A map of the United States showing a series of interconnected lines in white, red, orange, yellow, and green to denote fiber optic and electrical transmission lines. Dots of white, orange, and yellow denote the location of the data centers relative to nearby metropolitan centers.

NREL Maps Out US Data Infrastructure

June 24, 2025 by Navarre Bartz 13 Comments

Spending time as wee hackers perusing the family atlas taught us an appreciation for a good map, and [Billy Roberts], a cartographer at NREL, has served up a doozy with a map of the data center infrastructure in the United States. [via LinkedIn]

Fiber optic lines, electrical transmission capacity, and the data centers themselves are all here. Each data center is a dot with its size indicating how power hungry it is and its approximate location relative to nearby metropolitan areas. Color coding of these dots also helps us understand if the data center is already in operation (yellow), under construction (orange), or proposed (white).

Also of interest to renewable energy nerds would be the presence of some high voltage DC transmission lines on the map which may be the future of electrical transmission. As the exact location of fiber optic lines and other data making up the map are either proprietary, sensitive, or both, the map is only available as a static image.

If you’re itching to learn more about maps, how about exploring why they don’t quite match reality, how to bring OpenStreetMap data into Minecraft, or see how the live map in a 1960s airliner worked.

Make Magical-Looking Furniture With Kerf Bend Wizard

June 14, 2025 by Tyler August 26 Comments

The intersection between “woodworkers” and “programmers” is not a densely populated part of the Venn diagram, but [Michael Schiebler] is there with his Kerf Bend Wizard to help us make wood twist and bend like magic.

Kerf bending is a fine technique we have covered before: by cutting away material on the inside face of a piece of wood, you create an area weak enough to allow for bending. The question becomes: how much wood do I remove? And where? That’s where Kerf Bend Wizard comes to the rescue.

More after the break…

Continue reading “Make Magical-Looking Furniture With Kerf Bend Wizard” →

Planetary Poetry With A Tiny Digital Core

June 2, 2025 by Heidi Ulrich 7 Comments

Some hacks just tickle the brain in a very particular way. They’re, for a change, not overly engineered; they’re just elegant, anachronistic, and full of mischief. That’s exactly what [Frans] pulls off with A Gentleman’s Orrery, a tiny, simple clockwork solar system. Composed of shiny brass and the poise of 18th-century craftsmanship, it hides a modern secret: there’s barely any clockwork inside. You can build it yourself.

Peek behind the polished face and you’ll find a mechanical sleight of hand. This isn’t your grandfather’s gear-laden planetarium. Instead of that, it operates on a pared-down system that relies on a stepper motor, driving planetary movement through a 0.8 mm axle nested inside a 1 mm brass tube. That micro-mechanical coupling, aided by a couple of bevel gears, manages to rotate the Moon just right, including its orientation. Most of the movement relies on clever design, not gear cascades. The real wizardry happens under the hood: a 3D-printed chassis cradles an ESP32-C6, a TTP223 capacitive touch module, STSPIN220 driver, and even a reed switch with magnetic charging.

You can even swap out the brass for a stone shell where the full moon acts as the touch control. It’s tactile, it’s poetic, and therefore, a nice hack for a weekend project. To build it yourself, read [Frans]’ Instructable.

Continue reading “Planetary Poetry With A Tiny Digital Core” →

It’s MIDI For The TRS-80!

June 1, 2025 by Lewin Day 16 Comments

The Radio Shack TRS-80 was a much-loved machine across America. However, one thing it lacked was MIDI. That’s not so strange given the era it was released in, of course. Nevertheless, [Michael Wessel] has seen fit to correct this by creating the MIDI/80—a soundcard and MIDI interface for this old-school beast.

The core of the build is a BluePill STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller, running at a mighty 75 MHz. Plugged into the TRS-80s expansion port, the microcontroller is responsible for talking to the computer and translating incoming and outgoing MIDI signals as needed. Naturally, you can equip it with full-size classic DIN sockets for MIDI IN and MIDI OUT using an Adafruit breakout module. None of that MIDI Thru nonsense, though, that just makes people uncomfortable. The card is fully capable of reproducing General MIDI sounds, too, either via plugging in a Waveblaster sound module to the relevant header, or by hooking up a Roland Sound Canvas or similar to the MIDI/80s MIDI Out socket. Software-wise, there’s already a whole MIDI ecosystem developing around this new hardware. There’s a TRS-80 drum tracker and a synthesizer program, all with demo songs included. Compatibility wise, The MIDI/80 works with the TRS-80 Model I, III, and 4.

Does this mean the TRS-80 will become a new darling of the tracker and chiptune communities? We can only hope so! Meanwhile, if you want more background on this famous machine, we’ve looked into that, too. Video after the break.

Continue reading “It’s MIDI For The TRS-80!” →

Making The Codec Communicator From Metal Gear Solid

June 1, 2025 by Lewin Day 9 Comments

[3DSage] likes building replicas of hardware from movies and video games, often with a functional twist. His latest build aimed to bring the Codec from Metal Gear Solid to life.

If you haven’t played the Metal Gear games, the Codec has been modelled somewhat like an advanced walkie talkie at times, but has often been kept off-screen. Thus, [3DSage] had a great deal of creative latitude to create a realistic-feeling Codec device that provided voice communications and some simple imagery display.

The resulting build relies on an RP2040 microcontroller to run the show. It’s paired with an MPU6050 3-axis gyroscope and accelerometer for motion control of the device’s functionality, and features a small LCD screen to mimic the display in the games. A kids walkie-talkie kit was leveraged for audio communication, but kitted out with a better microphone than standard. Power is via a rechargeable 9V battery, which is really a lithium-ion and USB charging board packed into the familiar 9V form factor.

Where the build really shines, though, is the aesthetic. [3DSage] managed to capture the military-like look and feel as well as authentically recreate the graphics from the games on the screen. The simulated noise on the display is particularly charming. Beyond that, the 3D-printed enclosures leverage texture and multi-color printing really well to nail the fit and finish.

Ultimately, the Codec isn’t much more than a glorified walkie talkie. Even still, [3DSage] was able to create an impressive prop that actually does most of what the device can do in game. If you’ve ever coveted a PipBoy or tricorder, this is one project you’ll be able to appreciate.

Continue reading “Making The Codec Communicator From Metal Gear Solid” →

Another Doom Port To The Atari ST

May 29, 2025 by Lewin Day 7 Comments

Last week, we examined a Doom port for the venerable Atari ST. As is so often the way with this thing, one netted another, and [Steve] wrote in to inform us about a different version under the name DOOM8088ST.

The port is so named because it’s based on Doom8088, which was originally written for DOS machines running Intel 8088 or 286 CPUs. Both ports are the work of [FrenkelS], and aims to bring the Doom experience into the far more resource constrained environment of the Atari ST. There is only very limited sound, no saving, and it only supports Doom 1 Episode 1. Still, it’s quite recognizable as Doom!

Doom8088ST is tunable to various levels of performance, depending on what you’re running it on. Low mode (30 x 128) is suitable for stock Atari ST machines running at 8 MHz. It’s described as having “excellent” framerate and is very playable. If you’ve got an upgraded ST or Mega STe, you can try Medium (60 x 128), which has greatly improved visuals but is a lot heavier to run.

Files are on Github for those interested to run or tinker with the code. Don’t forget to check out the other port we featured last week, either, in the form of STDOOM. Video after the break.

Continue reading “Another Doom Port To The Atari ST” →

You Can Make Your Own Ribbon Mic With A Gum Wrapper

May 29, 2025 by Lewin Day 13 Comments

There are lots of different types of microphone, with the ribbon microphone being one of the rarer ones. Commercial versions are often prized for their tone and frequency response. You can make your own too, as [Something Physical] demonstrates using a packet of chewing gum.

Yes, the ribbon in this microphone was literally gained from Airwaves Extreme gum. It’s got nothing to do with freshness or the special mintiness quotient of the material, though; just that it’s a conductive foil and it makes the YouTube video more interesting to watch.

The gum wrapper is first soaked in hot water and then acetone, such that the paper backing can be removed. The foil is then corrugated with a tube press with some baking paper used for protection during this delicate process. The “motor” of the ribbon microphone is then produced out of plexiglass, copper tape, and a pair of powerful magnets. The ribbon is then stretched between the magnets and clamped in place, acting as the part of the microphone that will actually vibrate in response to sound. As it vibrates in the magnetic field, a current is generated in response to the sound. From there, it’s just a matter of hooking up a custom-wound transformer to the wires leading to the “motor” and it’s ready to test. It works off the bat, but there is some noise. Adding shielding over the transformer and a proper enclosure helps to make the microphone more fit for purpose.

If you’ve ever wanted to experiment with microphone construction, it’s hard to go past the joy of building a simple ribbon mic. You can experiment at will with different sizes and materials, too; you needn’t just limit yourself to different brands of gum!

We’ve featured some other great mic builds over the years, too. Video after the break.

Continue reading “You Can Make Your Own Ribbon Mic With A Gum Wrapper” →