Tidy Board Rework Uses Flex PCBs, No Wires
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/tidy-board-rework-uses-flex-pcbs-no-wires/
PCB rework for the purpose of fixing unfortunate design problems tends to involve certain things: thin wires (probably blue) to taped or glued down components, and maybe some areas of scraped-off soldermask. What are not usually involved are flexible PCBs, but [Paul Bryson] shows us exactly how flex PCBs can …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/tidy-board-rework-uses-flex-pcbs-no-wires/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/tidy-board-rework-uses-flex-pcbs-no-wires/
PCB rework for the purpose of fixing unfortunate design problems tends to involve certain things: thin wires (probably blue) to taped or glued down components, and maybe some areas of scraped-off soldermask. What are not usually involved are flexible PCBs, but [Paul Bryson] shows us exactly how flex PCBs can …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/tidy-board-rework-uses-flex-pcbs-no-wires/)
An Open Source Boating Autopilot With Some Custom Tweaks
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/an-open-source-boating-autopilot-with-some-custom-tweaks/
Piloting a boat is all well and good, but can get dull when you’d rather be reclining on the deck with a cold beverage in hand. For [Timo Birnschein], this simply wouldn’t do. He began to gather parts to put together an autopilot to keep his boat on the straight …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/an-open-source-boating-autopilot-with-some-custom-tweaks/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/an-open-source-boating-autopilot-with-some-custom-tweaks/
Piloting a boat is all well and good, but can get dull when you’d rather be reclining on the deck with a cold beverage in hand. For [Timo Birnschein], this simply wouldn’t do. He began to gather parts to put together an autopilot to keep his boat on the straight …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/an-open-source-boating-autopilot-with-some-custom-tweaks/)
Simple “Computer” From The ’60s Now 3D Printed
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/simple-computer-from-the-60s-now-3d-printed/
Now is an amazing time to be involved in the hobby electronics scene. There are robots to build, cheap microcontrollers which are easy to program, and computers themselves are able to be found for very low prices. That wasn’t the case in the 1960s though, where anyone interested in “electronics” …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/simple-computer-from-the-60s-now-3d-printed/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/simple-computer-from-the-60s-now-3d-printed/
Now is an amazing time to be involved in the hobby electronics scene. There are robots to build, cheap microcontrollers which are easy to program, and computers themselves are able to be found for very low prices. That wasn’t the case in the 1960s though, where anyone interested in “electronics” …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/simple-computer-from-the-60s-now-3d-printed/)
Commodore Tape Drive Emulator On A Raspberry Pi
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/commodore-tape-drive-emulator-on-a-raspberry-pi/
We imagine most of the people reading Hackaday have an old Raspberry Pi or two laying around. It’s somewhat less likely you’ve still got an 8-bit Commodore in working condition, but we’d wager there’s more than a few in the audience that can count themselves among both groups. So why …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/commodore-tape-drive-emulator-on-a-raspberry-pi/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/commodore-tape-drive-emulator-on-a-raspberry-pi/
We imagine most of the people reading Hackaday have an old Raspberry Pi or two laying around. It’s somewhat less likely you’ve still got an 8-bit Commodore in working condition, but we’d wager there’s more than a few in the audience that can count themselves among both groups. So why …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/17/commodore-tape-drive-emulator-on-a-raspberry-pi/)
These Lessons Were Learned in Enclosure Design, But Go Far Beyond
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/these-lessons-were-learned-in-enclosure-design-but-go-far-beyond/
[Foaly] has been hard at work making an open-source long range camera remote, and recently shared a deeply thoughtful post about how it is never too early to consider all aspects of design, lest it cost you in the end. It all started with designing an enclosure for a working …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/these-lessons-were-learned-in-enclosure-design-but-go-far-beyond/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/these-lessons-were-learned-in-enclosure-design-but-go-far-beyond/
[Foaly] has been hard at work making an open-source long range camera remote, and recently shared a deeply thoughtful post about how it is never too early to consider all aspects of design, lest it cost you in the end. It all started with designing an enclosure for a working …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/these-lessons-were-learned-in-enclosure-design-but-go-far-beyond/)
Giant 3D Printer For Giant Projects
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/giant-3d-printer-for-giant-projects/
Established FDM 3D printers designs generally lead themselves well to being scaled up, as long as you keep frame stiffness, alignment and movement in mind. [Ivan Miranda] needed a big printer for his big projects (videos below), so he built his own i3 style printer with a 800 mm × …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/giant-3d-printer-for-giant-projects/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/giant-3d-printer-for-giant-projects/
Established FDM 3D printers designs generally lead themselves well to being scaled up, as long as you keep frame stiffness, alignment and movement in mind. [Ivan Miranda] needed a big printer for his big projects (videos below), so he built his own i3 style printer with a 800 mm × …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/giant-3d-printer-for-giant-projects/)
Wonder Woman and the Real Lasso of Truth
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/wonder-woman-and-the-real-lasso-of-truth/
You might think it is strange that a story about technology would start off talking about Wonder Woman. When you realize the technology in question is a lie detector, you might think, “Oh, that’s right. Wonder Woman had the lasso of truth, so this is just a lame association.” You …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/wonder-woman-and-the-real-lasso-of-truth/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/wonder-woman-and-the-real-lasso-of-truth/
You might think it is strange that a story about technology would start off talking about Wonder Woman. When you realize the technology in question is a lie detector, you might think, “Oh, that’s right. Wonder Woman had the lasso of truth, so this is just a lame association.” You …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/wonder-woman-and-the-real-lasso-of-truth/)
Use Blueprint Process to Print on Fabric With Lasers
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/use-blueprint-process-to-print-on-fabric-with-lasers/
[Shih Wei Chieh] has built a laser cyanotype printer for fabrics. You know, for art!
How do you get an inkjet head on a shoe or a couch? Most printing processes require a flat surface to print. But hearkening back to the days when a blueprint was a blueprint, a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/use-blueprint-process-to-print-on-fabric-with-lasers/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/use-blueprint-process-to-print-on-fabric-with-lasers/
[Shih Wei Chieh] has built a laser cyanotype printer for fabrics. You know, for art!
How do you get an inkjet head on a shoe or a couch? Most printing processes require a flat surface to print. But hearkening back to the days when a blueprint was a blueprint, a …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/use-blueprint-process-to-print-on-fabric-with-lasers/)
Retrotechtacular: Mechanical Arithmetic For The Masses
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/retrotechtacular-mechanical-arithmetic-for-the-masses/
Last month we carried a piece looking at the development of the 8-bit home computer market through the lens of the British catalogue retailer Argos and their perennial catalogue of dreams. As an aside, we mentioned that the earliest edition from 1975 contained some of the last mechanical calculators on …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/retrotechtacular-mechanical-arithmetic-for-the-masses/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/retrotechtacular-mechanical-arithmetic-for-the-masses/
Last month we carried a piece looking at the development of the 8-bit home computer market through the lens of the British catalogue retailer Argos and their perennial catalogue of dreams. As an aside, we mentioned that the earliest edition from 1975 contained some of the last mechanical calculators on …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/retrotechtacular-mechanical-arithmetic-for-the-masses/)
Hackaday Superconference: Nick Poole On Boggling The Boardhouse
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/hackaday-superconference-nick-poole-on-boggling-the-boardhouse/
By now we are all used to the role of the printed circuit board in artwork, because of the burgeoning creativity in the conference and unofficial #BadgeLife electronic badge scenes. When the masters of electronic design tools turn their hand to producing for aesthetic rather than technical reasons, the results …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/hackaday-superconference-nick-poole-on-boggling-the-boardhouse/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/hackaday-superconference-nick-poole-on-boggling-the-boardhouse/
By now we are all used to the role of the printed circuit board in artwork, because of the burgeoning creativity in the conference and unofficial #BadgeLife electronic badge scenes. When the masters of electronic design tools turn their hand to producing for aesthetic rather than technical reasons, the results …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/hackaday-superconference-nick-poole-on-boggling-the-boardhouse/)
Escher: Etch-a-Sketch As A Service
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/escher-etch-a-sketch-as-a-service/
For better or for worse, the tech world has fully committed to pushing as many of their products into “The Cloud” as possible. Of course, readers of Hackaday see right through the corporate buzzwords. It’s all just a fancy way of saying you have to poke some server over the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/escher-etch-a-sketch-as-a-service/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/escher-etch-a-sketch-as-a-service/
For better or for worse, the tech world has fully committed to pushing as many of their products into “The Cloud” as possible. Of course, readers of Hackaday see right through the corporate buzzwords. It’s all just a fancy way of saying you have to poke some server over the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/escher-etch-a-sketch-as-a-service/)
Watch a Sand-Cast Slingshot Made, From Start To Finish
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/watch-a-sand-cast-slingshot-made-from-start-to-finish/
Sand-casting metal parts is a technique that has been around for a very long time, but it can be educational to see the process from start to finish. That’s exactly what [Frederico] shows us with his sand-cast slingshot of his own design, and it’s not bad for what he says …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/watch-a-sand-cast-slingshot-made-from-start-to-finish/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/watch-a-sand-cast-slingshot-made-from-start-to-finish/
Sand-casting metal parts is a technique that has been around for a very long time, but it can be educational to see the process from start to finish. That’s exactly what [Frederico] shows us with his sand-cast slingshot of his own design, and it’s not bad for what he says …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/watch-a-sand-cast-slingshot-made-from-start-to-finish/)
Annealing 3D Prints: A Scientific Approach
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/annealing-3d-prints-a-scientific-approach/
We’ve all been taught the scientific method: Form a hypothesis, do some experiments, gather some data, and prove or disprove the hypothesis. But we don’t always do it. We will tweak our 3D prints a little bit and think we see an improvement (or not) and draw some conclusions without …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/annealing-3d-prints-a-scientific-approach/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/annealing-3d-prints-a-scientific-approach/
We’ve all been taught the scientific method: Form a hypothesis, do some experiments, gather some data, and prove or disprove the hypothesis. But we don’t always do it. We will tweak our 3D prints a little bit and think we see an improvement (or not) and draw some conclusions without …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/annealing-3d-prints-a-scientific-approach/)
Santa Claws: Sharpen Your Skills For a Good Cause
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/santa-claws-sharpen-your-skills-for-a-good-cause/
Want to do a bit of good this holiday season without leaving your couch or battle station? Well step right up and try your hand at Santa Claws, the charitable claw machine created by UK-based firm Liberty Games. For every toy you can maneuver to the chute, Liberty Games will …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/santa-claws-sharpen-your-skills-for-a-good-cause/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/santa-claws-sharpen-your-skills-for-a-good-cause/
Want to do a bit of good this holiday season without leaving your couch or battle station? Well step right up and try your hand at Santa Claws, the charitable claw machine created by UK-based firm Liberty Games. For every toy you can maneuver to the chute, Liberty Games will …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/18/santa-claws-sharpen-your-skills-for-a-good-cause/)
Universal Interface Board Comes to the Rescue of Bigger Projects
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/universal-interface-board-comes-to-the-rescue-of-bigger-projects/
As soon as a project involves other assemblies, parts, or modules, things get more complicated. Devices like fans, cooling units, probes, pumps, or lighting might have simple electrical requirements, but they are rarely identical. As a result, one’s tidy project ends up having to deal with, for example, a pump …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/universal-interface-board-comes-to-the-rescue-of-bigger-projects/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/universal-interface-board-comes-to-the-rescue-of-bigger-projects/
As soon as a project involves other assemblies, parts, or modules, things get more complicated. Devices like fans, cooling units, probes, pumps, or lighting might have simple electrical requirements, but they are rarely identical. As a result, one’s tidy project ends up having to deal with, for example, a pump …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/universal-interface-board-comes-to-the-rescue-of-bigger-projects/)
You May Trust Driverless Cars, But Do you Trust Driverless Barbers?
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/you-may-trust-driverless-cars-but-do-you-trust-driverless-barbers/
Although it is getting more common to have self-driving cars on the road, we have to admit we are still a bit uneasy. After all, we know first hand how hard it is to think of every case and how unreliable things can be. But what about having your hair …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/you-may-trust-driverless-cars-but-do-you-trust-driverless-barbers/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/you-may-trust-driverless-cars-but-do-you-trust-driverless-barbers/
Although it is getting more common to have self-driving cars on the road, we have to admit we are still a bit uneasy. After all, we know first hand how hard it is to think of every case and how unreliable things can be. But what about having your hair …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/you-may-trust-driverless-cars-but-do-you-trust-driverless-barbers/)
The Birth of the Modern Robot
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/the-birth-of-the-modern-robot/
When Isaac Asmiov was writing I, Robot, the field of robotics was still in its infancy. As he notes in The Complete Robot, as the field began to mature, it started showing signs of conforming to the popular ideas held by science fiction writers about what robotics ought …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/the-birth-of-the-modern-robot/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/the-birth-of-the-modern-robot/
When Isaac Asmiov was writing I, Robot, the field of robotics was still in its infancy. As he notes in The Complete Robot, as the field began to mature, it started showing signs of conforming to the popular ideas held by science fiction writers about what robotics ought …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/the-birth-of-the-modern-robot/)
Learn Arduino In Time And In Tune For Christmas
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/learn-arduino-in-time-and-in-tune-for-christmas/
If you’re one of the lucky ten thousand today who still haven’t tried programming electronics with the Arduino platform, this detailed guide by [Dafna Mordechai] should hopefully give you enough incentive to pick it up now and make a simple bit of Christmas-themed decoration with it.
The guide isn’t exactly …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/learn-arduino-in-time-and-in-tune-for-christmas/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/learn-arduino-in-time-and-in-tune-for-christmas/
If you’re one of the lucky ten thousand today who still haven’t tried programming electronics with the Arduino platform, this detailed guide by [Dafna Mordechai] should hopefully give you enough incentive to pick it up now and make a simple bit of Christmas-themed decoration with it.
The guide isn’t exactly …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/learn-arduino-in-time-and-in-tune-for-christmas/)
What’s an Exciton?
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/whats-an-exciton/
If you read the scientific literature, you see the familiar subatomic particles you learned about in school: protons, neutrons, and electrons. If you are young enough, you see others you probably heard about, too, like quarks and gluons. But recently there has been a lot of buzz about excitons and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/whats-an-exciton/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/whats-an-exciton/
If you read the scientific literature, you see the familiar subatomic particles you learned about in school: protons, neutrons, and electrons. If you are young enough, you see others you probably heard about, too, like quarks and gluons. But recently there has been a lot of buzz about excitons and …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/whats-an-exciton/)
Replace Your Smartphone With These Arcane Amulets
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/replace-your-smartphone-with-these-arcane-amulets/
It’s hard not to feel the constant pull on our limited attention from the very interesting rectangles in our pockets and packs. [Antoine Pintout] is fighting against it with three interesting pendants.
The three objects each have functions. Sablier, tells time, but rather than giving the numerals it vibrates on …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/replace-your-smartphone-with-these-arcane-amulets/)
https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/replace-your-smartphone-with-these-arcane-amulets/
It’s hard not to feel the constant pull on our limited attention from the very interesting rectangles in our pockets and packs. [Antoine Pintout] is fighting against it with three interesting pendants.
The three objects each have functions. Sablier, tells time, but rather than giving the numerals it vibrates on …read more (https://hackaday.com/2019/12/19/replace-your-smartphone-with-these-arcane-amulets/)