Samwise Makers' News
Monday, September 28, 2026
Enormous Fluid Simulation Runs in Real Time on Flip-Dot Display
A maker has built an enormous flip-dot display and is running real-time fluid simulation across it. Custom driver hardware handles the matrix at speed while optimized simulation code reduces computational load to what the system can sustain in real time. Flip-dot displays use electromechanically driven magnetic dots that flip between two faces to render images — each cell makes an audible click when toggled. The result is a mesmerizing mechanical representation of flowing liquid, with the simulation’s ripples and eddies reproduced in an array of satisfying metallic clicks. Source code and hardware designs have been shared openly.
Galileo’s Encrypted Authentication Signal Defeats GPS Spoofing
GPS spoofing — feeding false location signals to receivers — has become a serious threat to aviation, maritime navigation, and drone operations. The Galileo satellite navigation system addresses this with an encrypted authentication signal called OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication), allowing receivers to cryptographically verify that navigation signals are genuine and unmodified. Authentication keys are broadcast on the same signal and verified with public-key cryptography. Open-source receiver implementations are emerging, making the capability accessible to makers building GPS-dependent systems like autonomous robots, vehicle trackers, or UAVs. EU-sourced chips with OSNMA support are now commercially available at maker-friendly prices.
Maker Repurposes Agricultural Center-Pivot Irrigation Rig as Autonomous Lawn Mower
Agricultural center-pivot irrigation systems move in a circular arc around a fixed central point, covering large areas through rotating arm sections. One maker recognized that this geometry maps perfectly to autonomous lawn coverage: a fixed center and rotating arm ensure every square foot of a circular area gets cut with no missed patches and no complex path planning required. By attaching a conventional mower deck to the pivot arm and adding basic drive electronics, the system cuts grass autonomously across the full circular zone. The approach sidesteps the coverage problem that plagues most robotic mower designs, which struggle with comprehensive area coverage.
Apple’s Mikey Headset Remote Chip Fully Reverse Engineered
The Mikey chip — found in Apple’s EarPods and licensed third-party accessories — controls the three-button remote and microphone on Apple headsets from the iPod era through current iPhone models. A maker has fully reverse engineered its communication protocol using a logic analyzer and packet inspection, documenting exactly how button presses and microphone audio are encoded and transmitted over the 3.5mm TRRS or Lightning connector. The documented protocol is now publicly available, enabling DIY makers to build custom Apple-compatible audio accessories, inline remotes, and headset-triggered hardware controllers without requiring proprietary Apple licensing or MFi program membership.
Ken Shirriff Team Cracks the Intel 8087’s Hybrid CORDIC Floating-Point Algorithm
The Intel 8087 floating-point math coprocessor from 1980 remains a subject of active reverse engineering. Ken Shirriff and collaborators have now documented the internal implementation of its FPTAN instruction, which computes the tangent of an angle. Rather than a pure CORDIC approach — the iterative method most FPUs of that era used — the 8087 employs a hybrid: 16 CORDIC iterations for coarse computation followed by a Padé rational approximant for fine correction. This architecture achieves high accuracy while minimizing die area and cycle count. The team has published the complete FPTAN microcode listing, significantly advancing the public record of 8087 internals.
Blue Origin Wins $700M NASA Contract for Next-Generation Mars Telecommunications Network
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a $700 million fixed-price contract to develop the Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN), a relay satellite constellation designed to dramatically expand communications bandwidth between Earth and Mars surface missions. Current Mars orbiters provide megabit-level links in narrow daily windows. MTN targets sustained 150 Mbps connections and 1 terabyte of daily store-and-forward capacity, transforming what is possible for both robotic science missions and future crewed mission planning. Launch is targeted for 2028. Rocket Lab has filed a formal bid protest with the GAO, which is expected to freeze NASA spending on the contract for approximately 100 days pending review.
Maker Faire Bay Area 2026 Celebrates 20th Anniversary with 300+ Exhibits
Maker Faire Bay Area returned for its 20th anniversary on September 25, 2026, drawing thousands of attendees to over 300 maker exhibits at the San Mateo Event Center. Standout projects included Tiny Robot Soccer — quadruped Sesame robots competing on a miniature field — and Udder Mayhem, a rhythm game controlled by oversized mechanical udders. The Bay Area Droid Builders Guild showcased new radio-controlled Star Wars droids, and the art car parade featured a 35-foot illuminated Cuttlefish kinetic sculpture. Organizers described the 20th anniversary faire as the most technically sophisticated in the event’s two-decade run.
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Makers & Hardware
Wren6991/Hazard3 — RISC-V softcore for RP2350
micropython/micropython — MicroPython for microcontrollers
adafruit/circuitpython — CircuitPython for makers
Upcoming Events
Maker Faire Rome 2026 — Oct 3–6, Rome, Italy
Hackaday Supercon 2026 — Nov 6–8, Pasadena CA
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency