Fly Across The Water On A 3D-Printed Electric Hydrofoil

June 28, 2017 by Dan Maloney 31 Comments

Paddleboards, which are surfboard-like watercraft designed to by stood upon and paddled around calm waters, are a common sight these days. So imagine the surprise on the faces of beachgoers when what looks like a paddleboard suddenly but silently lurches forward and rises up off the surface, lifting the rider on a flight over the water.

That may or may not be [pacificmeister]’s goal with his DIY 3D-printed electric hydrofoil, but it’s likely the result. Currently at part 12 of his YouTube playlist in which he completes the first successful lift-off, [pacificmeister] has been on this project for quite a while and has a lot of design iterations that are pretty instructive — we especially liked the virtual reality walkthrough of his CAD design and the ability to take sections and manipulate them. All the bits of the propulsion pod are 3D-printed, which came in handy when the first test failed to achieve liftoff. A quick redesign of the prop and duct gave him enough thrust to finally fly.

There are commercially available e-foils with a hefty price tag, of course; the header image shows [pacificmeister] testing one, in fact. But why buy it when you can build it? We’ve seen a few hydrofoil builds before, from electric-powered scale models to bicycle powered full-size craft. [pacificmeister]’s build really rises above, though.

[pacificmeister], if you’re out there, this might be a good entry in the Hackaday Prize Wheels, Wings, and Walkers round. Just sayin’.

Continue reading “Fly Across The Water On A 3D-Printed Electric Hydrofoil” →

Wooden Laptop Enclosure: New Life For Old Thinkpad

June 28, 2017 by Inderpreet Singh 21 Comments

Technology is designed to serve us and make our lives better. When a device gets outdated, it is either disposed of or is buried in a pile of junk never to be seen again. However, some individuals tend to develop a certain respect for their mechanical servants and make an effort to preserve them long after they have become redundant.

My relationship with my first laptop is a shining example of how to hold onto beloved hardware way too long. I converted that laptop into a desktop with a number of serious modifications which helped me learn about woodworking along the way. Maybe it’s more pragmatic to just buy new equipment. But you spend so much time each day using your devices. It is incredibly satisfying to have a personal connection that comes from pouring your own craftsmanship into them.

Why the Effort?

The laptop in question is an IBM R60 which I lugged around during the first three years after I graduated. It was my companion during some tough times and naturally, I developed a certain attachment to it. With time its peripherals failed including the keyboard which housed the power switch and it was decided that the cost of repair would outweigh its usefulness.

Then came the faithful day when I was inspired to make something with the scrap wood that had accumulated in my workshop. This would be my second woodworking project ever and I did not have the professional heavy machinery advertised in most YouTube videos. Yet I had two targets in mind with this project.

Make the R60 useful again.
Learn about woodworking for creating enclosures for future projects.

Armed with mostly hand tools, a drill and a grinder that was fitted with a saw blade, I started with the IBM R60 to all-in-one PC mod. Following is a log of things I did and those I regret not doing a.k.a. lessons learned. Read on.

Continue reading “Wooden Laptop Enclosure: New Life For Old Thinkpad” →

Copper, Brass, Mahogany, And Glass Combine In Clock With A Vintage Look

June 28, 2017 by Dan Maloney 18 Comments

No two words can turn off the average Hackaday reader faster than “Nixie” and “Steampunk.” But you’re not the average Hackaday reader, so if you’re interested in a lovely, handcrafted timepiece that melds modern electronics with vintage materials, read on. But just don’t think of it as a Nixie Steampunk clock.

No matter what you think of the Steampunk style, you have to admire the work that went into [Aeon Junophor]’s clock, as well as his sticktoitiveness –he started the timepiece in 2014 and only just finished it. We’d wager that a lot of that time was spent finding just the right materials. The body and legs are copper tube and some brass lamp parts, the dongles for the IN-12A Nixies are copper toilet tank parts and brass Edison bulb bases, and the base is a fine piece of mahogany. The whole thing has a nice George Pal’s Time Machine vibe to it, and the Instructables write-up is done in a pseudo-Victorian style that we find charming.

If you haven’t had enough of the Nixie Steampunk convergence yet, check out this Nixie solar power monitor, or this brass and Nixie clock. And don’t be bashful about sending us tips to builds in this genre — we don’t judge.

Continue reading “Copper, Brass, Mahogany, And Glass Combine In Clock With A Vintage Look” →

New Ransomware Crippling Chernobyl Sensors

June 28, 2017 by Jack Laidlaw 87 Comments

[The BBC] reports Companies all over the world are reporting a new ransomware variant of WannaCry. this time it has taken out sensors monitoring the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site.

We have all heard of the growing problem of ransomware and how Windows XP systems seem especially susceptible to WannaCry and it’s variants which were originally zero day vulnerabilities stored up by the NSA then leaked by WikiLeaks. Microsoft did release a patch. It’s been everywhere in the media but it still seems that some people didn’t get the memo.

Ukrainian state power plants and Kiev’s main airport, among others, have been affected. Probably most interesting and scary of all is that Chernobyl monitoring stations have been taken out, and monitors have to take radiation levels manually for the moment.

It seems that most reports are coming from old Soviet Bloc states (Ukraine, Russia, and Poland), which raises the question of where the attacker is based. Kaspersky Lab is reporting that it’s believed the ransomware was a “new malware that has not been seen before” with a close resemblance to Petya. So as a result, the firm has dubbed it NotPetya.

NotPetya is spreading rapidly affecting companies all over the world with no signs of slowing just yet. Will we see an end to WannaCry variants any time soon.

[Update Thanks to [getrekt] , It now seems that this is fake ransomware which just destroys your data whether you pay or not.]