Samwise Makers' News
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
The Seemingly Impossible Oscillator
A deep-dive into the reverse avalanche oscillator — a deceptively simple circuit built from a 2N2222 transistor wired backwards, a capacitor, an LED, and a resistor. Despite having no power feedback loop, the LED flashes rhythmically. The secret is avalanche breakdown: when the reverse voltage across the transistor's base-emitter junction peaks, an avalanche of electrons crosses the depletion layer, discharging the capacitor in a flash of light. The article examines how real NPN transistors deviate from their textbook ideal behaviour in ways that make this "impossible" circuit possible — a satisfying reminder that real-world physics always has the last word.
2026 Hackaday Supercon: Call for Proposals Now Open
Hackaday has opened the Call for Proposals for Supercon Ten — the 10th anniversary edition of its flagship hardware conference, running November 6–8, 2026 in Pasadena, California. Proposals are welcome for talks, workshops, and badge hack projects, with the deadline set for August 31. Organizers are particularly excited about the milestone anniversary and are encouraging both veteran speakers and first-timers to submit. Whether you've got a deep hardware hack to share, a maker philosophy to defend, or a wild workshop idea, now's the time to get your proposal in for one of the maker world's most beloved gatherings.
Get Your ESP32 Sunny Side Up With This Solar Dev Board
A maker has designed and shared a compact open-hardware ESP32 development board optimized for solar-powered IoT projects. The board integrates an MPPT (maximum power point tracking) solar charger and a single lithium cell connector alongside an ESP32 module, all squeezed into a form factor suited for outdoor sensor deployments. Open hardware design files are included, making it easy to customize the board for specific power budgets. The MPPT approach maximizes energy harvested from small panels even in suboptimal lighting, making this an attractive starting point for off-grid weather stations, soil monitors, and other solar-fed remote projects.
OSHWA's Open Hardware Summit 2026: Hottest Hardware Event of the Year?
Hackster.io recaps the 2026 Open Hardware Summit hosted by the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA), which brought together hardware designers, academics, activists, and makers to discuss the state and future of open hardware. Key themes this year included supply chain transparency for open hardware, reproducibility and certification standards, and open-source PCB tooling. Talks from RISC-V ecosystem developers and veteran open hardware pioneers highlighted how the movement has matured. The Summit remains one of the most thoughtful corners of the maker calendar — less about flashy demos, more about the serious work of keeping hardware truly open.
Sources: Hackster.io Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
John Deere Owners Win Right-to-Repair Under New FTC Settlement
The US Federal Trade Commission and five states — Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin — have reached a landmark settlement with Deere & Company on right-to-repair. For the next ten years, Deere must give independent repair shops and farmers access to the same diagnostic software and tools available to its authorized dealers. Deere will also pay $1 million in legal costs to the states. The FTC originally sued Deere in January 2025 over anti-competitive repair restrictions. This is Deere's second settlement this year, following a $99 million class-action payout to farmers in April — a major win for repair advocacy.
Sources: Adafruit Blog Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
OpenPuck: DIY Steam Controller Puck with Multi-Console Emulation
[safijari]'s OpenPuck project turns an affordable Pro Micro NRF52840 into a fully functional replacement for Valve's Steam Controller wireless puck. The board pairs with a Steam Controller just like the factory unit, but adds tricks: button combos let it emulate Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PlayStation controllers, making the Steam Controller work natively with consoles that don't run Steam Input. Plug OpenPuck into a Switch and the console sees a wired controller with motion and haptic feedback. The project includes full wireless protocol documentation for those who want to dig deeper. One caveat: OpenPuck cannot charge the controller, though USB-C handles that just fine.
Homebrew ZX Spectrum Gets an RP2350 Brain in Place of the ULA
Maker [Vlad] has built a charming ZX Spectrum clone that replaces the original Sinclair ULA — the chip handling video and keyboard scanning — with an RP2350 running software emulation. The result is not cycle-accurate, but it reportedly runs every game thrown at it. The build pairs a traditional cassette port with modern VGA and joystick outputs, and features a hand-made keyboard mounted on phenolic stripboard, complete with period-accurate Sinclair key decals. HDMI is planned but not yet implemented. The project lives on Hackaday.io and continues a long tradition of loving ZX Spectrum recreations — proof that some classics never stop inspiring new hardware builds.
Top Crowdfunding
Kickstarter / Indiegogo
1. RootBoard — $23,799 raised (473% funded, Kickstarter)
2. HeyGears G1 Series — 3-in-1 desktop 3D printer (Kickstarter)
3. Gweike MCore — open-hardware CNC router (late pledges open)
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
1. safijari/openpuck — DIY Steam Controller puck
2. micropython/micropython — Python for microcontrollers
3. arduino/arduino-ide — Arduino IDE 2.x
Upcoming Events
Maker Faire Bay Area — Sep 25–27, 2026, Mare Island, CA
Hackaday Supercon Ten — Nov 6–8, 2026, Pasadena, CA
Open Hardware Summit 2027 — date TBD
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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