Hackaday.com

The first known use of humans using wind to perform mechanical work with machines dates back to ninth-century Persian windmills. But if we count sailing vessels among those machines, the …read more

We’re all used to satellite navigation systems such as GPS or GLONASS, sheer magic in which the combination of a set of reference transmitters and super-accurate timing information can be …read more

This week Jonathan chats with Andy Gryc and Aaron Basset about QNX, and the interesting Open Source history and future of that embedded OS. Why does QNX Everywhere feel more …read more

About 18 months ago, we brought you a sneak peek at a handheld that started life in the Dutch conference badge scene. At the time it showed promise, but its …read more

Everybody loves aquariums. There’s something soothing about watching the lil’ critters inside them swimming, crawling and wriggling about. But at the same time few people are up to the task …read more

Local area networks (LANs) that use technologies like Ethernet and Wi-Fi are incredibly useful for letting devices talk with each other. Yet a core problem here is knowing which devices …read more

This may say more about us than the current state of the telephone network, but unless your Grandma is still kicking, how many phone calls do you take that are …read more

Hacks don’t have to be practical but it helps if they are educational or clever or amusing, as [Ray Foss] demonstrates with his auto-docking Steam Controller. It’s an open-source web …read more

In these trying times it seems appropriate to work through some ‘what if ‘ scenarios, such as the local gas station suddenly not having any more gasoline to sell you, …read more

We all love a good bit of bounce now and then, with everything from trampolines to bouncy castles and bouncy balls forming the staple of a wholesome childhood for many. …read more

Laser diodes are convenient light sources, but for precise optical work their often-elliptical beam profile leaves something to be desired. One way to get around this is to couple the …read more

The phenomenon of cable-shaped indents in the plastic cases of retro systems is one that’s probably painfully familiar to many a collector of such systems. Although in these situations neither …read more

Every experienced machinist knows the value of taking regular measurements. If one works carefully and checks dimensions frequently, it’s possible to make a part much more precise than could be …read more

A central problem with the arguably overhyped field of quantum computing remains the difficulty in objectively ascertaining performance and new developments, as much here relies on indirect measurements. Such is …read more

The NOISFERATU is an open source generative textural sound synthesizer, or as creator [Robert Heel] puts it, “a sound designer’s dream and audiophile’s worst nightmare”. NOISFERATU offers 45 different sound …read more

When you’re driving your car, you’re probably regularly looking at the speedometer to make sure you comply with the local speed limits. The method by which it works is simple …read more

Reverse-osmosis (RO) systems are one way to ensure that you get very clean drinking water. The Waterdrop G3P600 variety that [Tomasz Wasilczyk] recently purchased is definitely among the fanciest and …read more

One of the simplest robots to make is a bristlebot — a motor with an offset weight is attached to the head of a toothbrush, and the resulting vibrations will …read more

Some of us have felt somewhat nervous about the collapse of DRAM and NAND Flash memory supply in the consumer market, while others seem to have fully embraced it. Someone …read more

In the world of scientific publishing there are many reasons why a paper can be retracted, but generally there is an obvious and clearly communicated reason for doing so. Thus …read more