Ask Hackaday: What’s Linux Anyway?
Any time we mention Linux, it is a fair bet we will get a few comments from people unhappy that we didn’t refer to it as GNU/Linux or with some …read more Continue reading Ask Hackaday: What’s Linux Anyway?
Author Archives: Al Williams
Old Style 1802 Computer Has MMU
When you think of an MMU — a memory management unit — you probably think of a modern 32-bit computer. But [Jeff Truck] has a surprise. His new RCA 1802 …read more Continue reading Old Style 1802 Computer Has MMU
TV Typewriter Remembered
With the recent passing of Don Lancaster, I took a minute to reflect on how far things have come in a pretty short period of time. If you somehow acquired …read more Continue reading TV Typewriter Remembered
Vintage Digital Frequency Meter Teardown
You think of digital displays as modern, but the idea isn’t that new. We had clocks, for example, with wheels and flip digits for years. The Racal frequency counter that …read more Continue reading Vintage Digital Frequency Meter Teardown
Shake, Rattle, Roll, with Your Own Seismograph
We always love to see projects where you can build your own lab equipment so [CompactDIY’s] homemade seismograph caught our eye. The design uses an Arduino with an accelerometer and …read more Continue reading Shake, Rattle, Roll, with Your Own Seismograph
Digital Microscope With An On-Screen Multimeter
Some things go together, like chocolate and peanut butter. Others are more odd pairings, like bananas and bacon. We aren’t sure which category to put [IMSAI Guy]’s latest find in. …read more Continue reading Digital Microscope With An On-Screen Multimeter
Tesla Door Phone Decoded (Not That Tesla)
[Danman] has digital door phones manufactured by Tesla — or at least, a Tesla, as they’re not to be confused with the carmaker, though. The problem is if someone comes …read more Continue reading Tesla Door Phone Decoded (Not That Tesla)
Practical Inductors in LTSpice
LTSpice and the underlying Spice engine does a great job of simulating ideal components. But it is also capable — if you know how — of handling models of real-world …read more Continue reading Practical Inductors in LTSpice
Finding Undocumented 8086 Instructions Via Microcode
Video gamers know about cheat codes, but assembly language programmers are often in search of undocumented instructions. One way to find them is to map out all of a CPU’s …read more Continue reading Finding Undocumented 8086 Instructions Via Microcode
Illumos Gets a New C Compiler
Illumos is an OpenSolaris-derived Unix system, and no Unix is complete without a C compiler or two. And with a name like Portable C Compiler (PCC), you would think that …read more Continue reading Illumos Gets a New C Compiler