Join Hackaday Editor-in-Chief Elliot Williams and Managing Editor Tom Nardi as they look back on the best hacks and stories of the previous week. There’s plenty in the news to talk about, though between faulty altimeters and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, it isn’t exactly of the positive variety. But things brighten up quickly as discussion moves on to 3D printed car wheels, a fantastically complex drum machine from 1958, a unique take on the seven-segment flip display, and a meticulously designed (and documented) coffee machine upgrade. Somewhere in there a guy also recreates a rare German anti-air rocket launcher from WWII, but it’s all in the name of history. We’ll also tackle two very different forms of electric propulsion, from the massive wheeled batteries popping up in garages and driveways all over the world to high-efficiency thrusters for deep space missions.

Direct Download (~60 MB)

Take a look at the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!

Episode 159 Show Notes:

News This Week:

• Greedy Receivers: FCC Considers Regulating Receivers After Altimeter Showdown
• The Invisible Battlefields Of The Russia-Ukraine War

What’s that Sound?

• This week’s sound was from the arcade version of Gauntlet. Congratulations to [David]!

Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• Robotic Tufting Gun Fires Off CNC Textiles
  • rug reference – YouTube
  • RugBot 1000 – YouTube
• The 3D Printed Car Tire Rim Finally Hits The Road, Sorta
• Antique Beat Box Showcases 1950’s Engineering Prowess
  • Logic Noise: Filters And Drums
  • The ‘Rhythmicon’ Henry Cowell & Leon Termen. USA, 1930 – 120 Years of Electronic Music
  • ModularSynthesis – Circle Machine
• The Fliegerfaust Roars Back To Life After 77 Years
• One Stepper Plus A Whole Bunch Of Magnets Equals A Unique Seven-Segment Display
• Extreme Espresso, Part 2: An Inductive Water Level Sensor

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks:
  • There’s More In A Cardboard Box Than What Goes In The Cardboard Box
  • A Variable Capacitor For Not A Lot
  • The Hunt For The Voice Of Utah’s Arches
• Tom’s Picks:
  • Upgraded 3D Printed Tank Gets Better Drivetrain And Controls
  • Daft Punk Word Clock Goes Stronger And Faster
  • Nintendo Switch Runs Vita Software With Vita2hos

Can’t-Miss Articles:

• Grid Batteries On Wheels: The Complicated Logistics Of Vehicle-Grid Integration
• Ion Thrusters: Not Just For TIE Fighters Anymore