When Benchies Fly
Most of us have printed a few benchies to test our 3D printers. The intrepid little boat has a variety of features that tax different parts of the printing process. …read more Continue reading When Benchies Fly
Author Archives: Al Williams
Python Provides Classic Basic
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when you turned on a PC, more often than not, you’d get a Basic prompt. Most people would then load a game …read more Continue reading Python Provides Classic Basic
Halloween Build: Exquisite Ray Gun has Sound Effects
When we first saw [lonesoulsurfer’s] ray gun, we thought it looked oddly familiar. Sure, it looks like a vintage ray gun you might see in a dozen 1950-era movies or …read more Continue reading Halloween Build: Exquisite Ray Gun has Sound Effects
Linux Fu: Globs vs Regexp
I once asked a software developer at work how many times we called fork() in our code. I’ll admit, it was a very large project, but I expected the answer …read more Continue reading Linux Fu: Globs vs Regexp
World’s Cheapest and Possibly Worst IR Camera
Don’t blame us for the title. [CCrome] admits it may well be the cheapest and worst IR camera available. The concept is surprisingly simple. Mount a cheap Harbor Freight non-contact …read more Continue reading World’s Cheapest and Possibly Worst IR Camera
BBC micro:bit Reads Morse Code with MakeCode
We always have mixed feelings about the drag-and-drop programming languages. But we were impressed with [SirDan’s] Morse code decoder built with the graphical MakeCode. Granted, it is reading 5 element …read more Continue reading BBC micro:bit Reads Morse Code with MakeCode
Repairing Underground Power Cables
When we were kids, overhead power cables were a constant fixture in the neighborhood. Not only were they the bane of our kites, but they also had a tendency to …read more Continue reading Repairing Underground Power Cables
Fourier Transforms (and More) Using Light
Linear transforms — like a Fourier transform — are a key math tool in engineering and science. A team from UCLA recently published a paper describing how they used deep …read more Continue reading Fourier Transforms (and More) Using Light
Shortwave Radio Picks up Sideband
With the push to having most of a radio receiver as part of a PC, it might seem odd to have a standalone communication receiver, but [OM0ET] reviews the latest …read more Continue reading Shortwave Radio Picks up Sideband
101 Uses for an Everready — Flashlight History
For some reason, I’m always interested in why things are called what they are. For example, I’ve been compelled in the past to research what Absorbine Senior is. Not that …read more Continue reading 101 Uses for an Everready — Flashlight History