July 2024 Maker News Round Up
The summer is hotting up and we've got the hottest edition of Maker News yet!
Welcome to the July 2024 Maker News round up
The summer heat hasn't slowed down our amazing maker community—if anything, it seems like the creativity is ramping up! This month, we've seen some truly mind-blowing projects and ingenious innovations that are sure to inspire your next big build.
From running classic demos on homebrew CPUs to reverse-engineering modern smartwatches, we’ve got everything. Whether you're fascinated by the intricate world of millimeter wave sensors or looking to jump into the details of vintage mainframe technology, we've got something for you.
So, grab a cold drink, set your soldering iron aside for just a moment, and buckle up for this month’s treasure trove of maker magic!
Maker Cast is Back!
We’ve missed a couple of months - but we’re back with Episode 58 hosted by deshipu!
Things to watch
Bad Apple on the Homebrew CPU!
The title says it all - It’s Bad Apple running on James Sharman’s homebrew CPU. He’s done an amazing job getting the video and audio to work. Really impressive stuff.
I Blew Up My Dev Board
What do you do when you blow up your dev board? You can’t put the magic smoke cannot back into the chips, but that’s not stopping atomic14…
DIY Presence Sensor
Ever thought about building your own presence sensor because everything is out of stock? Join Mellow Labs as he jumps into the world of millimeter wave sensors!
Light Up Your Channel
Mark is at it again with element14presents - it’s another Spectrum Analyzer project, but this time it comes with a built in YouTube subscriber counter!
NFC-Enhanced Generative Street Art
Everyone has a box of random stuff, and bleeptrack is no exception she’s got a box full of NFC stickers and she’s turned them into some amazing generative art.
Cool things you can build with CircuitPython
The talks from PyCon2024 have been published, and among them there is a lightning talk by our very own deshipu on game consoles and robots.
Dong DOOM
Not satisfied with getting DOOM running on a toothbrush, Aaron Christophel has now got it running on an “interesting” piece of equipment…
1-Pin, 8 Pads
Multi-touch madness - atomic14 is making some improvements to his ESP32 ZX Spectrum touch - can he multiplex is touch pins?
Blinded by the Light
What could possibly go wrong? As bitluni discovers, when you’re resurrecting an old project, pretty much everything!
Things to do
Tiny Tapeout Demoscene Competition
The home computer demoscene has resulted in some amazing feats of hacking and pushing hardware to its limits.
The Tiny Tapeout demoscene competition sticks to the same audio/visual output format, but instead of using an existing computer, you create your own ASIC hardware!
All entrants will receive 1 free tile for their design.
All entrants who also purchase the demoboard will get a free VGA and Audio PMOD expansion module!
Things to read
IBM/Motorola mainframe controller chip from 1981
The purpose of the Control Unit "is to take care of all communication between the host system and your organization's display stations and printers" - let’s take a look at the Motorola/IBM SC81150 chip and see what made it tick.
The New Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen
Visiting Shenzhen is on my bucket list - I would love to explore the electronics bazarre and maybe even pick up a few components. The New Essential Guide to Electronics in Shenzhen would be my equivalent of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Floppy8 - A Tiny Computer, in a Floppy Drive
Do you have an old floppy disk drive lying around? Join Abraham Haskins did and he’s turned his into a little mini computer - powerful enough to play 4K movies and games!
Reverse Engineering a Smartwatch
What happens when a collection of mothballed smartwatches lands on your desk? Well, you certainly don’t throw them away - turn them into something useful like Benjamen Lim.
DIY Nuclear Reactor
Who wants to build their own nuclear reactor? I thought the answer might be yes! Find out how to do it here with the Open Source reactor project.
A Floppy Disk and a Logic Analyzer…
No, it’s not the start of a really terrible joke, it’s a fascinating look at how floppy disks actually work.
Inside a 1 dollar radar motion sensor
Getting one working is quite easy, just connect it to power and the out pin goes high when it detect motion. But how does it actually work? This article digs into the magic.
Hardware (FPGA) DPS-8/M
It’s pretty amazing to think that a computer that would have taken up a whole room or building can now fit into one IC. This project aims to recreate the DPS-8-8/M mainframe on an FPGA.
Self-healing 'living skin' for robots
Did we learn nothing from the original terminator movie? Robots with living flesh - yes, it’s just a creepy as you’d expect!
Closing Thoughts
As always, the spirit of the maker community never ceases to amaze. Each project, whether it’s breathing new life into old technology or pushing the boundaries of what's possible with new innovations, showcases the boundless creativity and relentless curiosity that defines us.
Remember, every time you pick up a soldering iron, fire up your CAD software, or scribble down an idea on a scrap of paper, you're contributing to this incredible tapestry of ingenuity.
We're excited to see what next month holds and can't wait to feature more amazing work. If you’ve got a project that you’re particularly proud of, don’t hesitate to share it with us. You just might inspire the next wave of makers out there!
Thank you for being part of this dynamic community. Here’s to another month of making, tinkering, and innovating! Until next time, keep those ideas sparking and the creativity flowing. We’ll catch you in the next edition of Maker News.