Wrist Welcomes Wii Nunchuk As Gloriously Ergonomic Macropad

August 7, 2026 by Donald Papp 4 Comments

[John Dingley] spends a lot of time editing videos, and as many of us know, when it comes to repetitive tasks the more ergonomic the better.

Keyboard shortcuts exist for common video editing functions, but [John] found that the vast majority of his work needed only three or four of them. Feeling he could do better than a three-key macropad, he turned to what’s perhaps one of the most ergonomic devices ever designed — the Wii Nunchuk.

A Wii Nunchuk is an I2C device, so there needs to be some intermediary device involved if you want to plug it into a computer. [John] solves that with the ANAVI Handle, an open source adapter to make a Nunchuk act like a USB Human Interface Device (HID). That addresses the connectivity problem, but the default firmware on the adapter only treats the Nunchuk as a mouse or joystick, so a few more changes are required before it can be pressed into service as an ultra-comfortable macropad.

The ANAVI Handle runs CircuitPython code on an RP2040, and modifying its behavior is as simple as plugging it in via USB and editing the code right on the device. One has to define some keyboard events, configure the device to act as a keyboard, and send the right events when the buttons or joystick get pushed. [John] provides the code, and walks through the changes on video so even those without any coding experience can get it done.

The Nunchuk design is still being sold and used today, and it’s shown up in all kinds of places. We’ve seen a Bluetooth-enabled one and even seen a Raspberry Pi Zero shoehorned into one, complete with HDMI output.

Continue reading “Wrist Welcomes Wii Nunchuk As Gloriously Ergonomic Macropad” →

Phantomdrive Keeps Your Secrets Out Of Sight

August 6, 2026 by Tom Nardi 15 Comments

It’s a complex world out there, and more than ever folks may find themselves in a situation where they want to keep particular bits of information away from prying eyes. At the same time, overly complex methods of file security can make it difficult to share said information with the intended recipients impractical. So what’s the solution?

One proposal from [Ryan Walker] AKA [machinehum] is the Phantomdrive — a fully open source USB flash drive that features a secret secondary filesystem. Not only is the existence of this data hidden from the operating system under normal circumstances, but it’s encrypted with AES-256. Rather than relying on software running on the computer to handle the decryption, the CH569 chip that powers the drive does it internally.

To complete this platform-agnostic approach, [machinehum] had to come up with a way for the user to unlock the secure storage that didn’t require running any code on the client machine. A hardware solution such as a keypad is the obvious answer, but in this case, was out of the question as it would immediately tip off an observer about the drive’s true nature. A covert storage device needs a similarly inconspicuous method of authentication.

That’s why the firmware on the Phantomdrive keeps an eye on all the write operations to the unsecured section of the drive looking for the string password:. Once it sees that, it treats whatever follows as the decryption key. If it’s correct, the previously inaccessible data will appear to the operating system as a new drive.

[machinehum] cautions that none of this has been professionally audited from a security standpoint, and that you should treat this whole concept as an experiment. In other words, it’s probably more than sufficient for the average person, but no guarantees on how long it would last should a three letter agency gets too interested in what you’re up to.

If this seems a bit familiar, it’s because the Phantomdrive follows up [machinehum]’s self-destructing USB flash drive from a few years back. The concept is essentially the same, except this time there’s no Magic Smoke getting released.

Continue reading “Phantomdrive Keeps Your Secrets Out Of Sight” →

Train Simulator Controller: July 2026 Progress Roundup

August 5, 2026 by Maya Posch 4 Comments

For the past three years [Christopher Mitchell] has been working on his replica of a British Rail Class 800 control cab for a physical train simulator, with the July blog update providing many details on the progress.

The Class 800 series of trains is relatively new, having first entered service in the UK in 2017 on the Great Western Railway (GWR). Designed and built by Hitachi as part of their modular AT300 product series, they come in both purely electrical and diesel-electric hybrid configurations to deal with non-electrified rail sections.

British Rail Class 800 in service with LNER in 2023. (Credit: Foulger Rail Photos, Wikimedia)

Replicating the experience of driving a train is always a trade-off between what one would like and what is practical or affordable. With only a corner of his apartment to work with, [Christopher] has opted to focus on the instruments and controls in the cab, using real components where possible or building replicas for the remainder.

This entire control panel is to be used with simulators like Train Simulator and Train Sim World, using their controller APIs to both control the in-game train as well as to get feedback to be displayed on the real instruments and the various LEDs, such as those that indicate the state of the external lights. These are all controlled internally via a CAN bus, as is typical.

These instruments include genuine AWS sunflowers, part of the safety system that ensures that a driver has acknowledged a non-clear signal along the track. It’s another nice touch to a control cab simulation that’s shaping up to be rather close to the real deal.

Even if for the average person something like a Densha de Go! copy and associated controllers will likely suffice, there’s a lot to be said for having something closely resembling the real deal for a realistic game, whether it’s a train, car or airplane controller and associated instrumentation.

A KVM Without The V (Or The M)

August 2, 2026 by Jenny List 23 Comments

Many of us will be used to the idea of a KVM, a device that pipes keyboard, video, and mouse over the network from a remote machine to your own. But many remote machines don’t run a GUI, so there’s not always the need for a full video experience. Enter [morpheuslord] with the PicoTTY. It’s somewhere between an old-fashioned serial terminal and a KVM.

The system has two components, a Pi Pico which plugs in to the USB port of each client machine and connects to the network with a WIZnet W5100S Ethernet Hat, and a Pi Zero 2 W which forms the hub. The Pico acts as both a keyboard and a serial terminal, and streams both to the user via a web interface on the Zero.

We can see the use of a machine like this, but we have a few questions. Why for instance is the keyboard needed, given that the serial terminal could provide input in itself. But however it works we can see it might have a use in cases where a terminal can’t be accessed over the network directly, and we especially like it that a single USB peripheral does the job that a conventional KVM would use a bunch of cables for.

If it’s a more conventional KVM you seek, they can now be done using a microcontroller.

Bike Trainers As Video Game Controllers

August 1, 2026 by Bryan Cockfield 10 Comments

While we’ve largely settled on analog sticks and digital buttons for controlling video games, there’s all sorts of projects to create truly esoteric controllers that allow playing games in unique ways. This one from [sukolupo] lets you use data from standard bike trainers to get your virtual character moving.

Called Deck de France, it maps the data coming from one of the supported bike trainers to a virtual controller which can then be “plugged in” to a Linux system, in this case a Steam Deck mounted to the trainer’s handlebars. Although a bike trainer doesn’t have the same number of inputs as a modern gaming controller, it does have enough to play games like Rocket League. As you might expect, it’s also perfect for biking titles such as the Tour de France series.

As far as unique controllers for video games go, this one is surely up in the rankings with a real trombone or a controller purpose-built for riding virtual horses. It’s also a great way for those who are getting a bit bored of riding their trainers to breathe some new life into their exercise routine. We’ve also seen some open-source alternatives for modern bike trainer software as well, which is another great way to get excited about exercise equipment too.

Open Source Stream Deck Targets Flexibility

August 1, 2026 by Zoe Skyforest 6 Comments

Stream decks are very useful when you’re live on camera and you need to hit some complicated macro at a glance. However, there is sometimes a perception that commercial options are a touch expensive for what they are, an attitude which has spawned many DIY builds. [Fady Faheem] has developed just such a device of his own.

Named Stream32, the build is intended to be simple to understand and adapt to one’s own individual workflow. Putting one together is as easy as buying a display, hooking it up to an ESP32, flashing the firmware, and then adding pages of shortcuts as desired. [Fady] has designed the firmware to be flexible with regards to screen choice — currently, it can be set up for a 4″ Waveshare LCD or a nice roomy 10.1″ display from Elecrow. Since it’s open source, adapting to a wider range of displays is a potential exercise for the builder.

The great thing about custom stream decks is you have all the freedom in the world to customize them to your own specific setup. Play with the code, the functionality, the visual layout—all to suit your own needs. If you’re working on your own custom hardware, be sure to tell us on the tipsline.

A Compact Game Controller For Your Phone

August 1, 2026 by Zoe Skyforest 9 Comments

[Gil Yankovitch] noted that playing games on a touchscreen phone gave up a certain something in terms of the tactile feedback one gets from real buttons. To that end, he was inspired to build a controller specifically for phones that solved this very problem.

The result was JoyFon. It’s a small gamepad built around the Raspberry Pi Pico, and can be put together around an RP2040 or an RP2350 as desired. It has four face buttons, a directional pad, and start and select buttons, as well as additional shoulder buttons up top in later revisions.

The JoyFon enumerates as a standard USB HID gamepad, so you could use it to play games on just about any PC, laptop, or tablet. However, the JoyFon is specifically designed for use with smartphones in the vertical orientation. This guided the design of the 3D printed enclosure, which positions the USB-C port to plug into the base of a phone, such that the buttons sit neatly beneath it. It does cover some of the phone screen, but that’s not always a problem when playing emulated games with a 4:3 or similar aspect ratio. The result is a button and screen layout not dissimilar to that of the original Game Boy handhelds.

We’ve seen some other great custom controller builds over the years, like this fantastic design using keyswitches.

Continue reading “A Compact Game Controller For Your Phone” →