ESPHome 2026.5.0 Ships with Revamped Device Builder Web App

ESPHome 2026.5.0, released May 26, 2026, debuts the Device Builder beta — a browser-based visual configuration tool that eliminates direct YAML editing for common sensor and actuator setups. Users select their board, pick components from a graphical interface, and the tool generates firmware-ready YAML automatically. The release also delivers measurable performance improvements: compile times drop by roughly 20 percent on ESP32-S3 targets, and the memory footprint is reduced for multi-component builds running on ESP8266 modules. Several new sensor integrations land in this release, including support for additional I²C temperature and humidity peripherals. ESPHome powers tens of thousands of Home Assistant installations worldwide.

Sources: CNX Software

3D-Printable Desktop Wind Tunnel Visualizes Aerodynamics on a Budget

A desktop wind tunnel designed to fit on a standard workbench was published by a maker on May 27, 2026, with all structural parts either 3D-printable in PLA or sourced from a common hardware store. The design incorporates a honeycomb flow-straightener section to convert turbulent fan output into laminar airflow visible with theatrical fog fluid. A brushless DC motor and 120mm fan provide sufficient velocity to demonstrate drag and lift on small test shapes. The builder demonstrated the tunnel on NACA airfoil cross-sections and basic car body profiles, capturing clean separation lines in video footage. Total material cost stays below $50.

Sources: Hackaday

RAKwireless WisMesh Pi HAT Turns Raspberry Pi into Modular Meshtastic Gateway

RAKwireless launched the WisMesh Pi HAT RAK6421 on May 26, 2026 — a modular expansion board that slots onto the 40-pin GPIO header of a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 and converts it into a full Meshtastic LoRa gateway. The board carries a RAK4631 LoRa module based on the Nordic nRF52840 and Semtech SX1262, supporting LoRa frequencies from 863 to 928 MHz. Onboard GPS is optional via a separate daughter module. The HAT exposes standard WisBlock connectors, letting makers attach additional sensor and power modules. Raspberry Pi runs Meshtastic firmware natively over the USB-UART bridge included on the board.

Sources: CNX Software

PD-64 Shrinks the Commodore 64 Power Supply to Match the Port It Plugs Into

A maker published the PD-64 on May 26, 2026 — a miniaturized power supply for the Commodore 64 that accepts USB Power Delivery input and outputs the three voltages the C64 requires: +5 V, +9 V AC, and −5 V. The original C64 brick is notorious for failing capacitors and voltage spikes that destroy SID chips and other irreplaceable ICs. The PD-64 replaces it entirely, fitting inside a small enclosure roughly the size of a USB-C charger. It uses a PD trigger chip to negotiate 20 V input from any compatible USB-PD adapter, then steps and inverts to the required rails via an onboard switching converter.

Sources: Hackaday

Researcher Cracks Honeywell X2S Smart Thermostat Encrypted Firmware

A security researcher published a detailed writeup on May 26, 2026 covering the reverse engineering of the Honeywell X2S smart thermostat’s encrypted firmware. The device runs on a Renesas microcontroller paired with a Realtek Wi-Fi SoC. The researcher extracted firmware from UART boot logs, identified the AES-128 key through a combination of differential power analysis and memory dump techniques, and obtained a decrypted binary. The decrypted image revealed an undocumented diagnostic mode and several cloud API endpoints. The researcher responsibly disclosed findings to Honeywell. No patch was available at publication time; users are advised to isolate the device on a separate VLAN.

Sources: Hackaday

Carrier-Locked Moto G Power Becomes a $50 Linux Desktop with Termux

A Hackaday writeup published May 26, 2026 walks through turning a carrier-locked Motorola Moto G Power — purchased for roughly $50 on the secondhand market — into a functional Linux development workstation using Termux, the Android terminal emulator. The setup requires no root access. Termux’s pkg manager installs the full GNU toolchain, Python, Node.js, Git, and SSH. A Bluetooth keyboard and USB-C hub expand the experience to a near-laptop form factor. The author highlights the phone’s 5,000 mAh battery as a significant advantage, enabling eight-plus hours of coding sessions on a single charge with no wall power required.

Sources: Hackaday

DIY Zinc-Air Battery Stack Powers a Model Car in Energy-Dense Experiment

A maker documented the construction of a working zinc-air battery stack on May 26, 2026, using zinc mesh electrodes, a potassium hydroxide electrolyte solution, and commercially available gas-diffusion air electrodes salvaged from zinc-air hearing-aid button cells. The assembled six-cell stack generated enough current to drive a small model car across a tabletop, demonstrating a practical energy density advantage over conventional alkaline batteries of comparable volume. Zinc-air chemistry is used in high-capacity commercial cells because oxygen from the air acts as the cathode reactant, eliminating the need for a heavy internal oxidizer. The full construction guide and bill of materials are published openly.

Sources: Hackaday

Etchbot Robot Draws Full Portrait Videos on an Etch-a-Sketch in Under a Minute

The Etchbot, published May 26, 2026 by Every Flavor Robotics, is an open-source CNC robot that drives the mechanical knobs of a standard Etch-a-Sketch to reproduce grayscale video frames as dithered line drawings. The system converts each video frame to a 1-bit stippled image, then generates X-Y move sequences for two stepper motors with custom 3D-printed gearboxes. A PID controller compensates for the Etch-a-Sketch’s inherent backlash, achieving sub-millimetre positioning accuracy. At default settings, the robot reproduces a recognizable portrait frame in approximately 45 seconds. Firmware and CAD files are published on GitHub under the MIT license.

Sources: Hackaday

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