Switching power supplies are familiar to Hackaday readers, whether they have a fairly conventional transformer, are a buck, a boost, or a flyback design. There’s nearly always an inductor involved, whose rapid change in magnetic flux is harnessed to do voltage magic. [Craig D] has made a switching voltage booster that doesn’t use an inductor, […]
It was Elliot and Dan on the podcast today, taking a look at the best the week had to offer in terms of your hacks. We started with surprising news about the rapidly approaching Supercon keynote; no spoilers, but Star Trek fans such as we who don’t have tickets will be greatly disappointed. Elliot waxed […]
You’ve got a laser cutter. You’ve got a 3D printer. What do you make? [Ayushmaan45] suggests a telescope. The modest instrument isn’t going to do serious astronomy with only 8X worth of optics, but it would make a fine spyglass for a youngster. The body is cut from MDF, and there are only a few […]
F5 is unintentionally dabbling in releasing the source code behind their BIG-IP networking gear, announcing this week that an unknown threat actor had access to their internal vulnerability and code tracking systems. This security breach was discovered on August 9th, and in the time since, F5 has engaged with CrowdStrike, Mandiant, and NCC Group to […]
The overall theme of the early part of the Cold War was that of subterfuge — with scientific missions often providing excellent cover for placing missiles right on the USSR’s doorstep. Recently NASA rediscovered Camp Century, while testing a airplane-based synthetic aperture radar instrument (UAVSAR) over Greenland. Although established on the surface in 1959 as […]
Arguably, the golden age of browser gaming occurred in the 00s mostly revolving around Adobe Flash. This was an era with high creativity and a low barrier of entry, and also decentralized from gatekeeping app stores. Sadly, these times have passed us by as the security concerns around Flash led to its discontinuation and most […]
Keeping chickens in predator-prone areas demands serious fortifications, but even the most robust coop can become a hassle without automation. That’s where [lcamtuf] steps in with his Chicken Squisher 3000, a clever DIY automatic door mechanism that opens and closes based on ambient light levels. The chicken coop he previously built did not include a […]
Bismuth is known for a few things: its low melting point, high density, and psychedelic hopper crystals. A literal deep-dive into any molten metal would be a terrible idea, regardless of low melting point, but [Electron Impressions]’s video on “Why Do Bismuth Crystals Look Like That” may be the most educational eight minutes posted to […]
Try an experiment. Next time you are in a room with someone, ask them to name everything in the room. Only certain kinds of people will say “air” or “light.” For most people, those are just givens, and you don’t think about them unless, for some reason, you don’t have them. Resistance is like that […]
The fact that there exist in our world flat rocks that make lightning when you point them at the sun is one of the most unappreciated bits of wizardry in this modern age. As hackers, we love all this of techno-wizardry–but some of us abhor paying full price for it. Like cars, one way to […]