Hackaday’s Elliot Williams and Al Williams were in a retro mood this week. There was a new ‘486 computer, a new mechanical TV, and a USB stick with a magnetic personality. Can you watch YouTube on a Game Boy? Maybe.

For the can’t miss articles, this week, Elliot and Al reflected on the awkward phase of 3D printers when they transformed from being expensive commercial machines, to where they are now. Meanwhile, Al was interested in how airplanes know how fast they are going. Along the way, there were musical hacks, precision machine tools, and a quantum 8 ball.

Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments! Or write or record something for our mailbag segment.

Direct download in authentic retro DRM-free MP3.

Episode 376 Show Notes:

Mailbag:

• Thanks to Tom Lyons for calling [Elliot] out on the weather in the Garden State. Why don’t you write or record something? Send us your questions or comments, and you might hear them in a future show.

What’s that Sound:

• Congrats to [PostalPreacher] for correctly guessing last week’s sound. Be sure to drop in next week for your chance to win an exclusive Hackaday Podcast T-shirt.

Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• Hackaday Europe 2026 – Building A Retro PC From Scratch
• Building A Micrometer-Level Displacement Sensor With 3D Printed Parts
• Hack Improves Cheap Speed Controllers
  • Running Four Brushless Motors With A Single Pi Pico
  • Motors Make The Best Knobs With SimpleFOC
• Watch YouTube On A Game Boy Color With A Special Cartridge
  • Dumping Game Boy Cartridges Via The Link Cable Port
  • GB Interceptor Enables Live Screen Capture From Game Boy
  • The Ultimate Game Boy Talk
• Mechanical TV, Without The Benefit Of New Parts

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks:
  • Reflective LCD Slabtop Terminal Runs Homebrewed Solar OS
  • Fixing An Elgato Cam Link’s USB Current Draw Issue
  • GPU-Accelerated Autorouter Handles Monstrous PCB Designs
  • Piano Escapement Migrates To Drum Kit
  • Hard Drive Speakers Crank Out Classic Demo
  • Bite Into Strange Sounds With NOISFERATU
• Al’s Picks:
  • RF Hacking A Ceiling Fan Via The Remote
  • Accurate Split-Flap Display Can Be 3D Printed
  • A Quantum Magic 8-Ball

Can’t-Miss Articles:

• The Teenage Angst Of 3D Printing: Solidoodle, Printrbot, And Bridges
• How Airspeed Sensors Work
  • Tech In Plain Sight: Speedometers
  • Encyclopedia of Sensors