ATtiny85 Hosts an Intel 8080 Emulator to Boot CP/M

A resourceful hardware hacker has squeezed an Intel 8080 emulator onto an ATtiny85 microcontroller — a chip with just 8KB of flash and 512 bytes of SRAM — to successfully boot and run the CP/M operating system. Physical connections are reduced to a minimal SPI bus, with all heavier support functions offloaded to a Teensy microcontroller acting as a co-processor peripheral. Despite the ATtiny85’s extreme resource constraints, the emulation reportedly runs only marginally slower than a real 8080 booting CP/M. The project demonstrates how much of a classic computing environment can be recreated with careful code optimization and hardware partitioning across two low-cost microcontrollers.

Sources: Hackaday

Vintage Sansui Linear-Tracking Turntable Gets ESP32 Brain and Home Assistant Integration

Maker [Marsupial] has rescued a vintage Sansui P-L45 linear-tracking turntable whose original electronics were completely fried, converting it into a modern smart home device. A custom daughter-board was designed featuring an ESP32 microcontroller, level-shifting circuitry to translate the turntable’s legacy voltages to the ESP32’s 3.3V logic, and hardware debounce on mechanical inputs. The result is reportedly the world’s only ESP32-driven, Home Assistant-integrated linear-tracking turntable. Unlike conventional pivot-arm decks, the P-L45 slides its stylus along a linear track to follow the record groove precisely. Full firmware and PCB design files are publicly available on the WeAreAllGeeks blog for anyone with a similar machine needing repair.

Sources: Hackaday

Pi Pico 2W Becomes a Bit-Banged 10BaseT Ethernet-to-WiFi Router Written in Rust

Developer Matt Deeds has created a functional Ethernet-to-WiFi router using a Raspberry Pi Pico 2W, demonstrating that bit-banging 10BaseT Ethernet entirely in software is feasible on the RP2350 chip. Written in Rust and partly ported from an earlier project, the firmware uses Ethernet magnetics for the physical layer while all protocol handling runs in software on the Pico 2W’s dual-core processor. Transmit operates at full 10 Mbit/s speed; receive runs at reduced speed, though at classic 10BaseT rates that trade-off is largely inconsequential. The result is possibly the lowest-cost Ethernet-to-wireless bridging solution available, combining a wired RJ-45 port with the Pico 2W’s built-in 2.4 GHz 802.11n radio.

Sources: Hackaday

Over-Engineered 3D-Printed Spool Holder Rises from Prusa Mk4S Conversion Remnants

When maker [3D Maker Noob] converted a Prusa Mk4S to a Core One using Prusa’s official conversion kit, the upgrade relocated the filament spool and left a collection of leftover Mk4S hardware. Rather than discard the parts, the maker designed a bespoke top-mounted spool holder incorporating the salvaged components into a box-shaped enclosure. The project became an exercise in parametric CAD design and 3D-printed structural engineering, with multiple design iterations refining bearing placement and spool tension. The published files are compatible with the Prusa Core One and other top-mount configurations, offering a practical reuse path for makers upgrading their own Mk4S printers to the CoreXY platform.

Sources: Hackaday

Brand-New NiMH Cells Stored 12 Years Recover Surprisingly Well

YouTuber [DiodeGoneWild] uncovered a pack of Activ Energy brand NiMH rechargeable AA cells purchased in 2014 and never used, then subjected them to a charge-discharge evaluation. Three of the four cells still showed residual voltage and recharged to their rated 2,000 mAh capacity on the first cycle. The fourth cell registered 0V but was revived using bench power supply trickle charging — a standard approach for deeply discharged NiMH chemistry. After several cycles, only the previously dead cell showed measurable capacity degradation; internal resistance readings remained healthy across all four cells. The results contrast sharply with Tronic-brand cells tested previously, which degraded significantly after just a few years of use.

Sources: Hackaday

Hands-On Benchmarks Finally Settle the S3 Virge '3D Decelerator' Debate

The S3 Virge GPU has carried the “decelerator” label for thirty years, accused of performing worse than CPU software rendering on 1990s titles. Retro hardware channel Bits und Bolts finally ran controlled benchmarks on an S3 Virge/DX. At the card’s optimal 512×384 resolution with bilinear filtering enabled, the Virge achieved a capped 30 FPS — clearly outperforming a Pentium 166 doing software rendering at 640×480. Stepping to 640×480 drops output to 15 FPS with filtering. The investigation concludes the decelerator reputation largely stems from driver quality variation across different Virge-based cards and gamers running resolutions that bypassed the chip’s hardware acceleration paths entirely.

Sources: Hackaday

Teardowns Reveal Multiple Cassette Tape Mechanisms Still in Active Production

The tape revival community has long assumed only one cassette mechanism — manufactured by China’s Tanishin — remains in current production, raising concerns about long-term serviceability of new cassette players. YouTuber [VWestlife] challenged this by conducting systematic teardowns of recently purchased new players, identifying multiple distinct internal mechanisms and confirming that at least two manufacturers currently supply tape transports to the market. The specific mechanism matters primarily for transport reliability; the motor, preamp, and analog circuit quality ultimately determine audio fidelity. The discovery offers reassurance to the enthusiast community, though [VWestlife] notes mechanism origin alone should not be the deciding factor when selecting a cassette deck.

Sources: Hackaday

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