[Yeo Kheng Meng] has a problem: he likes Windows 98, but he also likes his 2020 ThinkPad, which only has an xHCI USB controller– you know, the kind needed for …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/23/modern-usb-controllers-on-win98-and-up/)

A Tiny Toy Synth For Smaller Computers
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/23/a-tiny-toy-synth-for-smaller-computers/

Even for the non-musical among us there is a lot of fun to be had with a simple synthesiser and sequencer, as the different controls can be manipulated to show …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/23/a-tiny-toy-synth-for-smaller-computers/)

Audio Spectrum Analyzer on an ESP32 Display Board
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/23/audio-spectrum-analyzer-on-an-esp32-display-board/

A slick spectrum analyzer used to be the kind of thing that would have been tricky to include in a DIY project, but as [Mirko “mircemk” Pavleski] demonstrates, a modern …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/23/audio-spectrum-analyzer-on-an-esp32-display-board/)

Reconstructing Device Firmware from SPI Reads
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/reconstructing-device-firmware-from-spi-reads/

If you wanted to extract the firmware from a mystery device, you might pull the flash chip out of it and toss it into a reader. But if you only …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/reconstructing-device-firmware-from-spi-reads/)

Solar Powered Traffic Monitoring
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/solar-powered-traffic-monitoring/

[Marios Christoforou] recently undertook a Computer Engineering degree at the University of Cyprus. His final year project involved implementing a solar-powered device to count vehicular traffic, while logging results to …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/solar-powered-traffic-monitoring/)

After Decades, NASA May Finally Replace Mars Relays
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/after-decades-nasa-may-finally-replace-mars-relays/

We’ve yet to find any definitive evidence that there’s biological life on present-day Mars, but to say it’s a dead planet isn’t exactly accurate. Since the first Viking lander touched …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/after-decades-nasa-may-finally-replace-mars-relays/)

Standalone DJ System Runs On ESP32
https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/standalone-dj-system-runs-on-esp32/

There are plenty of ways to DJ with a laptop and various controller setups. However, if you find hauling around an entire computer can be a bit much, you might …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/09/24/standalone-dj-system-runs-on-esp32/)