Image by [jwr] via redditThe Ultimate Hacking Keyboard (UHK) line is, as the name suggests, a great choice for a lot of people. They’re each a toe-dip into the ergonomic waters with their split-ability and those beginner thumb clusters.
However, [jwr] was not completely satisfied and decided to make a custom set of keycaps. The idea was to create ‘caps without the “annoyingly abrasive texture of PBT”, that are larger than average for larger-than-average fingers. Finally, [jwr] wanted the Function row to tower over the number row a little, so these have a taller profile.
So, what are they made of? The look kind rubbery, don’t they? They are cast of pigmented polyurethane resin. First, [jwr] designed five molds in Fusion360, one for each row. Then it was time to machine master molds via CNC in foam tooling board. These were filled with silicone along with 3D-printed inserts, which produced silicone molds for casting keycaps four at a time in resin.
Here’s the thing about running large strings of Neopixels—also known as WS2812 addressable LEDs. You need to truck out a ton of data, and fast. There are a dozen different libraries out there to drive them already, but [Zorxx] decided to strike out with a new technique—using I2S hardware to get the job done.
Fast!
Microcontrollers traditionally use I2S interfaces to output digital audio. However, I2s also just happens to be perfect for driving tons of addressable LEDs. At the lowest level, I2S hardware is really just flipping a serial data line really fast with a clock line and a word select line for good measure. If, instead of sound, you pipe a data stream for addressable LEDs to the I2S hardware, it will clock that data out just the same!
[Zorxx] figured that at with an ESP32 trucking out I2S data at a rate of 2.6 megabits per second on the ESP32, it would be possible to update a string of 256 pixels in just 7.3 milliseconds. In other words, you could have a 16 by 16 grid updating at over 130 frames per second. Step up to 512 LEDs, and you can still run at almost 70 fps.
There’s some tricks to pulling this off, but it’s nothing you can’t figure out just by looking at the spec sheets for the WS2812B and the ESP32. Or, indeed, [Zorxx’s] helpful Github page. We’ve featured some other unorthodox methods of driving these LEDs before, too! Meanwhile, if you’ve got your own ideas on how to datablast at ever greater speeds, don’t hesitate to let us know!
[EXO Labs] demonstrated something pretty striking: a modified version of Llama 2 (a large language model) that runs on Windows 98. Why? Because when it comes to personal computing, if something can run on Windows 98, it can run on anything. More to the point: if something can run on Windows 98 then it’s something no tech company can control how you use, no matter how large or influential they may be. More on that in a minute.
Ever wanted to run a local LLM on 25 year old hardware? No? Well now you can, and at a respectable speed, too!
What’s it like to run an LLM on Windows 98? Aside from the struggles of things like finding compatible peripherals (back to PS/2 hardware!) and transferring the required files (FTP over Ethernet to the rescue) or even compilation (some porting required), it works maybe better than one might expect.
A Windows 98 machine with Pentium II processor and 128 MB of RAM generates a speedy 39.31 tokens per second with a 260K parameter Llama 2 model. A much larger 15M model generates 1.03 tokens per second. Slow, but it works. Going even larger will also work, just ever slower. There’s a video on X that shows it all in action.
It’s true that modern LLMs have billions of parameters so these models are tiny in comparison. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be useful. Models can be shockingly small and still be perfectly coherent and deliver surprisingly strong performance if their training and “job” is narrow enough, and the tools to do that for oneself are all on GitHub.
DIY portable computing takes many forms, and doesn’t always require getting down and dirty with custom electronics. [Justinas Jakubovskis]’s Steam Deck Play and Work case demonstrates this with some really smart design features.
It’s primarily a carrying case for Valve’s Steam Deck portable PC gaming console, but the unit also acts as a fold-out workstation with keyboard. Add a wireless mouse to the mix and one can use it much like a mini laptop, or just pull the Steam Deck out and use it in the usual way.
The case is 3D printed and while the model isn’t free (links are in the video description) some of the design features are worth keeping in mind even if you’re not buying. The top clasp, for example, doubles as a cover for the buttons and exhaust vents and the kickstand at the rear covers the cooling intake when closed, and exposes it when deployed. We also really like the use of thick fabric tape lining the inside of the case to support and cushion the Steam Deck itself; it’s an effective and adjustable way to provide a soft place for something to sit.
The case is intended to fit a specific model of keyboard, in this case the Pebble Keys 2 K380s (also available as a combo with a mouse). But if you want to roll your own Steam Deck keyboard and aren’t afraid of some low-level work, check out the Keysheet. Or go deeper and get some guidance on modding the Steam Deck itself.
The OTC Station 29.8 meter dish at Carnarvon, Australia, in need of a bit of paint. (Credit: ABC News Australia)
Recently the 29.8 meter parabolic antenna at the Australian OTC (overseas telecommunications commission) station came back to life again after nearly forty years spent in decommissioning limbo.
This parabolic dish antenna shares an illustrious history together with the older 12.8 meter Casshorn antenna in that together they assisted with many NASA missions over the decades. These not only include the Apollo 11 Moon landing with the small antenna, but joined by the larger parabolic dish (in 1969) the station performed tracking duty for NASA, ESA and many other missions. Yet in 1987 the station was decommissioned, with scrapping mostly averted due to the site being designated a heritage site, with a local museum.
Then in 2022 the 29.8 meter parabolic dish antenna was purchased by by ThothX Australia, who together with the rest of ThothX’s world-wide presence will be integrating this latest addition into a satellite tracking system that seems to have the interest of various (military, sigh) clients.
Putting this decommissioned dish back into service wasn’t simply a matter of flipping a few switches. Having sat mostly neglected for decades it requires extensive refurbishing, but this most recent milestone demonstrates that the dish is capable of locking onto a satellites. This opens the way for a top-to-bottom refurbishment, the installation of new equipment and also a lick of paint on the dish itself, a process that will still take many years but beats watching such a historic landmark rust away by many lightyears.
Featured image: OTC Earth Station. (Credit: Paul Dench)
The big news story of the week of course has been the wildfires in California, which as of Saturday have burned over 30,000 acres, destroyed 12,000 structures, caused 150,000 people to evacuate, and killed eleven people. Actually, calling them wildfires underplays the situation a bit because there are places where they’ve clearly become firestorms, burning intensely enough to create their own winds, consuming everything in their path in a horrific positive feedback loop. We’ve even seen fire tornados caught on video. We’ve got quite a few connections to the affected area, both personally and professionally, not least of which are all our Supplyframe colleagues in Pasadena, who are under immediate threat from the Eaton fire. We don’t know many details yet, but we’ve heard that some have lost homes. We’ve also got friends at the Jet Propulsion Labs, which closed a few days ago to all but emergency personnel. The fire doesn’t seem to have made it down the mountain yet, but it’s very close as of Saturday noon.
We couldn’t decide if [‘s] Dungeons and Dragons gaming table was a woodworking project with some electronics or an electronics project with some woodworking. Either way, it looks like a lot of fun.
Some of the features are just for atmosphere. For example, the game master can set mood lighting. Presets can have a particular light configuration for, say, the woods or a cave.
But the table can also be a game changer since the game runner can send private messages to one or more players. Imagine a message saying, “You feel strange and suddenly attack your own team without any warning.”
