Mastodawn

Lumafield Peers into the 18650 Battery

Lumafield Peers into the 18650 Battery - Ibbit

Lumafield battery quality report cover page [https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lithium-Ion-CT-2-banner-2.jpg?w=800] [Alex Hao] and [Andreas Bastian] of Lumafield recently visited with [Adam Savage] to share their battery quality report [https://www.lumafield.com/battery-report], which documents their findings after performing X-ray computed tomography scans on over 1,000 18650 lithium-ion batteries. [https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/18650_detail.jpg?w=400]https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/18650_detail.jpgThe short version — don’t buy cheap cells! The cheaper brands were found to have higher levels of manufacturing defects which can lead them to being unsafe. All the nitty-gritty details are available in the report, which can be downloaded for free from Lumafield, as well as the Tested video they did with [Adam] below. Actually we’ve been talking here at Hackaday over at our virtual water-cooler (okay, okay, our Discord server [https://hackaday.com/discord]) about how to store lithium-ion batteries and we learned about this cool bit of kit: the BAT-SAFE [https://www.bat-safe.com/product-page/bat-safe]. Maybe check that out if you’re stickler for safety like us! (Thanks Maya Posch [https://hackaday.com/author/mayaposch/]!) We have of course heard from [Adam Savage] before, check out [Adam Savage] Giving A Speech About The Maker Movement [https://hackaday.com/2012/05/26/adam-savage-giving-a-speech-about-the-maker-movement/] and [Adam Savage]’s First Order Of Retrievability Tool Boxes [https://hackaday.com/2015/02/28/adam-savages-first-order-of-retrievability-tool-boxes/]. — From Blog – Hackaday [https://hackaday.com/] via this RSS feed [https://hackaday.com/blog/feed/]

LibreQoS 5d ago

Thanks for mentioning #LibreQoS at @FLOSS_Weekly Podcast by @hackaday, @toke

https://hackaday.com/2026/01/28/floss-weekly-episode-862-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too/#more-914182

"Have Your CAKE and Eat It Too" Episode 862 with #JonathanBennett was about #CAKE_MQ, #bufferbloat and MORE!

#sch_CAKE #OpenSource #FQ_CoDel #DaveTaht #latency #jitter #QoE
#OpenSource #Hackaday #BandwidthIsALIE #FLOSSWeekly #QualityOfExperience #Linux #OpenWrt #broadband #Kernel #WiFi #RFC8290 #CAKEMQ #FLOSS #FOSS #TokeHoilandJorgensen

rss 5d ago

An E-Ink Macropad For Improved Productivity

https://ibbit.at/post/164006

An E-Ink Macropad For Improved Productivity - Ibbit

[https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Desk-Revamp-Project-Part-I-New-Macropad-7-11-screenshot.png?w=800] Why press many button when few button do trick? That was the thinking of [Bike Cook Robots] when it came time to revamp his desk. To that end, he whipped up a tidy macropad to make daily computing tasks easier. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbdwmN28-So] The build is based around an Adafruit RP2040 Feather ThinkInk devboard, chosen because it plugs straight into a readily-available 4.2 inch e-ink. The display is tasked with showing icons that correspond to the macro assignments for the 3 x 4 array of mechanical keyboard switches. Everything is wrapped up in a 3D printed frame, with an bracket to mount it to the monitor arms on the desk. The macropad is set up to talk to a custom Python app that runs on the host machine, which handles triggering actions and can also talk back to the pad itself. The combination of e-ink display and button pad is a great way to display the function of each key without excess complexity. We’ve seen some other great builds in this space before, too [https://hackaday.com/2022/11/12/diy-streamdeck-helps-you-professionalize-your-twitch-show/]. — From Blog – Hackaday [https://hackaday.com/] via this RSS feed [https://hackaday.com/blog/feed/]

rss 6d ago

These Ultra-Cute, Handsfree Walkie-Talkies Are Built For Cycling

https://ibbit.at/post/163823

These Ultra-Cute, Handsfree Walkie-Talkies Are Built For Cycling - Ibbit

[https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ESP32-Based-Cycling-Walkie-Talkies.png?w=800] Walkie-talkies are great fun, and [RealCorebb]’s bbTalkie project [https://github.com/RealCorebb/bbTalkie/blob/main/README_EN.md] takes the concept a step further by adding some extremely cool features to make a highly refined, self-contained ESP32-based communicator. bbTalkie completely does away with a push-to-talk button by implementing robust voice detection that works reliably even in noisy environments. It was all designed with cycling in mind, so hands-free operation that stands up to noise is a big plus. [https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/I-Built-a-Mini-Walkie-Talkie-With-a-Twist-0-12-screenshot-thumb.png?w=400]https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/I-Built-a-Mini-Walkie-Talkie-With-a-Twist-0-12-screenshot-thumb.png Hands-free, wireless, self-contained digital walkie-talkies that can connect in a group. What’s not to like? The core of communication is done over ESP-NOW, which is Espressif’s own protocol for direct device-to-device broadcasting. This removes the need to involve any sort of external service like SIM cards or internet access to transmit voice. Performance is best with an external antenna, naturally, but ESP-NOW doesn’t actually require anything other than the existing on-board hardware. We’ve seen ESP-NOW used to make digital walkie-talkies before [https://hackaday.com/2023/12/08/diy-walkie-talkie-with-esp32-and-esp-now/], but bbTalkie is a really evolved take on the concept, not least of which due to its hands-free operation. Because volume-based automatic triggers are highly susceptible to noise, voice detection is done with the help of VADNet [https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-sr/en/latest/esp32/vadnet/README.html], a neural network-based model implemented locally on the device. This system can reliably detect human speech, even in noisy environments. This lets bbTalkie switch between transmit and listen modes automatically and hands-free, without false triggers. Even when doing all that, there’s still spare capability to play with. Further to the goal of making bbTalkie useful for cyclists in a group, [RealCorebb] added a system that can recognize specific voice commands (like “turn left” for example, or “wait for me!”) which trigger synchronized animations to play on the displays of all connected units. There’s even some experimental support for controlling a camera over Bluetooth, though currently it only supports hardware from Sony. Watch a tour of it in the video below (Chinese language, English captions available). The OLED screens and animations are adorable, and are great visual feedback of what the unit is doing at any given moment. — From Blog – Hackaday [https://hackaday.com/] via this RSS feed [https://hackaday.com/blog/feed/]

rss Jan 21

RAM Prices Got You Down? Try DDR3. Seriously!

https://ibbit.at/post/156406

RAM Prices Got You Down? Try DDR3. Seriously! - Ibbit

[https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/DDR3-gamingrig-feat.jpg?w=800] DDR3 seemed plenty fast when it first showed up 19 years ago. Who could say no to 6400 Mb/s transfer speeds? Of course compared to the modern DDR5 that’s glacially slow, but given that RAM is worth its weight in gold these days– with even DDR4 spiking in price– some people, like [Gheeotine], are asking “can you game on DDR3 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_BNJCUqR-o]“? The answer is a shocking yes. [Gheeotine] builds two budget-friendly PCs for this video, using some of the newest DD3-supporting motherboards available. That’s not exactly new: we’re talking 12 to 15 years old, but hey, not old enough to drive. We certainly didn’t expect to hear about an x79 motherboard hosting an Ivy Bridge processor in 2026, but needs must when the devil dances. The only concession to modernity is the graphics cards: the x79 mobo got an RX6600XT 8GB, and the other build, using a z97 motherboard got an NVIDIA RTX 4060. The z97 motherboard allowed a slightly newer processor, as well, an i7 4790, with the new and exciting Haswell architecture you may have heard of. Both boards are maxed out on RAM, because at less than one USD/GB, why not? [Gheeotine] puts a few new titles through their paces on these boxen, and while the results aren’t amazing, everything he tries comes out playable, which is amazing in and of itself. Well, playable unless you’re one of those people who can’t stand playing at resolutions under 4K or FPS under 100. Those of who spent their formative years with 29.7 FPS or 25 FPS in NTSC or PAL regions aren’t going to complain too loudly if frame rates dip down into the 30s playing at 1080p for some of the more demanding titles. Ironically, one of those was the five-year-old Crysis Remastered. Given the age of some of this hardware “Can it Run Crysis” is a perfectly reasonable question, and the answer is still yes. If you want modern games, you’re much better off with a z97 chipset motherboard if you chose to go the DDR3 route, since you won’t run into issues related to the AVX2 instruction, which first appeared with the Haswell microarchitecture. Here at Hackaday our preferred solution to the rampocalypse is software optimization [https://hackaday.com/2025/12/23/surviving-the-ram-apocalypse-with-software-optimizations/], Since holding your breath for that would probably be fatal, cost-optimizing PC builds is probably a good plan, even if some might balk at going all the way back to DDR3. Of course if you’re going to use nearly-retro hardware like DDR3, you might as well go all-out on retro vibes with a nostalgic 80s-style [https://hackaday.com/2023/01/30/retro-computer-enclosure-without-the-sacrifice/], or even 50s-style case. [https://hackaday.com/2022/12/28/workbench-pc-with-a-50s-twist/] — From Blog – Hackaday [https://hackaday.com/] via this RSS feed [https://hackaday.com/blog/feed/]

rss Jan 20

Silicone Bakeware Might be Bad for Your Liver

https://ibbit.at/post/155532

Silicone Bakeware Might be Bad for Your Liver - Ibbit

A red silicone cupcake pan sits on a black glass inductive stove cooktop. The word induction is written in white text on the glass of the stove. [https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Silicone-cupcake-pan.jpg?w=800] Silicone bakeware has become a staple in many kitchens due to its flexible, yet temperature-tolerant nature. New research from Canada shows it could be causing trouble for your liver and lungs [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389425025105], however. The siloxanes that make up silicone bakeware can target “the liver through oral exposure, as well as the liver and lungs through inhalation exposure.” The fat content of the food being baked is also a factor as these compounds are lipophilic, so higher fat foods will absorb more siloxanes than lower fat foods. Don’t throw out all your silicone yet, though. The researchers say, “the results showed a consistent decreasing trend in migration levels across consecutive weekly baking sessions, with no increase after the seven-month interval.” So, that dingy looking silicone mat you’ve used a hundred times is safer than a brand new, brightly-colored one. This seems like an example of how glass and (non-heavy) metal are usually the best way to go when handling food. While we’re talking about ovens, do they really need to run a connectivity check [https://hackaday.com/2023/02/03/smart-ovens-are-doing-dumb-checks-for-internet-connectivity/]? They certainly could be improved with a DIY thermometer [https://hackaday.com/2021/12/29/build-your-own-high-temp-oven-thermometer/] or by making a more practical solar-powered example [https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/]. — From Blog – Hackaday [https://hackaday.com/] via this RSS feed [https://hackaday.com/blog/feed/]

ghostdancer Jan 5

#Zork Running On 4-Bit Intel Computer https://hackaday.com/2026/01/03/zork-running-on-4-bit-intel-computer/ #retrogaming #retrocomputing #hackaday

Zork Running On 4-Bit Intel Computer

Before DOOM would run on any computing system ever produced, and indeed before it even ran on its first computer, the game that would run on any computer of the pre-DOOM era was Zork. This was a te…

Hackaday

Jan Antoš Jan 2

My 15 minutes of fame 🤪 https://hackaday.com/2026/01/01/terminal-based-web-browsing-with-modern-conveniences/

#hackaday #linux #terminal #webbrowser #brow6el

Terminal-Based Web Browsing With Modern Conveniences

Programmers hold to a wide spectrum of positions on software complexity, from the rare command-line purists to the much more common web app developers, and the two extremes rarely meet. One point o…

Hackaday

rss Dec 28

Moving Mousepad Is An Elegant Aimbot

https://ibbit.at/post/141252

Moving Mousepad Is An Elegant Aimbot - Ibbit

[https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/I-Built-a-Mousepad-That-Aims-for-You-8-58-screenshot.png?w=800] These days, it can be hard to remain competitive in online shooters without spending your entire life dedicated to the sport. This leads some to explore the world of competitive aids. (AKA: cheating.) A great example is [Nick], who built a mechanical aimbot to help in this regard. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4rrcw_oRVs] [Nick’s] build moves a mousepad underneath the mouse opposite to the desired movement direction, in order to simulate the mouse movements required to aim at targets in game. This is achieved with the aid of a XDraw A4 pen plotter, which served as a cheap prebuilt X-Y motion platform. The plotter responds to simple serial commands, which makes it easy to control. The X-Y gantry was mounted underneath the desk so the mousepad sits seamlessly on top of the desk, sliding neatly on low-friction mouse skate stickers. With the mousepad control system built, it was then necessary to figure out how to turn it into an aimbot. [Nick] already had a machine vision tool to detect enemies in shooting game, so it was merely modified to make the right mousepad movements to get the crosshairs right where they needed to be before firing. In testing, it proved more than capable at helping a new player achieve far superior aim, as a good aimbot should. We’ve featured similar projects before that use complex mechanical contraptions to aim for you [https://hackaday.com/2025/08/11/physical-aimbot-shoots-for-success-in-valorant/]. Yes, it’s still cheating, but it’s a lot harder to detect than a traditional aimbot. That doesn’t make it right, per se, just more subtle. Video after the break. — From Blog – Hackaday [https://hackaday.com/] via this RSS feed [https://hackaday.com/blog/feed/]

Lynx Dec 26

Anyone know if there's _web_ badges
(not conference badges!) available for Hackaday.io and Hackster.io? I have several projects listed on those sites, but whose main home is on either GitHub or Codeberg, but I'd like to link back to those pages with web badges.

#hackaday #hackster #web #badge