Magic-Angle Twisted Bilayer Graphene – Yes, That’s The Scientific Name
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/magic-angle-twisted-bilayer-graphene-yes-thats-the-scientific-name/
In the world of physics research, graphene has been gaining popularity as one of the most remarkable materials in the last 15 years. While it may appear unassuming in common household goods such as pencil leads, the material boasts a higher strength than steel and a higher flexibility than paper. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/magic-angle-twisted-bilayer-graphene-yes-thats-the-scientific-name/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/magic-angle-twisted-bilayer-graphene-yes-thats-the-scientific-name/
In the world of physics research, graphene has been gaining popularity as one of the most remarkable materials in the last 15 years. While it may appear unassuming in common household goods such as pencil leads, the material boasts a higher strength than steel and a higher flexibility than paper. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/magic-angle-twisted-bilayer-graphene-yes-thats-the-scientific-name/)
FPGA 6800 Uses Python Toolbox
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/fpga-6800-uses-python-toolbox/
Usually, when you think of designing — or recreating — a CPU on an FPGA, you assume you’ll have to use Verilog or VHDL. There are other options, as well, but those are the biggest two players in FPGA configuration. [Robert Baruch] has a multipart series where he uses nMigen …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/fpga-6800-uses-python-toolbox/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/fpga-6800-uses-python-toolbox/
Usually, when you think of designing — or recreating — a CPU on an FPGA, you assume you’ll have to use Verilog or VHDL. There are other options, as well, but those are the biggest two players in FPGA configuration. [Robert Baruch] has a multipart series where he uses nMigen …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/27/fpga-6800-uses-python-toolbox/)
[Ben Krasnow]’s Take on DIY Air Bearings
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/ben-krasnows-take-on-diy-air-bearings/
We’ve got to admit that watching [Ben Krasnow]’s new video on air bearings is tough. We found our eyes constantly checking the spherical air bearing in the foreground, which for the first eight minutes of the video just kept going. It was strangely hypnotic, and made it hard to concentrate …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/ben-krasnows-take-on-diy-air-bearings/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/ben-krasnows-take-on-diy-air-bearings/
We’ve got to admit that watching [Ben Krasnow]’s new video on air bearings is tough. We found our eyes constantly checking the spherical air bearing in the foreground, which for the first eight minutes of the video just kept going. It was strangely hypnotic, and made it hard to concentrate …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/ben-krasnows-take-on-diy-air-bearings/)
A VFD Wall Thermometer
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-vfd-wall-thermometer/
Want to build something using VFD tubes, but don’t need yet another clock project? In that case, this wall mounted temperature and humidity display created by [commanderkull] might be exactly what you’re looking for. With six IV-11 tubes, this display is a practical way to add some of that gorgeous …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-vfd-wall-thermometer/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-vfd-wall-thermometer/
Want to build something using VFD tubes, but don’t need yet another clock project? In that case, this wall mounted temperature and humidity display created by [commanderkull] might be exactly what you’re looking for. With six IV-11 tubes, this display is a practical way to add some of that gorgeous …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-vfd-wall-thermometer/)
Stronger 3D Prints — Glue or Carbon Fiber?
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/stronger-3d-prints-glue-or-carbon-fiber/
[CNCKitchen], like many others, is looking to make strong 3D prints. Using a high tech PLA bio copolyester compound, he printed a bunch of hooks in two different orientations. He used several different types of glue including epoxy and superglue. You can see the video of his results, below.
In …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/stronger-3d-prints-glue-or-carbon-fiber/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/stronger-3d-prints-glue-or-carbon-fiber/
[CNCKitchen], like many others, is looking to make strong 3D prints. Using a high tech PLA bio copolyester compound, he printed a bunch of hooks in two different orientations. He used several different types of glue including epoxy and superglue. You can see the video of his results, below.
In …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/stronger-3d-prints-glue-or-carbon-fiber/)
Peek Inside These Same-But-Different Power Supplies
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/peek-inside-these-same-but-different-power-supplies/
When [Kerry Wong] found an Amrel PPS 35-2 Programmable Power Supply from the late 90s on eBay, he recognized it as the single-channel version of another unit he owned, the dual-channel Amrel PPS-2322. Naturally, he purchased it and did a compare and contrast of the two models.
From the outside, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/peek-inside-these-same-but-different-power-supplies/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/peek-inside-these-same-but-different-power-supplies/
When [Kerry Wong] found an Amrel PPS 35-2 Programmable Power Supply from the late 90s on eBay, he recognized it as the single-channel version of another unit he owned, the dual-channel Amrel PPS-2322. Naturally, he purchased it and did a compare and contrast of the two models.
From the outside, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/peek-inside-these-same-but-different-power-supplies/)
A Pocket-Sized Terminal for Mobile Python Hacking
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-pocket-sized-terminal-for-mobile-python-hacking/
Inspired by the good old days when your computer would boot directly into BASIC, [Le Roux Bodenstein] has created a handheld device he calls “DumbDumb” that can drop you into a MicroPython environment at a moment’s notice. If that doesn’t interest you, think of it this way: it’s a (relatively) …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-pocket-sized-terminal-for-mobile-python-hacking/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-pocket-sized-terminal-for-mobile-python-hacking/
Inspired by the good old days when your computer would boot directly into BASIC, [Le Roux Bodenstein] has created a handheld device he calls “DumbDumb” that can drop you into a MicroPython environment at a moment’s notice. If that doesn’t interest you, think of it this way: it’s a (relatively) …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/a-pocket-sized-terminal-for-mobile-python-hacking/)
LED Flame Illuminates the Beauty of Noise
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/led-flame-illuminates-the-beauty-of-noise/
Have you ever wrapped up a nice blinky project only to be disappointed by the predictability of the light or the color patterns? When it came to lighting this LED candle, so was [fungus amungus]. But there’s a better way, and it involves noise.
Perlin noise was created in the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/led-flame-illuminates-the-beauty-of-noise/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/led-flame-illuminates-the-beauty-of-noise/
Have you ever wrapped up a nice blinky project only to be disappointed by the predictability of the light or the color patterns? When it came to lighting this LED candle, so was [fungus amungus]. But there’s a better way, and it involves noise.
Perlin noise was created in the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/led-flame-illuminates-the-beauty-of-noise/)
Subterranean Uses for LIDAR: Cave Surveys
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/subterranean-uses-for-lidar-cave-surveys/
LIDAR has gained much popularity as a means for self-driving cars to survey the space around them. At their most basic, LIDAR is a surveying method that uses lasers to paints the space around the sensors and assembles the distances measured from reflected light into a digital three-dimensional representation. That’s …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/subterranean-uses-for-lidar-cave-surveys/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/subterranean-uses-for-lidar-cave-surveys/
LIDAR has gained much popularity as a means for self-driving cars to survey the space around them. At their most basic, LIDAR is a surveying method that uses lasers to paints the space around the sensors and assembles the distances measured from reflected light into a digital three-dimensional representation. That’s …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/subterranean-uses-for-lidar-cave-surveys/)
Building A Spinning Moiré Effect Lamp
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/building-a-spinning-moire-effect-lamp/
Moiré patterns are interference patterns created when grids of different size or alignment are placed over each other. You’ve probably seen these when photographing a TV screen or looking through a pair of windows screens at the same time. [ChrysN] put the effect to work with this spinning Moiré lamp …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/building-a-spinning-moire-effect-lamp/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/building-a-spinning-moire-effect-lamp/
Moiré patterns are interference patterns created when grids of different size or alignment are placed over each other. You’ve probably seen these when photographing a TV screen or looking through a pair of windows screens at the same time. [ChrysN] put the effect to work with this spinning Moiré lamp …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/28/building-a-spinning-moire-effect-lamp/)
FET based Motor Driver is Better than L298N
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/fet-based-motor-driver-is-better-than-l298n/
If you want to build a small robot with a motor, you are likely to reach for an L298N to interface your microcontroller to the motor, probably in an H-bridge configuration. [Dronebot] has used L298N chips like this many times. In the video below, he uses a TB6612FNG instead, taking …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/fet-based-motor-driver-is-better-than-l298n/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/fet-based-motor-driver-is-better-than-l298n/
If you want to build a small robot with a motor, you are likely to reach for an L298N to interface your microcontroller to the motor, probably in an H-bridge configuration. [Dronebot] has used L298N chips like this many times. In the video below, he uses a TB6612FNG instead, taking …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/fet-based-motor-driver-is-better-than-l298n/)
Analog Meter Clock Uses Parts From A Simpler Time
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/analog-meter-clock-uses-parts-from-a-simpler-time/
Clocks with hands that turn are all well and good for the common folk, but hacker types prefer something different. [Sjm4306] is one such person, and developed this analog dial clock with parts we’d almost consider retro by modern standards.
The microcontroller at the heart of the build is a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/analog-meter-clock-uses-parts-from-a-simpler-time/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/analog-meter-clock-uses-parts-from-a-simpler-time/
Clocks with hands that turn are all well and good for the common folk, but hacker types prefer something different. [Sjm4306] is one such person, and developed this analog dial clock with parts we’d almost consider retro by modern standards.
The microcontroller at the heart of the build is a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/analog-meter-clock-uses-parts-from-a-simpler-time/)
36C3: Phyphox – Using Smartphone Sensors For Physics Experiments
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/
It’s no secret that the average smart phone today packs an abundance of gadgets fitting in your pocket, which could have easily filled a car trunk a few decades ago. We like to think about video cameras, music playing equipment, and maybe even telephones here, but let’s not ignore the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/
It’s no secret that the average smart phone today packs an abundance of gadgets fitting in your pocket, which could have easily filled a car trunk a few decades ago. We like to think about video cameras, music playing equipment, and maybe even telephones here, but let’s not ignore the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-phyphox-using-smartphone-sensors-for-physics-experiments/)
Turning Sounds from a Flute Into Sheet Music
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/
Composing music can be quite difficult – after all, you have to keep in mind all of the elements of musical theory, from time signature and key signature to the correct length for all of the notes. A team of students from Cornell University’s Designing with Microcontrollers class developed a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/
Composing music can be quite difficult – after all, you have to keep in mind all of the elements of musical theory, from time signature and key signature to the correct length for all of the notes. A team of students from Cornell University’s Designing with Microcontrollers class developed a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/turning-sounds-from-a-flute-into-sheet-music/)
36C3: Open Source is Insufficient to Solve Trust Problems in Hardware
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/
With open source software, we’ve grown accustomed to a certain level of trust that whatever we are running on our computers is what we expect it to actually be. Thanks to hashing and public key signatures in various parts in the development and deployment cycle, it’s hard for a third …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/
With open source software, we’ve grown accustomed to a certain level of trust that whatever we are running on our computers is what we expect it to actually be. Thanks to hashing and public key signatures in various parts in the development and deployment cycle, it’s hard for a third …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/36c3-open-source-is-insufficient-to-solve-trust-problems-in-hardware/)
Hackaday Links: December 29, 2019
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/
The retrocomputing crowd will go to great lengths to recreate the computers of yesteryear, and no matter which species of computer is being restored, getting it just right is a badge of honor in the community. The case and keyboard obviously playing a big part in that look, so when …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/
The retrocomputing crowd will go to great lengths to recreate the computers of yesteryear, and no matter which species of computer is being restored, getting it just right is a badge of honor in the community. The case and keyboard obviously playing a big part in that look, so when …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/hackaday-links-december-29-2019/)
The Smart Home Gains An Extra Dimension
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/
With an ever-growing range of smart-home products available, all with their own hubs, protocols, and APIs, we see a lot of DIY projects (and commercial offerings too) which aim to provide a “single universal interface” to different devices and services. Usually, these projects allow you to control your home using …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/
With an ever-growing range of smart-home products available, all with their own hubs, protocols, and APIs, we see a lot of DIY projects (and commercial offerings too) which aim to provide a “single universal interface” to different devices and services. Usually, these projects allow you to control your home using …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/the-smart-home-gains-an-extra-dimension/)
At Three Grand A Tail Light, There’s An Opportunity For A Hacker
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/
It can be amusing sometimes, to read an incredulous reaction from outside our community to something that would be bread-and-butter in most hackerspaces. Take the sorry saga of the Cadillac XLR tail light, as reported by Jalopnik. This car was a more-expensive Corvette with a bit of lard around its …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/
It can be amusing sometimes, to read an incredulous reaction from outside our community to something that would be bread-and-butter in most hackerspaces. Take the sorry saga of the Cadillac XLR tail light, as reported by Jalopnik. This car was a more-expensive Corvette with a bit of lard around its …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/29/at-three-grand-a-tail-light-theres-an-opportunity-for-a-hacker/)
VGA Signal in a Browser Window, Thanks to Reverse Engineering
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/
[Ben Cox] found some interesting USB devices on eBay. The Epiphan VGA2USB LR accepts VGA video on one end and presents it as a USB webcam-like video signal on the other. Never have to haul a VGA monitor out again? Sounds good to us! The devices are old and abandoned …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/
[Ben Cox] found some interesting USB devices on eBay. The Epiphan VGA2USB LR accepts VGA video on one end and presents it as a USB webcam-like video signal on the other. Never have to haul a VGA monitor out again? Sounds good to us! The devices are old and abandoned …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/vga-signal-in-a-browser-window-thanks-to-reverse-engineering/)
Image Sensor from Discrete Parts Delivers Glorious 1-Kilopixel Images
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/
Chances are pretty good that you have at least one digital image sensor somewhere close to you at this moment, likely within arm’s reach. The ubiquity of digital cameras is due to how cheap these sensors have become, and how easy they are to integrate into all sorts of devices. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/
Chances are pretty good that you have at least one digital image sensor somewhere close to you at this moment, likely within arm’s reach. The ubiquity of digital cameras is due to how cheap these sensors have become, and how easy they are to integrate into all sorts of devices. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/30/image-sensor-from-discrete-parts-delivers-glorious-1-kilopixel-images/)