplings, jubilee tool changer and other tool changers would be good, to avoid this looking like an advert for E3D.",
... | 1,760,373,149.421774 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/20/negative-reinforcement-drill-bits-edition/ | Negative Reinforcement: Drill Bits Edition | Kristina Panos | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Lifehacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"arduino nano",
"drill bits",
"operant conditioning",
"sound board"
] | In theory, it’s fun to have a lot of
toys
tools around, but the sad reality is that it’s only as fun as the organization level applied. Take it from someone who finds organization itself thrilling: it really doesn’t matter how many bits and bobs you have, as long as there’s a place for everything and you put away your toys at the end of the day.
[Cranktown City] is always leaving drill bits lying around instead of putting them back in their bit set boxes. Since he responds well to yelling, he decided to
build an intelligent drill bit storage system that berates him
if he takes one out and doesn’t put it back within ten minutes.
But [Cranktown City] did much more than that. The system is housed in a really nice DIY stand that supports his new milling and drilling machine and has space to hold a certain type of ubiquitous red tool box beneath the drill bits drawer.
All the bits now sit in a 3D-printed index that fits the width of the drawer. [Cranktown City] tried to use daisy-chained pairs of screws as contacts behind each bit that could tell whether the bit was home or not, but too much resistance interfered with the signal. He ended up using a tiny limit switch behind each bit instead. If any bit is removed, the input signal from the index goes low, and this triggers the Arduino Nano to do two things: it lights up a strip of red LEDs behind the beautiful cut out letters on the drawer’s lip, and it starts counting upward. Every ten minutes that one or more bits are missing, the drawer complains and issues ad hominem attacks. Check out the demo and build video after the break, but not until you put your tools away. (Have you learned nothing?)
Okay, so how do you deal with thousands of jumbled drill bits?
Calipers and a Python script oughta do it
. | 21 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332852",
"author": "macsimski",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T09:29:10",
"content": "What are those strange looking chinese characters underneath every single drill bit. How quaint. :)But very good implemented. Although a (temporary) settable timer for longer operations could be a bonus... | 1,760,373,149.375388 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/planetary-escape-room-in-a-box/ | Planetary Escape (-Room In A Box) | Brian McEvoy | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Games"
] | [
"arduino",
"escape room",
"escape room in a box",
"game",
"microcontroller",
"physical puzzle",
"puzzle",
"space"
] | The trick to a fun escape room is layers. For [doktorinjh]’s
Spacecase
, you start with an
enigmatic aluminum briefcase
and a NASA drawstring backpack. A gamemaster reads the intro speech to set the mood, and you’re ready to start your escape from the planet. The first layer is the backpack with puzzles you need to solve to get into the briefcase. In there, you discover a hidden compartment and enough sci-fi references to put goofy smiles on our faces. We love to see tools reused as they are in one early puzzle, you use a UV LED to reveal a hidden message, but that light also illuminates puzzle clues later.
All the tech in
Spacecase
makes it a wonder of mixed media. The physical layer has laser engraved wood featuring the font from the 1975 NASA logo, buttons, knobs, LEDs, toggle switches, and a servo. Beneath the visible faceplate is an RGB sensor, audio player, speaker, and at the center is an Arduino MEGA. We’d love to get our hands on Spacecase for a game, and we’re inspired to pull out all the stops and build games with our personal touches. Maybe something with a mousetrap.
This isn’t the first
escape room hardware
we’ve seen and [doktorinjh] similarly made a
bomb
diffusing
defusing game
. | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332837",
"author": "fizzymagic",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T05:47:21",
"content": "Love the idea! Commercial puzzle-boxes need more interesting tech.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332846",
"author": "Grammar Corrector",
... | 1,760,373,149.165493 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/a-technical-but-not-too-technical-explanation-of-landing-perseverance-rover-on-mars/ | A Technical (But Not Too Technical) Explanation Of Landing Perseverance Rover On Mars | Roger Cheng | [
"Space"
] | [
"jpl",
"mars",
"Mars 2020",
"Mars 2020 Rover",
"nasa",
"Perseverance",
"rover",
"rover JPL"
] | There was a lot of enthusiasm surrounding Mars arrival of Perseverance rover, our latest robotic interplanetary explorer. Eager to capitalize on this excitement, NASA JPL released a lot of information to satisfy curiosity of the general public. But making that material widely accessible also meant leaving out many technical details. People who crave just a little more can head over to
How NASA’s Perseverance Landed On Mars: An Aerospace Engineer Breaks It Down In Fascinating Detail
published by Jalopnik
.
NASA JPL’s public materials mostly explained the mission in general terms. Even parts with scientific detail were largely constrained for a target audience of students K-12. Anyone craving more details can certainly find them online, but they would quickly find themselves mired in highly technical papers written by aerospace engineers and planetary geologists for their peers. There is a gap in between those extremes, and this write-up slots neatly in that gap. Author [Brian Kirby] is our helpful aerospace engineer who compiled many technical references into a single narrative of the landing, explained at a level roughly equivalent to undergraduate level math and science courses.
We get more details on why the target landing site is both geologically interesting and technically treacherous, requiring development of new landing smarts that will undoubtedly help future explorers both robotic and human. The complex multi-step transition from orbit to surface is explained in terms of managing kinetic energy. Condensing a wide range of problems to a list of numbers that helps us understand why, for example, a parachute was necessary yet not enough to take a rover all the way to the surface.
Much of this information is known to longtime enthusiasts, but we all had to get our start somewhere. This is a good on-ramp for a new generation of space fans, and together we look forward to Perseverance running down its long and exciting to-do list. Including
flying a helicopter
,
packing up surface samples of Mars
, and seeing if we can
extract usable oxygen
from Martian atmosphere. | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332816",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T02:23:40",
"content": "Selfie with Martian should be part of that list.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332830",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2021-03-20T04:13... | 1,760,373,149.507145 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/robot-arm-achieves-amazing-accuracy-with-just-servos/ | Robot Arm Achieves Amazing Accuracy With Just Servos | Lewin Day | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"optical encoder",
"robot arm",
"robotic arm",
"servos"
] | While few of us need robotic arms in our daily life, they’re a popular build with makers. Often, the most accessible builds throw together some RC servos and 3D printed parts, with limited accuracy a consequence of the components chosen.
[Adam Bäckström] decided to take such a design and push it to its limits, however, with astounding results.
Part of the “special sauce” that makes this arm so capable is the custom optical encoders installed in the servo motors themselves.
[Adam]’s first robot arm build was a major disappointment, when the servos he had purchased for the build turned out to be terrible at holding an angle. With limited funds, he elected to improve on what he had, learning much about precision control techniques along the way. [Adam] taught himself how to implement industrial strength control loops using hobby hardware, by implementing additional encoders into servos and taking into account velocity and torque in addition to just position. With a magnetic encoder on the servo output shaft and a tiny optical encoder hand-built for inside the motor itself, much higher accuracy is achievable by allowing the control system to compensate for backlash.
The results are stunning, with [Adam]’s robot arm able to move incredibly smoothly throughout its range of motion. Perhaps the best demonstration of this is the pencil demo,
where the robot arm delicately threads a pencil lead through the tip of a mechanical pencil without breaking.
We’d love to see these techniques implemented more often;
we imagine they’d be a great addition to a build like this one
. Video after the break. | 13 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332808",
"author": "Inhibit",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T23:59:18",
"content": "Wow, with the little MG90S. I’m impressed.If the creator happens by, thanks for sharing your work.Whacking some precision into those should have a pretty broad range of application. And help folks get the... | 1,760,373,149.266242 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/clock-of-clocks-adds-light-pipe-hands-for-beauty-and-function/ | Clock-of-Clocks Adds Light-Pipe Hands For Beauty And Function | Dan Maloney | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"acrylic",
"clock",
"light pipe",
"meta clock",
"neopixel",
"PMMA",
"rgb",
"stepper"
] | We’ve gotten used to seeing “meta clocks,” clocks that use an array of analog clock faces and piece together characters using the hands of the clocks. They’re very clever, and we always like to see them, especially when they come with
detailed build instructions like this one does
.
What’s also nice about [Erich Styger]’s “MetaClockClock” display is the twist on the original concept. Where most clock-of-clocks depend on the contrast between the hands and the faces of the analog movements, [Erich] added light to the mix. Hidden inside the bezel of each clock is a strip of RGB LEDs; coupled with the clear acrylic hands of the clock, which act as light pipes, each clock can contribute different shapes of different colors to the display. Each clock is built around a dual-shaft stepper motor of the kind used in car dashboard gauges; the motors each live on a custom PCB, while the LEDs are mounted on a ring-shaped PCB of their own. Twenty-four of the clocks are mounted in a very nice walnut panel, which works really well with the light-pipe hands. The video below shows just some of the display possibilities.
[Erich] has documented his build process in extreme detail, and
has all the design files up on GitHub
. We won’t say that recreating his build will be easy — there are a lot of skills needed here, from electronics to woodworking — but at least all the information is there. We think this is a beautiful upgrade to
[Erich]’s earlier version
, and we’d love to see more of these built. | 8 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332793",
"author": "GarberPark",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T21:46:47",
"content": "So… ??HOW?? did they form that “8” (particularly the middle sides with the 3 arms)?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332802",
"author": ... | 1,760,373,149.208586 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/homebrew-grain-synth-has-a-rad-step-sequencer/ | Homebrew Grain Synth Has A Rad Step Sequencer | Lewin Day | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"auduino",
"synth",
"synthesizer"
] | In the world of homebrew synthesizers, there are plenty of noiseboxes and grooveboxes that make all kinds of wacky and wild noises. However, common projects like the Auduino and Atari Punk Console are often limited in that they can’t readily be programmed to play multiple notes or any sort of discernable rhythm.
[Nick Poole] changes this with his Auduino step sequencer build.
The build takes the
Auduino grain synthesizer
, and modifies it by adding a step sequencer. This is possible as the Auduino code, which runs on the old-school ATMEGA-based Arduinos, is incredibly fast, leaving plenty of processing time for extra features to be added. [Nick] adds eight LEDs and eight buttons to the build, allowing the user to select one of eight steps to modify. Then, the sound parameters for the step can be altered with the standard Auduino controls. This lets the user quickly and easily build up 8-step melodies, something that was previously impossible with the Auduino.
It’s a fun build, and one that makes a great intro into the world of DIY synth builds. The techniques learned here will serve any aspiring maker well if they dive further into the world of modular synthesis and associated arcana. Video after the break.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOdLgG8tXgs
Auduino software synth | 8 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332746",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T18:53:05",
"content": "What does synthetic bread made from synthetic grain taste like?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332759",
"author": "Timo Birnschein",
... | 1,760,373,149.836126 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/retrotechtacular-ct2-when-receiving-mobile-phone-calls-wasnt-a-priority/ | Retrotechtacular: CT2, When Receiving Mobile Phone Calls Wasn’t A Priority | Jenny List | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"Hackaday Columns",
"Retrotechtacular"
] | [
"cordless phone",
"CT2",
"Zonephone"
] | Over the years we’ve brought you many examples in this series showing you technologies that were once mighty. The most entertaining though are the technological dead ends, ideas which once seemed as though they might be the Next Big Thing, but with hindsight are so impractical or downright useless as to elicit amazement that they ever saw the light of day.
Today’s subject is just such a technology, and it was a serious product with the backing of some of the largest technology companies in multiple countries from the late 1980s into the early ’90s.
CT2
was one of the first all-digital mobile phone networks available to the public, so why has it disappeared without trace?
The Future’s Cordless, Not Cellular!
A Rabbit handset and its home base station. Jmb,
CC BY 2.5
.
The idea was simple: to bridge the gap between a domestic cordless telephone and a mobile phone, by supplying a handset that could not only work with your base station at home, but also make calls from commercial base stations when you were out and about. Instead of a bulky brick of an analogue cellular phone you’d sport a svelte and stylish handset, and place important calls while striding across a railway station concourse on your way to high-powered business meetings. It was intended as a replacement for the pretty awful analogue cordless phones of the day, and here in the UK it was an idea tried out by multiple companies and
the
IEE Review
foresaw a bright future for it
.
The technology was for its time quite revolutionary in a consumer product, ADPCM-digitised 32 kbit digital data streams multiplexed on carriers in the range of 864 to 868 MHz. The handsets were not powerful at only 10 mW output, which was probably the main reason for their claimed 100 m range from a base station. Because they were a fancy take on a cordless home phone rather than a fully-fledged mobile phone their users had to authenticate with each new base station by typing in a PIN, this shortcoming meant that they could only receive calls through the landline on their owner’s home base station. There was no automatic handover between adjacent base stations, so it was not a cellular system.
An Exercise In How Long Defunct Signage Can Stick Around
A surviving Rabbit base station sign at Ashton-under-Lyne, England. Jonathandavis, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Given that it received national publicity, why did each company in turn try their luck in the market only to fail? In the first instance the handsets themselves were significantly expensive, in the region of £200 (over $300 in 1990 terms), which put their cost well out of reach of those non-mobile-owning customers who might be tempted by a cheaper alternative. Then on top of that there was a monthly subscription and call charges, further increasing the costs.
The real killer though was that a base-station-dependent network faced an impossible task in providing enough coverage to ensure that its users had a chance of being somewhere they could use it. They could be found in public places such as rail and bus stations, motorway service stations, and shopping centres, but even a roll-out to small convenience stores could not provide the required penetration. The best-known of the networks, Rabbit, was at its peak while I was a student, and though it was the time when a few students were already sporting mobile phones, in conversation with friends there’s not one of us who could remember knowing anyone with a Rabbit phone. Not encouraging for a network intending to be a cheaper alternative to a mobile phone.
Perhaps if the handsets had been much cheaper the system would have brought in more customers, and the base station network would have expanded to the point at which it became a more attractive proposition. As it was the arrival of GSM mobile phones brought in a similarly-priced but just better digital system which offered universal coverage and incoming calls, and by the end of 1993 the network was dead. The Rabbit base stations and handsets could be found from surplus suppliers for the rest of the ’90s as slightly unusual cordless home phones, but otherwise it survives only in a handful of decaying pieces of signage that can still be seen from time to time as you travel round the UK. [Ringway Manchester] features some of them in the video below the break.
There’s a footnote to the CT2 story in the European
DECT
digital telephone system. This was intended to be the replacement for CT2 and has the specification of a fully-functional 3G cellular phone system including a data layer as well as its common use as a domestic cordless phone, but never achieved that potential. The networks and manufacturers had had their fingers truly burned by cordless handsets, and wouldn’t be looking anywhere but GSM for the rest of the decade. Today one of the very few places you’ll find a functioning public DECT mobile network is in our community, in the form of
the networks at European hacker camps
provided by Eventphone.
Did any of you have a CT2 phone? Was it better or worse than our assessment? Tell us in the comments.
Header image: Jmb,
CC BY 2.5
. | 22 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332725",
"author": "Steven Clark",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T17:23:53",
"content": "I was wondering why DECT had a million features nobody implemented. DECT-based wifi might have been interesting.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id... | 1,760,373,149.896524 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/hackaday-podcast-110-one-unicode-to-rule-them-hacking-focus-stacking-virtual-typing-and-zombie-weather-channel/ | Hackaday Podcast 110: One Unicode To Rule Them, Hacking Focus Stacking, Virtual Typing, And Zombie Weather Channel | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Podcasts"
] | [
"Hackaday Podcast"
] | Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Mike Szczys cover a great week of hardware hacking. We saw a fault-injection attack that used an electric flyswatter and hand-wound coil to twiddle bits inside of an AVR micro. Focus-stacking is what you want when using a microscope to image circuit boards and there’s a hack for the Eakins cameras that makes it automatic. In our “can’t miss articles” we riff on how to cool off cities in a warming climate, and then gaze with quiet admiration at what the Unicode standard has accomplished. But when it comes to head-spinning hacks, you can’t beat the reverse-engineering efforts being shown off with the rack-mount box that made the Weather Channel awesome back in the 80’s and 90’s.
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
(~54 MB)
Places to follow Hackaday podcasts:
Google Podcasts
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
RSS
Episode 110 Show Notes:
New This Week:
Rare Diode Threatens Coast Guard’s Arctic Ambitions
BART Turning To eBay To Find Parts To Keep System Limping Along – CBS San Francisco
Cricut Decides To Charge Rent For People To Fully Use The Cutting Machines They Already Own
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
Hacking A Digital Microscope Camera For Fun And Automated PCB Inspection
Reverse Engineering The Weather Channel’s Magic
A Discrete Logic Word Clock
DIY Telescope Courtesy Of IKEA
Injecting Bugs With An Electric Flyswatter
The Cheap Way To Glitch An STM8 Microcontroller
Bone Vibration Brings Typing Into VR
Comment from Stellan about typing on hard surfaces with laser-projection keyboards
Quick Hacks:
Elliot’s Picks
Experimenting With 3D Printed Rocket Nozzles
Resilient AI Drone Packs It All In Under 250 Grams
E-Ink Laptop, First Steps
Mike’s Picks:
Raspberry Pi Cosmic Ray Detector
PlayStation Unlocked With New Software Hack
How The Sony PlayStation Was Hacked
An Anti-Tamper Mesh Plugin For KiCad
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Design Solutions For The Heat Crisis In Cities Around The World
Unicode: On Building The One Character Set To Rule Them All | 3 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332742",
"author": "charliex",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T18:40:08",
"content": "thanks for the mention, since the eakins camera is expensive, i’ve also been poking around at the “6-22mm Auto Focus Zoom Starlight 2MP 50/60fps IP Camera Module Sony IMX291 Hi3516A CCTV Security PCB Mai... | 1,760,373,150.161634 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/19/surfs-up-a-styrofoam-ball-rides-the-waves-to-create-a-volumetric-display/ | Surf’s Up, A Styrofoam Ball Rides The Waves To Create A Volumetric Display | Michael Shaub | [
"FPGA",
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"Cyclone",
"fpga",
"github",
"KiCAD",
"Rapsberry Pi",
"standing wave",
"ultrasonic",
"volumetric display"
] | We are
big fans of POV displays
, particularly ones that
move into 3D
. To do so, they need to move even faster than their 2D cousins.
[danfoisy] built a volumetric display
that doesn’t move LEDs or any other digital display through space, or project light onto a moving surface. All that moves here is a bead of styrofoam and does so at up to 1 meter per second. Having low mass certainly helps when trying to hit the brakes, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
[danfoisy] and son built an acoustic levitator
kit from [PhysicsGirl]
which inspired the youngster’s science fair project on sound. See the
video by [PhysicsGirl]
for an explanation of levitation in a standing wave. [danfoisy] happened upon
a paper in the Journal Nature
about a volumetric display that expanded this one-dimensional standing wave into three dimensions. The paper described using a phased array of ultrasonic transducers, each with a 40 kHz waveform.
After reading the paper and determining how to recreate the experiment, [danfoisy] built a 2D simulation and then another in 3D to validate the approach. We are impressed with the level of physics and programming on display, and that the same code carried through to the build.
[danfoisy] didn’t stop with the simulations, designing and building control boards for each
100 x 100
10 x 10 grid of transducers. Each grid is driven by 2 Intel Cyclone FPGAs and all are fed 3D shapes by a Raspberry Pi Zero W. The volume of the display is 100 mm x 100 mm x 145mm and the positioning of the foam ball is accurate down to .01 mm though currently there is considerable distortion in the positioning.
Check out the video after the break to see the process of simulating, designing, and testing the display. There are a number of tips along the way, including how to test for the polarity of the transducers and the use of a Python script to place the grids of transducers and drivers in KiCad.
But wait, there’s more. There are 3 watt RGB LEDs at each upper corner of the display volume with PWM control to illuminate the foam ball, adding 7-bits of color information to each voxel. The original paper used this same phased array for haptic feedback and audible sound, but [danfoisy] says implementation of that right now just won’t fly. All the
board files and code are on GitHub
, so let us know where you take this next. | 22 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332702",
"author": "Kaiser",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T15:28:02",
"content": "Impressive[no other contribution right now]",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332704",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2021-03-19T15:30:49",
... | 1,760,373,150.224379 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/lego-lunar-lander-animatronic-movie-released/ | LEGO Lunar Lander Animatronic Movie Released | Chris Lott | [
"Art"
] | [
"apollo 11",
"lego",
"lunar landing"
] | Retired scientist [Mark Howe] spent the last couple months
making an animatronic movie
featuring his LEGO lunar lander in a video recreation of the Apollo 11 moon landing (also embedded below). [Mark] is not only the producer, but serves as the technical director, set designer, and cameraman as well. He designed and 3D-printed a custom special effects stage for the scene. It gives motion to the LEM using stepper motors, timing belts, pulleys, and a linear guide rod, all hidden inside a discrete upstage tower. He simulates the Lunar regolith using grout, spray adhesive, and a smattering of small rocks.
[Mark] implements the special effects sequencer in an Arduino Nano, and provides sound effects using an Adafruit audio sound board which he loaded up with sound files from the real Apollo 11 landing. Floor strip lighting is provided by an array of Neopixels, and a back-lit Earth is lowered from the fly space for one cut. He made a custom PCB motherboard to hold the Arduino, sound card and motor drivers.
The resulting production is quite impressive. This isn’t [Mark]’s first attempt to relieve the double boredom of both retirement and coronavirus isolation —
back in December
he produced a similar
animatronic movie
recreating a Saturn V launch. Thanks to [jhookie55] for the tip. | 4 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332578",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T23:12:32",
"content": "So that’s how they faked the Moon landing, with LEGO! Wait till the Flat Earth Society!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332590",
"author": "A... | 1,760,373,150.05975 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/getting-started-with-freertos-and-chibios/ | Getting Started With FreeRTOS And ChibiOS | Maya Posch | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Microcontrollers",
"Software Development"
] | [
"ChibiOS",
"CMSIS-RTOS",
"FreeRTOS"
] | If operating systems weren’t so useful, we would not be running them on every single of our desktop systems. In the same vein, embedded operating systems provide similar functionality as these desktop OSes, while targeting a more specialized market. Some of these are adapted versions of desktop OSes (e.g. Yocto Linux), whereas others are built up from the ground up for embedded applications, like VxWorks and QNX. Few of those OSes can run on a microcontroller (MCU), however. When you need to run an OS on something like an 8-bit AVR or 32-bit Cortex-M MCU, you need something smaller.
Something like ChibiOS (‘Chibi’ meaning ‘small’ in Japanese), or FreeRTOS (here no points for originality). Perhaps more accurately, FreeRTOS could be summarized as a multi-threading framework targeting low-powered systems, whereas ChibiOS is more of a full-featured OS, including a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) and other niceties.
In this article we’ll take a more in-depth look at these two OSes, to see what benefits they bring.
Basic feature set
FreeRTOS
supports a few dozen microcontroller platforms, the most noticeable probably being AVR, x86 and ARM (Cortex-M & Cortex-A). In contrast,
ChibiOS/RT
runs on perhaps fewer platforms, but comes with a HAL that abstracts away hardware devices including I2C, CAN, ADC, RTC, SPI and USB peripherals. Both of them offer a
preemptive
multi-tasking scheduler with priority levels and multi-threading primitives, including mutexes, condition variables and semaphores.
The corollary of this comparison then seems to be that FreeRTOS is good for basic multi-threading features, whereas ChibiOS/RT offers a more holistic approach through its HAL. The presence of the HAL also means that one can theoretically target ChibiOS/RT and recompile the same code for different MCU platforms. For FreeRTOS one would still have to use another framework to use hardware peripherals, whether this would be CMSIS, ST’s HAL or something else, and this decreases portability.
In the next sections we’ll be working through a basic example for each of these two OSes, to gain a deeper understanding of what developing with them is like.
FreeRTOS with CMSIS-RTOS
A HTML page, served from an STM32F746ZG MCU.
For a simple example of how to work with FreeRTOS, the
HTTP server example
by ST for the Nucleo-746ZG STM32 development board is a good start. I have also
made a self-contained version
with all dependencies and a Makefile for use with the
Arm Cortex-M GCC toolchain
.
This example project demonstrates how to combine the CMSIS-RTOS API, FreeRTOS and the LwIP networking stack to create a
Netconn
-based HTTP server which can serve documents and images. The Netconn API of LwIP is a higher-level API than the raw API, which makes it the preferred choice if one has no special needs when it comes to networking.
The entry point of the demo project is found in
Core/Src/Main.cpp
. Its purpose is mostly to set up the firmware: configure peripherals and clocks, then initialize the first threads. Here we see not the syntax for
FreeRTOS threads
(tasks) being used, but
that of CMSIS-RTOS
, e.g.:
osThreadDef(Start, StartThread, osPriorityNormal, 0, configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE * 5);
osThreadCreate (osThread(Start), NULL);
static void StartThread(void const * argument)
{
/* .. */
}
CMSIS-RTOS is part of the
Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard
, or
CMSIS
for short. It is a vendor-independent hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for Arm Cortex-based MCUs. In the case of embedded RTOSes, CMSIS provides the CMSIS-RTOS specification, which allows software to be written for a generic RTOS API and thus made portable across Cortex-M (and Cortex-A). Each supported RTOS then provides a CMSIS-RTOS implementation that maps the two sets of API calls.
In this example we are using the more basic
CMSIS-RTOS v1
API with FreeRTOS. For newer MCUs with ARMv8 support as well as multi-core and Cortex-A, the
RTOS v2
interface is a better match. The RTOS v2 interface is also supported by FreeRTOS, and the necessary files for this are found under
Middlewares/Third_Party/FreeRTOS/Source/CMSIS_RTOS_V2
, next to the folder with files for RTOS v1.
In the code snippet from earlier we saw how a new thread gets created. At the moment when we created the Start thread, there was however no scheduler running yet. We start this with a call to
osKernelStart()
. After this the code in the
startThread
function is scheduled and executed. Not surprisingly, this function starts the main threads which will form our HTTP server:
static void StartThread(void const * argument)
{
/* Create tcp_ip stack thread */
tcpip_init(NULL, NULL);
/* Initialize the LwIP stack */
Netif_Config();
/* Initialize webserver demo */
http_server_netconn_init();
/* Notify user about the network interface config */
User_notification(&gnetif);
#ifdef USE_DHCP
/* Start DHCPClient */
osThreadDef(DHCP, DHCP_thread, osPriorityBelowNormal, 0, configMINIMAL_STACK_SIZE * 2);
osThreadCreate (osThread(DHCP), &gnetif);
#endif
for( ;; )
{
/* Delete the Init Thread */
osThreadTerminate(NULL);
}
}
We first call
tcpip_init()
, which creates the LwIP TCP/IP processing thread (tcpip_thread).
Netif_Config()
is the network interface configuration function in our code. It calls the
LwIP NETIF functions
netif_add()
and
netif_default()
to add and set our new network interface as the default. With this, we have LwIP fully
The
http_server_netconn_init()
function is found in
httpserver-netconn.c
. It creates a new thread called HTTP, which runs the code in http_server_netconn_thread. This sets up the server socket on port 80 and waits for new incoming connections. These are then handled by the
http_server_serve()
function, which is a simple if/else block for parsing HTTP requests and serving either the static file content (hard-coded in byte arrays), or showing the dynamic information (for a
/STM32F7xxTASKS.html
request) generated by
DynWebPage()
:
void DynWebPage(struct netconn *conn)
{
portCHAR PAGE_BODY[512];
portCHAR pagehits[10] = {0};
memset(PAGE_BODY, 0,512);
/* Update the hit count */
nPageHits++;
sprintf(pagehits, "%d", (int)nPageHits);
strcat(PAGE_BODY, pagehits);
strcat((char *)PAGE_BODY, "
<pre>
Name State Priority Stack Num" );
strcat((char *)PAGE_BODY, "
---------------------------------------------
");
/* The list of tasks and their status */
osThreadList((unsigned char *)(PAGE_BODY + strlen(PAGE_BODY)));
strcat((char *)PAGE_BODY, "
---------------------------------------------");
strcat((char *)PAGE_BODY, "
B : Blocked, R : Ready, D : Deleted, S : Suspended
");
/* Send the dynamically generated page */
netconn_write(conn, PAGE_START, strlen((char*)PAGE_START), NETCONN_COPY);
netconn_write(conn, PAGE_BODY, strlen(PAGE_BODY), NETCONN_COPY);
}
The interesting part about this function is that it gives an insight in the active threads, as obtained from a call to
osThreadList()
. Although not an official part of the v1 CMSIS-RTOS API, it does provide useful functionality. This does however show that although the CMSIS-RTOS HAL is useful, it is imperfect and may not by default cover more exotic use cases, or fail to expose APIs from the underlying OS.
A Nucleo-F746ZG development board.
That aside for now, the rest of the
StartThread()
function holds few surprises: the
User_notification()
function (found in
app_ethernet.c
) sets the LEDs on the Nucleo development board to indicate the connection status. If we have enabled DHCP support, a thread is created for this as well, using
DHCP_thread()
from that same source file. The DHCP thread tries to obtain an IP address using the DHCP functionality in LwIP and set this for the interface which we created earlier.
At this point we can compile the project. Assuming we have obtained the
arm-none-eabi
GCC toolchain via the
Arm download page
or via our operating system’s package manager so that the compiler is on the system path, compiling the Makefile-based project can be done with a simple call to
make
. Flashing to a Nucleo-746ZG development board requires that OpenOCD is installed, after which a simple
make flash
with the board connected suffices.
Chibi: Perhaps not so small
Developing with ChibiStudio.
As alluded to earlier, ChibiOS is (ironically) a lot larger than FreeRTOS in terms of its feature set. This becomes also apparent when it comes to simply getting started with a new ChibiOS project. Whereas FreeRTOS as we saw earlier can comfortably be just the RTOS within a HAL like CMSIS-RTOS, ChibiOS has a lot of functionality which is not covered by that API. For this reason, the ChibiOS project has its own (Eclipse-based) IDE in the form of
ChibiStudio
, which comes with demo projects preinstalled.
On the website Play Embedded, a large number of tutorials and articles on ChibiOS can be found, such as this
introduction article
, which also covers getting started with ChibiStudio. ChibiOS’s complexity also shows in the
configuration files
, which include:
chconf.h
, for configuring kernel options.
halconf.h
, for configuring the HAL.
mcuconf.h
, containing information pertaining to the specific MCU that is being targeted.
The ‘Blinky’ example project as provided with the
ChibiOS download
package for the STM32F042K6 MCU (as found on the ST Nucleo-F042K6 board) gives a pretty solid overview of what a ChibiOS project looks like. Of note here is the use of the ChibiOS/HAL module, which allows for the use of the UART2 peripheral, using ChibiOS’s serial driver.
Retargeting the code to another MCU should be a matter of updating the configuration files and recompiling, though one gets the impression that this is meant to be done via the IDE, and not so much by hand. The integration with other IDEs does not appear to be a thing either, from a cursory look. This would likely mean becoming very cozy with the Doxygen-generated
documentation
and other information out there.
At the same time, ChibiOS does support CMSIS-RTOS, and also offers
two different kernels
: the RT (real-time) one, and NIL, which is basically just trying to be as small as possible in terms of code size. This trade-off doesn’t appear to affect performance too much if their benchmarks are to be believed, making it an interesting option for a new embedded (RT)OS project.
Wrapping up
In this article we had a look at some of the things which one will encounter when deciding to develop using either FreeRTOS or ChibiOS. While both have their strong and weak points, the main point which one should take away is that they’re two very different beasts when it comes down to it. Both in the features which they provide, and the needs they target.
If one already uses CMSIS, then slotting in FreeRTOS is simple and straight-forward, allowing one to use other CMSIS-targeting code out there with few if any changes. ChibiOS on the other hand is more its own thing, which isn’t necessary a negative. Maybe it’s most helpful to look at FreeRTOS as a helpful module one can bolt onto CMSIS and other frameworks to add multi-threading support, whereas ChibiOS is more akin to
NuttX
and
Zephyr
, as a one-stop solution for all your needs. | 15 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332511",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T17:48:56",
"content": "Be sure to check out Mongoose OS. It is framework based on FreeRTOS. Perfect for IoT, especialy on Espressif MCUs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "... | 1,760,373,150.120528 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/visualise-esc-problems-with-leds/ | Visualise ESC Problems With LEDs | Lewin Day | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"brushless dc",
"brushless DC motor",
"brushless esc",
"esc",
"speed controller"
] | For many in the RC community, blowing up an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) means one thing: throwing it away and buying another one. However, if you’re regularly pushing the limits or simply hate waste, fixing failed units is an option. To assist in this task,
[LouD] built an ingeniously simple ESC tester.
The board is designed to be wired in parallel with a brushless DC motor when hooked up to an ESC. The board packs two LEDs per phase, wired in opposite directions. Thus, current flow in both directions can be visualised on a phase-by-phase basis. If everything is operational, the red and green LEDs on each phase should glow evenly as the throttle is ramped up. However, if there are problems, it will be readily apparent as the blinking becomes erratic or one or more LEDs fails to light at all.
It’s a nifty little device that would prove useful when testing a pile of possibly-defective units. It’s also a quick way to verify a fix.
The project is up on OSHPark should you wish to order your own.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by LouDFPVMagic (@loudfpvmagic) | 26 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332487",
"author": "davethewalker",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T16:07:45",
"content": "It might have been a nice idea to explain what an ESC was, at least once…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332488",
"author": "Ostrac... | 1,760,373,150.289352 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/new-part-day-onion-tau-lidar-camera/ | New Part Day: Onion Tau LiDAR Camera | Donald Papp | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Featured",
"Reviews",
"Slider"
] | [
"depth camera",
"lidar",
"Onion",
"open source",
"tau"
] | The
Onion Tau LiDAR Camera
is a small, time-of-flight (ToF) based depth-sensing camera that looks and works a little like a USB webcam, but with a really big difference: frames from the Tau include 160 x 60 “pixels” of depth information as well as greyscale. This data is easily accessed via a Python API, and example scripts make it easy to get up and running quickly. The goal is to be an affordable and easy to use option for projects that could benefit from depth sensing.
When the Tau was
announced on Crowd Supply
, I immediately placed a pre-order for about $180. Since then, the folks at Onion were kind enough to send me a pre-production unit, and I’ve been playing around with the device to get an idea of how it acts, and to build an idea of what kind of projects it would be a good fit for. Here is what I’ve learned so far.
What Does It Do?
The easiest way to visualize what the camera does is by using the example applications, starting with
Tau Studio
. It is a web app that runs locally and can be viewed in any browser, and shows a live depth map and 3D point cloud generated by the attached camera.
Tau Studio screenshot showing 3D point cloud, depth map (top right) and greyscale (bottom right).
Tau Studio (and particularly the point cloud generation) works best in room-scale applications. The point cloud gets weird if things get too close to the camera, but more on that in a bit.
What’s It For?
The 3D depth data generated by the Tau camera lets a project make decisions that are based on distance measurements in real-world spaces. The way that works is each depth frame from the camera can be thought of as an array of 160 x 60 depth measurements representing the camera’s view, but it can provide additional data as well.
A bit of Python is all it takes to request things like depth info, a color depth map, or a greyscale image. Frames are also almost trivial to convert into
OpenCV
Mat objects, meaning that they can be easily passed to OpenCV operations like blob detection, edge detection, and so forth. The hardware and API even support the ability to plug in and use more than one camera at the same time, configured so they do not interfere with one another.
Device and Setup
Leave this window uncovered, or the camera won’t work right. (Actually, I do recommend covering it with a bit of paper and watching how badly the output changes, just for the heck of it.)
The Onion Tau is fairly small, with four M3-sized mounting holes and flat sides that make it easy to mount or enclose, and a single USB-C connector. It has a single lens, and next to the lens is a dark rectangular window through which IR emitters blink while the camera is in operation. Be sure to leave that area uncovered, or it won’t work properly.
Both power and data are handled via the USB-C connector, and a short cable is included with the camera. I found that a longer cable was extremely useful during the early stages of playing with the hardware. I used a high quality 5 meter long USB 3.0 active extender cable, which seemed to work fine. During early use, I was moving the camera around in all sorts of ways while running example code on my desktop machine and watching the results. It was a lifesaver because it allowed me to freely move the camera around while experimenting.
There’s a good
getting started guide
that walks through everything needed to get up and running, but to get a good working knowledge of what the camera is (and isn’t) good at, it’s worth going a bit further than what that guide spells out.
Testing and Building Familiarity
If I had one piece of advice for people playing around with the Tau to see what it does and doesn’t do well, it would be this:
do not stop after using Tau Studio.
Tau Studio is a nice interactive demo, but it does not give the fullest idea of what the camera can do.
Here is an example of what I mean: the point cloud in the image below turns into a red, hourglass-shaped mess if something is too close to the camera. But that doesn’t mean the camera’s data is garbage. If one watches the Depth window (top right from the point cloud), it’s clear the camera is picking up data far better than the distorted point cloud would imply.
Getting too close to the camera saturates the subject with IR (represented by purple in the depth map). The point cloud also freaks out into a pinched mess, but the depth map shows that the camera can still see better than the point cloud render implies.
This is why it is important to not limit oneself to looking at the point cloud to decide what it is that the camera can and cannot do. The 3D point cloud is neat for sure, but the Depth view gives a better idea of what the camera can
actually
sense.
To get the fullest idea of the camera’s abilities, be sure to run the other examples and play with the configuration settings within. I found the
distance.py
and
distancePlusAmplitude.py
examples particularly helpful, and playing around with changing the values for
setIntegrationTime3d
(a bit like an exposure setting),
setMinimalAmplitude
(higher values filter out things reflecting less light), and
setRange
(adjusts the color range in the depth map) were the most instructive. The
GitHub repository
has the example code, and
documentation for the API is available here
.
In general, the higher the integration time, the better the camera senses depth and deals with less-cooperative objects. But if objects are getting saturated with IR (represented by purple in the depth map), reducing integration time might be a good idea. The amplitude view is a visual representation of how much reflected light is being picked up by the sensor, and is a handy way to quickly evaluate a scene. A higher minimal amplitude setting tends to filter out smaller and more distant objects.
What The Tau is Best At
The Tau seems to work best at what I’ll call “arm’s length and room-scale” operations, by which I mean the sweet spot is room-sized areas and ranges, with nothing getting too close to the camera itself. For this kind of operation, the default settings for the camera work very well.
The camera does not deal with very small objects at close ranges without tweaks to the settings, and even then, chasing results can feel a bit like fitting a square peg into a round hole. For example, I was not able to get the Tau to reliably detect things like board game pieces on a tabletop, but it did do a great job of sensing the layout of my workshop.
Tau’s view from my workshop ceiling.
Mounting the Tau onto the ceiling and looking down into the room, for example, gave glorious results and could easily and reliably detect people, objects, and activity within the room.
Reflective objects (metal tins and glossy printed cardboard in my testing) could be a bit unpredictable, but only at close ranges. In general, the depth sensing was not easily confused as long as things weren’t too close to the camera. For optimal results, it’s best to keep the camera at arm’s length (or further) from whatever it’s looking at.
An Affordable Depth Camera, With Python API
The Tau is small, easily mountable, and can be thought of as a greyscale camera that also provides frames composed of 160 x 60 depth measurements. A bit of Python code is all it takes to get simple frame data from the camera, and those frames are almost trivial to convert into OpenCV Mat objects for use in vision processing functions. It works best at arms-length and room-scale applications, but it’s possible to tweak settings enough to get decent results in some edge cases.
The
Python example applications
are simple and effective, and I want to reiterate the importance of playing with each of them to get a fuller idea of what the camera does and does not do. Tau Studio, with its colorful 3D-rendered point cloud, is a nice tool but is in some ways very narrow in what it does. Watching the point cloud doesn’t paint the most complete picture of what the camera does, and how it can be configured, so be sure to try all the examples when evaluating. | 40 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332459",
"author": "CRJEEA",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T14:18:49",
"content": "So it appears to be a lower speed, lower resolution version of, a leap motion, all be it slightly more open source, with a much longer range and possibly a bit cheaper. Could be interesting for robotic vis... | 1,760,373,150.368921 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/18/tether-tames-temperamental-typing/ | Tether Tames Temperamental Typing | Michael Shaub | [
"computer hacks",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"AT90USB1286",
"custom PCB",
"ergonomic keyboard",
"KiCAD",
"microsoft",
"proton",
"QMK",
"usb keyboard",
"wireless keyboard"
] | [chadaustin] has a favorite keyboard with a great ergonomic shape, key travel distance, and size, but after switching to Windows 10, the wireless connection introduced a terrible delay. Worse yet, the receiver is notoriously susceptible to interference from USB 3.0 hubs. To provide 128-bit AES encryption, the receiver is paired with the keyboard at the factory and cannot be replaced. If you lose that, you gain a highly ergonomic paper-weight. The solution for [chadaustin] was
tethering the keyboard
and receive several crash-courses in hardware hacking along the way. As evidenced by the responses to this project on
ycombinator
, many long-time fans of the Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard, introduced in 2013, suffer similar issues.
KiCad USB controller board layout
We really appreciate that [chadaustin] took an incremental approach, tackling one problem at a time and getting help from others along the way for first attempts at many complex steps. The proof-of-concept involved hand-soldering each lead from the keyboard matrix’s test pads to a
QMK Proton C
, which worked but couldn’t fit inside the keyboard’s case. For a more permanent and tidy solution, [chadaustin] tried a ribbon-cable breakout board and other microcontrollers, but none of those were compact enough to fit inside the case either. This required a custom PCB, another first for [chadaustin].
After a one-day intro to KiCad, [chadaustin] dug into the datasheets, completed a schematic for the board, and generously shared the process of choosing components and creating the layout. [chadaustin] ordered a board and found the mounting holes’ placement needed to be shifted.
With the full matrix mapped by [johnmilkspill], flashing QMK onto the AT90USB1286 controller went fairly smoothly. [chadaustin] chose to map both sides of the split spacebar back to the space key but did add a feature by repurposing the battery indicator LED to Caps Lock. And the results?
USB controller fits into the plastic case, wires added to ISP for bootloader button
According to testing done with
Is It Snappy?
, the latency dropped from the wireless 78 ms down to 65 ms over USB. More importantly, this latency is now consistent, unaffected by USB hubs, and there is no receiver to lose. Of course, [chadaustin] has ideas for future improvement, including regaining the multimedia function keys, as these kinds of hacks are never really done; they are just in the current revision. No word on the fate of the detached number pad, but that likely needs its own tether and is a project for another day.
Thanks for the tip [Linus Söderlind] | 6 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332390",
"author": "nah!",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T08:44:23",
"content": "did a simmilar thing last week but i used a prebuilt solution and a teensy 2.0https://photos.app.goo.gl/3rroLX3DhQBWFX699",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id... | 1,760,373,150.417326 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/minimal-uart-computer/ | Minimal UART Computer | Chris Lott | [
"Retrocomputing"
] | [
"educational",
"minimal computer",
"terminal",
"TTL computer",
"uart"
] | [Carsten] spent over a year developing a
small CPU system
, implementing his own minimalist instruction set entirely in TTL logic. The system uses a serial terminal interface for all I/O, hence the term UART in the title. [Carsten] began building this computer on multiple breadboards, which quickly got out of hand.
He moved the design over to a PCB, but he was still restless. This latest revision replaces EEPROM with cheaper and easier to use CMOS Flash chips, and the OS gains a small file system manager. As he says in the video, his enemy is feature creep.
Tetris on the UART Computer
In addition to designing this CPU project, [Carsten] built an assembler and wrote a substantial operating system and various demo programs and games. He not only learned KiCAD to make this board, but also taught himself to use an auto-router. The KiCAD design, Gerbers, and BOM are all provided in his repository above. ROM images and source code are provided, as well as a Windows cross-assembler. But wait – there’s more. He also wrote a
cycle exact emulator
of the CPU, which, as he rightfully brags, comes in at under 250 lines of C++ code. This whole project is an amazing undertaking and represents a lot of good work. We hope he will eventually release the assembler project as well, in case others want to take on the challenge of building it to run under Linux or MacOS. Despite this, the documentation of the Minimal UART Computer is excellent.
[Carsten] claims the project has finally passed the finish line of his design requirements, but we wonder, will he really stop here? Do check out his
YouTube channel
for further informative videos. And thanks to [Bruce] for sending in the tip. | 25 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332379",
"author": "Feinfinger (still terribly undercaffeinated)",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T05:41:42",
"content": "Sweeeeeet!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332380",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T05:56:41"... | 1,760,373,150.48044 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/phasors-in-ltspice/ | Phasors In LTSpice | Al Williams | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"LTSpice",
"matlab",
"octave",
"phasor",
"rl circuit"
] | [Ted] recently demonstrated the analysis of an RL circuit using
a piece of paper, Octave, and LTSpice
. If you prefer, the Octave code should work fine in MATLAB, as well. If you are looking to get serious about electronic theory this is a reasonably simple case and is a good chance to get a workout with some of the tools.
We like the approach because too often it is easy to just use the computer and not pick up the understanding that you get when working through a problem by hand. You do need to understand complex numbers, but, overall, the math isn’t too hairy.
In real life, you’d be unlikely to use all of the tools [Ted] shows. However, each has its place. Working something out by hand can help understand and problem solve. Octave is great if you are trying to code a simulation. But for hands-on practical use, LTSpice is an excellent tool. The price is right, too.
There are many ways to work through an AC circuit, but phasors have the virtue of making the math relatively simple. The less time you are spending calculating, the more time you can spend understanding the circuit’s behavior. Of course, with the simulation tools, you can spend zero time on the math, if that’s what works best for you.
Of course, there are other simulators we like, too. There’s the
one we like to run in the browser
. Or, download
Micro-Cap 12
which is also free to use. | 8 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332361",
"author": "Old Guy",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T02:53:47",
"content": "Would have been nice if the article had a sentence or two explaining what a phasor is. It’s my understanding that good articles do such things.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,373,150.527326 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/diy-b-movie-robot-is-a-ok/ | DIY B-Movie Robot Is A-OK | Kristina Panos | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"b-movie",
"movie prop",
"robot"
] | While we certainly agree that “Devil Girl From Mars” is an attractive movie title, we have yet to see this apparent British B-movie delight for ourselves. If [Cory Collins]’
fantastic build of Chani, the lumbering, terrifying robot
that accompanies the vinyl-clad and caped Devil Girl in question is any indication, we bet it’s delightfully bad.
[Cory] was able to faithfully reproduce Chani — lights, lumbering and all — for less than $50. This price tag does not include the vacuum former required to make the domed head, but hey, it’s an investment into future projects.
[Cory] started by dissecting an R/C stunt car from Harbor Freight and stringing the innards up to a 3D-printed walking mechanism that’s been modified to use gear-reduced motors so it walks more slowly. While Chani is stomping around on TPU treads, the LEDs from the R/C car’s headlights shine inside of its dome. Chani’s boxy body is a big paper sculpture that looks spot-on to us when compared to the movie’s
trailer
.
We love the way that Chani walks — it sort of dips and glides along in a forward-facing Moonwalk fashion. As you can see in the video below, [Cory] totally nailed the robot’s gait, and it’s hilarious to watch Chani’s little coolant hose-looking arms dangle and shake as he makes his slow and menacing way across the table. Stick around for some scary nighttime footage of Chani against a thunderstorm.
Want your robots to move more like movie robots?
All you gotta do is use the right tools
. | 12 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332353",
"author": "RÖB",
"timestamp": "2021-03-18T01:36:05",
"content": "10 points for the “horror” clip lol. Danger Will Robinson!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332433",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2021-03-... | 1,760,373,150.580214 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/cassette-lamp-is-a-throwback-to-the-pencil-winding-glory-days/ | Cassette Lamp Is A Throwback To The Pencil-Winding Glory Days | Lewin Day | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"cassette",
"cassette tape",
"compact cassette",
"lamp"
] | The audio cassette was the first music format that truly championed portability. It was robust, compact, and let people take music on the go to soundtrack their very lives. It was later supplanted by the higher-quality CD and then further digital technologies, but the format remains a nostalgic highlight for many. It also inspired
this excellent lamp build from [Fab]
.
The lamp consists of 8 clear cassettes assembled into a rough cube-like shape on a 3D printed frame. The cassettes are edge-lit from below by a set of WS2812B LEDs, letting them glow in full-color splendour. The real magic of the lamp is the interface, however. A pencil can be inserted to turn the tape reels, just like rewinding a real cassette. However, in this case, they’re attached to a pair of rotary encoders, which are used to vary the color of the LEDs. As a bonus, the entire lamp runs off a Wemos D1, making it possible to update the lamp remotely over the Internet.
It’s a stylish build that would make an excellent conversation piece in any hip maker’s loungeroom.
It’s a great nod to the creator of the compact cassette, [Lou Ottens]
, who passed away earlier this month. Video after the break. | 18 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332302",
"author": "mjrippe",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T21:38:44",
"content": "Love it!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332303",
"author": "adjustinthings",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T21:38:59",
"content": "So, turnin... | 1,760,373,150.677298 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/running-57-threads-at-once-on-the-arduino-uno/ | Running 57 Threads At Once On The Arduino Uno | Lewin Day | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"Arduino Library",
"Arduino Uno",
"MULTITHREADING",
"threading"
] | When one thinks of the Arduino Uno, one thinks of a capable 8-bit microcontroller platform that nonetheless doesn’t set the world alight with its performance. Unlike more modern parts like the ESP32, it has just a single core and no real multitasking abilities. But what if one wanted to run many threads on an Uno all at once?
[Adam] whipped up some code to do just that.
Threads are useful for when you have multiple jobs that need to be done at the same time without interfering with each other. The magic of [Adam]’s
ThreadHandler library
is that it’s designed to run many threads and do so in real time, with priority management as well. On the Arduino Uno, certainly no speed demon, it can run up to 57 threads concurrently at 6ms intervals with a minumum timing error of 556 µs and a maximum of 952 µs. With a more reasonable number of 7 threads, the minimum error drops to just 120 µs. Each thread comes with an estimated overhead of 1.3% CPU load and 26 bytes of RAM usage.
While we struggle to think of what we could do with more than a handful of threads on an Arduino Uno, we’re sure you might have some ideas – sound off in the comments. ThreadHandler is available for your perusal here, and runs on SAMD21 boards as well as any AVR-based boards that are compatible with TimerOne. We’ve seen other work in the same space before,
such as ChibiOS for the Arduino platform
. Video after the break. | 44 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332244",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T18:37:56",
"content": "Rodney Brooks subsumption programing for robots.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332266",
"author": "Multiple Thread Microcontroller Nomenclat... | 1,760,373,150.810726 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/science-officer-scan-for-elephants/ | Science Officer…Scan For Elephants! | Al Williams | [
"Featured",
"Interest",
"Original Art",
"Science",
"Slider",
"Space"
] | [
"computer vision",
"elephant",
"machine learning",
"remote sensing",
"satellite imagery",
"satellite imaging"
] | If you watch many espionage or terrorism movies set in the present day, there’s usually a scene where some government employee enhances a satellite image to show a clear picture of the main villain’s face. Do modern spy satellites have that kind of resolution? We don’t know, and if we did we couldn’t tell you anyway. But we do know that even with unclassified resolution, scientists are using satellite imagery and machine learning to
count things like elephant populations
.
When you think about it, it is a hard problem to count wildlife populations in their habitat. First, if you go in person you disturb the target animals. Even a drone is probably going to upset timid wildlife. Then there is the problem with trying to cover a large area and figuring out if the elephant you see today is the same one as one you saw yesterday. If you guess wrong you will either undercount or overcount.
The Oxford scientists counting elephants used the Worldview-3 satellite. It collects up to 680,000 square kilometers every day. You aren’t disturbing any of the observed creatures, and since each shot covers a huge swath of territory, your problem of double counting all but vanishes.
Not Unique
Apparently, counting animals from space is nothing new. Brute force, you get a grad student to count from a picture. But automated methods work in certain circumstances. Everything from whales to penguins has been subject to counting from orbit, but typically using water or ice as a background.
There have even been efforts to deduce animal populations from secondary data. For example, penguin counts can be estimated by the stains they leave on the ice. Yeah, those stains.
However, when counting the number of elephants at the Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa, there was no clear background. The grounds are forested and it frequently rains. The other challenge is that the elephants don’t always look the same. For example, they cover themselves in mud to cool down. Can a machine learn to recognize distinct elephants from high-resolution space photos?
Elephants in a clearing are easier to spot…
… than elephants in a thicket.
How High?
Image copyright DigitalGlobe/Lockheed Martin
The Worldview satellites have the highest resolution currently available to commercial users. The resolution is down to 31 cm. For Americans, that’s enough to pick out something about 1 foot long. That may not sound too impressive until you realize the satellite is about 383 miles above the Earth’s surface. That’s roughly like taking a picture from New York City and seeing things in Newport News, Virginia.
The researchers didn’t specifically task the satellite to look at the park. Instead, they pulled historical images from passes over the park. You can find out what
data the satellite has
, although you might not get the best or most current data without a subscription. But even the data you can get is pretty impressive.
According to the paper, the archive images they used cost $17.50 per square kilometer. Asking for fresh images pushes the price to $27.50 and you had to buy at least 100 square kilometers, so satellite data isn’t cheap.
Training
Of course, a necessary part of machine learning is training. A test dataset had 164 elephants over seven different satellite images. Humans did the counting to provide the supposed correct answer for training. Using a scoring algorithm, humans averaged about 78% and the machine learning algorithm averaged about 75% — not much difference. Just like humans, the algorithms were better at some situations than others and could sometimes hit 80% for certain kinds of matches.
Free Data
Want to experiment with your own eye in the sky? Not all satellite data costs money, although the resolutions may not suit you. Obviously,
Google Earth
and
Maps
can show you some satellite images.
USGS
also has about 40 years worth of data online and
NASA
and
NOAA
have
quite
a
bit
, too, including NASA’s high-resolution
Worldview
.
Landviewer
gives you some free images, although you’ll have to pay for the highest resolution data. ESA runs
Copernicus
which has several types of imagery from the Sentinel satellites, and you can get Sentinal data from
EO Browser
or
Sentinel Playground
, as well. If you don’t mind Portuguese, the Brazilians have a
nice portal
for images of the Southern hemisphere. JAXA — the Japanese analog to NASA — has
their own site
with 30 meter resolution data, too. Then there’s one from the Indian equivalent,
ISRO
.
The V-2 took this picture at 65 miles up in 1946.
If you don’t want to log in, [Vincent Sarago’s]
Remote Pixel
site lets you access data from Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and CBERS-4 with no registration. There are others too:
UNAVCO
,
UoM
,
Zoom
, and
VITO
. Of course, some of these images are fairly low-resolution (even as high as 1 km/pixel), so depending on what you want to do with the data, you may have to look to paid sources.
There’s a wide array of resolutions as well as the type of data, like visible light, IR, or radar. However, it all beats the state of the art in 1946, when the V-2 photo from 65 miles up was taken. Things have come a long way.
Sky High
We imagine that these same techniques would work with airborne photography as you might get from a drone or even a camera on a pole. That might be more cost-effective than buying satellite images. It made us wonder what other computer vision projects have yet to burst on the scene.
Maybe our 3D printers will one day compare their output in real time to the input model to detect printing problems. That would be the ultimate “out of filament” sensor and could also detect loss of bed adhesion and other abnormalities.
Electronic data from thermal imaging or electron beam stroboscopy could deliver pseudo images as input to an algorithm like this one. Imagine training a computer about what a good board looks like and then having it identify bad boards.
Of course, you can always
grab your own satellite images
. We’ve seen that
done many times
. | 29 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332218",
"author": "mab122",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T17:28:40",
"content": "Interesting if planetlabs could implement that or provide dataset.I love their idea of “queryable earth”. Imagine being able to query “SELECT COUNT(elephant) FROM earth”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth... | 1,760,373,151.04051 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/the-devil-is-in-the-details-for-this-open-air-laser/ | The Devil Is In The Details For This Open Air Laser | Tom Nardi | [
"Laser Hacks",
"Science"
] | [
"electrode",
"high voltage",
"laser",
"nitrogen",
"spark gap",
"TEA laser"
] | Normally, we think of lasers as pretty complex and fairly intimidating devices: big glass tubes filled with gas, carefully aligned mirrors, cooling water to keep the whole thing from melting itself, that sort of thing. Let’s not even get started on the black magic happening inside of a solid state laser. But as [Jay Bowles] shows in his latest
Plasma Channel
video,
building a laser from scratch isn’t actually as difficult as you might think
. Though it’s certainly not easy, either.
The transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) laser in question uses high voltage passed across a a pair of parallel electrodes to excite the nitrogen in the air at standard atmospheric pressure, so there’s no need for a tube and you don’t have to pull a vacuum. The setup shakes so many UV photons out of the nitrogen that it doesn’t even need any mirrors. In fact, you should be able to get almost all the parts for a TEA laser from the hardware store. For example, the hexagonal electrodes [Jay] ends up using are actually 8 mm hex keys with the ends cut off.
An earlier version did more cooking than lasing.
Of course, you’ll need a fair bit of power to get your homebrew laser going. Luckily, [Jay] has been performing most of his recent experiments with an affordable and easy to build high voltage supply made from a TV flyback transformer.
He’s already produced a step-by-step video
on sourcing the appropriate components and get everything assembled, which is really a must watch if you’re interested in doing HV experimentation on a budget.
But while it might be easy to build a TEA laser in principle, actually getting it to fire reliably is another story entirely. After some fiddling and a few false starts, [Jay] got in contact with
noted
madman
laser enthusiast [StyroPyro]
, who gave him some advice based on his own TEA laser project. It ended up being a great example of how finicky these devices are, as his build was only a few slight adjustments away from producing a solid beam. Honestly, who would have thought to sand the hex keys with 500 grit paper?
We’ve seen a number of TEA lasers built over the years,
ranging from robust professional looking units
to
delightfully whimsical hand-cranked versions
, (from our own [Steven Dufresne]!) but the simple elegance of the one [Jay] has put together makes it the one we’d be most likely to replicate on our own kitchen table. | 23 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332199",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T16:19:23",
"content": "So, you really don’t use tea in a TEA laser?B^(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332216",
"author": "Truth",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T1... | 1,760,373,150.878831 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/unicode-on-building-the-one-character-set-to-rule-them-all/ | Unicode: On Building The One Character Set To Rule Them All | Maya Posch | [
"Featured",
"History",
"Interest",
"Slider"
] | [
"character encoding",
"unicode"
] | Most readers will have at least some passing familiarity with the terms ‘Unicode’ and ‘UTF-8’, but what is really behind them? At their core they refer to character encoding schemes, also known as character sets. This is a concept which dates back to far beyond the era of electronic computers, to the dawn of the optical telegraph and its predecessors. As far back as the 18th century there was a need to transmit information rapidly across large distances, which was accomplished using so-called telegraph codes. These encoded information using optical, electrical and other means.
During the hundreds of years since the invention of the first telegraph code, there was no real effort to establish international standardization of such encoding schemes, with even the first decades of the era of teleprinters and home computers bringing little change there. Even as EBCDIC (IBM’s 8-bit character encoding demonstrated in the punch card above) and finally ASCII made some headway, the need to encode a growing collection of different characters without having to spend ridiculous amounts of storage on this was held back by elegant solutions.
Development of
Unicode
began during the late 1980s, when the increasing exchange of digital information across the world made the need for a singular encoding system more urgent than before. These days Unicode allows us to not only use a single encoding scheme for everything from basic English text to Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, and even Mayan, but also small pictographs called ‘
emoji
‘, from Japanese ‘e’ (絵) and ‘moji’ (文字), literally ‘picture word’.
From Code Books to Graphemes
As far back as the era of the Roman Empire, it was well-known that getting information quickly across a nation was essential. For the longest time, this meant having messengers on horseback or its equivalent, who would carry a message across large distances. Although improvements to this system were imagined as far back as the 4th century BC in the form of the
hydraulic telegraph
by the ancient Greek, as well as use of signal fires, it wasn’t until the 18th century that rapid transmission of information over large distances became commonplace.
The French Chappe optical telegraph code from around 1809
The optical telegraph (also called the ‘semaphore’) was discussed in depth in
our recent article on the history of optical communications
. It consisted of a line of relay stations, each of which was equipped with an elevated system of pivoting indicator arms (or its equivalent) used to display the
telegraph code
character encoding. The French Chappe system, which saw French military use between 1795 and the 1850s, was based around a wooden crossbar with two movable ends (arms), each of which could be moved into one of seven positions. Along with four positions for the crossbar, this made for a theoretical 196 symbols (4x7x7). In practice this was whittled down to 92 or 94 positions.
These code points were used not only for direct encoding of characters, but mostly to indicate specific lines in a
code book
. The latter method meant that a couple of transferred code points might entail the entire message, which sped up transmission and made intercepting the code points useless without the code book.
Improving the Throughput
As the optical telegraph was phased out in favor of the
electrical telegraph
, this meant that suddenly one wasn’t limited to encodings which could be perceived by someone staring through a telescope at a nearby relay tower in acceptable weather. With two telegraph devices connected by a metal wire, suddenly the communication medium was that of voltages and currents. This change led to a flurry of new electrical telegraph codes, with
International Morse Code
ultimately becoming the international standard (except for the US, which kept using American Morse Code outside of
radiotelegraphy
) since its invention in Germany in 1848.
International Morse Code has the benefit over its US counterpart in that it uses more dashes than dots, which slowed down transmission speeds, but also improved the reception of the message on the other end of the line. This was essential when long messages were transmitted across many kilometers of unshielded wire, by operators of varying skills levels.
The ITA 2 standard, with the two characters per code point. A shift character would indicate which of the two would be used for the following characters.
As technology progressed, the manual telegraph was replaced in the West by automatic telegraphs, which used the 5-bit
Baudot
code, as well as its derived Murray code, the latter based around the use of paper tape in which holes got punched. Murray’s system allowed for the message tape to be prepared in advance and then fed into a tape reader for automatic transmission. The Baudot code formed the basis of the International Telegram Alphabet version 1 (ITA 1), with a modified Baudot-Murray code forming the basis of ITA 2, which saw use well into the 1960s.
By the 1960s, the limit of 5-bits per character was no longer needed or desirable, which led to the development of 7-bit
ASCII
in the US and standards like
JIS X 0201
(for Japanese katakana characters) in Asia. Combined with the
teleprinters
which were in common use at the time, this allowed for fairly complicated text messages, including upper- and lower-case characters, as well as a range of symbols to be transmitted.
The full character set of 7-bit ASCII.
During the 1970s and early 1980s the limits of 7- and 8-bit encodings like extended ASCII (e.g.
ISO 8859-1
or Latin 1) were sufficient for basic home computing and office needs. Even so, the need for improvement was clear, as common tasks like exchanging digital documents and text within e.g. Europe would often lead to chaos due to its multitude of
ISO 8859
encodings. The first step to fixing this came in 1991, in the form of the 16-bit
Unicode
1.0.
Outgrowing 16-Bits
The amazing thing is that in only 16-bits, Unicode managed to not only cover all of the Western writing systems, but also many Chinese characters and a variety of specialized symbols, such as those used in mathematics. With 16-bits allowing for 2
16
= 65,536 code points, the 7,129 characters of Unicode 1.0 fit easily, but by the time Unicode 3.1 rolled around in 2001, Unicode contained no less than 94,140 characters across 41 scripts.
Currently, in version 13, Unicode contains a grand total of 143,859 characters, which does not include control characters. While originally Unicode was envisioned to only encode writing systems which were in current use, by the time Unicode 2.0 was released in 1996, it was realized that this goal would have to be changed, to allow even rare and historic characters to be encoded. In order to accomplish this without necessarily requiring every character to be encoded in 32-bits, Unicode changed to not only encode characters directly, but also using their components, or
graphemes
.
The concept is somewhat similar to vector drawings, where one doesn’t specify every single pixel, but describes instead the elements which make up the drawing. As a result, the Unicode Transformation Format 8 (UTF-8) encoding supports 2
31
code points, with most characters in the current Unicode character set requiring generally one or two bytes each.
Many Flavors of Unicode
Overview of the Unicode Basic Multilingual Plane, the first Unicode plane with almost all modern languages.
At this point in time, quite a few people are probably at least somewhat confused by the different terms being thrown around when it comes to Unicode. It’s therefore essential to note here that
Unicode
refers to the standard, with the different Unicode Transformation Formats (UTF) being the implementations. UCS-2 and USC-4 are older 2- and 4-byte Unicode implementations respectively, with UCS-4 being identical to UTF-32, and UCS-2 having been superseded by UTF-16.
UCS-2, as the earliest form of Unicode, made its way into many operating systems of the 90s, which made a move to UTF-16 the least disruptive option. This is why Windows, as well as MacOS, window managers like KDE and the Java and .NET runtime environments use a UTF-16 internal representation.
UTF-32, as the name suggests, encodes every single character in four bytes. While somewhat wasteful, it is also straight-forward and predictable. Whereas in UTF-8 a character can be one to four bytes, in UTF-32 determining the number of characters in a string is as simple as counting the number of bytes and dividing by four. This has led to compilers and some languages like Python (optionally) allowing for the use of UTF-32 to represent Unicode strings.
Of all the Unicode formats, UTF-8 is however the most popular by far. This has been driven largely by the Internet’s World Wide Web, with most websites serving their HTML documents in UTF-8 encoding. Due to the layout of the different
code point planes
in UTF-8, Western and many other common writing systems fit within two bytes. Compared to the old ISO 8859 and (8 to 16-bit)
Shift JIS
encodings, this means that effectively the same text in UTF-8 does not take up any more space than before.
From Relay Towers to the Internet
Since those early years in humanity’s past, communication technology has come a long way. Gone are the messengers, the relay towers and small telegraph offices. Even the days when teleprinters were a common sight in offices around the world are now a fading memory. During each step, however, the need to encode, store and transmit information has been a central theme that has relentlessly driven us to the point where we can now instantly transmit a message around the world, in a character encoding that can be decoded and understood no matter where one lives.
For those of us who enjoyed switching between ISO 8859 encodings in our email clients and web browsers in order to get something approaching the original text representation, consistent Unicode support came as a blessing. I can imagine a similar feeling among those who remember when 7-bit ASCII (or EBCDIC) was all one got, or enjoyed receiving digital documents from a European or US office, only to suffer through character set confusion.
Even if Unicode isn’t without its issues, it’s hard not to look back and feel that at the very least it’s a decent improvement on what came before. Here’s to another thirty years of Unicode.
(header image: Punch card with the western alphabet encoded in EBCDIC) | 75 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332168",
"author": "Gravis",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T14:25:31",
"content": "A few corrections/notes:* KDE gets it’s UTF16 from Qt which used 16bit character representation that mirrored the kernel.* .Net also mirrored the NT kernel use of UTF16 strings.* The C++ language (not comp... | 1,760,373,151.204415 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/experimenting-with-3d-printed-rocket-nozzles/ | Experimenting With 3D Printed Rocket Nozzles | Lewin Day | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"3d printed rocket",
"rocket",
"rocketry"
] | Rocketry is an exacting science, involving a wide variety of disciplines, encompassing everything from fluid mechanics to thermodynamics and materials engineering. As complex as it sounds, that doesn’t mean it’s beyond the purview of the average maker.
[Sciencish] demonstrates this with a series of experiments on rocket nozzles in the home lab.
(Video, embedded below.)
The video starts with an amusing analogy about nozzle design based on people fleeing a bad pizza. From there, [Sciencish] 3D prints a wide variety of nozzle designs for testing. The traditional bell nozzle is there, of course, along with the familiar toroidal and linear aerospikes and an expansion deflection design. Of course, 3D printing makes it easy to try out fun, oddball geometries, so there’s also a cowbell nozzle , along with the fancy looking square and triangular aerospikes too. Testing involves running the nozzles on a test stand instrumented with a load cell. A soda bottle is filled with rubbing alcohol vapour, and the mixture is ignited, with each nozzle graded on its thrust output. The rockets are later flown outside, reaching heights over 40 feet.
[Sciencish] notes that the results are a rough guide only, as the fuel/air mixture was poorly controlled. Despite this, it’s a great look at nozzle design and all the science involved. It also wouldn’t be too hard to introduce a little more rigour and get more accurate data, either. However, if solid fuels are more your jam,
consider brewing up some rocket candy instead. | 7 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332144",
"author": "macona",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T12:02:52",
"content": "Good video about aerospikes.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4SaofKCYwo",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332182",
"author": "Piotrsko",
"times... | 1,760,373,151.086282 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/17/hacking-a-digital-microscope-camera-for-fun-and-automated-pcb-inspection/ | Hacking A Digital Microscope Camera For Fun And Automated PCB Inspection | Zach Zeman | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"camera hack",
"digital camera",
"digital camera hack",
"Embedded Linux",
"linux",
"pcb",
"pcb inspection",
"PCB microscope",
"reverse engineering"
] | A desire for automated PCB inspection has led [charliex] down some deep rabbit holes. He’s written his own inspection software, he’s mounted his PCB vise on a stepper-controlled table, and now he’s
hacked his digital microscope camera to allow remote and automated control
.
Eakins cameras have become a relatively popular, relatively inexpensive choice for electronics hobbyists to inspect their small-scale work. The cameras have a USB port for a mouse and overlay a GUI on the HDMI output for controlling the camera’s various settings and capturing images to the SD card. Using the mouse-based GUI can feel clunky, though, so
users have already endeavored to streamline the process
to fit better in their workflow. [charliex] decided to take streamlining a few steps further.
One issue in microscope photography is that microscopes have an extremely tight focus plane. So, even at the minuscule scales of an SMD circuit board, the components are simply too tall. Only a sub-millimeter-thick layer can be in focus at a time. If you take just a single image, much of what you want to see will be lost in the blurry distance. Focus stacking solves this problem by taking multiple pictures with the focus set at different depths then combining their focused bits into a single sharp image.
This takes care of the focus issue, but even the most streamlined and intuitive manual controls become tedious given the multitude of pictures required. So [charliex] searched for a way to remotely control his camera, automating focus stacking and possibly even full PCB scans.
He started off by cracking the inspection tool open and inspecting its innards. Inside, he found solder points for a serial interface and wired it up with his preferred scrap Samsung USB cable. The serial connection spat out a flurry of boot messages and immediately gave him a root shell into the Hi3516A IP Camera Linux SoC, so he got to work poking around to see how things run under the hood. Using
strace
to peek at the GUI process (which has the descriptive name
myTest
), he found it uses a local socket to communicate with a separate program,
3516a_proc
, which actually controls the camera hardware via i2c. After capturing the signals for each of the GUI’s camera controls (focus, white balance, image capture, etc), it was just a matter of building, compiling, and uploading his own executable to replay those signals however he wanted.
Before and after focus stacking.
The project’s GitHub repo
has since been updated with a kernel module that supports a USB ethernet adapter, enabling [charliex] to take control of his camera over the network. However, the serial connection is still required initially to get those customizations loaded and running on the camera. He’s also made improvements to his vise table,
introducing another dimension of movement
, and has an Eagle schematic overlay working. This is a really fun and ongoing project, and we look forward to more updates. And if this still isn’t enough for your PCB inspection needs,
you’ll probably have to reach beyond the visible spectrum
.
Check out the quick video below to see the automatic focus stacking capture in action. | 5 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332133",
"author": "sxsshadowxs",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T10:34:24",
"content": "Wish I had time to make things like things. Sounds like a very interesting journey. Great work!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6332134",
... | 1,760,373,151.336582 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/16/dreamcast-controller-adapter-even-works-with-mice/ | Dreamcast Controller Adapter Even Works With Mice | Lewin Day | [
"Games"
] | [
"dreamcast",
"sega dreamcast"
] | PC gamers have the benefit of a broad ecosystem of peripherals built to serve their gaming pleasure. As a bonus, if there’s something out there that doesn’t work with the platform, someone is likely already selling an adapter for it. Console gamers aren’t so lucky, and the vast majority stick with the factory standard controller. [megavolt85] isn’t one of them however,
and spun up a multi-adapter for the Sega Dreamcast.
The adapter lets the player use a huge variety of controllers with the Dreamcast. There’s support for both PS1 & PS2 controllers, including vibration support, as well as MegaDrive & Saturn pads, too. PS/2 mice and keyboards can be used as well, and up to 16 VMUs can be hooked up as well. The adapter uses the STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller, which runs at up to 72MHz, giving it plenty of grunt to emulate the Dreamcast’s Maple controller interface.
We’ve seen other hacks of the Dreamcast’s controller bus, too;
this custom controller implements the interface on a Raspberry Pi Pico.
If you’ve been cooking up your own glorious Dreamcast mods, be sure to drop us a line! | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332126",
"author": "Aisflou",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T08:56:38",
"content": "Vmus arent hooked up, they are virtual vmus, much better!! 💪🏼😊",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332188",
"author": "dan",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,373,151.244787 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/16/custom-components-in-ltspice/ | Custom Components In LTSpice | Al Williams | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"LTSpice",
"simulation",
"SPICE"
] | If you enjoy simulating circuits, you’ve probably used LTSpice. The program has a lot of powerful features we tend to not use, including the ability to make custom components that are quite complex. To illustrate how it works, [asa pro] builds
a potentiometer component
that is not only a good illustration but also a useful component.
The component is, of course, just two resistors. However, using parameters, the component gets two values, a total resistance and a percentage. Then the actual resistance values adjust themselves.
To simplify making the symbol, the video shows how to read in an existing symbol — in this case a resistor — and then modify it to suit. Of course, at the end, you get to see how to actually apply the new component. Of course, the real value would be making even more complex components, but the potentiometer shows you all the techniques you need such as computing internal values and mapping pins to variables.
This is one of those things that isn’t all that hard, you just have to take the time to figure it out once. The video can help. If you need even more basic help,
we have our own videos
. Or check out some of the
Circuit VR
series. | 8 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332107",
"author": "smellsofbikes",
"timestamp": "2021-03-17T03:21:21",
"content": "It is possible, albeit difficult, to do this in ngspice in KiCAD.https://forum.kicad.info/t/how-to-set-spice-transistor-parameters/11131/4(about halfway down the page) shows an example of entering m... | 1,760,373,151.288723 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/16/prototyping-a-turbojet-engine-in-the-home-shop/ | Prototyping A Turbojet Engine In The Home Shop | Lewin Day | [
"Engine Hacks"
] | [
"jet",
"jet engine",
"turbojet"
] | The development of the turbojet engine was a gamechanger in aviation, as no longer would aircraft designers have to struggle with ever larger and more complex piston engines, nor would propellers keep planes stuck below the speed of sound. However, the turbojet is an exacting device, demanding the utmost of materials in order to work successfully. [Integza]
discovered just this in his quest to build one at home
.
Unlike most home jet engine builds, this one doesn’t use a turbocharger or go with a simpler pulse jet design – though [Integza] has built those, too. This is a proper radial-flow turbojet design. The build uses a 3D-printed compressor, which is possible as it doesn’t have to deal with much heat. However, for the turbine, [Integza] realised that plastic wouldn’t cut it. After experiments with ceramic resins failed too, a 3D printed jig was instead built to allow sheet metal to easily be crafted into a workable turbine. Other internal components were made out of concrete for heat resistance, and a combustion chamber welded up out of steel.
The engine did run after several attempts, albeit for just ten seconds before components started to melt. While the engine is a long way off being flight ready, it goes to show just how hard it is to build even a bench-running turbojet.
Even major world powers have struggled with this problem over the years.
Video after the break. | 21 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332086",
"author": "yogi86",
"timestamp": "2021-03-16T23:17:29",
"content": "I’m sorry but M18 Dromader with ASz-62 engine (same as in Antek An-2) is probably simpler to service and maintain than BMW M57. I have Daewoo Lublin van with 4C90 diesel engine registered for 3500 kG max b... | 1,760,373,151.389766 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/16/bone-vibration-brings-typing-into-vr/ | Bone Vibration Brings Typing Into VR | Lewin Day | [
"Virtual Reality"
] | [
"human interface device",
"virtual reality"
] | Virtual reality is becoming more of a thing, now that we have high quality headsets and the computing power to generate attractive environments. Many VR systems use controllers held in mid air, or camera-based systems that track limbs and hands for interaction. However, productivity scenarios often require prolonged interactions over a long period of time, which typically necessitates working at surfaces that allow the body to rest intermittently. To help facilitate this,
a group of researchers at ETH Zurich developed TapID
, including a
preprint paper
(PDF) that will be presented at IEEE VR 2021 later this month.
TapID consists of a wristband that carries two motion sensors, with one worn on each wrist. This allows TapID to detect taps from each of the user’s fingers individually, thanks to a machine learning algorithm that analyses the unique vibrations through your skeletal system.
This is demonstrated as being useful for VR environments
, where the user can type into a virtual keyboard, or interact with virtual objects on a surface, using their fingers as they would in the real world. This is a sensor fusion with the features of modern VR headsets that include hand tracking. The TapID wristbands deliver granularity and detection of small motions that is not nearly as accurate through headset-mounted senors and camera-based detection.
Test hardware includes 4 accelerometers. Two on flexible PCBs are the sensing hardware used by the system, the other two on the rigid PCB are used as a baseline during testing but do not contribute to the tap detection.
We’re not entirely convinced of the utility of sitting down in a virtual environment to type at a fake keyboard when monitors and real keyboards are more tactile and cheaper. However, having a device that can accurately determine individual finger interactions is sure to have applications in VR. And whether or not the demonstrated use cases are viable, the technology does indeed work.
It’s exciting to see the wrist-band form factor. It brings to mind the possibility of improving tap interactions in smart watches for non-VR uses. We envision chorded keyboard type gestures that detect which fingers are tapping but don’t need positional accuracy.
Those experimenting in VR interfaces may find it useful to reverse engineer what’s already out on the market,
as we’ve featured before.
Or, you can simply
build your own!
Video after the break. | 17 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332029",
"author": "herrmannc1899gmailcom",
"timestamp": "2021-03-16T20:15:08",
"content": "I have spent quite a few hours working in ImmersedVR for the Oculus Quest 2. It takes a bit of getting used but working with your desktop and virtual screens is pretty cool. You can sync up ... | 1,760,373,151.48083 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/16/raspberry-pi-cosmic-ray-detector/ | Raspberry Pi Cosmic Ray Detector | Al Williams | [
"Raspberry Pi",
"Science"
] | [
"cern",
"cosmic pi",
"cosmic ray",
"scinitllation"
] | [Marco] has a sodium iodide detector that indicates cosmic radiation by scintillation. The material glows when hit by cosmic rays and, traditionally, a photomultiplier tube detects the photos from the detection. After a quick demonstration that you can see in the video below, he
built the Cosmic Pi
, a CERN project to create a giant distributed cosmic ray detector. The
Cosmic Pi
uses scintillation, but not from a crystal. It uses a plastic scintillator and silicon photodetectors, so it is much easier to work with than a traditional detector.
Using a four-layer board and some harvested components, the device detects muons. There are two scintillation detectors and muons striking both detectors presumably don’t have a local origin. The instrument has a GPS to get accurate time and position data. There are other sensors onboard, too, to collect data about the conditions of each detected event.
Overall, it looked like a fun build. It was necessary to block the case from leaking light which could interfere with the sensitive measurements. We always appreciate citizen science projects and these massively distributed instruments are particularly exciting since you can be part of something really large.
We’ve seen
cosmic ray detectors
before. We’ve even seen them using
people’s cell phones
. | 14 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "6332017",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2021-03-16T19:32:17",
"content": "I love his videos!I wouldn’t mind having such a detector here in SE Minnesota.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6332066",
"author": "James Devine",
... | 1,760,373,151.617768 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/16/inputs-of-interest-marsback-m1-is-a-portable-party-peripheral/ | Inputs Of Interest: Marsback M1 Is A Portable Party Peripheral | Kristina Panos | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Slider"
] | [
"kickstarter",
"linear keyswitches",
"linears",
"mechanical keyboard",
"PBT keycaps",
"rgb",
"thocky"
] | Again, let’s just get this out of the way up front: I got this lovely little 75% keyboard for free from a gaming accessories company called Marsback. It’s a functioning prototype of a keyboard that they have up on
Kickstarter
as of March 2nd. It comes in three color schemes: dark, white and sakura pink, which is white and pink with cherry blossoms.
This illustration of the lube points is from my email string with Marsback.
Marsback found me through my personal website and contacted me directly to gauge my interest in this keyboard. I’ll admit that I wasn’t too excited about it until I scrolled further in the email and saw that they are producing their own switches in-house.
I think that’s a really interesting choice given that Cherry MX and other switches exist, and there so many Cherry MX clones out there already. Naturally, I had to investigate, so following a short review, I’ll take it apart.
While I was waiting for the keyboard to arrive, I emailed my contact at Marsback to ask why they decided to go this route. They believe that the switches are the most important part of any mechanical keyboard (I wholeheartedly agree), and sought to control the keystrokes and the sound of the bounce. Fair enough.
I had also noticed that the switches are “double-lubricated”. I wondered if this meant that they did it in two places, or used grease and liquid, or what, and I was told that they lubricate the slider and both ends of the spring where it contacts the underside of the slider and the base of the switch.
First Impressions — This Is a Solid Keeb
When I first opened the box, the keeb started to glow like
the briefcase in
Pulp
Fiction
because the battery still had a charge. That’s a neat trick. I soon realized that there is no switch anywhere, so I guess it’s just on all the time. In fact, the only interruption in the
translucent opaline polycarbonate body
is the USB-C port. According to Marsback,
each base is milled from a solid block of polycarbonate
. Indeed, this keyboard looks like it’s carved from a big block of ice and belongs in the
Fortress of Solitude
. There aren’t even any case screws showing — all six of those are hidden beneath the key caps.
Let’s Talk About Those Key Caps
A French manicure for your keeb. Image via
Marsback
Speaking of the key caps, I don’t like them much as much as I hoped I would. I wanted the white ones, but convinced myself that they would just get dirty, so I opted for the dark-themed version instead. I later realized that the dark version has double-shot ABS key caps, and the white and sakura pink versions have PBT key caps. This could be just because I’ve got a prototype, and the real-deal dark theme caps will be PBT, but I don’t know.
I am not anti-ABS in general, but these particular keycaps just feel chalky to me. And the worst part is, they’re already starting to shine just a little bit. If I were going to use this keyboard with any regularity (and I honestly might, because it’s a good rectangle) I would probably just get new keycaps. They’re easy enough to swap out, and I don’t think I would have trouble finding a set that would fit, because there’s nothing super weird about the layout.
I offered money to Marsback for a set of the white pudding ‘caps, and they have kindly agreed to send me some. I’m totally pumped to get them because now that I’ve used this keyboard and seen the video, I’ve decided that the white puddings are the ideal choice to round out this little rainbow ice block.
I have just one more complaint about the keycaps, and that is the font on the alpha keys: it’s just kind of meh looking. I dig the font on everything else, but these majuscules feel uninspired to me. There are no other capital letters on the board to compare them to, but it really feels like there are two different fonts going on here, and they don’t quite visually agree.
Getting the Lay of the Land
The layout itself is pretty good. I can honestly say that the 84 keys are sufficient, and there isn’t anything I miss. Control is where it should be in the lower left corner. I like the colorway, though I might have made Delete red as well. I still haven’t decided if I like the line on the space bar. I like that the top two rows are ortholinear, and the fact that Page Up and Page Down are profiled a little differently to help distinguish them from the alphas and arrows.
As someone who is now used to hitting Backspace with their left thumb, the Backspace of this keyboard is right where it oughta be, meaning that as I test out this rectangle, my ancient muscle memory has been hitting the key just fine without looking. Only a few times have I hit the Home key by mistake, during one of those zealous repeated Backspacings where you just keep messing up the word and and wildly pound the keyboard in disbelief.
This thing feels quite sturdy, which is always a plus. Between the weight and the rubber feet on the bottom, it’s not going to move around on the desk, but it’s not so heavy that you wouldn’t pack it up and take it with you if you decided to get some work done at the coffeehouse. The angle can’t be adjusted, but the default angle feels good to me. One really good thing I’ve noticed is that inspires good typing posture. I find myself floating my hands above it, which is kind of unusual for me — maybe I’m just too used to resting my palms on the Kinesis pads.
Let’s Get to Clackin’
So, how does it keeb? I must say that I really like this keyboard in spite of the key caps and the linear switches, and those are big obstacles to overcome. These are probably the greatest linear switches I’ve ever clacked on, which is saying a whole lot, because I really don’t like linear switches at all (but I know that plenty of gamers love them). I would be willing to bet that the nice thocky typing experience is due to the thick polycarbonate case and switch plate. The overall typing experience is really nice despite the lack of tactility in the switches. And although I’m used to a split keyboard, I don’t feel like this one is cramped.
Even though I try not to do it, I usually bottom out when I type, so this keyboard is especially noisy under my fingers. And it sounds fantastic! The backspace sounds different from every other switch, especially the space bar. To me, the backspace sounds like a woodpecker. Maybe it’s because of the stabilizer or the thickness of the wire. Have a listen:
https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Marsback-M1-typing-demo.wav
Switch Teardown
I find it interesting that Marsback went to the trouble of making their own switches, but didn’t brand them and instead left them blank. The switches I took apart definitely felt as though their springs were lubed, but not overly so. It doesn’t feel heavy at all, so I think they must have used spray or liquid lube instead of grease.
One thing I did notice was the amount of plastic flashing left on some of the sliders. While it’s not a huge deal, if there’s a big enough flap of flash left on a slider’s shoulder, you might be able to feel it. Or a bit of flash on the stem might affect how your keycap fits or sits. But I think it’s likely that Marsback used factory second key switches for their media samples and will be more selective about the switches that make it into the hands of Kickstarter backers.
Keyboard Teardown
I felt a little weird tearing this keyboard down while it glowed happily at me. But it’s impossible to turn it off, and that huge battery is nowhere near dead, so I just turned off Bluetooth on my PC and enjoyed watching the pretty colors until it feel asleep.
This keyboard is really easy to take apart, which will make it easy to give it a nice, deep cleaning once in a while. All you have to do to see the other side of the board is pull the keycaps and untwist the six tiny Phillips-head screws. The switches are hot-swappable and sit in Kailh sockets, and you can leave those in place. There’s no need to take out the stabilizers — they will move with the PCB, which is screwed to the switch plate — another thick chunk of milky-white polycarbonate.
There are three chips on this board — the STM32 controller, the Nordic 52810 Bluetooth chip, and a third chip that I believe is a MOSFET driver for the LEDs. The STM32F411 is
the same chip as the black pill microcontroller
.
In Summary
Overall, I think this is a good keyboard, particularly because of the stay-put slab of a case. Normally I would shy away from spending so much on a keeb unless there’s a tactile or clicky switch option, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the best linear switches I’ve ever clacked on, and I credit the case for the solid, thocky feel that is reminiscent of really old keyboards. Even so, it’s quite nice that the switches are hot-swappable. That is one direction in which more manufacturers should head.
Image via
Marsback
That said, now that I’ve played with one, I would gladly fork over $150 or so for everything but the switches and maybe the key caps. I’d like to see Marsback sell these as kits, especially since they are manufacturing not one but three types of linear switches with different required actuating forces. My prototype has the lightest type, MBS-I.
I do wish the LEDs around the perimeter were more densely packed. It’s not that the keeb needs to glow any brighter, but you can count the individual LEDs as it is now.
I wouldn’t worry about whether Marsback will deliver on the Kickstarter. The keyboard is already in early production, and this is not their first successful launch — that would be the Zephyr mouse with the fan. If you need more portable RGB in your life, this may very well be the party keeb for you. | 39 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331988",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-03-16T17:51:19",
"content": "Is PBT more durable? No letters wearing off?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6331997",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2021-03-1... | 1,760,373,151.566426 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/15/custom-dummy-load-with-data-logging/ | Custom Dummy Load With Data Logging | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"communications",
"custom",
"dummy load",
"electronics",
"heat sink",
"interface",
"load bank",
"python"
] | While it might seem counterintuitive on the surface, there are a number of cases where dumping a large amount of energy into a resistor simply to turn it into heat is necessary to the operation of a circuit. Most of these cases involve testing electronic equipment such as power supplies or radio transmitters and while a simple resistor bank can be used in some situations,
this active dummy load is comprised of different internals has some extra features to boot
.
The load bank built by [Debraj] is actually an electronic load, which opens it up for a wider set of use cases than a simple passive dummy load like a resistor bank. It’s specifically designed for DC and also includes voltage measurement, current control, and temperature measurement and speed control of the fans on the heat sinks. It also includes a Bluetooth module that allows it to communicate to a computer using python via a custom protocol and GUI.
While this one does use a case and some other parts from another product and was specifically built to use them, the PCB schematics and code are all available to build your own or expand on this design. It’s intended for DC applications, but there are other dummy loads available for things such radio antenna design,
and it turns out that you can learn a lot from them too
. | 10 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331447",
"author": "Richard",
"timestamp": "2021-03-15T11:37:26",
"content": "I like these chonky heatsinks. Does anyone know a part number for them, or something similar that can be mounted on a PCB with TO-220 / TO-218",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,373,151.664345 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/reverse-engineering-the-weather-channels-magic/ | Reverse EngineeringThe Weather Channel’sMagic | Tom Nardi | [
"hardware",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"cable TV",
"fpga",
"retro",
"reverse engineering",
"the Weather Channel",
"weather forecast"
] | For American readers of a certain age,
Local on the 8s
likely holds a special spot in your heart. The program, once a staple of
The Weather Channel
, would provide viewers with a text and eventually graphical depiction of their local forecast set to some of the greatest smooth jazz ever heard outside of an elevator. In the days before smartphones, or even regular Internet access for that matter, these broadcasts were a critical part of planning your day in the 1980s through to the early 2000s.
Up until recently the technical details behind these iconic weather reports were largely unknown,
but thanks to the Herculean efforts of [techknight]
, the fascinating engineering that went into the WeatherSTAR 4000 machines that pumped out current conditions and
Shakin’ The Shack
from CATV distribution centers all over the US for decades is now being documented and preserved. The process of reversing the hardware and software has actually been going on for the last couple of years, but all those juicy details are now finally going to be available on the project’s Hackaday.IO page.
It all started around Christmas of 2018, when an eBay alert [techknight] had configured for the WeatherSTAR 4000 finally fired off. His offer was accepted, and soon he had the physical manifestation of
Local on the 8s
in his own hands. He’d reasoned that getting the Motorola MC68010 machine working would be like poking around in a retrocomputer, but it didn’t take long for him to realize he’d gotten himself into a much larger project than he could ever have imagined.
The trouble is that the WeatherSTAR 4000 was designed to get all its software as part of the satellite downlink that provided the actual weather data. The machine has no mass storage, so all of its software was stored in RAM. Once the box was switched off, all that precious code was lost forever.
Despite his best efforts [techknight] was unable to find anyone who’d ever managed to capture the data stream going into one of these boxes, and as this generation of hardware hasn’t been used since 2014,
it’s not as if he can break out an SDR and record it himself
. To make a long story short: he was on his own.
What followed is easily some of the most impressive reverse engineering work we’ve ever seen. It took months of painstaking labor just to buzz out the boards and create new schematics, and after that he still had to wrap his head around the PALs and early FPGAs scattered throughout the machine without so much as a scrap of original documentation.
At the time of this writing, [techknight] is still writing up the earliest phases of the reverse engineering process with a new post or two each day on the project page. It’s going to be awhile before he covers everything, especially considering how deep he dives into each post, but we’re certainly not complaining. If you’d like to see his current process,
he’s always showing the revived WeatherSTAR off on social media
.
If you just wanted to relive those Local on the 8s memories, naturally
you’d be better off with a Raspberry Pi and a bit of Python
. But there’s something to be said for having the original hardware, and as he now has the distinction of owning what’s likely the only operational WeatherSTAR 4000 on the planet, we’re sure [techknight] doesn’t regret the time he poured into this incredible project.
[Thanks to trhodes for the tip.] | 32 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331426",
"author": "Mog",
"timestamp": "2021-03-15T08:44:42",
"content": "This whole article seems to be based on the entirely flawed premise that [techknight] is the only person working on reverse-engineering the WeatherSTAR 4000. This is not so. There is also a work-in-progress M... | 1,760,373,151.931585 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/you-too-can-be-a-railroad-baron/ | You Too Can Be A Railroad Baron! | Jenny List | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"farming",
"railroad",
"railway"
] | It’s likely that among our readers are more than a few who hold an affection for trains. Whether you call them railroads or railways they’re the original tech fascination, and it’s no accident that the word
Hacker
was coined at MIT’s Tech Model Railroad Club. So some of you like us watch locomotive YouTube videos, others maybe have an OO layout tucked away somewhere, and still more cast an eye at passing trains wishing they were aboard. Having a proper railway of one’s own remains a pipe-dream, but perhaps a hardcore rail enthusiast might like to take a look at
[Way Out West Blow-in blog’s] video series on building a farm railway
.
On a smallholding there is always a lot to be moved around, and frequently not the machinery with which to do it. Using a wheelbarrow or handcart on rough ground is as we can attest, back-breaking, so there’s a real gap in the market for anything to ease the task. So a railway becomes an attractive solution, assuming that its construction cost isn’t prohibitive.
The videos below the break are the first two of what will no doubt become a lengthy series, and deals with the construction of the rails themselves including the sleepers cut with a glorious home-made band saw, and then fishplates and a set of rudimentary points. The rails themselves are off-the-shelf flat steel strip laid upon its edge, and secured to the sleepers by short lengths of galvanized tube. It’s clear this isn’t a railroad in the sense that we might understand it, indeed though it uses edge rail it has more in common for its application with some early mining plateways But assuming that the flat strip rail doesn’t twist we can see that it should be perfectly adequate for hand-driven carts, removing the backbreaking aspect of their moving. It will be interesting to follow this project down the line.
Farm railways haven’t featured on Hackaday before, but your inner rail enthusiast might be sated by
the world’s first preserved line
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfSK_sKBhTg | 40 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331360",
"author": "Piecutter",
"timestamp": "2021-03-15T02:41:47",
"content": "This fellow would be great at narrating a kids show.This doesn’t happen to be happening on the isle of Sodor, now, does it?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"com... | 1,760,373,151.799861 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/hackaday-links-march-14-2021/ | Hackaday Links: March 14, 2021 | Dan Maloney | [
"Hackaday Columns",
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"amateur radio",
"antikythera",
"citizen science",
"Covid-19",
"gravity",
"hackaday links",
"ham",
"jamming",
"math",
"Pi",
"Pi day",
"pirate",
"repeater",
"transcendental"
] | It’ll be Pi Day when this article goes live, at least for approximately half the globe west of the prime meridian. We always enjoy Pi Day, not least for the excuse to enjoy pie and other disc-shaped foods. It’s also cool to ponder the mysteries of a transcendental number, which usually get a good treatment by the math YouTube community. This year was no disappointment in this regard, as we found two good pi-related videos, both by Matt Parker over at Standup Maths.
The first one
deals with raising pi to the pi to the pi to the pi and how that may or may not result in an integer that’s tens of trillions of digits long.
The second and more entertaining video
is a collaboration with Steve Mould which aims to estimate the value of pi by measuring the volume of a molecular monolayer of oleic acid floating on water. The process was really interesting and the results were surprisingly accurate; this might make a good exercise to do with kids to show them what pi is all about.
Remember basic physics and first being exposed to the formula for universal gravitation? We sure do, and we remember thinking that it should be possible to calculate the force between us and our classmates. It is, of course, but actually measuring the attractive force would be another thing entirely. But
researchers have done just that
, using objects substantially smaller than the average high school student: two 2-mm gold balls. The apparatus the Austrian researchers built used 90-milligram gold balls, one stationary and one on a suspended arm. The acceleration between the two moves the suspended ball, which pivots a mirror attached to the arm to deflect a laser beam. That they were able to tease a signal from the background noise of electrostatic, seismic, and hydrodynamic forces is quite a technical feat.
We noticed a lot of interest in the Antikythera mechanism this week, which was apparently caused by
the announcement of the first-ever complete computational mode
l of the ancient device’s inner workings. The team from University College London used all the available data gleaned from the 82 known fragments of the mechanism to produce a working model of the mechanism in software. This in turn was used to create some wonderful CGI animations of the mechanism at work —
this video
is well worth the half-hour it takes to watch. The UCL team says they’re now at work building a replica of the mechanism using modern techniques. One of the team says he has some doubts that ancient construction methods could have resulted in some of the finer pieces of the mechanism, like the concentric axles needed for some parts. We think our friend Clickspring might have something to say about that, as he seems to be doing pretty well
building his replica
using nothing but tools and methods that were available to the original maker. And by doing so, he managed to discern
a previously unknown feature of the mechanism
.
We got a tip recently that JOGL, or Just One Giant Lab, is offering
microgrants for open-source science projects
aimed at tackling the problems of COVID-19. The grants are for 4,000€ and require a minimal application and reporting process. The window for application is closing, though — March 21 is the deadline. If you’ve got an open-source COVID-19 project that could benefit from a cash infusion to bring to fruition, this might be your chance.
And finally, we stumbled across
a video highlighting some of the darker aspects of amateur radio
, particularly those who go through tremendous expense and effort just to be a pain in the ass. The story centers around the Mt. Diablo repeater, an amateur radio repeater located in California. Apparently someone took offense at the topics of conversation on the machine, and deployed what they called the “Annoy-o-Tron” to express their displeasure. The device consisted of a Baofeng transceiver, a cheap MP3 player loaded with obnoxious content, and a battery. Encased in epoxy resin and concrete inside a plastic ammo can, the jammer lugged the beast up a hill 20 miles (32 km) from the repeater, trained a simple Yagi antenna toward the site, and walked away. It lasted for three days and while the amateurs complained about the misuse of their repeater, they apparently didn’t do a thing about it. The jammer was retrieved six weeks after the fact and hasn’t been heard from since. | 15 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331318",
"author": "David Given",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T23:30:26",
"content": "Don’t most countries celebrate Pi Day on the 3rd of Smarch?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6331354",
"author": "Comedicles",
"... | 1,760,373,151.856203 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/how-to-cobble-a-wobble-disk-roaster-together/ | How To Cobble A Wobble Disk Roaster Together | Kristina Panos | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"coffee",
"coffee roaster",
"coffee roasting",
"heat gun",
"wobble disk"
] | As with anything else, once your knowledge of coffee expands, the more attractive it becomes to control as much of the process as possible. Buying whole beans and grinding them at home is one thing, but you’re not a real coffee geek unless you’re buying big bags of green beans and roasting them yourself in small batches.
[Larry Cotton] has made
an even more portable version of the wobble disk roaster we saw last summer
. Beneath the housing made of aluminium flashing is the guts of a $15 Harbor Freight heat gun pointing upward at a metal strainer. A large metal disk mounted at a 45-degree angle to the spinning axis tosses and turns the beans as they get blasted with heat from below. [Larry] used a 12 VDC motor to run the wobble disk, and an an adapter to change the heat gun from 120 VAC to 12 VDC. This baby roasts 1½ cups of beans to
city plus
(medium) level in 12-15 minutes. Grab a cup of coffee and check it out after the break.
Roasting beans isn’t rocket science. Even so, there are some things you would benefit from knowing first, so
here’s our own [Elliot Williams] on the subject of building DIY roasters
. | 9 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331276",
"author": "Dude",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T21:06:20",
"content": "Do coffee beans keep better when roasted or not?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6331281",
"author": "Largol1",
"timestamp": "2021-03-... | 1,760,373,151.978379 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/rare-diode-threatens-coast-guards-arctic-ambitions/ | Rare Diode Threatens Coast Guard’s Arctic Ambitions | Tom Nardi | [
"News",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"arctic",
"Arctic exploration",
"Coast Guard",
"ebay",
"icebreaker",
"spare parts"
] | The United States Coast Guard heavy icebreaker
Polar Star
is literally a one-of-a-kind ship. After its sister
Polar Sea
was deactivated in 2010 it became the most powerful icebreaker in the fleet, and one of only two US icebreakers capable of operating in the treacherous polar regions. The vessel is critical to protecting America’s scientific and economic interests in the Arctic,
but according to a recent article in
Business Insider
, the ship’s age and scarcity of spare parts is making an already difficult mission even harder.
In the article, Captain William Woityra specifically mentions that the ship’s diesel-electric propulsion system is running on borrowed time as the diodes used in its AC/DC rectifier are no longer manufactured. With none remaining in the Coast Guard’s inventory, the crew has had to turn to eBay to source as many spares as possible. But once their hoard runs out, Captain Woityra fears his ship will be dead in the water:
We’ve got a few dozen of these in a box on a shelf, when they’re gone, the ship will not be able to run anymore. It’s really kind of disconcerting … that this ship, and this operation, and the US’s icebreaking presence in the Arctic is reliant on a box of spare parts that … there are no more of.”
The 45 year old ship received a $60 million refit in 2013, but that was only expected to extend the hard-working vessel’s life by 8 to 10 years. There was a proposal for a far more thorough overhaul, one which potentially would have keep the
Polar Star
in service until nearly 2040; but with an estimated cost of $400 million, Congress decided to go with the more economical stop-gap refit.
Polar Security Cutter
This story comes just days after the
Air Force announced it’s looking for a few good hackers to help reverse engineer components
on its aging fleet of B-2 bombers. Much like the
Polar Star’s
vintage rectifier diodes, spare parts for the the stealthy aircraft are getting increasingly difficult to find.
While the Air Force has enough money in the budget to get replacements made, the Coast Guard will just have to hope their stock of diodes holds out a little while longer. Congress has already approved the Polar Security Cutter Program, a fleet of next-generation icebreakers designed to be comparable to newer Russian and Chinese vessels. The first of these ships could set sail by 2024, providing the
Polar Star
some much-needed backup.
[Thanks to Chuckz for the tip.] | 164 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331169",
"author": "J-F Payeur",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T17:07:32",
"content": "C’mon , “diodes used in its AC/DC rectifier” ……. Some-one need to learn how to find and sort parts in the Digikey web page to find compatible equivalent before doing the “Cry-Baby” in the head line !... | 1,760,373,152.473678 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/an-infrared-activated-solder-fume-extraction-fan/ | An Infrared-Activated Solder Fume Extraction Fan | Zach Zeman | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"fan",
"fume extractor",
"fumes",
"hand soldering",
"solder",
"solder fume extractor",
"solder fumes",
"soldering"
] | Even the most safety-conscious hackers among us might overlook protective gear when we’re just doing a quick bit of soldering. Honestly, though, eye protection is always a necessity. And those wisps of smoke, which drift so elegantly off the hot part of the iron, really shouldn’t drift directly into our nostrils. This is especially true if soldering you make a daily habit, or if you use lead-based solder.
And so, in defense of his lungs, [Jeremy S Cook] added a battery-powered fume extraction fan to his custom, concrete-based solder squid. Without proper power controls, though, the fan could easily drain its battery while no actual solder activity was occurring. To tackle that problem, he recently
upgraded his system with a passive infrared (PIR) sensor
to control when the fan turns on and off. The PIR sensor detects motion, enabling the fan only when it sees busy hands in its view, so he no longer needs to muck around with manual controls.
Despite a large increase in functionality, the design is relatively straightforward and uses off-the-shelf components, making it an accessible project for anyone who knows their way around an iron. [Jeremy] also upgraded his power source to a LiPo battery with onboard charger, which keeps the build light, maneuverable, and easy to get close to whatever he’s working on.
Whether you build or buy, a fume extractor will help fight off the
famously face-seeking solder smoke
on your workbench. Which is a good thing, too, because
that smoke carries more than just the alluring aromas of making
. | 13 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331172",
"author": "Phil",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T17:20:01",
"content": "I wonder if the house of commons has a Boris activated hot air removal system?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6331228",
"author": "Hirudinea"... | 1,760,373,152.700217 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/your-plants-can-take-care-of-themselves-now/ | Your Plants Can Take Care Of Themselves Now | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"automation",
"light",
"microcontrollers",
"moisture",
"plants",
"robot",
"soil",
"stm32",
"temperature"
] | One of [Sasa]’s life goals is to be able to sit back in his home and watch as robots perform all of his work for him. In order to work towards this goal, he has decided to start with some home automation which will take care of all of his house plants for him. This project is built from the ground up, too, and is the first part of a series of videos which will outline the
construction of a complete, open-source plant care machine
.
The first video starts with the sensors for the plants. [Sasa] decided to go with a completely custom module based on the STM32 microcontroller since commercial offerings had poor communications designs and other flaws. The small board is designed to be placed in the soil, and has sensors for soil moisture as well as other sensors for amount of light available and the ambient temperature. The improvements over the commercial modules include communication over I2C, allowing a large number of modules to communicate over a minimum of wires and be arranged in any way needed.
For this build everything is open-source and available on [Sasa]’s GitHub page, including PCB layouts and code for the microcontrollers. We’re looking forward to the rest of the videos where he plans to lay out the central unit for handling all of these sensors, and a custom dashboard for controlling them as well. Perhaps there will also be an option for adding a way to
physically listen to the plants communicate
their needs as well. | 41 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331105",
"author": "paulvdh",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T12:30:09",
"content": "Stopped the video within 30s because of the annoying background tune.Sigh.Still wish you lots of fun with your progress.Still curious though:Have you considered building plant water sensors based on weig... | 1,760,373,152.209573 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/14/an-anti-tamper-mesh-plugin-for-kicad/ | An Anti-Tamper Mesh Plugin For KiCad | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks",
"Software Development"
] | [
"anti-tamper",
"KiCAD",
"mesh",
"tamper detection mesh",
"tamper protection mesh"
] | Physical access to electronics generally means all bets are off when it comes to information security. But in special cases this is just unacceptable and a better solution must be found. Consider the encryption keys used by point of sale machines. To protect them, the devices incorporate anti-tamper mechanisms that will wipe the keys from memory if the device is opened. One such technique is to use a mesh of traces on a circuit board that are monitored for any changes in resistance or capacitance. [Sebastian Götte] has been researching in this area and
wrote a KiCad plugin to automatically generate tamper-detection mesh
.
The idea is pretty simple, place traces very close to one another and it makes it impossible to drill into the case of a device without upsetting the apple cart. There are other uses as well, such as embedding them in adhesives that destroy the traces when pried apart. For [Sebastian’s] experiments he’s sticking with PCBs because of the ease of manufacture. His plugin lays down a footprint that has four pads to begin and end two loops in the mesh. The plugin looks for an outline to fence in the area, then uses a space filling curve to generate the path. This proof of concept works, but it sounds like there are some quirks that can crash KiCad. Consider
taking a look at the code
if you have the expertise to help make it more stable.
We’ve seen these
anti-tamper meshes in practice in the VeriFone payment terminal
that [Tom Nardi] tore down a couple of years ago. The approach that [Sabastian] took with the plugin actually produces a more complex mesh than was in use there as it only really used vertical lines for the traces. | 31 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331076",
"author": "Hendrik (dg3hda)",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T09:23:12",
"content": "I once integrated a bunch of traces below a chemical sensor to heat and measure board temperature. Working well enough. That was hand-drawn Hilbert curve with some mistakes and kelvin connections... | 1,760,373,152.544089 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/13/web-pages-and-more-via-shortwave/ | Web Pages (and More) Via Shortwave | Al Williams | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"radio",
"shortwave",
"shortwave broadcasts"
] | If you are a ham radio operator, the idea of sending pictures and data over voice channels is nothing new. Hams have lots of techniques for doing that and — not so long ago — even most data transmissions were over phone lines. However, now everyone can get in on the game thanks to the cheap availability of software-defined radio. Several commercial shortwave broadcasters are sending encoded data including images and even entire web pages. You can find out more at the
Swradiogram website
. You can also find
step-by-step instructions
.
WINB in Pennsylvania and WRMI Florida both have shows that include interspersed data. To play along, you’ll need a decoder like
Fldigi
or
TIVAR
. If you don’t have sufficient radio gear, you can probably
borrow some from the Internet
.
On the face of it, this might seem to be just a geeky hobby, but we can’t help but think that in places where data is censored, radio might be a viable way to send information. Some forward error correction codes and perhaps encryption could be a way to have a data lifeline to those forbidden from free access to the Internet. After all, history is full of stories of secret radio receivers tuned to the BBC or some other radio outlet, or examples of secret messages in broadcasts, such as
Radio Swan
. If you know Morse code, you might even get a warning about your
impending rescue
. | 30 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331065",
"author": "Jeffrey Renner",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T07:22:40",
"content": "Awesome story. Especially when I read the same one, word for word 5 years ago athttps://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/the-cold-war-weirdness-of-radio-swan/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1... | 1,760,373,152.278632 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/13/its-not-a-computer-if-it-doesnt-have-a-cartridge-slot/ | It’s Not A Computer If It Doesn’t Have A Cartridge Slot | Jenny List | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"cartridge",
"cartridge port",
"cyberdeck",
"usb"
] | For viewers of sci-fi TV and films from the 1960s onwards, the miniaturisation of computer hardware has been something of a disappointment. Yes, it’s amazing that we can get 1.21 Jigabytes onto a memory card that fits comfortably under a postage stamp, but we were promised a different future. One of satisfyingly chunky data modules that activated everything from starships to handheld data recorders to malevolent rogue supercomputers, and one that has so far only materialised in the form of cartridges for game consoles.
Our colleague [Tom Nardi] has the solution for his cyberdeck though, in the form of
3D-printed cartridge shells that hide regular USB hardware and mate with a concealed USB socket in the slot
. So far he’s designed cartridges for Flash drives, WiFi and Bluetooth adapters, a Wemos D1 Mini, a receptacle, and a parametric reference design.
It’s a bit of pleasing retro fun, but behind it all could be a surprisingly practical and useful expansion system. Each cartridge contains enough space for a lot of extra electronics, so it’s almost the ideal format for building a USB-driven project inside. Best of all since the interface is USB, it still works with conventional USB plugs and sockets. We like the idea, and it’s one that would be a good addition to any cyberdeck project.
We’re far more used to seeing home-made cartridges
on game consoles
. | 25 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331044",
"author": "Ostracus",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T03:44:33",
"content": "“One of satisfyingly chunky data modules that activated everything from starships to handheld data recorders to malevolent rogue supercomputers, and one that has so far only materialized in the form of c... | 1,760,373,152.607815 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/13/networked-nightlights-glow-together/ | Networked Nightlights Glow Together | Lewin Day | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"ESP8266",
"nightlight",
"ws2812"
] | Nightlights are a great way to calm children who may be afraid of the dark, as well as to avoid stubbing your toe on furniture in the hallway. However, in this day and age of connected everything, they can do so much more. [Andy] came up with a great way to do just that,
creating an advanced networked solution to suit his needs.
[Andy’s] nightlight serves not just in the usual fashion, but also as an indicator for his children. Depending on the time of day, the colour changes, indicating whether it’s time for bed, or also, if it’s too early to get out of bed in the morning and start watching cartoons. Each nightlight around the house runs on an ESP8266, which lights up using a set of WS2812B LEDs. The ESP8266 decides on colour values based on commands from a basic webserver running on a Raspberry Pi, updated every minute. This gives [Andy] the flexibility to make changes in one place, that then automatically roll out across the Nightlight Network (TM).
It’s a fun way of teaching the kids not to ruin a good Saturday sleep in, as well as serving as a fun colourful nightlight, too. Of course, luxury smart nightlights are becoming a thing,
as this teardown of a Bluetooth unit shows.
If you’ve built your own,
be sure to drop us a line! | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331060",
"author": "A dad who's daughter has too many unicorns",
"timestamp": "2021-03-14T07:14:12",
"content": "I knew it. Unicorns are evil and have mind control.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "6331070",
"author": "Ewal... | 1,760,373,152.647686 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/13/3d-printed-press-forming-tools-dos-and-donts/ | 3D-Printed Press-Forming Tools Dos And Don’ts | Dan Maloney | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"3d printed",
"composite",
"epoxy",
"forming",
"hydraulic press",
"infill",
"metalworking",
"press-forming",
"resin",
"sheet metal",
"tooling"
] | Press-forming is a versatile metal forming technique that can quickly and easily turn sheet metal into finished parts. But there’s a lot of time and money tied up in the tooling needed, which can make it hard for the home-gamer to get into. Unless you
3D-print your press-form tooling
, of course.
Observant readers will no doubt recall
our previous coverage
of press-forming attempts with plastic tooling, which were met with
varying degrees of success
. But [Dave]’s effort stands apart for a number of reasons, not least of which is his relative newbishness when it comes to hot-squirt manufacturing. Even so, he still came up with an interesting gradient infill technique that put most of the plastic at the working face of the dies. That kept print times in the reasonable range, at least compared to the days of printing that would have been needed for 100% infill through the whole tool profile.
The other innovation that we liked was the idea to use epoxy resin to reinforce the tools. Filling the infill spaces on the tools’ undersides with resin resulted in a solid, strong block that was better able to withstand pressing forces. [Dave] didn’t fully account for the exothermic natures of the polymerization reaction, though, and slightly warped the tools. But as the video below shows, even suboptimal tools can perform, bending everything he threw at them, including the hydraulic press to some extent.
It sure seems like this is one technique to keep in mind for a rainy day. And hats off to [Dave] for sharing what didn’t work, since it points the way to improvements.
Thanks to [Nikša Barlović] for the tip. | 13 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331003",
"author": "Mr Name Required",
"timestamp": "2021-03-13T22:54:01",
"content": "Pretty good job. I think I would perhaps have mixed some fine powder like concrete at say 20% by volume as a binder into the resin to reduce the amount required, add some modicum of incompressibi... | 1,760,373,152.815996 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/13/putting-the-magic-smoke-back-in-a-cooked-scooter/ | Putting The Magic Smoke Back In A Cooked Scooter | Tom Nardi | [
"Repair Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"electric scooter",
"mosfet",
"motor controller",
"PCB repair",
"repair"
] | When [Vitor Melon] found out there was a custom firmware (CFW) available for his Xiaomi Mijia M365 Pro electric scooter that would increase his top end speed, naturally he installed it. Who wouldn’t want a little more performance out their hardware? But while the new firmware got the scooter running even better than stock, he does have
a cautionary tale for anyone who might decide to ride their Mijia a bit harder
than the fine folks at Xiaomi may have intended.
Now to be clear, [Vitor] does
not
blame the CFW for the fact that he cooked the control board of his Mijia. At least, not technically. There was nothing necessarily wrong with the new code or the capabilities it unlocked, but when combined with his particular riding style, it simply pushed the system over the edge. The failure seems to have been triggered by his penchant for using the strongest possible regenerative breaking settings on the scooter combined with a considerably higher than expected velocity attained during a downhill run. Turns out that big 40 flashing on the display wasn’t his speed, but an error code indicating an overheat condition. Oops.
Results of the PCB repair.
After a long and embarrassing walk home with his scooter, complete with a passerby laughing at him, [Vitor] opened the case and quickly identified the problem. Not only had the some of the MOSFETs failed, but a trace on the PCB had been badly burned through. Judging by the discoloration elsewhere on the board, it looks like a few of its friends were about to join in the self-immolation protest as well.
After a brief consultation with his graybeard father, [Vitor] replaced the dead transistors with higher rated versions and then turned his attention to the damaged traces. A bit of wire and a generous helping of solder got the main rail back in one piece, and he touched up the areas where the PCB had blackened for good measure.
A quick test confirmed the relatively simple repairs got the scooter up and running, but how was he going to prevent it from happening again? Reinstalling the original firmware with its more conservative governor was clearly no longer an option after he’d tasted such dizzying speeds, so instead he needed to find out some way to keep the controller cooler. The answer ended up being to attach the MOSFETs to the controller’s aluminum enclosure using thermal pads. This allows them to dissipate far more heat, and should keep a similar failure from happening again. You might be wondering why the MOSFETs weren’t already mounted this way, but unfortunately only Xiaomi can explain that one.
With their rapidly rising popularity
hackers have been coming up with
more and more elaborate modifications
for electric scooters, and
thanks to their wide availability on the second hand market
, it’s likely the best is still yet to come when it comes to these affordable vehicles. | 27 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6330959",
"author": "tekkieneet",
"timestamp": "2021-03-13T18:41:53",
"content": "You are much better off using AWG #10 solid wire for patching the *high current* traces on the PCB. Solder is a piss poor conductor compared to copper. So if the copper trace burnt out, what would yo... | 1,760,373,152.769394 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/15/guitar-effects-with-no-unwanted-delay/ | Guitar Effects With No (Unwanted) Delay | Bryan Cockfield | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"adc",
"DAW",
"delay",
"guitar",
"interface",
"latency",
"midi",
"music",
"pico",
"port",
"raspberry pi",
"software"
] | MIDI has been a great tool for musicians and artists since its invention in the 1980s. It allows a standard way to interface musical instruments to computers for easy recording, editing, and production of music. It does have a few weaknesses though, namely that without some specialized equipment the latency of the signals through the various connected devices can easily get too high to be useful in live performances.
It’s not an impossible problem to surmount with the right equipment
, as illustrated by [Philip Karlsson Gisslow].
The low-latency MIDI interface that he created is built around a Raspberry Pi Pico. It runs a custom library created by [Philip] called MiGiC which specifically built as a MIDI to Guitar interface. The entire setup consists of a preamp to boost the guitar’s signal up to 3.3V where it is then fed to the Pi. This is where the MIDI sampling is done. From there it sends the information
to a PC
which is able to play the sound back quickly with no noticeable delay.
[Philip] also had to do a lot of extra work to port the software to the Pi which lacks a lot of the features of its original intended hardware on a Mac or Windows machine, and the results are impressive, especially at the end of the video where he uses the interface to play a drum machine via his guitar. And, while MIDI is certainly a powerful application for a guitarist,
we have also seen the Pi put to other uses in this musical realm as well
.
Thanks to [Josh] for the tip! | 23 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "6331658",
"author": "pagea",
"timestamp": "2021-03-15T20:46:58",
"content": "Isn’t that a breach of DMCA to publish this kind of stuff? MIDI, unlike CAN, isn’t a libre protocol.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "6331694",
... | 1,760,373,152.87487 |
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