Engineer Cracks Sub-60-Second Benchy After Two Years of Development

After two years of engineering refinement, Dutch maker Jan Roetz has achieved a sub-60-second 3D print of the Benchy benchmarking boat. The custom Minuteman printer addresses the three key speed bottlenecks: extrusion rate, cooling, and motion. A four-filament hotend delivers 400 cubic millimeters of plastic per second, while a 400-liter-per-minute air duct handles cooling. The breakthrough came by replacing an air-bearing print bed with a lightweight carbon-fiber frame sliding between granite and glass plates, and swapping metal pulleys for small semi-circular plastic ones to cut rotational inertia. Peak acceleration reached 225 G, and the resulting Benchies were dimensionally correct at 59 seconds each.

Sources: Hackaday

PiBrick: Open-Source Raspberry Pi CM5 Pocket Computer Ships Full Build Files

Indonesian maker Ahmad Amarullah has released the PiBrick, an open-source handheld computer built around the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 5. The smartphone-sized device features a 3.92-inch OLED touchscreen display and a BlackBerry-derived physical keyboard, mounted on a custom PCB that handles all peripheral connections. A 3D-printed shell houses the board alongside a 5,000 mAh battery, giving the device the profile of a thick smartphone. Design files are published on OSHWLab and the firmware repository is available on GitHub, making the project fully reproducible. The Compute Module 5 provides the computing backbone, running a standard Linux distribution suited to on-the-go tasks and development work.

Sources: Hackaday

Cheap Yellow Display Gets PSRAM Upgrade to Run SNES and Genesis Emulation

Maker DynaMite has transformed a Cheap Yellow Display module into a full retro gaming console by soldering additional PSRAM onto the ESP32-based board and swapping several resistors to improve audio output. The memory upgrade enables the Retro-Go emulator firmware, unlocking 16-bit system support including SNES and Sega Genesis, well beyond the NES emulation possible on the stock 2.8-inch CYD board. DynaMite also designed a 3D-printed enclosure modeled after a vintage CRT television. A custom launcher switches between the emulator and a video playback application stored on the SD card, with all code published as open source on GitHub.

Sources: Hackaday

Six FDM Waterproofing Methods Tested to 1 Bar Pressure: Internal Epoxy Wins

A maker publishing as Half-Baked-Research has conducted systematic pressure testing of six different waterproofing methods for FDM-printed parts. Using a Vevor vacuum chamber modified to apply 1 bar (103 kPa) of pressure equivalent to a depth of about 10 meters, the test evaluated external coatings, internal coatings, foam-filling, TPU-coated PETG, PU-molded parts, and thicker-walled PETG prints. Three approaches produced passing results: internal epoxy coating outperformed all others under repeated percussive stress, while two internal polyurethane coatings also passed. External-only coatings and the TPU-covered approach both failed. The test gives makers directly comparable performance data for watertight electronics enclosures.

Sources: Hackaday

California Assembly Passes Bill Requiring Gun-Blocking Software on All 3D Printers

The California State Assembly has passed AB 2047, the California Firearm Printing Prevention Act, advancing the bill to the state Senate. The legislation would require 3D printers sold in California from March 1, 2029, to include manufacturer-provided software preventing the printing of firearms components, with civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation for non-compliant printers. The bill was amended on May 18, 2026. Critics including the Electronic Frontier Foundation have labeled the requirement as mandating censorship software on every consumer 3D printer, warning that blocking hardware modifications would lock owners into manufacturer ecosystems and chill legitimate maker activities.

Sources: Tom's Hardware

The Uncooperative Mirror: Arduino-Powered Art Installation Disrupts Its Own Reflection

Serbian maker danicakostic17 has built the Uncooperative Mirror, a kinetic art installation that uses proximity sensing to actively disrupt its own reflection. The piece appears as a standard tiled mirror, but an ultrasonic sensor mounted behind the frame detects approaching viewers and signals an Arduino Uno to activate a set of small servo motors. Belt-driven tiles shake and rotate when someone stands in front, distorting the reflection and rendering the surface useless as a conventional mirror. The 3D-printed frame holds the servo mechanism and electronics. All build files including the Arduino sketch are published on Instructables, with a complete build video on YouTube.

Sources: Hackaday

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