With Superconference 2024 in the books, Dan joined Elliot, fresh off his flight back from Pasadena, to look through the week (or two) in hacks. It was a pretty good crop, too, despite all the distractions and diversions. We checked out the cutest little quadruped, a wireless antenna for wireless communications, a price-tag stand-in for paper calendars, and a neat way to test hardware and software together.

We take the closest look yet at why Arecibo collapsed, talk about Voyager’s recent channel-switching glitch, and find out how to put old Android phones back in action. There’s smear-free solder paste application, a Mims-worthy lap counter, and a PCB engraver that you’ve just got to see. We wrap things up with a look at Gentoo and pay homage to the TV tubes of years gone by — the ones in the camera, for the TV sets.

Download the zero-calorie MP3.

Episode 295 Show Notes:

News:

• Voyager 1 Fault Forces Switch To S-Band

What’s that Sound?

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Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• Rapid Prototyping PCBs With The Circuit Graver
• Zinc Creep And Electroplasticity: Why Arecibo Collapsed
• Little Quadruped Has PCB Spine And No Wiring
• Hardware-in-the-Loop Continuous Integration
• Reusing An Old Android Phone For GPIO With External USB Devices
• Portable Solder Paste Station Prevents Smears With Suction

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks
  • Random Wire Antenna Uses No Wire
  • PicoROM, A DIP-32 8-Bit ROM Emulator
  • Split-Flap Clock Flutters Its Way To Displaying Time Without Numbers
• Dan’s Picks:
  • Word Of The Day Calendar Is Great Use Of E-Paper
  • Use PicoGlitcher For Voltage Glitching Attacks
  • Clever Circuit Makes Exercise Slightly Less Boring

Can’t-Miss Articles:

• I Installed Gentoo So You Don’t Havtoo
  • Handbook:Main Page – Gentoo wiki
• Capturing Light In A Vacuum: The Magic Of Tube Video Cameras