A Curiously Strong Z80 In Your Pocket

September 17, 2019 by Tom Nardi 42 Comments

Like many hackers, [Tom Szolyga] has soft spot for the venerable Z80. The number of instructions and registers made it relatively easy to program in ASM, and he still has fond memories of the refreshingly straightforward CP/M operating system he used to run on them back in the day. In fact, he loves Z80 computers so much he decided to build one that he could carry around in his pocket.

The result is the Minty Z80, so-called because it lives inside a tin formerly inhabited by every hacker’s favorite curiously strong mint. But the goal of this build wasn’t just to make it small, but also make it convenient to work with. [Tom] is using a ATmega32A to help interface the Z84C0008 microprocessor with the modern world, which allows for niceties such as support for a micro SD card. There’s no onboard USB-to-serial capability, but with an external adapter connected to the Minty’s header, it’s easy to use log into this microcosm of classic computing with a terminal emulator running on a computer or mobile device.

[Tom] has provided the schematics and Bill of Materials for the Minty Z80 on the project’s Hackaday.io page, but as of the latest update, he’s holding off on releasing the board files until he’s sure that all the bugs have been worked out. There’s no word yet if he found any show stoppers in the first iteration of the board design, but he’s posted a picture of the fully assembled miniature retrocomputer in all its glory which seems like a good sign.

The design of the Minty Z80 is similar to that of the Z80-MBC2 by [Just4Fun], but on an even smaller scale. It’s encouraging to see several projects leveraging modern design and components to prevent classic computing from becoming little more than a distant memory.

Grey Water Toilet Helps Keep You Flush

September 16, 2019 by Kristina Panos 43 Comments

The average first world household swims in an ocean of non-potable water from things like HVAC condensation, shower drains, and periods of rain. All of it just goes to waste. These same households pay the city to deliver drinkable water to places that don’t need it, like the toilet tanks. Isn’t it time to put all that perfectly good grey water to use? With a zero city water toilet, you can give that slightly-used H₂O one last hurrah before flushing it down the drain.

When the toilet is flushed, an ultrasonic sensor in the toilet tank monitors the change in water level and triggers a pump to fill the toilet back up from a barrel in the basement. A clear plastic tube inserted into the toilet tank does double duty as both the water source and tank overflow drain point.

The 55-gallon plastic barrel in the basement collects water from both a shallow well and condensation from [nodemcu12ecanada]’s gas furnace. A NodeMCU controls the 12V submersible pump to send water up to the toilet, and another ultrasonic sensor monitors the water level in the barrel.

This setup doesn’t require changes to any of the existing plumbing, and reverting back is easy. We particularly like the use of phone plugs and jacks as quick connectors, and will likely steal the idea. You can get more information about this and [nodemcu12ecanada]’s other home-automation projects here.

Analyzing Data To Build Better Surfboards

September 14, 2019 by Lewin Day No comments

In the world of surfing, the equipment available is as diverse and varied as the enthusiasts themselves. Different boards are optimized for different conditions and styles, and the industry continues to innovate towards ever greater performance. [DARK-labs] aim to bring data analysis into the field to help create boards personalised to the individual.

The goal is to use a sensor network embedded in a surfboard to analyze the style of a particular surfer. This data is then used to identify characteristics such as stance and foot preference, which can then be used to optimize a board design to suit. Once a CAD model is created along these guidelines, it can then be CNC machined and turned into a finished board, ready to hit the waves.

It’s a project that we expect will capture the interest of many a surfer, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the concept take further strides in coming years. We’ve featured some other board hacks, too – this electric build is particularly compelling.

Smart Buoy Rides The Citizen Science Wave

September 11, 2019 by Kristina Panos 9 Comments

Those beautiful and dangerous ocean waves that beckon us to the coast are more than just a pretty sight. They can tell us a lot about weather patterns and what the sea itself is doing. As vital as this information is, the existing methods of doing wave research are pretty expensive. The team at [t3chflicks] wanted to show it can be done fairly cheaply, to encourage more citizen scientists to contribute. More data means a better understanding, and open research benefits even those who don’t actively participate.

They have developed a smart buoy that collects wave data and transmits it back to a base station for real-time display. The buoy runs on an 18650 that gets recharged by four 5V solar panels situated around the top half of the 3D-printed hull. An Arduino inside the buoy controls the sensors, most of which are baked into the GY-86 10-DOF module. The antenna on top sends the data back to a Raspi Zero base station, which charts wave height, wave period, wave power, water and air temperature, and barometric pressure in real-time on a spiffy Vue JS dashboard.

The team had their ups and downs during this project. They wanted to measure wave direction, but it proved a bit too complicated. And memory issues prevented them from backing up the data to an on-buoy SD card. You can catch the more in-depth hardware and software videos on their YouTube channel. We’ve got the smart buoy summary video tied up and floating just after the break.

Want to help buoy wave research, but don’t have a 3D printer? Sealed PVC makes a fine flotation device, as we saw in this water quality-sensing buoy.

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Meet The 20 Finalists In The 2019 Hackaday Prize

September 10, 2019 by Mike Szczys 7 Comments

The Hackaday Prize is our global engineering initiative, now in its sixth year. For 2019, the focus is on product development: with great engineering and a working prototype, can you also go the distance to embrace the user’s needs and ensure the project can be produced in quantity? Throughout the Spring and Summer we’ve been watching as hundreds step into the spotlight to share their projects with the world. Now we’re in the final stretch as these twenty entries all try to claim the grand prize of $125,000. Let’s take a look!

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Solder Ninja Dabbles In USB Power Arcana

September 9, 2019 by Lewin Day 22 Comments

USB first hit the scene in the 1990s, and was intended to simplify connecting peripherals to PCs and eliminate the proliferation of various legacy interfaces. Over 20 years later, it’s not only achieved its initial goals, but become a de facto standard for charging and power supply for all manner of personal electronic gadgets. If you asked someone back in 1995 whether or not you could build a USB-powered soldering iron, they’d have politely asked you to leave the USB Implementers Forum. But times change, and Solder Ninja is just that!

With a maximum power draw of 40 W, the Solder Ninja required careful design to ensure practicality. It supports a variety of USB power standards, including USB-BC 1.2, USB Quick Charge, and USB Power Delivery. This enables it to draw the large amounts of current required for the heating element. To make it easy to use with a variety of chargers out in the wild, it displays the current negotiated voltage and maximum current draw. This enables the user to understand the varying performance of the device, depending on the charger it’s plugged into.

Given the multitude of different USB power standards, we imagine [Nicolas] has the patience of a saint to perfect a project like this. We’ve seen similar builds before, too. Video after the break.

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ALEKYA Builds With Bricks And Mortar

September 8, 2019 by Lewin Day 29 Comments

Construction is often a labor-intensive task, particularly in the developing world where access to electricity and machinery can be limited. As always, robots promise to help ease the burden. [Nishant Agarwal] is working on just such a project, known as ALEKYA.

The aim of ALKEYA is to make construction easier and more automated, with the help of robotics. We’ve seen large-scale concrete printers before, but ALEKYA takes a different tack. With a focus on making use of local materials, it combines two gantries on a single frame. One lays down a bead of mortar, before the other swoops in to drop bricks into position. This is followed by another layer of mortar, and the build continues.

By using this manner of construction, progress can be much more rapid compared to more traditional 3D printing techniques which must build up height layer by layer. Currently operating on a small scale, the next step for the project is the construction of a 20×20 foot version for creating full-sized buildings.

We think there’s definite promise in this hybrid approach, and can’t wait to see what comes next! Video after the break.

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