Over at Tiny Transistor labs, [Robo] took it upon himself to reproduce the classic 555 timer in discrete transistor form. For bonus points, he also managed to put it in a package that’s the same basic size, pin compatible with, and a plug-in replacement for the original. The first task was deciding which 555 circuit to implement. He examined a handful of different implementations — and by examined, we mean dissected them and studied the die circuitry under a microscope. In the end, he went with Hans Camenzind’s original circuit, both as a tribute and because it used the fewest transistors — a point which helped manage the final size, which is only a little bit bigger than the IC!
UAVCAN Air Data Computer and Airspeed Sensor
From Avionics Anonymous on Tindie:
UAVCAN Air Data Computer / Airspeed Sensor
Airspeed, Altitude and Air Temperature sensing with UAVCAN interface for Pixhawk and other autopilots
A tiny, richly-featured Air Data Computer (ADC) for small unmanned airplanes. Includes an MS5611 barometric pressure sensor for 10cm-resolution altitude, a Honeywell RSC-series differential pressure transducer for extremely accurate airspeed, and a thermistor interface with high-resolution convertor for air temperature measurement with less than 1 degree precision. All of this interfaces to your autopilot via robust UAVCAN interface – no sketchy I2C wiring! Comes fully assembled, ready to use!
Open Source Turtle Robot Kit
From Ken Olsen of The Maker’s Box on Tindie:
A 3D printed drawing robot you can build, program, and modify.
Robotics is the exciting intersection of a number of engineering fields including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. This project was designed as the basis for a two-day workshop for high school age students to introduce them to engineering principles and giving them a jumping off point for exploring their interests further. There is something for everyone here, even if it is just for the art it creates. The design goals were:
Easy to build.
Easy to program.
Did something interesting.
Low-cost so participants could take it home and continue to learn.
DIY Arduboy Contest
Exciting announcement from Kevin Bates, creator of Arduboy, on Hackster:
Make your own Arduboy-compatible game system and win the brand new Arduboy FX!
Arduboy is an open source game system based on Arduino that has been supported by an awesome community for over five years with over 200 games available to play!
Arduboy community members have already made hundreds if not thousands of homemade versions of their very own Arduboy, now is your chance to share yours on Hackster!
The Arduboy consists of an OLED display (SSD1306), ATmega32U4 processor (same as Leonardo, Micro or Pro Micro), six tactile buttons and an optional speaker and RGB LED. You are encouraged to try and port Arduboy games to other microprocessor platforms and displays for bonus points!
All the instructions on how to make your own Arduboy game system are available for free online. If you have already documented your project on the Arduboy community or elsewhere you can import it to Hackster and join the contest too.
Because Arduboy is open source all of the information about how it is made is published for others to learn and understand from. Learning to make and program an Arduboy helps teach critical thinking and problem solving skills! Make an Arduboy today, you just might learn something!
Alternate Processor or Display – Get extra points for going beyond the ATmega32U4 and SSD1306!
Custom PCB – Projects that use a custom circuit board made for this contest will receive bonus points!
Lucky Resistor: Logic Gates Puzzle 100
Assume, while digging out an ancient site from 450 AD, you found a mysterious stone with a digital display. Your analysis finds five inputs for five segments (
a
–e
) and six outputs (1
–6
). It seems to be a classic multiplexed display.What is this display for?
What is the highest continuous sequence of numbers it can display?
New Contest: Reinvented Retro — Hackaday
There are so many ways to make things look awesome by pulling inspiration from great retro hardware. And combining today’s futuristic functionality with yesterday’s lines, colors, and kitsch is the quick path to a winning combination. So why not give it a try and show us what you got? That’s the gist of Hackaday’s Reinvented Retro Contest which begins right now and runs through June.
Read more New Contest: Reinvented Retro — Hackaday
Lucky Resistor: Logic Gates Puzzle 10
The shown logic circuit performs a handy function; can you discover what it is? The circuit was not optimised for functionality, but to create a nice artwork and interesting puzzle. If you need to know the meaning of the used logic gate symbols, have a look at this Wikipedia page…
Read more: Logic Gates Puzzle 10 — Lucky Resistor
Winners of Hackaday’s Data Loggin’ Contest
The votes for Hackaday’s Data Loggin’ Contest have been received, saved to SD, pushed out to MQTT, and graphed. Now it’s time to announce the three projects that made the most sense out of life’s random data and earned themselves a $100 gift certificate for Tindie, the Internet’s foremost purveyor of fine hand-crafted artisanal electronics.…
Winners of Hackaday’s Data Loggin’ Contest: Bluetooth Gardening, Counting Cups, and Predicting Rainfall — Hackaday
Larry Berg and the Purple Open Passion Project
It all started with an 88-ton Arburg RP300 injection molding machine in the basement, and a bit of inattention. Larry Berg wanted a couple custom plastic plugs for his Garmin GPS, so he milled out a mold and ran a few…
Larry Berg and the Purple Open Passion Project
Logic Gates Puzzle 1 on Lucky Resistor
What kind of logic circuit do you see here? This logic circuit was optimised for symmetry and art. Can you see which function is implemented in this circuit? You find more about logic gates and how they work on this Wikipedia page. Check the hints below, if you get stuck.
Read more on Logic Gates Puzzle 1 — Lucky Resistor