What You Can See with a SEM?
The last time we used a scanning electron microscope (a SEM), it looked like something from a bad 1950s science fiction movie. These days SEMs, like the one at the …read more Continue reading What You Can See with a SEM?
Author Archives: Al Williams
Linux Fu: Kernel Modules Have Privileges
I did something recently I haven’t done in a long time: I recompiled the Linux kernel. There was a time when this was a common occurrence. You might want a …read more Continue reading Linux Fu: Kernel Modules Have Privileges
Lindroid Promises True Linux on Android
Since Android uses Linux, you’d think it would be easier to run Linux apps on your Android phone or tablet. There are some solutions out there, but the experience is …read more Continue reading Lindroid Promises True Linux on Android
TDK Claims Solid State Battery with 100X Energy Density
Regulations surrounding disposable batteries have accelerated a quiet race to replace coin cells, which on the whole are not readily rechargeable. TDK produces solid-state batteries and has announced a new …read more Continue reading TDK Claims Solid State Battery with 100X Energy Density
Raspberry Pi Saves Printer from Junk Pile
Around here, printers have a life expectancy of about two years if we are lucky. But [techtipsy] has a family member who has milked a long life from an old …read more Continue reading Raspberry Pi Saves Printer from Junk Pile
A LEGO Orrery
We aren’t sure how accurate you can get with LEGO, but a building block orrery looks cool, if nothing else. [Marian42] saw one done a few years ago and decided …read more Continue reading A LEGO Orrery
What If
We’ve noticed a recent YouTube trend of producing trailers for shows and movies as if they were produced in the 1950s, even when they weren’t. The results are impressive and, …read more Continue reading What If
The IBM PC: Brainchild of a Misfit
We’ve read a number of histories of the IBM PC and lived through that time, too. But we enjoyed [Gareth Edwards’] perspective in a post entitled The Misfit who Built …read more Continue reading The IBM PC: Brainchild of a Misfit
Hackaday Podcast Episode 274: Capstan Robots, Avionics of Uncertain Purpose, and What the Frack?
What do capstans, direct conversion receivers, and fracking have in common? They were all topics Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Al Williams found fascinating this week. If you wonder what …read more Continue reading Hackaday Podcast Episode 274: Capstan Robots, Avionics of Uncertain Purpose, and What the Frack?
What’s the Difference Between Tang 9K and 20K (It isn’t 11…)
[Grug Huhler] has been working with the Tang Nano 9K FPGA board. They are inexpensive, and he noticed there is a 20K version, so he picked one up. Of course, …read more Continue reading What’s the Difference Between Tang 9K and 20K (It isn’t 11…)