Samwise Makers' News
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Reconstructing Device Firmware From SPI Reads
Matthew Alt, writing as “wrongbaud,” has documented a technique for reconstructing device firmware from a W25Q-series SPI flash chip without desoldering the component. Using a logic analyzer and the Python-based Scapy packet tool, Alt captures SPI read commands issued by the processor at boot. The technique targets QSPI mode—quad SPI, which sends four bits simultaneously—and requires decoding protocol headers before the raw payload becomes usable. Once captured, standard tools do the heavy lifting: dd slices the binary stream and binwalk maps filesystem structures to reconstruct the complete firmware image. The method applies to a wide range of embedded devices with external commodity SPI flash.
Forget Trees, Add Fins To Your 3D Prints Instead
Matthew Trahan has developed a fin-based support system for FDM 3D printing that reduces material use and leaves cleaner surfaces than conventional grid or tree supports. The approach replaces bulky support scaffolding with thin vertical fins—small tines that make minimal contact with the model’s underside, producing easier removal and less post-processing. Trahan built the concept with Claude’s help and was inspired by Slant3D’s earlier work on support geometry. Optional small tines can reinforce the fin-to-model connection for demanding overhangs. A free web tool for generating fin supports is available at printfins.com, and the generator source code is at github.com/gittrahan/support-fins.
2026 Hackaday Supercon: Announcing Our First Round Of Speakers
Hackaday has announced twelve speakers for Supercon 10, scheduled for November 6–8 at the Art Center College of Design campus in Pasadena, California. The first round includes Addison Vogt, whose automated CD shelf uses six ESP32s and a Raspberry Pi to control 24 motors; Cyril Engmann, who built Minus, an HDMI-connected ad-blocker powered by machine learning on a Rockchip RK3588; and the team of Charles Lohr and Evan Fletcher, whose Bad Apple demo runs inside 65 kilobytes on a thirteen-cent RISC-V chip. Jim Scarletta will present DOOM running on an FPGA using the open-source Hazard3 RISC-V core. Additional speakers are expected.
Audio Spectrum Analyzer On An ESP32 Display Board
Maker Mirko Pavleski, writing as mircemk, has built a compact audio spectrum analyzer using the CrowPanel 3.5, an ESP32-based board fitted with a 480×320-pixel TFT LCD display. The device reads audio input from an analog microphone connected to one of the ESP32’s ADC pins, then computes a Fast Fourier Transform to produce a real-time frequency spectrum display on the screen. Beyond the CrowPanel itself, the project uses only a handful of passive components, keeping the build accessible to beginners. Pavleski designed the code to be portable: with minor adjustments to the display driver, it can run on other ESP32 boards with compatible screens.
A Tiny Toy Synth For Smaller Computers
Valentyn Danylchuk has released Beeper, a compact synthesizer and step sequencer designed for the ESP32-S3 and the newer ESP32-P4 microcontrollers. The stripped-down interface relies entirely on directional arrow keys: left and right navigate between the 16-step sequencer grid and the tone selector, while up and down adjust pitch or toggle individual steps. Beeper runs on Elecrow’s Crowbits board and Unexpected Maker’s Tanmatsu ESP32-P4 handheld; a web-browser version is freely playable at mini000.itch.io/beeper and a Mac desktop build is also available. The Hackaday team demonstrated it running live on Tanmatsu hardware. Full source code is at github.com/valdanylchuk/beeper.
CyboPal ONE: AI-Powered 6-DOF Robotic Terminal
CyboPal ONE is a six-degree-of-freedom desktop robot arm designed to hold a 27-inch 4K display and automatically reposition it to match the user’s posture. The arm uses AI to detect sitting position and adjust the screen’s height, tilt, and angle in real time without manual intervention. The hardware is described as a robotic terminal—integrating a display and a six-axis arm in a single desk unit rather than pairing a standard monitor with a separate stand. The Kickstarter campaign launched with Super Early Bird pricing at approximately $1,599, targeting December 2026 delivery.
Sources: CNX Software
Top Crowdfunding
Kickstarter / Indiegogo
CyboPal ONE — AI robotic 27″ 4K terminal, Kickstarter, from $1,599 early bird
nLab — world’s smallest all-in-one electronics lab, Kickstarter, $231K raised
None confirmed this week
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
None confirmed this week
velxio/velxio — browser-based Arduino/ESP32/RPi simulator (trending Jul–Sep 2026)
edgeimpulse/firmware-arduino-nano-33-ble-sense — updated Sep 23
Upcoming Events
Maker Faire Bay Area — Sep 25–27, Mare Island CA
Hackaday Supercon 10 — Nov 6–8, Pasadena CA
Retrocomputing Challenge — deadline Oct 27, Hackaday Prize
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