Samwise Makers' News
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Emulating Memory Access: How Hard Can It Be?
The FEX-Emu project tackles a fundamental challenge in x86-to-ARM emulation: memory ordering. X86 processors enforce Total Store Ordering, guaranteeing loads and stores become visible in a predictable sequence across CPUs. ARM uses a deliberately weaker model that permits significant reordering for efficiency. Bridging the gap requires translating x86 operations into ARM acquire/release sequences — expensive when applied to nearly every memory reference. ARM's LRCPC extensions reduce overhead, and Apple Silicon includes a native x86-compatible TSO mode. Unaligned accesses and atomic split-lock operations create further hazards, sometimes requiring kernel signal handlers. Write-combined GPU memory showed worst-case bandwidth degradation exceeding 800× in benchmarks.
Meta Portal Given New Life As Extended Display
Developer [pgodlews] revived the discontinued Meta Portal — Facebook's abandoned Android tablet lineup — by building Wormhole Display, an APK that transforms it into a wireless AirPlay monitor for Apple devices. Using Android Debug Bridge to sideload, the app implements a port of UxPlay, the Unix AirPlay server, adapted to use Android's MediaCodec and AudioTrack APIs rather than GStreamer. The device's onboard H.264 hardware decoder handles video efficiently. Users can mirror their Mac, iPhone, or iPad screen, or use the Portal as a standalone extended display — with its speakers active for audio output.
The Concertina Goes Electronic
Builder [Xcott Craver] constructed an electronic Anglo concertina that accurately reproduces the feel of a traditional squeezebox without actual bellows. A load cell mounted between the instrument's two wooden chassis halves measures the squeezing force applied by the player, generating an expressive dynamic response that mimics real bellows. The keys use Cherry MX mechanical switches fitted with custom 3D-printed keycaps, mounted across a pair of PCBs. A Teensy 4.0 microcontroller handles signal processing and synthesis. A USB extension cable provides strain relief to prevent accidental connector damage. The resulting instrument sounds surprisingly convincing, blending traditional folk timbre with modern maker craftsmanship.
TV Audio Tube Makes A Transceiver
[Helge Fykse] built a dual-mode transceiver around the PCL86, an often-overlooked vacuum tube found in virtually every European television set of the 1960s. The PCL86 combines a small-signal triode and an output pentode in a single envelope, with a 300 mA series heater designed for daisy-chain wiring. On transmit, the circuit runs as a crystal-controlled oscillator and power amplifier. A switch reconfigures it into a direct-conversion receiver, using the triode as oscillator and mixer while the pentode drives the audio output stage. The design is elegantly minimal — a practical demonstration of how even mundane vintage components can yield functional radio equipment.
Brain Control Your Appliance, Sort Of
The Neuro PlayGround Lite from Upside Down Labs is a compact biopotential sensing platform built around a 3-channel instrumentation amplifier, a 12-bit ADC, and an ESP32-C6 wireless microcontroller. The hardware can capture EEG, EMG, ECG, and EOG signals — the same electrical signatures used to detect muscle contractions, eye blinks, and brainwave patterns. A demonstration Instructables project pairs it with an IR transceiver to control any infrared-equipped appliance using eye blinks or deliberate muscle gestures. Although EEG-based brain control in the science fiction sense is a stretch, electrode-based EMG and EOG input are both practical and responsive with the NPG Lite's onboard signal processing.
More Room to Matter? Phrozen's 16K Resin Printer Is 2.5x Bigger, Not Sharper
Phrozen's new 16K resin printer expands the build plate to approximately 2.5 times the area of its predecessor, but All3DP's analysis challenges the headline specification. The "16K" label refers to the LCD panel's pixel count, but spreading that count across a much larger surface means effective print resolution — measured in pixels per inch — does not improve proportionally. The result is a machine well-suited to large-format functional prints and cosplay props where scale matters more than fine detail. For miniature painters and jewellers who demand the sharpest possible surface quality at small scale, effective XY resolution against build plate dimensions is the number to evaluate, not screen resolution alone.
Making A Digital Music Player For Cassette Decks
[Jonathan Rowny] built a self-contained digital music player disguised as a cassette adapter — a modern take on the accessory common during the early MP3 era. The device uses an ESP32-S3 microcontroller paired with a microSD card reader and a PCM5102 I2S DAC to generate high-fidelity analog audio output, which feeds the cassette deck's magnetic read head. SLA-resin-printed gears simulate tape spool motion to prevent the deck's auto-stop mechanism from triggering. One gap remains: the capstan rotation is not yet monitored, a limitation noted for a future revision. The project demonstrates how modern maker tools can give vintage hardware a practical second life.
On Chip Debug For (Some) MicroPython
GHI Electronics developed an on-chip debugger that brings full source-level debugging to MicroPython within Visual Studio Code — no specialized hardware or probe required beyond the standard USB programming cable. It supports several Raspberry Pi Pico variants including RP2040 and RP2350 boards, as well as ESP32 targets. Installation requires flashing a custom MicroPython firmware image, available pre-built for most supported boards. The debugger allows stepping through code, inspecting variables, and visualizing control flow. Known limitations include an inability to intercept exceptions already caught by user code, and breakpoints that halt all threads simultaneously. For makers building complex MicroPython projects, it is a substantial workflow improvement.
Reconstructing A Pin On A Pin Grid Array Package
[Bits und Bolts] attempted to repair a Pentium III Tualatin 1.2 GHz processor with a completely destroyed pin grid array pad — not just a broken pin, but a fully excavated copper contact area. The repair method involved rebuilding the pad using solder mask to define the boundary and solder to restore the conductive surface. PGA packaging, still relevant in AMD's AM4 platform, places fragile pins on the CPU substrate rather than the motherboard socket, making pad-level damage especially tricky. The repaired Pentium III subsequently booted and ran stable at 1.6 GHz overclocked, outperforming contemporary Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon chips in the process.
Top Crowdfunding
Kickstarter / Indiegogo
InfiMaker K1 (5-Axis Desktop CNC) — $4.29M pledged, Kickstarter
HeyGears G1 Series (Full-Color 3D Printer) — $17.4M pledged, Kickstarter
Xmachine WM-100 (Business-Grade CNC) — $2.72M pledged, Kickstarter
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
ArduPilot/ardupilot — 15,890★ (open-source drone autopilot)
prusa3d/PrusaSlicer — 9,355★ (G-code slicer for 3D printers)
FastLED/FastLED — 7,493★ (LED animation library for Arduino)
Upcoming Events
Maker Faire Bay Area — Sep 25–27, 2026, Mare Island (20th anniversary)
Hackaday Supercon 2026 — Nov 6–8, ArtCenter, Pasadena, CA
Maker Faire Orlando — Nov 7–8, 2026, Central Florida Fairgrounds
Every newsletter preserved and searchable
Curated by JD · samwise.agency