Fail of the Week: Z-Tape is No Substitute for Solder
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/fail-of-the-week-z-tape-is-no-substitute-for-solder/
Here at Hackaday, we see all kinds of mechanical construction methods. Some are impressively solid and permanent, while others are obviously temporary in nature. The latter group is dominated by adhesives – sticky stuff like cyanoacrylate glue, Kapton tape, and the ever-popular hot glue. They’ve all got their uses in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/fail-of-the-week-z-tape-is-no-substitute-for-solder/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/fail-of-the-week-z-tape-is-no-substitute-for-solder/
Here at Hackaday, we see all kinds of mechanical construction methods. Some are impressively solid and permanent, while others are obviously temporary in nature. The latter group is dominated by adhesives – sticky stuff like cyanoacrylate glue, Kapton tape, and the ever-popular hot glue. They’ve all got their uses in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/fail-of-the-week-z-tape-is-no-substitute-for-solder/)
How to run ML Applications on Particle Hardware
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/how-to-run-ml-applications-on-particle-hardware/
With the release of TensorFlow Lite at Google I/O 2019, the accessible machine learning library is no longer limited to applications with access to GPUs. You can now run machine learning algorithms on microcontrollers much more easily, improving on-board inference and computation.
[Brandon Satrom] published a demo on how to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/how-to-run-ml-applications-on-particle-hardware/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/how-to-run-ml-applications-on-particle-hardware/
With the release of TensorFlow Lite at Google I/O 2019, the accessible machine learning library is no longer limited to applications with access to GPUs. You can now run machine learning algorithms on microcontrollers much more easily, improving on-board inference and computation.
[Brandon Satrom] published a demo on how to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/how-to-run-ml-applications-on-particle-hardware/)
Turning OLEDs and Acrylic into Faux Nixie Tubes
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/turning-oleds-and-acrylic-into-faux-nixie-tubes/
Love ’em or hate ’em, Nixies and the retro clocks they adorn are here to stay. At least until the world’s stock of surplus Soviet tubes is finally depleted, that is. The glow discharge tubes were last mass manufactured in the 1980s, and while they’re not too hard to get …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/turning-oleds-and-acrylic-into-faux-nixie-tubes/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/turning-oleds-and-acrylic-into-faux-nixie-tubes/
Love ’em or hate ’em, Nixies and the retro clocks they adorn are here to stay. At least until the world’s stock of surplus Soviet tubes is finally depleted, that is. The glow discharge tubes were last mass manufactured in the 1980s, and while they’re not too hard to get …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/26/turning-oleds-and-acrylic-into-faux-nixie-tubes/)
Just in Time for Christmas: Apple Macintosh Prototype For Sale
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/just-in-time-for-christmas-apple-macintosh-prototype-for-sale/
We do love a bit of retrotechnology around our workspace. But we have to admit, we really want to find this prototype Apple Mac under the tree this year. There’s only one problem. There’s only one for sale and only two like it known to exist, for that matter. The …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/just-in-time-for-christmas-apple-macintosh-prototype-for-sale/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/just-in-time-for-christmas-apple-macintosh-prototype-for-sale/
We do love a bit of retrotechnology around our workspace. But we have to admit, we really want to find this prototype Apple Mac under the tree this year. There’s only one problem. There’s only one for sale and only two like it known to exist, for that matter. The …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/just-in-time-for-christmas-apple-macintosh-prototype-for-sale/)
Your Raspberry Pi Cluster Is Not Like This One
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/your-raspberry-pi-cluster-is-not-like-this-one/
Many readers will have had their first taste of experimentation with cluster computing through the medium of the Raspberry Pi. The diminutive Linux capable boards can easily be hooked up as a group via a network hub, and given the right software become a whole that is greater than the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/your-raspberry-pi-cluster-is-not-like-this-one/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/your-raspberry-pi-cluster-is-not-like-this-one/
Many readers will have had their first taste of experimentation with cluster computing through the medium of the Raspberry Pi. The diminutive Linux capable boards can easily be hooked up as a group via a network hub, and given the right software become a whole that is greater than the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/your-raspberry-pi-cluster-is-not-like-this-one/)
The Golden Age of Ever-Changing Computer Architecture
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/the-golden-age-of-ever-changing-computer-architecture/
Given the accuracy of Moore’s Law to the development of integrated circuits over the years, one would think that our present day period is no different from the past decades in terms of computer architecture design. However, during the 2017 ACM Turing Award acceptance speech, John L. Hennessy and David …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/the-golden-age-of-ever-changing-computer-architecture/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/the-golden-age-of-ever-changing-computer-architecture/
Given the accuracy of Moore’s Law to the development of integrated circuits over the years, one would think that our present day period is no different from the past decades in terms of computer architecture design. However, during the 2017 ACM Turing Award acceptance speech, John L. Hennessy and David …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/the-golden-age-of-ever-changing-computer-architecture/)
Steel Tubes and Ground Plates Form the Skeleton of This DIY Vertical CNC Mill
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/steel-tubes-and-ground-plates-form-the-skeleton-of-this-diy-vertical-cnc-mill/
If you’re going to do it yourself, you might as well outdo yourself. That seems to be the thinking behind this scratch-built CNC mill, and it’s only just getting started.
According to [Kris Temmerman], the build will cost about $10,000 by the time he’s done. So it’s not cheap, and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/steel-tubes-and-ground-plates-form-the-skeleton-of-this-diy-vertical-cnc-mill/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/steel-tubes-and-ground-plates-form-the-skeleton-of-this-diy-vertical-cnc-mill/
If you’re going to do it yourself, you might as well outdo yourself. That seems to be the thinking behind this scratch-built CNC mill, and it’s only just getting started.
According to [Kris Temmerman], the build will cost about $10,000 by the time he’s done. So it’s not cheap, and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/steel-tubes-and-ground-plates-form-the-skeleton-of-this-diy-vertical-cnc-mill/)
Retrotechtacular: The Art of the Foundry
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/retrotechtacular-the-art-of-the-foundry/
Mention the term “heavy industry” and the first thing to come to mind might well be the metal foundry. With immense machines and cauldrons of molten metal being shuttled about by crane and rail, the image of the foundry is like a scene from Dante’s Inferno, with fumes filling …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/retrotechtacular-the-art-of-the-foundry/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/retrotechtacular-the-art-of-the-foundry/
Mention the term “heavy industry” and the first thing to come to mind might well be the metal foundry. With immense machines and cauldrons of molten metal being shuttled about by crane and rail, the image of the foundry is like a scene from Dante’s Inferno, with fumes filling …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/retrotechtacular-the-art-of-the-foundry/)
Supercon Talk: Sophy Wong is Designing the Future of Wearable Technology
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/supercon-talk-sophy-wong-is-designing-the-future-of-wearable-technology/
For many of us, the term “wearable technology” conjures up mental images of the Borg from Star Trek: harsh mechanical shapes and exposed wiring grafted haphazardly onto a human form that’s left with a range of motion just north of the pre-oilcan Tin Man. It’s simply a projection of …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/supercon-talk-sophy-wong-is-designing-the-future-of-wearable-technology/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/supercon-talk-sophy-wong-is-designing-the-future-of-wearable-technology/
For many of us, the term “wearable technology” conjures up mental images of the Borg from Star Trek: harsh mechanical shapes and exposed wiring grafted haphazardly onto a human form that’s left with a range of motion just north of the pre-oilcan Tin Man. It’s simply a projection of …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/supercon-talk-sophy-wong-is-designing-the-future-of-wearable-technology/)
US Air Force Says They’re Developing an Open Source Jet Engine; We Say Show Us the Design
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/us-air-force-says-theyre-developing-an-open-source-jet-engine-we-say-show-us-the-design/
The economies of scale generally dictate that anything produced in large enough numbers will eventually become cheap. But despite the fact that a few thousand of them are tearing across the sky above our heads at any given moment, turbine jet engines are still expensive to produce compared to other …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/us-air-force-says-theyre-developing-an-open-source-jet-engine-we-say-show-us-the-design/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/us-air-force-says-theyre-developing-an-open-source-jet-engine-we-say-show-us-the-design/
The economies of scale generally dictate that anything produced in large enough numbers will eventually become cheap. But despite the fact that a few thousand of them are tearing across the sky above our heads at any given moment, turbine jet engines are still expensive to produce compared to other …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/us-air-force-says-theyre-developing-an-open-source-jet-engine-we-say-show-us-the-design/)
Bringing The NES Cartridge Into The USB Age
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/bringing-the-nes-cartridge-into-the-usb-age/
An NES cartridge in its most basic form is a surprisingly simple device, it contains two ROMs hosting all the code and assets of its game, and a Nintendo code chip that provided what was a state-of-the-art consumer DRM system for the 1980s. Decades later its inner workings have been …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/bringing-the-nes-cartridge-into-the-usb-age/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/bringing-the-nes-cartridge-into-the-usb-age/
An NES cartridge in its most basic form is a surprisingly simple device, it contains two ROMs hosting all the code and assets of its game, and a Nintendo code chip that provided what was a state-of-the-art consumer DRM system for the 1980s. Decades later its inner workings have been …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/bringing-the-nes-cartridge-into-the-usb-age/)
A Single-Digit-Micrometer Thickness Wood Speaker
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/a-single-digit-micrometer-thickness-wood-speaker/
Researchers have created an audio speaker using ultra-thin wood film. The new material demonstrates high tensile strength and increased Young’s modulus, as well as acoustic properties contributing to higher resonance frequency and greater displacement amplitude compared to a commercial polypropylene diaphragm in an audio speaker.
Typically, acoustic membranes have to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/a-single-digit-micrometer-thickness-wood-speaker/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/a-single-digit-micrometer-thickness-wood-speaker/
Researchers have created an audio speaker using ultra-thin wood film. The new material demonstrates high tensile strength and increased Young’s modulus, as well as acoustic properties contributing to higher resonance frequency and greater displacement amplitude compared to a commercial polypropylene diaphragm in an audio speaker.
Typically, acoustic membranes have to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/a-single-digit-micrometer-thickness-wood-speaker/)
In Case you Cannot Make it to an Escape Room
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/in-case-you-cannot-make-it-to-an-escape-room/
Escape rooms are awesome for people who like to solve puzzles, see how things work, or enjoy a mystery. Everyone reading this falls into at least one of those categories. We enjoy puzzles and mysteries, but we have a fondness for seeing how things work. To this end, we direct …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/in-case-you-cannot-make-it-to-an-escape-room/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/in-case-you-cannot-make-it-to-an-escape-room/
Escape rooms are awesome for people who like to solve puzzles, see how things work, or enjoy a mystery. Everyone reading this falls into at least one of those categories. We enjoy puzzles and mysteries, but we have a fondness for seeing how things work. To this end, we direct …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/27/in-case-you-cannot-make-it-to-an-escape-room/)
A Printed Case for Your ESP Environmental Sensors
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-printed-case-for-your-esp-environmental-sensors/
We’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating: rolling your own hardware solution is ridiculously easy these days. If you want to make a network attached environmental sensor, you wire a DHT11 up to an ESP8266 and you’re done. Time to move onto the software. In fact, it can take …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-printed-case-for-your-esp-environmental-sensors/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-printed-case-for-your-esp-environmental-sensors/
We’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating: rolling your own hardware solution is ridiculously easy these days. If you want to make a network attached environmental sensor, you wire a DHT11 up to an ESP8266 and you’re done. Time to move onto the software. In fact, it can take …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-printed-case-for-your-esp-environmental-sensors/)
Add LEDs To Your Stained Glass
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/add-leds-to-your-stained-glass/
Stained glass is an art form that goes back many centuries, with the churches and cathedrals of Europe boasting many stunning examples from the mediaeval masters of the craft. You do not however have to go to York or Chartres cathedrals to experience stained glass, for it remains a vibrant …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/add-leds-to-your-stained-glass/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/add-leds-to-your-stained-glass/
Stained glass is an art form that goes back many centuries, with the churches and cathedrals of Europe boasting many stunning examples from the mediaeval masters of the craft. You do not however have to go to York or Chartres cathedrals to experience stained glass, for it remains a vibrant …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/add-leds-to-your-stained-glass/)
A Python Serial Terminal to Get You Out of a Jam
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-python-serial-terminal-to-get-you-out-of-a-jam/
When fiddling around with old computers, you can occasionally find yourself in a sticky situation. What may be a simple task with today’s hardware and software can be nearly impossible given the limited resources available to machines with 20 or 30 years on the clock. That’s where [bison] recently found …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-python-serial-terminal-to-get-you-out-of-a-jam/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-python-serial-terminal-to-get-you-out-of-a-jam/
When fiddling around with old computers, you can occasionally find yourself in a sticky situation. What may be a simple task with today’s hardware and software can be nearly impossible given the limited resources available to machines with 20 or 30 years on the clock. That’s where [bison] recently found …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-python-serial-terminal-to-get-you-out-of-a-jam/)
Raspberry Pi 4 HDMI is Jamming Its Own WiFi
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/raspberry-pi-4-hdmi-is-jamming-its-own-wifi/
Making upgrades to a popular product line might sound like a good idea, but adding bigger/better/faster parts to an existing product can cause unforeseen problems. For example, dropping a more powerful engine in an existing car platform might seem to work at first until people start reporting that the increased …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/raspberry-pi-4-hdmi-is-jamming-its-own-wifi/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/raspberry-pi-4-hdmi-is-jamming-its-own-wifi/
Making upgrades to a popular product line might sound like a good idea, but adding bigger/better/faster parts to an existing product can cause unforeseen problems. For example, dropping a more powerful engine in an existing car platform might seem to work at first until people start reporting that the increased …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/raspberry-pi-4-hdmi-is-jamming-its-own-wifi/)
A Division in Voltage Standards
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-division-in-voltage-standards/
During my recent trip to Europe, I found out that converters were not as commonly sold as adapters, and for a good reason. The majority of the world receives 220-240 V single phase voltage at 50-60 Hz with the surprisingly small number of exceptions being Canada, Colombia, Japan, Taiwan, the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-division-in-voltage-standards/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-division-in-voltage-standards/
During my recent trip to Europe, I found out that converters were not as commonly sold as adapters, and for a good reason. The majority of the world receives 220-240 V single phase voltage at 50-60 Hz with the surprisingly small number of exceptions being Canada, Colombia, Japan, Taiwan, the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/a-division-in-voltage-standards/)
Iron Man Puts Yet Another Hacker Up in Arms
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/iron-man-puts-yet-another-hacker-up-in-arms/
When Iron Man movie came out, we’d bet there wasn’t a single hacker that left the theater without daydreaming about having a few robotic lab assistants of their own. But unlike most of them, [Tony-Lin] decided to turn his celluloid dreams into a reality and started work on his robotic …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/iron-man-puts-yet-another-hacker-up-in-arms/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/iron-man-puts-yet-another-hacker-up-in-arms/
When Iron Man movie came out, we’d bet there wasn’t a single hacker that left the theater without daydreaming about having a few robotic lab assistants of their own. But unlike most of them, [Tony-Lin] decided to turn his celluloid dreams into a reality and started work on his robotic …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/iron-man-puts-yet-another-hacker-up-in-arms/)
Vertical Train Hauls Up The Wall
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/vertical-train-hauls-up-the-wall/
Trains are great for hauling massive amounts of cargo from point A to point B, and occasionally, point C on weekends. But they’re not really known for climbing hills well, and anything vertical is right out. Regardless, [Can Altineller] knows what he wants and set to work, creating the 3D …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/vertical-train-hauls-up-the-wall/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/vertical-train-hauls-up-the-wall/
Trains are great for hauling massive amounts of cargo from point A to point B, and occasionally, point C on weekends. But they’re not really known for climbing hills well, and anything vertical is right out. Regardless, [Can Altineller] knows what he wants and set to work, creating the 3D …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/11/28/vertical-train-hauls-up-the-wall/)