Before moving to land grid array (LGA) packaging whereby each pin on the substrate is just a copper pad, processors commonly used pin grid array (PGA) packaging, including the still …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/reconstructing-a-pin-on-a-pin-grid-array-package/)

Making a Digital Music Player for Cassette Decks
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/making-a-digital-music-player-for-cassette-decks/

In the cross-over between the era of tapes into that of MP3s, you’d see quite a few of those special cassette tapes that were actually digital music players inside. Some …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/making-a-digital-music-player-for-cassette-decks/)

Sony’s First Computer
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/sonys-first-computer/

In 1982, desktop computers were coming into their own, and no clear leaders had emerged. But everyone knew they wanted a piece of the action. This led to, among other …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/sonys-first-computer/)

On Chip Debug for (Some) MicroPython
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/on-chip-debug-for-some-micropython/

If you’ve used MicroPython much, you know that debugging usually amounts to printing a few things out, trying your code out, and then repeating. But [ghi-electronics] wants you to have …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/on-chip-debug-for-some-micropython/)

The Concertina Goes Electronic
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/the-concertina-goes-electronic/

The concertina is an instrument that features heavily in European folk music, of which there are a variety of types. [Xcott Craver] has built one, an anglo concertina of the …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/18/the-concertina-goes-electronic/)

Emulating Memory Access: How Hard Can It Be?
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/19/emulating-memory-access-how-hard-can-it-be/

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/)