Samwise Makers’ News — Monday, May 25, 2026

Samwise Makers' News

Monday, May 25, 2026

Projects  ·  Hardware  ·  Electronics  ·  3D Printing  ·  Community
All your morning news, carefully curated and summarized daily
HARDWAREELECTRONICS

M5Stack CardputerZero Brings Raspberry Pi CM0 to Your Pocket

M5Stack has unveiled the CardputerZero, a credit-card-sized pocket computer built around the Raspberry Pi Compute Module Zero for makers and hackers. The device packs a 46-key keyboard, 1.9-inch LCD, HDMI output, Fast Ethernet, three USB ports, microphone, speaker, and a 14-pin GPIO header into a portable form factor powered by a 1,500 mAh battery. Two models launch on Kickstarter May 26: the Lite at $59 and a full version at $89 adding an 8MP camera, 6-axis IMU, and preloaded 32GB microSD. Expansion is supported via Grove connectors, M5Units, and custom add-ons for cybersecurity, LoRa, and electronics projects.

Sources: CNX Software

HARDWARESOFTWARE

Flipper One Revealed as Open Linux Cyberdeck, Team Asks Community to Help Build It

Flipper Devices has officially announced the Flipper One, a Rockchip RK3576-powered portable ARM Linux computer and networking multi-tool positioned as the successor to the popular Flipper Zero. Unlike its predecessor, which focused on offline radio and access-control tools, the Flipper One targets network security and hardware experimentation with full Linux capabilities. The company is calling on developers, engineers, and enthusiasts to help finish the project, describing it as technically and economically challenging. Key contribution areas include achieving mainline Linux kernel support for the RK3576, developing power management drivers, and upstreaming the dual-processor CPU and MCU architecture. Hardware design files and a developer portal are available on GitHub.

Sources: Hackaday

PROJECTELECTRONICS

This PCB D20 Has Moods and Might Cheat on Your Rolls

Maker kati has built a slightly sentient electronic d20 that brings personality to tabletop gaming. The touch-sensitive PCB features twenty charlieplexed LEDs around its perimeter, one for each possible result. When activated by touching the center pad, the die animates a roll sequence and delivers a random number. What sets it apart is its mood system: after a streak of natural ones, the device grows cranky, occasionally ignoring inputs or glitching before rolls. Hot streaks produce different behavioral responses, and additional hidden features are built in for players to discover. The project demonstrates creative integration of behavioral programming with compact PCB design for interactive gaming accessories.

Sources: Hackaday

3D PRINTINGPROJECT

3D-Printed Cyclone Dust Separator Achieves 99.95 Percent Efficiency

Maker Ruud has designed a 3D-printable cyclone dust separator achieving a claimed 99.95 percent filtering efficiency, outperforming commercial alternatives. The project began as a recreation of the Oneida Air Super Dust Deputy using FDM printing, initially measuring roughly 98 percent efficiency. Through systematic investigation of interference between incoming and exiting airflows, Ruud iteratively refined the internal geometry until the optimized design surpassed the commercial unit. The complete 3D model files are available for download, allowing workshop owners to print their own high-performance dust separation system at a fraction of commercial cost. The project shows how parametric design and accessible 3D printing enable makers to engineer precision tools at home.

Sources: Hackaday

HARDWAREPROJECT

The Raven Is a Custom Motorola 68060 Atari Clone Built for Low-Level Tinkering

Builder Anders Granlund has unveiled the Raven, a custom ATX-compatible mainboard built around a genuine Motorola 68060 CPU that functions as a modern Atari clone computer. The project, documented on the Exxos Forum since 2024, features RAM and ROM on SIMM sticks supporting up to 48 MB of RAM and 16 MB of ROM. The board includes four ISA expansion slots, YM2149 audio, IDE hard drive support, and legacy Atari peripheral compatibility. Described on GitHub as a platform for low-level tinkering rather than a consumer product, the Raven offers retro computing enthusiasts a powerful 68k system with modern reliability while preserving the Atari ST software ecosystem and peripheral experience.

Sources: Hackaday

SOFTWARECOMMUNITY

Mozilla Brings Web Serial to Firefox, Partners with Adafruit for Maker Workflows

Mozilla has added Web Serial support to Firefox 151, ending years of resistance to the API and opening browser-based hardware development workflows to Firefox users for the first time. The company partnered with Adafruit to ensure compatibility with their web-based microcontroller tools, which enable users to flash firmware, configure devices, and interact with development boards directly from the browser. Previously, these workflows required Chrome or a Chrome-based browser. Web Serial allows web applications to communicate with serial devices like Arduino boards, ESP32 modules, and Meshtastic radios without installing additional software. The change removes a significant barrier for makers who prefer Firefox, bringing feature parity with Chrome for hardware tasks.

Sources: Adafruit Blog

PROJECTHARDWARE

Maker Builds Wristwatch That Tells Time with a Single Analog Meter Needle

A maker has built a wristwatch that displays time using a single analog coil meter hand, combining vintage meter aesthetics with modern embedded electronics. The project repurposes a miniature panel meter as the watch display, driving it with a microcontroller that translates the current time into proportional current through the meter coil. The result is a watch where the needle sweeps across a custom-printed dial face to indicate the hour and minute through careful positioning. The build demonstrates creative hardware integration, fitting the meter movement, microcontroller, power regulation circuitry, and a rechargeable battery into a wearable form factor. Build details including schematics and firmware are shared on the project page.

Sources: Hackaday

ROBOTICSHARDWARE

Reverse Engineering the Unitree Go2 Quadruped Motor Opens Doors for Custom Robotics

A hardware hacker has published detailed reverse engineering of the GO-M8018-6 motor used in the Unitree Go2 quadruped robot, providing the maker and robotics community with documentation previously unavailable outside the manufacturer. The project breaks down the motor controller, communication protocol, and electrical characteristics, enabling independent developers to interface with or repurpose these high-performance brushless actuators for custom robotics builds. The Unitree Go2 has attracted maker interest as a relatively affordable quadruped platform, but its proprietary motor controllers have limited third-party development. This reverse engineering effort opens possibilities for custom firmware, alternative control systems, and integration of Unitree actuators into open-source robotics projects beyond the original platform.

Sources: Hackaday

EVENTCOMMUNITY

Open Hardware Summit 2026 Wraps Two-Day Run in Berlin

The Open Hardware Summit 2026 concluded its two-day run at TU Berlin on May 23 and 24, bringing together the global open-source hardware community for its annual flagship conference. The event featured 11 talks, 10 hands-on workshops, discussion groups, and 46 tabling sessions showcasing projects from across electronics, digital fabrication, and maker culture. Hosted by the Open Source Hardware Association, the summit drew speakers from industry, academia, the arts, and maker communities covering topics including intellectual property law, fashion technology, self-quantification devices, and mechanical design. The Berlin venue marked a return to European hosting, reflecting the growing international reach of the open hardware movement.

Sources: Hackster.io

What's Trending in the Maker World

Asimov v1 Humanoid Robot Goes Open Source — The $15,000 kit-version humanoid robot with 25 degrees of freedom is making humanoid robotics accessible to individual makers and small research labs for the first time.

Recycled Glass Meets Binder-Jet 3D Printing — Startup Vitriform3D is turning crushed post-consumer glass bottles into architectural tiles and countertops using binder-jet 3D printing with Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Maker Faire Season Heats Up Globally — Over a dozen international Maker Faires are scheduled through fall 2026, highlighted by the flagship Bay Area event September 25–27 celebrating the movement's 20th anniversary.

Top Crowdfunding

Kickstarter / Indiegogo

1. CardputerZero — launching May 26 from $59, Kickstarter

2. xTool WonderPress — ~$3.1M raised, 5,500+ backers, Kickstarter

3. Titan 2 Elite — ~$3.9M raised, 8,300+ backers, Kickstarter

GitHub Trending

Makers & Hardware

1. davidmonterocrespo24/velxio — browser Arduino/RPi emulator

2. pimoroni/pimoroni-pico — Pico add-on libraries

3. EricPobot/robotic-mower — 6.5k★

Upcoming Events

Maker Faire Long Island — June 6, Stony Brook University

Maker Faire Bay Area — Sept 25–27, Mare Island, CA (20th anniversary)

Maker Faire Rome — Oct 23–25, Rome, Italy

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