Hackaday Podcast 049: Tiny Machine Learning, Basement Battery Bonanza, and Does This Uranium Feel Hot?
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/
Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams sort through all of the hacks to find the most interesting hardware projects you may have missed this week. Did you know you can use machine learning without a neural network? Here’s a project that does that on an ATtiny85. We also wrap …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/
Hackaday editors Mike Szczys and Elliot Williams sort through all of the hacks to find the most interesting hardware projects you may have missed this week. Did you know you can use machine learning without a neural network? Here’s a project that does that on an ATtiny85. We also wrap …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hackaday-podcast-049-tiny-machine-learning-basement-battery-bonanza-and-does-this-uranium-feel-hot/)
This Week in Security: Camera Feeds, Python 2, FPGAs,
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/
Networked cameras keep making the news, and not in the best of ways. First it was compromised Ring accounts used for creepy pranks, and now it’s Xiaomi’s stale cache sending camera images to strangers! It’s not hard to imagine how such a flaw could happen: Xiaomi does some video feed …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/
Networked cameras keep making the news, and not in the best of ways. First it was compromised Ring accounts used for creepy pranks, and now it’s Xiaomi’s stale cache sending camera images to strangers! It’s not hard to imagine how such a flaw could happen: Xiaomi does some video feed …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/this-week-in-security-camera-feeds-python-2-fpgas/)
Hide Silent, Hide Deep: Submarine Tracking Technologies of the Cold War
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/
All through the cold war, there was a high-stakes game of cat and mouse in play. Nuclear powers like the United States and the Soviet Union would hide submarines armed with nuclear missiles underwater. The other side would try to know where they were so they could be targeted in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/
All through the cold war, there was a high-stakes game of cat and mouse in play. Nuclear powers like the United States and the Soviet Union would hide submarines armed with nuclear missiles underwater. The other side would try to know where they were so they could be targeted in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/hide-silent-hide-deep-submarine-tracking-technologies-of-the-cold-war/)
Using Lookup Tables to Make the Impossible Possible
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/
Embarrassing confession time: I never learned my multiplication tables in grade school. Sure, I had the easy tables like the twos and the fives down, but if asked what 4 x 7 or 8 x 6 was, I’d draw a blank. As you can imagine, that made me a less …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/
Embarrassing confession time: I never learned my multiplication tables in grade school. Sure, I had the easy tables like the twos and the fives down, but if asked what 4 x 7 or 8 x 6 was, I’d draw a blank. As you can imagine, that made me a less …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/using-lookup-tables-to-make-the-impossible-possible/)
Retro PowerBook Gets a Mac Mini Transplant
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/
Around these parts, seeing a classic laptop or desktop computer get revived with the Raspberry Pi is fairly common. While we’re not ones to turn down a well-executed Pi infusion, we know they can be controversial at times. There’s an impression that such projects are low-effort, and that the combination …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/
Around these parts, seeing a classic laptop or desktop computer get revived with the Raspberry Pi is fairly common. While we’re not ones to turn down a well-executed Pi infusion, we know they can be controversial at times. There’s an impression that such projects are low-effort, and that the combination …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/retro-powerbook-gets-a-mac-mini-transplant/)
Arduino Pedometer Counts Your Steps
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/arduino-pedometer-counts-your-steps/
There’s a trend in corporate America that has employees wear a step counter — technically a pedometer — and compete in teams to see who can get the most number of steps. We wonder how many people attach the device to an electric drill and win the competition easily. However …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/arduino-pedometer-counts-your-steps/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/arduino-pedometer-counts-your-steps/
There’s a trend in corporate America that has employees wear a step counter — technically a pedometer — and compete in teams to see who can get the most number of steps. We wonder how many people attach the device to an electric drill and win the competition easily. However …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/arduino-pedometer-counts-your-steps/)
Building a Low-Tech Website for Energy Efficiency
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/building-a-low-tech-website-for-energy-efficiency/
In an age of flashy jQuery scripts and bulky JavaScript front-end frameworks, loading a “lite” website is like a breath of fresh air. When most of us think of lightweight sites, though, our mind goes to old-style pure HTML and CSS sites or the intentionally barebones websites of developers and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/building-a-low-tech-website-for-energy-efficiency/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/building-a-low-tech-website-for-energy-efficiency/
In an age of flashy jQuery scripts and bulky JavaScript front-end frameworks, loading a “lite” website is like a breath of fresh air. When most of us think of lightweight sites, though, our mind goes to old-style pure HTML and CSS sites or the intentionally barebones websites of developers and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/building-a-low-tech-website-for-energy-efficiency/)
A Simple POV Globe Via APA102
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-simple-pov-globe-via-apa102/
POV builds come in all shapes and sizes, and typically rely on LEDs for their high light output and fast response time. With this in mind, [Great Scott] grabbed some LED strip off the shelf and set about whipping up a POV LED globe.
Being a spinning POV build, it’s …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-simple-pov-globe-via-apa102/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-simple-pov-globe-via-apa102/
POV builds come in all shapes and sizes, and typically rely on LEDs for their high light output and fast response time. With this in mind, [Great Scott] grabbed some LED strip off the shelf and set about whipping up a POV LED globe.
Being a spinning POV build, it’s …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/10/a-simple-pov-globe-via-apa102/)
This Ugly Christmas Sweater Can Set You On Fire
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-ugly-christmas-sweater-can-set-you-on-fire/
While Christmas may have just passed, there’s just enough time left in winter to justify wearing your ugly Christmas sweaters for a few more days. If you’re not one of the lucky ones with an old sweater from Grandma, you can still turn your least favorite sweater into the most …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-ugly-christmas-sweater-can-set-you-on-fire/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-ugly-christmas-sweater-can-set-you-on-fire/
While Christmas may have just passed, there’s just enough time left in winter to justify wearing your ugly Christmas sweaters for a few more days. If you’re not one of the lucky ones with an old sweater from Grandma, you can still turn your least favorite sweater into the most …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-ugly-christmas-sweater-can-set-you-on-fire/)
Building a Real Wooden Table Saw
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/building-a-real-wooden-table-saw/
A table saw is one of those tools that aren’t strictly necessary to have, but immensely helpful if you do happen to have one around. The folks at [I Build It] have made a three part series that features a homemade table saw build, so you can finally get around …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/building-a-real-wooden-table-saw/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/building-a-real-wooden-table-saw/
A table saw is one of those tools that aren’t strictly necessary to have, but immensely helpful if you do happen to have one around. The folks at [I Build It] have made a three part series that features a homemade table saw build, so you can finally get around …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/building-a-real-wooden-table-saw/)
Stacks of Spring Washers Power the Drawbar on this CNC Mill Conversion
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/stacks-of-spring-washers-power-the-drawbar-on-this-cnc-mill-conversion/
With Tormach and Haas capturing a lot of the entry-level professional market for CNC machines, we don’t see too many CNC conversions of manual mills anymore. And so this power drawbar conversion for a Precision Matthews mill really caught our eye.
What’s that, you say? Didn’t [Physics Anonymous] already build …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/stacks-of-spring-washers-power-the-drawbar-on-this-cnc-mill-conversion/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/stacks-of-spring-washers-power-the-drawbar-on-this-cnc-mill-conversion/
With Tormach and Haas capturing a lot of the entry-level professional market for CNC machines, we don’t see too many CNC conversions of manual mills anymore. And so this power drawbar conversion for a Precision Matthews mill really caught our eye.
What’s that, you say? Didn’t [Physics Anonymous] already build …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/stacks-of-spring-washers-power-the-drawbar-on-this-cnc-mill-conversion/)
An Arduino-Based Flute Playing Machine
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/an-arduino-based-flute-playing-machine/
It’s one thing to be able to transcribe music from a flute, and it’s another to be able to make a flute play pre-written music. The latter is what [Abhilash Patel] decided to pursue in the flute player machine, an Arduino-based project that uses an air flow mechanism and PVC …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/an-arduino-based-flute-playing-machine/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/an-arduino-based-flute-playing-machine/
It’s one thing to be able to transcribe music from a flute, and it’s another to be able to make a flute play pre-written music. The latter is what [Abhilash Patel] decided to pursue in the flute player machine, an Arduino-based project that uses an air flow mechanism and PVC …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/an-arduino-based-flute-playing-machine/)
Printed Separator Separates Printed Pages
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/printed-separator-separates-printed-pages/
We all know people trapped in aging bodies who can’t do all the things they used to do. It’s easy to accept that you may never move small furniture around by yourself again, but losing the ability to do something as simple as separating the pages of your newspaper to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/printed-separator-separates-printed-pages/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/printed-separator-separates-printed-pages/
We all know people trapped in aging bodies who can’t do all the things they used to do. It’s easy to accept that you may never move small furniture around by yourself again, but losing the ability to do something as simple as separating the pages of your newspaper to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/printed-separator-separates-printed-pages/)
Plucky Kalimba Plays Itself
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/plucky-kalimba-plays-itself/
[Gurpreet] fell in love with the peaceful, floaty theme from the Avatar series and bought a kalimba so he could hear it resonate through his fingertips. He soon realized that although it’s nice to play the kalimba, it would be a lot cooler if it played itself. Then he could …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/plucky-kalimba-plays-itself/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/plucky-kalimba-plays-itself/
[Gurpreet] fell in love with the peaceful, floaty theme from the Avatar series and bought a kalimba so he could hear it resonate through his fingertips. He soon realized that although it’s nice to play the kalimba, it would be a lot cooler if it played itself. Then he could …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/plucky-kalimba-plays-itself/)
This Artist Drags His Feet Across Sand and Snow
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-artist-drags-his-feet-across-sand-and-snow/
You may have seen Simon Beck’s work a few years back. The snow artist, known for creating large-scale works of art with nothing but snowshoes, has been creating geometrically inspired fractals and mathematical forms for years. An orienteer and map-maker by day, he typically plans out his works in advance …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-artist-drags-his-feet-across-sand-and-snow/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-artist-drags-his-feet-across-sand-and-snow/
You may have seen Simon Beck’s work a few years back. The snow artist, known for creating large-scale works of art with nothing but snowshoes, has been creating geometrically inspired fractals and mathematical forms for years. An orienteer and map-maker by day, he typically plans out his works in advance …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/this-artist-drags-his-feet-across-sand-and-snow/)
NanoVNA Tests Antenna Pattern
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/nanovna-tests-antenna-pattern/
When [Jephthai] wanted to build his own Yagi antenna, he turned to MMANA software for antenna modeling. This is an antenna analysis program that uses the moment method to calculate parameters for different antenna geometries. After building the Yagi, the predicted tuning and impedance matched the real antenna nicely. But …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/nanovna-tests-antenna-pattern/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/nanovna-tests-antenna-pattern/
When [Jephthai] wanted to build his own Yagi antenna, he turned to MMANA software for antenna modeling. This is an antenna analysis program that uses the moment method to calculate parameters for different antenna geometries. After building the Yagi, the predicted tuning and impedance matched the real antenna nicely. But …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/11/nanovna-tests-antenna-pattern/)
A Supercapacitor Might Just Light Your Way One Day
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/a-supercapacitor-might-just-light-your-way-one-day/
Sometimes the simplest hacks are the most useful ones, and they don’t come much simpler than the little supercapacitor LED flashlight from serial maker of cool stuff [Jeremy S. Cook]. Little more than an LED, a supercapacitor, USB plug, and couple of resistors, it makes a neat little flashlight that …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/a-supercapacitor-might-just-light-your-way-one-day/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/a-supercapacitor-might-just-light-your-way-one-day/
Sometimes the simplest hacks are the most useful ones, and they don’t come much simpler than the little supercapacitor LED flashlight from serial maker of cool stuff [Jeremy S. Cook]. Little more than an LED, a supercapacitor, USB plug, and couple of resistors, it makes a neat little flashlight that …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/a-supercapacitor-might-just-light-your-way-one-day/)
Generating Beetles from Public Domain Images
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/generating-beetles-from-public-domain-images/
Ever since [Ian Goodfellow] and his colleagues invented the generative adversarial network (GAN) in 2014, hundreds of projects, from style transfers to poetry generators, have been produced using the concept of contesting neural networks. Unlike traditional neural networks, GANs can generate new data that fits statistically within the same set …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/generating-beetles-from-public-domain-images/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/generating-beetles-from-public-domain-images/
Ever since [Ian Goodfellow] and his colleagues invented the generative adversarial network (GAN) in 2014, hundreds of projects, from style transfers to poetry generators, have been produced using the concept of contesting neural networks. Unlike traditional neural networks, GANs can generate new data that fits statistically within the same set …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/generating-beetles-from-public-domain-images/)
Maze Solving Via Text Editing
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/maze-solving-via-text-editing/
Linux scripters usually know about sed — the stream editor. It has a simple job: transform text as it whizzes from input to output. So if you wanted to solve a maze, this wouldn’t be the tool you’d think to use, right? Well, if you were [xsot], you’d disagree.
You …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/maze-solving-via-text-editing/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/maze-solving-via-text-editing/
Linux scripters usually know about sed — the stream editor. It has a simple job: transform text as it whizzes from input to output. So if you wanted to solve a maze, this wouldn’t be the tool you’d think to use, right? Well, if you were [xsot], you’d disagree.
You …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/maze-solving-via-text-editing/)
Awakening A Dragon From Its Slumber
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/awakening-a-dragon-from-its-slumber/
For all the retrocomputing fun and games we encounter in our community, there are a few classic microcomputers that rarely receive any attention. Usually this is because they didn’t sell well and not many have survived, or were simply underwhelming machines that haven’t gathered a huge following today. One that …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/awakening-a-dragon-from-its-slumber/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/awakening-a-dragon-from-its-slumber/
For all the retrocomputing fun and games we encounter in our community, there are a few classic microcomputers that rarely receive any attention. Usually this is because they didn’t sell well and not many have survived, or were simply underwhelming machines that haven’t gathered a huge following today. One that …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/awakening-a-dragon-from-its-slumber/)
DIY Ionizer Clears the Air on a Budget
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/diy-ionizer-clears-the-air-on-a-budget/
Have you ever had a good, deep breath of the air near a waterfall, or perhaps after a thunderstorm? That unmistakably fresh smell is due to ionized air, specifically negative ions, and many are the claims concerning their health benefits. A minor industry has sprung up to capitalize on the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/diy-ionizer-clears-the-air-on-a-budget/)
https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/diy-ionizer-clears-the-air-on-a-budget/
Have you ever had a good, deep breath of the air near a waterfall, or perhaps after a thunderstorm? That unmistakably fresh smell is due to ionized air, specifically negative ions, and many are the claims concerning their health benefits. A minor industry has sprung up to capitalize on the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2020/01/12/diy-ionizer-clears-the-air-on-a-budget/)