The BBC Microcomputer, launched in the early 1980s, holds a special place in computing history. Designed for educational purposes, it introduced a generation to programming and technology. With its robust architecture and community-driven modifications, the BBC Micro remains a beloved project for retro computing enthusiasts. [Neil] from Retro4U has been delving into this classic machine, […]
Electric scooters have long been a hacker’s friend, Xiaomi ones in particular – starting with M365, the Xiaomi scooter family has expanded a fair bit. They do have a weak spot, like many other devices – the battery, something you expect to wear out. Let’s say, one day the scooter’s diagnostics app shows one section […]
Despite HP shuttering their WebOS project some time ago, the operating system has kept a dedicated following. One device in particular, the HP TouchPad, was released just a month before webOS went under and is still a favorite among hackers — giving the device the kind of love that HP never could. [Alan Morford] from […]
Some hackers have the skills to help us find noteworthy lessons in even the most basic of repairs. For instance, is your computer failing to boot? Guess what, it could just be a flash chip that’s to blame — and, there’s more you should know about such a failure mode. [Manawyrm] and [tSYS] over at […]
Old radios often had selenium rectifiers to convert AC to DC. The problem is that the old units, dating back to 1933, are prone to failure and to release dangerous chemicals like hydrogen selenide. [M Caldeira] has a new board made to fit a particular rectifier and also allows a varying voltage drop. The circuit […]
There’s a wild new feature making repair jobs easier (not to mention less messy) and iFixit covers it in their roundup of the iPhone 16’s repairability: electrically-released adhesive. Here’s how it works. The adhesive looks like a curved strip with what appears to be a thin film of aluminum embedded into it. It’s applied much […]
Nothing can ruin a restoration project faster than broken knobs. Sure, that old “boat anchor” ham rig will work just fine with some modern knobs, but few and far between are the vintage electronics buffs that will settle for such aesthetic affrontery. But with new old stock knobs commanding dear prices, what’s the budget-conscious restorationist […]
There’s a special kind of satisfaction found in the act of repairing a previously broken device, which is why YouTube is full of repair channels and guides on how to do it yourself. Inspired by this, [Doug Brown] decided to give it a shot himself, with an Elgato HD60 S HDMI capture device as the […]
For vintage calculator fans, nothing strikes more fear than knowing that someday their precious and irreplaceable daily driver will become a museum piece to be looked at and admired — but never touched again. More often than not, the failure mode will be the keypad. In an effort to recover from the inevitable, at least […]
[MIKROWAVE1] claims he’s not a radio repair guy, but he agreed to look at a malfunctioning Hallicrafters S-120 shortwave receiver. He lets us watch as he tries to get it in shape in the video below. You’ll see that one of his subscribers had done a great job restoring the radio, but it just didn’t […]