The Story Of The Quickening: Mercurial Metal
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/the-story-of-the-quickening-mercurial-metal/
Of all known metals, mercury is probably one of the most famous, if only for its lustrous, liquid form at room temperature. Over the centuries, it has been commonly used in a wide variety of applications, including industrial chemical processes, in cosmetics, for telescope mirrors, thermometers, fluorescent lamps, dental fillings, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/the-story-of-the-quickening-mercurial-metal/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/the-story-of-the-quickening-mercurial-metal/
Of all known metals, mercury is probably one of the most famous, if only for its lustrous, liquid form at room temperature. Over the centuries, it has been commonly used in a wide variety of applications, including industrial chemical processes, in cosmetics, for telescope mirrors, thermometers, fluorescent lamps, dental fillings, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/the-story-of-the-quickening-mercurial-metal/)
A Tree of LEDs That Blows Out Like a Candle
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/a-tree-of-leds-that-blows-out-like-a-candle/
The beautiful workmanship in [Andrew]’s LED tree is gorgeous all on its own, but of course there’s more going on than meets the eye. This LED tree can be blown out like a candle and it even playfully challenges a user to blow out all the lights at once in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/a-tree-of-leds-that-blows-out-like-a-candle/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/a-tree-of-leds-that-blows-out-like-a-candle/
The beautiful workmanship in [Andrew]’s LED tree is gorgeous all on its own, but of course there’s more going on than meets the eye. This LED tree can be blown out like a candle and it even playfully challenges a user to blow out all the lights at once in …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/a-tree-of-leds-that-blows-out-like-a-candle/)
Linux Fu: Debugging Bash Scripts
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/linux-fu-debugging-bash-scripts/
A recent post about debugging constructs surprised me. There were quite a few comments about how you didn’t need a debugger, as long as you had printf. For that matter, we’ve all debugged systems where you had nothing but an LED to flash or otherwise turn on to communicate …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/linux-fu-debugging-bash-scripts/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/linux-fu-debugging-bash-scripts/
A recent post about debugging constructs surprised me. There were quite a few comments about how you didn’t need a debugger, as long as you had printf. For that matter, we’ve all debugged systems where you had nothing but an LED to flash or otherwise turn on to communicate …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/linux-fu-debugging-bash-scripts/)
Angela Sheehan is Developing Wearable Tech with Whimsy
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/angela-sheehan-is-developing-wearable-tech-with-whimsy/
As a concept, wearable technology excites many of us, but in practice, it’s been hard to nail down. Up to this point, the most high-tech thing the average person might reasonably wear has been a wrist watch. Devices like Google Glass tried to push the state-of-the-art, but it arguably raised …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/angela-sheehan-is-developing-wearable-tech-with-whimsy/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/angela-sheehan-is-developing-wearable-tech-with-whimsy/
As a concept, wearable technology excites many of us, but in practice, it’s been hard to nail down. Up to this point, the most high-tech thing the average person might reasonably wear has been a wrist watch. Devices like Google Glass tried to push the state-of-the-art, but it arguably raised …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/angela-sheehan-is-developing-wearable-tech-with-whimsy/)
Stackable Open Source 3D Printer Enclosure
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/stackable-open-source-3d-printer-enclosure/
One of the unfortunate realities of desktop FDM 3D printing is that environmental factors such as ambient temperature and humidity can have a big impact on your results. Even with the exact same settings, a part that printed beautifully in the summer can warp right off the bed during the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/stackable-open-source-3d-printer-enclosure/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/stackable-open-source-3d-printer-enclosure/
One of the unfortunate realities of desktop FDM 3D printing is that environmental factors such as ambient temperature and humidity can have a big impact on your results. Even with the exact same settings, a part that printed beautifully in the summer can warp right off the bed during the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/stackable-open-source-3d-printer-enclosure/)
Programmable Wrist Synth Pushes The Envelope
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/programmable-wrist-synth-pushes-the-envelope/
Synths are a ton of fun no matter how good or bad they sound. Really, there are no bad-sounding ones, it’s just that some are more annoying to listen than others to if you’re not the one making the beep boops. [Clem] had built a tiny LDR-based synth into a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/programmable-wrist-synth-pushes-the-envelope/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/programmable-wrist-synth-pushes-the-envelope/
Synths are a ton of fun no matter how good or bad they sound. Really, there are no bad-sounding ones, it’s just that some are more annoying to listen than others to if you’re not the one making the beep boops. [Clem] had built a tiny LDR-based synth into a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/programmable-wrist-synth-pushes-the-envelope/)
Code The Classics Is Coming
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/code-the-classics-is-coming/
We feel sorry for youth of today. If you spend a few hours playing a modern video game and decide you want to write your own, there’s a big job ahead of you. Games now are as much performances as programs, with cinematic 3D renderings, polyphonic sound and music tracks, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/code-the-classics-is-coming/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/code-the-classics-is-coming/
We feel sorry for youth of today. If you spend a few hours playing a modern video game and decide you want to write your own, there’s a big job ahead of you. Games now are as much performances as programs, with cinematic 3D renderings, polyphonic sound and music tracks, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/code-the-classics-is-coming/)
Reverse Engineering An Old Bus Display
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/reverse-engineering-an-old-bus-display/
When his makerspace was gifted a pair of Luminator LED signs of the sort you might see on the front of a bus, [PWalsh] decided to pull one apart to see what made it tick. Along the way, he managed to reverse engineer its control protocol and replace its original …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/reverse-engineering-an-old-bus-display/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/reverse-engineering-an-old-bus-display/
When his makerspace was gifted a pair of Luminator LED signs of the sort you might see on the front of a bus, [PWalsh] decided to pull one apart to see what made it tick. Along the way, he managed to reverse engineer its control protocol and replace its original …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/11/reverse-engineering-an-old-bus-display/)
Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth from Threaded Inserts?
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/are-you-getting-your-moneys-worth-from-threaded-inserts/
Have you ever wondered whether it’s worth the time and expense to install threaded inserts into your 3D-printed projects? [Stefan] from CNC Kitchen did, and decided to answer the question once and for all, with science.
If this sounds familiar, it’s with good reason: we covered [Stefan]’s last stab at …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/are-you-getting-your-moneys-worth-from-threaded-inserts/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/are-you-getting-your-moneys-worth-from-threaded-inserts/
Have you ever wondered whether it’s worth the time and expense to install threaded inserts into your 3D-printed projects? [Stefan] from CNC Kitchen did, and decided to answer the question once and for all, with science.
If this sounds familiar, it’s with good reason: we covered [Stefan]’s last stab at …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/are-you-getting-your-moneys-worth-from-threaded-inserts/)
Sleeper PlayStation Hides a Raspberry Pi 4
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/sleeper-playstation-hides-a-raspberry-pi-4/
[Andreas Wilcox] wanted to get his brother a birthday gift that reflected their shared love for the early days of 3D gaming, but just handing him a second-hand original PlayStation lacked a certain style. So he decided to gut the classic system and replace its dated internals with a shiny …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/sleeper-playstation-hides-a-raspberry-pi-4/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/sleeper-playstation-hides-a-raspberry-pi-4/
[Andreas Wilcox] wanted to get his brother a birthday gift that reflected their shared love for the early days of 3D gaming, but just handing him a second-hand original PlayStation lacked a certain style. So he decided to gut the classic system and replace its dated internals with a shiny …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/sleeper-playstation-hides-a-raspberry-pi-4/)
WWII Aircraft Radio Roars to Life: What it Takes to Restore a Piece of History
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/wwii-aircraft-radio-roars-to-life-what-it-takes-to-restore-a-piece-of-history/
I’ve been told all my life about old-timey Army/Navy surplus stores where you could buy buckets of FT-243 crystals, radio gear, gas masks, and even a Jeep boxed-up in a big wooden crate. Sadly this is no longer the case. Today surplus stores only have contemporary Chinese-made boots, camping gear, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/wwii-aircraft-radio-roars-to-life-what-it-takes-to-restore-a-piece-of-history/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/wwii-aircraft-radio-roars-to-life-what-it-takes-to-restore-a-piece-of-history/
I’ve been told all my life about old-timey Army/Navy surplus stores where you could buy buckets of FT-243 crystals, radio gear, gas masks, and even a Jeep boxed-up in a big wooden crate. Sadly this is no longer the case. Today surplus stores only have contemporary Chinese-made boots, camping gear, …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/wwii-aircraft-radio-roars-to-life-what-it-takes-to-restore-a-piece-of-history/)
Custom Nixies Perform When Cranked Up to 100,000 Hertz
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/custom-nixies-perform-when-cranked-up-to-100000-hertz/
With the popularity of Nixie clocks, we’d be forgiven for thinking that the glowing tubes are only good for applications with a stately pace of change. But we forget that before they became the must-have hobbyist accessory, Nixies were used in all kinds of scientific instruments, from frequency counters to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/custom-nixies-perform-when-cranked-up-to-100000-hertz/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/custom-nixies-perform-when-cranked-up-to-100000-hertz/
With the popularity of Nixie clocks, we’d be forgiven for thinking that the glowing tubes are only good for applications with a stately pace of change. But we forget that before they became the must-have hobbyist accessory, Nixies were used in all kinds of scientific instruments, from frequency counters to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/custom-nixies-perform-when-cranked-up-to-100000-hertz/)
Supercon SMD Challenge Gets 3D Printed Probes: Build Your Own
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/supercon-smd-challenge-gets-3d-printed-probes-build-your-own/
This year was the second SMD challenge at Supercon, so it stands to reason we probably learned a few things from last year. If you aren’t familiar with the challenge, you are served some pretty conventional tools and have to solder a board with LEDs getting progressively smaller until you …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/supercon-smd-challenge-gets-3d-printed-probes-build-your-own/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/supercon-smd-challenge-gets-3d-printed-probes-build-your-own/
This year was the second SMD challenge at Supercon, so it stands to reason we probably learned a few things from last year. If you aren’t familiar with the challenge, you are served some pretty conventional tools and have to solder a board with LEDs getting progressively smaller until you …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/supercon-smd-challenge-gets-3d-printed-probes-build-your-own/)
An Arduino and an Enigma All Rolled Into One
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-arduino-and-an-enigma-all-rolled-into-one/
This hacker has been wanting to design an Enigma machine simulator for a while, but didn’t take the leap until they realized there was a compact Arduino with a surplus of I/O.
The logs go through all sort of variations on the machine. Everything from a plug board variation similar …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-arduino-and-an-enigma-all-rolled-into-one/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-arduino-and-an-enigma-all-rolled-into-one/
This hacker has been wanting to design an Enigma machine simulator for a while, but didn’t take the leap until they realized there was a compact Arduino with a surplus of I/O.
The logs go through all sort of variations on the machine. Everything from a plug board variation similar …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-arduino-and-an-enigma-all-rolled-into-one/)
Software Defined Radio Gets Physical Control
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/software-defined-radio-gets-physical-control/
Software Defined Radio (SDR) is a great technology, but there’s something so satisfying about spinning a physical knob to cruise the airwaves. Wanting to restore that tactile experience, [Tysonpower] purchased a cheap USB volume knob and set out to get it working with his software. Unfortunately, getting it up and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/software-defined-radio-gets-physical-control/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/software-defined-radio-gets-physical-control/
Software Defined Radio (SDR) is a great technology, but there’s something so satisfying about spinning a physical knob to cruise the airwaves. Wanting to restore that tactile experience, [Tysonpower] purchased a cheap USB volume knob and set out to get it working with his software. Unfortunately, getting it up and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/software-defined-radio-gets-physical-control/)
A Stunning Ray Gun Built From Junk
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/a-stunning-ray-gun-built-from-junk/
If ever there was a quintessential weapon of science fiction, it would have to be the ray gun. [lonesoulsurfer] built this one-of-a-kind stunner from his impressive collection of junk. It’s centered around a vintage Bakelite soldering gun, a vacuum tube, and a portable stove burner, all of which contribute to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/a-stunning-ray-gun-built-from-junk/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/a-stunning-ray-gun-built-from-junk/
If ever there was a quintessential weapon of science fiction, it would have to be the ray gun. [lonesoulsurfer] built this one-of-a-kind stunner from his impressive collection of junk. It’s centered around a vintage Bakelite soldering gun, a vacuum tube, and a portable stove burner, all of which contribute to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/a-stunning-ray-gun-built-from-junk/)
An Open Assistive Robotic Arm to Help People Feed Themselves
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-open-assistive-robotic-arm-to-help-people-feed-themselves/
Despite being otherwise capable, not everyone is able to feed themselves. [Julien]’s robot arm project aims to bring this crucial independence back to those people. Assistive devices in this space do exist, but as always they’re prohibitively expensive and the approval process is a nightmare. The development of the arm …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-open-assistive-robotic-arm-to-help-people-feed-themselves/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-open-assistive-robotic-arm-to-help-people-feed-themselves/
Despite being otherwise capable, not everyone is able to feed themselves. [Julien]’s robot arm project aims to bring this crucial independence back to those people. Assistive devices in this space do exist, but as always they’re prohibitively expensive and the approval process is a nightmare. The development of the arm …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/an-open-assistive-robotic-arm-to-help-people-feed-themselves/)
Catch The Old School BASIC Bug With This Computer Kit
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/catch-the-old-school-basic-bug-with-this-computer-kit/
Does the complexity of modern computing ever get you down? Do you find yourself longing for the old days, where you could actually understand what your desktop machine’s hardware and software was doing at any given moment? You aren’t alone, but unfortunately running a 40+ year old computer as your …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/catch-the-old-school-basic-bug-with-this-computer-kit/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/catch-the-old-school-basic-bug-with-this-computer-kit/
Does the complexity of modern computing ever get you down? Do you find yourself longing for the old days, where you could actually understand what your desktop machine’s hardware and software was doing at any given moment? You aren’t alone, but unfortunately running a 40+ year old computer as your …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/12/catch-the-old-school-basic-bug-with-this-computer-kit/)
Feeding Both Filament And Electrons Through A Custom D-Sub Connector
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/feeding-both-filament-and-electrons-through-a-custom-d-sub-connector/
We sometimes forget that 3D printers are just CNC platforms with a hotend attached, and there a whole range of alternative tool heads to use. [Jón Schone] has been doing exactly that, and needed a way to quickly disconnect his hotend completely from his printer, so he 3D printed his …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/feeding-both-filament-and-electrons-through-a-custom-d-sub-connector/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/feeding-both-filament-and-electrons-through-a-custom-d-sub-connector/
We sometimes forget that 3D printers are just CNC platforms with a hotend attached, and there a whole range of alternative tool heads to use. [Jón Schone] has been doing exactly that, and needed a way to quickly disconnect his hotend completely from his printer, so he 3D printed his …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/feeding-both-filament-and-electrons-through-a-custom-d-sub-connector/)
3D-Printer and CNC Make This Russian Calculator Bilingual
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/3d-printer-and-cnc-make-this-russian-calculator-bilingual/
Let’s be clear right up front: there are probably more obvious solutions to the problem of using a Russian calculator when you don’t speak Russian than printing new keys and engraving translated markings on them. But easy solutions are boring and generally considered beyond the scope of Hackaday articles, so …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/3d-printer-and-cnc-make-this-russian-calculator-bilingual/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/3d-printer-and-cnc-make-this-russian-calculator-bilingual/
Let’s be clear right up front: there are probably more obvious solutions to the problem of using a Russian calculator when you don’t speak Russian than printing new keys and engraving translated markings on them. But easy solutions are boring and generally considered beyond the scope of Hackaday articles, so …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/13/3d-printer-and-cnc-make-this-russian-calculator-bilingual/)