Hackaday Podcast

This week, listeners dive into the world of tech with playful sound challenges and hacks. Discover how open-source projects are reviving cloud-dependent music players while tackling security flaws. Explore humorous DIY keyboard creations and an impressive collection of synthesizers. Innovative wearable tech merges art with electronics using biodegradable string, and nostalgic printing techniques are revisited. From high-altitude balloon photography to unique touch switches, the creativity in technology takes center stage!

The hosts dive into the quirky world of ultrasonic technology, discussing its uses from detecting mosquitoes to cutting cheese. They explore the evolution of PCBs, showcasing vibrant, full-color designs and innovative applications. A journey into automation reveals new techniques for 3D printer calibration using affordable endoscopes. Nostalgia meets tech as they reminisce about classic computers and inventive projects like creating dynamic lamps. Plus, the intrigue of plasma in a bottle gets a unique twist with kombucha and silicone!

The hosts share lively tales from Hackaday Europe, discussing their creative community experiences in Berlin. They dive into the mysterious 'capacitor plague' of the early 2000s and explore both its causes and effects. A quirky look at the inefficiencies of wireless power transfer and groundbreaking thermal imaging techniques keeps things fun. Innovations in PCB design and a fascinating miniaturized microcontroller highlight the latest in tech. Plus, there’s a compelling discussion on the potential riches hidden in coal fly ash!

Elliot does the podcast on the road to Supercon Europe, and Al is in the mood for math and nostalgia this week. Listen in and find out what they were reading on Hackaday this week. The guys talked about the ESP-32 non-backdoor and battery fires. Then it was on to the hacks. Self-balancing robots and satellite imaging were the appetizers, but soon they moved on to Kinect cameras in the modern day. Think you can't travel at the speed of light? Turns out that maybe you already are. Did you know there was a chatbot in 1957? Well, sort of. For the can't miss stories: watches monitor your heart and what does the number e really mean? Check out the links on Hackaday if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!

This week, Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi start off the episode by announcing Arduino co-founder David Cuartielles will be taking the stage as the keynote speaker at Hackaday Europe. In his talk, we'll hear about a vision of the future where consumer electronics can be tossed in the garden and turned into compost instead of sitting in a landfill for the next 1,000 years or so. You'll also hear about a particularly clever manipulation of Apple's AirTag infrastructure, how a classic kid's toy was turned into a unique display with the help of computer vision, and the workarounds required to keep older Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware up and running. They'll also cover DIY toasters, extracting your data from a smart ring before the manufacturer can sell it, a LEGO interferometer, and a new feature added to the Bus Pirate 5's already impressive list of capabilities. Capping off the episode there's a discussion about the surprising (or depending on how you think about it, unsurprising) amount of hardware that was on display at FOSDEM this year, and the history of one of man's most infernal creations, the shopping cart wheel lock. Check out the links over at Hackaday, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!

This week, Hackaday's Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up in a secret location with snacks to bring you the latest news, mystery sound, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous week. First up in the news, and there's a lot of it: we announced the Hackaday Europe 2025 workshops and a few more speakers, though the big keynote announcement is still to come. In case you missed it, KiCad 9 moved up into the pro league, and finally, we're hiring, so come join us in the dungeon. On What's That Sound, Kristina didn't get close at all, but at least had a guess this time. That's okay, though, because nobody got it right! We're still giving a t-shirt away to [AlwaysTheWrongAnswer], though, probably because Elliot has a thing for using random number generators. Then it's on to the hacks and such beginning with a beautiful handheld compass CNC and cyanotype prints made with resin printer's UV light. After that, we take a look at open-source random numbers, a 3D-printed instant camera, and a couple of really cool cyberdecks. Finally, we discuss whether DOOM is doomed as the port of choice in this day and age, and kvetch about keyboards.  

This week Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi start things off with updates on the rapidly approaching Hackaday Europe and the saga of everyone's favorite 3D printed boat. From there they'll cover an impressive method of seeing the world via WiFi, Amazon's latest changes to the Kindle ecosystem, and an alternate reality in which USB didn't take over the peripheral world. You'll also hear about a multi-level hack that brings the joys of Linux into the world of Animal Crossing, 3D printed circuit components, and the imminent release of KiCAD 9. Stick around until the end to learn about a unique hardened glass from East Germany and the disappointing reality of modern voice control systems.

It's Valentine's Day today, and what better way to capture your beloved's heart than by settling down together and listening to the Hackaday Podcast! Elliot Williams is joined by Jenny List for this week's roundup of what's cool in the world of hardware. We start by reminding listeners that Hackaday Europe is but a month away, and that a weekend immersed in both hardware hacking and the unique culture offered by the city of Berlin can be yours. The stand-out hack of the week is introduced by Elliot, Henrik Forstén's synthetic aperture radar system mounted on a cheap quadcopter, pushing the limits of construction, design, and computation to create landscape imagery of astounding detail. Most of us will never create our own SAR system, but we can all learn a lot about this field from his work. Meanwhile Jenny brings us Sylvain Munaut's software defined radio made using different projects that are part of Tiny Tapeout ASICs. The SDR isn't the best one ever, but for us it represents a major milestone in which Tiny Tapeout makes the jump from proof of concept to component. We look forward to more of this at more reasonable prices in the future. Beyond that we looked at the porting of Google Find My to the ESP32, how to repair broken zippers, and tuning in to ultrasonic sounds. Have fun listening, and come back next week for episode 309!

This week dives into fascinating tech like reverse-engineered smart rings and the quirky idea of a 3D printer doubling as a tattoo gun. It also explores the unique engineering behind the Buffalo S2 utility bike and innovative PCB assembly techniques. A thought-provoking discussion on handling astronaut fatalities in space uncovers shocking protocol gaps. Plus, a nostalgic look at historical timekeeping methods brings an unexpected twist to the conversation, showcasing the blend of creativity and engineering in today's tech landscape.

It was Dan and Elliot behind the microphones today for a transatlantic look at the week in hacks. There was a bucket of news about AI, kicked off by Deepseek suddenly coming into the zeitgeist and scaring the pants off investors for... reasons? No matter, we're more interested in the tech anyway, such as a deep dive into deep space communications from a backyard antenna farm that's carefully calibrated to give the HOA fits. We got down and dirty with capacitors, twice even, and looked at a clever way to stuff two websites into one QR code. It's all Taylor, all the time on every channel of the FM band, which we don't recommend you do (for multiple reasons) but it's nice to know you can. Plus, great kinetic art project, but that tooling deserves a chef's kiss. Finally, we wrap up with our Can't Miss articles where Jenny roots for the right to repair, and Al gives us the finger(1).