There are so many things we approximate to make life simple. Wires, for example, have no resistance or other strange effects. Crystal oscillators output their exact frequency. But surely our …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/emulating-memory-access-how-hard-can-it-be/)

Using Azo Photoisomerization to Alter Semiconductor Film Properties
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/using-azo-photoisomerization-to-alter-semiconductor-film-properties/

Generally semiconductor devices like transistors have fixed properties, but using an azobenzene (Azo) compound it’s possible to optically alter these properties by exposing them to UV light. This is demonstrated …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/using-azo-photoisomerization-to-alter-semiconductor-film-properties/)

What are Your Indispensable Software Skills?
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/what-are-your-indispensable-software-skills/

Using tools properly takes skill, and this goes for software tools as well as hardware. You don’t just buy a paintbrush and on day one paint the Mona Lisa. Similarly, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/what-are-your-indispensable-software-skills/)

Teaching a Robot Hand to Walk
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/teaching-a-robot-hand-to-walk/

Although it wasn’t apparently designed with this in mind, it seems particularly fortuitous that this walking robotic hand was released in time for Halloween. Designed by researchers from ETH Zurich, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/teaching-a-robot-hand-to-walk/)

Coreboot Hikes the Bay Trail to DRAM Initialization
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/coreboot-hikes-the-bay-trail-to-dram-initialization/

This article is written on an open-source operating system, but not an open-source machine — the BIOS isn’t open-source, and even if it were supported by the coreboot project (formerly …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/coreboot-hikes-the-bay-trail-to-dram-initialization/)

A Hotspot Becomes A Handheld
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/a-hotspot-becomes-a-handheld/

A Linux handheld computer is, in theory, easy and inexpensive given the availability of single-board computers, but in practice the budget invariably edges well into three figures. There’s an interesting …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/a-hotspot-becomes-a-handheld/)

Laser Your Way into Debug Mode on the RP2350
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/laser-your-way-into-debug-mode-on-the-rp2350/

The RP2350 is actually a pretty secure chip, all things considered. It has secure boot, ARMv8’s TrustZone to split secure and non-secure execution, and you can permanently disable debug — …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/laser-your-way-into-debug-mode-on-the-rp2350/)

Teardown and Repair of a Insoma Water Timer
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/teardown-and-repair-of-a-insoma-water-timer/