Debugging vs Printing
We’ll admit it. We have access to great debugging tools and, yes, sometimes they are invaluable. But most of the time, we’ll just throw a few print statements in whatever …read more Continue reading Debugging vs Printing
Author Archives: Al Williams
Everything in a Linux Terminal
Here at Hackaday Central, we fancy that we know a little something about Linux. But if you’d tasked us to run any GUI program inside a Linux terminal, we’d have …read more Continue reading Everything in a Linux Terminal
The Android Linux Commander
Last time, I described how to write a simple Android app and get it talking to your code on Linux. So, of course, we need an example. Since I’ve been …read more Continue reading The Android Linux Commander
Retrotechtacular: The Noisy Home Computer from 1967
[Rex Malik] didn’t need an alarm clock. That’s because he had one of two “home computer terminals” next to his bed and, as you can see in the video below, …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: The Noisy Home Computer from 1967
Reverse Engineering a (Toy) Fire Engine
Your kid has a toy remote control fire truck. You have an RTL SDR. See where this is going? [Jacob] couldn’t resist tearing into the why and how of the …read more Continue reading Reverse Engineering a (Toy) Fire Engine
Faux Potentiometers Use Magnets, No Contacts
Ever tear open a potentiometer? If you haven’t, you can still probably guess what’s inside. A streak of resistive material with some kind of contact that moves across it as …read more Continue reading Faux Potentiometers Use Magnets, No Contacts
Heart Rate Monitoring via WiFi
Before you decide to click away, thinking we’re talking about some heart rate monitor that connects to a display using WiFi, wait! Pulse-Fi is a system that monitors heart rate …read more Continue reading Heart Rate Monitoring via WiFi
Tips for Homebrewing Inductors
How hard can it be to create your own inductors? Get a wire. Coil it up. Right? Well, the devil is definitely in the details, and [Nick] wants to share …read more Continue reading Tips for Homebrewing Inductors
Optimizing VLF Antennas
Using digital techniques has caused a resurgence of interest in VLF — very low frequency — radio. Thanks to software-defined radio, you no longer need huge coils. However, you still …read more Continue reading Optimizing VLF Antennas
CPU Utilization Not as Easy as It Sounds
If you ever develop an embedded system in a corporate environment, someone will probably tell you that you can only use 80% of the CPU or some other made-up number. …read more Continue reading CPU Utilization Not as Easy as It Sounds