CNC’d, CNC-inspired Adjustable Wrench Won’t Round Your Bolts

August 6, 2026 by 4 Comments

We’ve probably all got one item in our toolboxes or chests that we really, really don’t like, but find too handy to toss. For [Someone Should Make That], that item was the bolt-rounding adjustable wrench. Rather than continuing to gripe about it, or alter his habits to make greater use of the full wrench set he also owns, he decided to build a better mousetrap. By mousetrap, we mean adjustable wrench.

It took a couple of iterations on-screen before he hits on a solution that seems to work quite well indeed. The problem [Someone] had with his adjustable wrench was one of physical slop: once adjusted, there’s just too much play in the mechanism, which results in rounded-off bolt heads. [Someone]’s CNC’d solution takes inspiration from the CNC machine that manufactures it: he’s using spring-loading in the adjustment screw akin to what you find in the anti-backlash nut on your CNC mill or 3D printer’s ball threads. The tension from the springs keeps the wrench tight to the bolt, and that keeps [Someone] from rounding them off. Speaking of 3D printers, he prototyped in plastic before machining, and the screw in the end product stayed that way. It would be interesting to see how well that holds up.

Not only do we appreciate that it’s solved a common problem many of us have, the ethos of “this angers me, so I shall hack it” is one we support 100%, so do give a watch unless you’re one of those people who absolutely can’t stand videos, even when they’re spring-loaded to have no slop. There’s some good tips for beginner CNC operators in there, too.

This isn’t the first time someone’s tried to reinvent this particular wheel, though the last version we liked was a ratchet.

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Calculus-Free PID (Almost) In A Spreadsheet

August 6, 2026 by 5 Comments

PID controllers are everywhere. They regulate temperature, motor speed, power supplies, positioning systems, process equipment, and probably a dozen things within arm’s reach of you right now.

They’re also frequently explained with enough calculus to make them seem more mysterious than they really are. Granted, the I and D in PID stand for calculus terms, but they are easy enough to build into a spreadsheet. Grab a copy and keep it open while you read this post.

The Google Sheet implements a simple simulated PID controller along with a simulated process — the thing we’re trying to control. You can change the controller gains, alter the process, introduce disturbances, and watch what happens without compiling anything or wiring up a heater that might accidentally become a toaster. Continue reading “Calculus-Free PID (Almost) In A Spreadsheet” →

Going Full Fruity With Apple’s 1999 High-End Power Mac G3

August 6, 2026 by 1 Comment

Back in the late 90s, Apple was definitely a pretty fruity company, with its aggressively translucent shades of colored plastic that often got described in terms of such fruit variants. Although the iMac steals a lot of the glory here, the Power Mac series and associated hardware deserves that spot in the limelight as well. Recently [Dan Wood] put together a full Power Mac G3-based setup, including the appropriate LCD monitor and other peripherals as someone with some serious disposable income back in 1999 might have owned.

Why Macs are better than PCs. (Credit: Dan Wood, YouTube)
Why Macs are better than PCs. (Credit: Dan Wood, YouTube)

Part of Steve Jobs’ return to Apple, the Power Macintosh G3 debuted first in basically recycled beige enclosures from previous Macintosh systems before its second generation introduced the Blue and White version, as it was officially called. This dazzling style was carried through in the peripherals, with pin stripes, translucent plastic and a distinct absence of sharp corners or edges.

As for what you get in these colorful Power Mac G3s, a 300 to 450 MHz CPU, an official memory limit of 192 MB and perhaps the most user-friendly way to access the logic board to upgrade and install components with the folding lid. Something which had PC users with sharp edged cases and plentiful blood sacrifices to the PC gods somewhat steaming in jealousy.

For the time these Power Mac G3s didn’t just look fetching, they also were quite powerful. Something which came at a pretty hefty price tag, of course. The 400 MHz model that [Dan] got his paws on would have cost around $2,000 back in 1999, or closer to $4,000 clams today. The active-matrix TFT LCD screen would have been cutting edge as well, with a similar cutting edge price tag.

Released before OS X this system runs Mac OS 8.6, though it can run OS X 10.4 (Tiger) which unlocks more software options and of course the transition to a proper multi-tasking OS. This particular system was apparently used for graphics design until 2010 based on the files on the HDD. As demonstrated in the video, the system is still quite usable, even in 2026, thanks to all the software available online.

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FitzRoy’s Glass: Victorian Weather Marvel Or Glorified Thermometer?

August 6, 2026 by 6 Comments

Everyone talks about the weather. This is doubly true for sailors, where bad weather could mean a very bad day. So it isn’t surprising that navies around the world have had a keen interest in weather forecasting. But how did you predict the weather before modern instruments, radar, and satellite images? Vice Admiral Robert FitzRoy had great faith in “storm glasses,” a glass chamber containing some chemicals that he didn’t invent, but did document and promote heavily during the 1860s.

Did it work? Apparently not, but the device is still interesting in its own right. FitzRoy was a pioneer of meteorology, replacing folklore with actual observations and attempts at scientific rigor. While he did arm observation stations with conventional things like thermometers and barometers, he was also a proponent of the weather glass. Continue reading “FitzRoy’s Glass: Victorian Weather Marvel Or Glorified Thermometer?” →

Amiga And Commodore, Back Together (Sort Of)

August 6, 2026 by 9 Comments

The story of Commodore, the famous manufacturer of home computers, is a murky one at best. Commodore fans will decry their woeful marketing and dismal product roadmap, while former employees such as our Hackaday colleague [Bil Herd] have shone a bit of light on the goings-on behind the scenes. The company’s final demise in the collapse of the German company Escom scattered its parts to the four winds, but now we find a potential return to clarity.

Amiga Corporation, holders of much of the Commodore and Amiga IP, have reached agreements with Commodore International Corporation, the recently formed face of the Commodore brand, and Hyperion Entertainment BV, who have been behind a series of Amiga developments over recent decades.

The press release provides a fascinating map of the Commodore and Amiga ecosystem as it stands in the 21st century, something which has sometimes eluded fans. As we understand it the rights to the 8-bit IP reside alongside the rights to the Amiga IP with Amiga Corporation, and it’s these 8-bit rights, or at least the software and documentation within them, that have been licensed to Commodore International Corporation. Meanwhile in a separate agreement the rights to continued development of AmigaOS 4.x remain with Hyperion, while the AmigaOS 3.x versions for the 68k Amigas will revert to Amiga Corporation at the end of 2027.

As far as we can see then, this should enable Commodore International Corporation to produce their line of 8-bit Commodore 64s and other machines, while Hyperion continue to serve the AmigaOS 4.x community. The interesting part comes in the AmigaOS 3.x versions, for which Amiga Corporation say they will continue to direct the development and evolution. Does that mean we’ll eventually see a 68k Amiga of some kind licensed through a company such as Commodore International Corporation? It’s an interesting prospect, and a story we’ll follow.

Only The Hottest Tunes Play On This Fire Organ

August 6, 2026 by 8 Comments

Most musical organs use air as their working fluid, but there’s nothing in the rule book that says they have to. Calliopes have used steam for 150 years now, while [Look Mum No Computer] has opted to go full pyromaniac and pump propane though the summer’s hottest new instrument.

Just like every steam or compressed-air organ we’ve heard, the tuning could use some work — though we have faith [LMNK] will get to that in due time — and just like the circus organs of yore, it sits upon a trailer for easy transport. That may or may not be to flee from fire marshals, because the whole point of the propane organ isn’t to waste flammable gas: it’s to burn it. The fire itself doesn’t make a sound; that’s the propane going through the copper organ pipes. Igniting it is just bonus, and what a bonus it is!

Said ignition is provided by regular spark plugs and ignition coils, like you’d find in any internal combustion engine. An earlier version used pilot lights, but those had an annoying habit of blowing out and were wasteful of propane to boot. This way the same MIDI signal that controls the gas valve can set the ignition off, and provide a light show to go with the sound. The video embedded below deals with building this new ignition setup, but he has other videos on the channel detailing other aspects of the construction. If you’re not so interested in that and just want a performance, jump right to 16:47 for the obligatory Toccata and Fugue.

Perhaps [LMNK] will write a theme tune for his museum of obsolete technology on this organ, with accompaniment from his rope-core drum machine, and effects on his tape delay synth.

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Iz in ur Tenda AC10V6, hax0ring your printf output. (Credit: Low Level, YouTube)

Hacking A Tenda AC1200 Wi-Fi Router With A CVE Combo

August 5, 2026 by 11 Comments

It’s rather awkward when you buy a piece of hardware like a sketchy router to make a video about its hidden admin password backdoor – known as CVE-2026-11405 – only to discover that you bought the wrong Tenda router, namely the AC10V6 model. After making this mistake, [Low Level] did the only reasonable thing one ought to do in this case, and try to find an exploit in this ‘wrong’ router as well.

The obvious start here is to do the same as with the other exploit, in that you download a firmware image from the manufacturer’s website, then pluck it apart using binwalk to do an initial check for juicy files. After that tools like Ghidra can be used to do a more in-depth analysis of any binary files, with a special focus on things like user-facing elements like login screen, as input validation will likely forever remain the number one type of exploited CVE.

One major change that Tenda made here was to encrypt the firmware image, which seemed suspicious. With that easy path blocked, the research of others on different Tenda routers was looked at, including the AC20 with the fascinating Telnet exploit in the form of CVE-2025-9090 where merely poking a file on the device turned on the Telnet service. This left the minor issue of finding a password to log into said Telnet session.

Continue reading “Hacking A Tenda AC1200 Wi-Fi Router With A CVE Combo” →