Samwise Makers' News
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Counterfeit XLR Ground Loop Isolator Found Wired Straight Through
A Hackaday teardown of a cheap XLR ground loop isolator purchased for about 1,200 yen on Japanese Amazon revealed the device to be counterfeit. Rather than containing the audio transformers that an isolator uses to break ground loops and eliminate hum, the unit was wired straight through, with the XLR input sockets connected directly to the output sockets. The hardware therefore provided no isolation whatsoever despite its labeling and price. The write-up uses the scam product as a teaching moment, explaining how genuine ground loop isolators rely on transformer coupling to separate signal grounds and why the direct wiring inside this counterfeit defeats that purpose entirely.
Sources: Hackaday
Kotinos Ergonomic Mouse Gives Each Fingertip Its Own Saddle
Hackaday featured the Kotinos, an ergonomic computer mouse from designer [psudoku] that gives each fingertip its own saddle-shaped nook. Instead of a single contoured shell, the design places an individual saddle for each finger, aiming to support the hand more naturally and reduce strain during long sessions. The Kotinos is built to be customizable: its geometry is defined through OpenSCAD scripts, so users can modify the parameters and regenerate the model to match their own hand dimensions before printing. The approach reflects a growing maker interest in personalized, 3D-printed input devices tailored to individual ergonomics rather than mass-produced one-size-fits-all peripherals offered by mainstream manufacturers.
Sources: Hackaday
Microsoft Offers Downloadable Xbox Thumbstick Toppers for Accessibility
Microsoft is offering downloadable Xbox controller thumbstick toppers as an accessibility option, Hackaday reported. The toppers are distributed as files that gamers can fabricate themselves, fitting over a controller’s existing analog sticks to change their height, shape, or grip. By making the designs downloadable, the program lets players with differing physical needs customize their controllers without waiting on specialized commercial hardware. The move extends Microsoft’s existing accessibility efforts around Xbox input devices and aligns with the broader maker practice of using 3D printing to adapt consumer electronics. Hackaday framed the release as an example of a major manufacturer embracing user fabrication to widen access to gaming.
Sources: Hackaday
HopFlyt Cyclone eVTOL Drone Revives Custer’s Channel Wing
Hackaday covered the HopFlyt Cyclone, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) drone that revives the channel wing concept pioneered by [Willard Ray Custer]. Custer’s original channel wing placed a propeller within a half-pipe-shaped wing section to accelerate airflow over the curved surface and boost lift at low speeds. The Cyclone applies that idea using a tandem wing arrangement, with the goal of improving short-takeoff and hovering performance for an uncrewed aircraft. The piece, headlined as Custer’s Revenge, traces the history of the channel wing and examines how modern electric propulsion and drone design revisit an aerodynamic approach that never gained traction in its original era.
Sources: Hackaday
Gateworks Catalina GW9200 Industrial SBC Builds on NXP i.MX 95
Gateworks introduced the Catalina GW9200, an industrial single-board computer built around the NXP i.MX 95 system-on-chip for edge AI applications, CNX Software reported. The GW9200 pairs a system-on-module carrying the i.MX 95, 4GB of LPDDR5 memory, and 8GB of eMMC flash by default with a carrier board offering 10GbE and Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, a MIPI DSI/CSI display and camera interface, and a range of I/O. Its standout feature is a pair of Flexible Socket Adapter sockets that accept either M.2 or mini PCIe module adapters depending on the deployment. The launch follows Ezurio’s recently announced acquisition of Gateworks, the report noted.
Sources: CNX Software
Year 2000 Bug in BSD 2.11 Survived Undetected on a PDP-11/70
Hackaday detailed a Year 2000 bug in BSD 2.11 that went undetected for decades on a PDP-11/70 minicomputer. The flaw lived in the system’s NTP daemon, the software responsible for keeping the machine’s clock synchronized over the network. Because the affected code path handled dates in a way that broke past the year 2000, the bug survived the original Y2K remediation effort and only surfaced when the aging system was examined more closely. The article walks through how the issue was discovered and diagnosed on the vintage hardware, offering a look at how decades-old date-handling assumptions can persist in long-running legacy systems still operating today.
Sources: Hackaday
CNC-Machined Piano Key Holder Cradles Your House Keys
Hackaday showcased a CNC-machined key holder shaped like piano keys, crafted from hardwoods to store a set of ordinary house keys. The build mills the wood into the familiar black-and-white piano key profile, then uses the recesses to cradle metal keys, turning a mundane organizer into a musical visual pun. The project highlights how a CNC router and careful material selection can produce a polished, gift-worthy object from simple stock. The write-up plays on the wordplay between piano keys and door keys, presenting the piece as an accessible woodworking and CNC exercise that combines precise machining with an everyday household function for makers.
Sources: Hackaday
Top Crowdfunding
Crowd Supply
1. Dabao Baochip-1x RISC-V dev board — from $9.50, $1 funding target (Crowd Supply)
2. (No other verified live campaign this issue)
3. —
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
None this week — no verified daily star data
Upcoming Events
Maker Faire Canada — July 17–19, 2026
Maker Faire Bay Area — Sept 25–27, 2026, Mare Island, CA
Maker Faire Rome — Oct 23–25, 2026, Rome, Italy
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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