Samwise Makers' News
Saturday, July 18, 2026
EU Weakens Battery Regulation With Six New Device Exemptions
The European Union has weakened its Battery Regulation by adding six new exemption categories that allow manufacturers to keep batteries sealed in certain device classes. The most significant exclusions cover smartwatches, fitness trackers, and wireless earbuds, where manufacturers argued user-replaceable cells would compromise waterproofing. A smartphone carve-out also permits professional-only battery replacement if the pack retains 83 percent capacity after 500 cycles. The regulation’s 2027 implementation deadline remains in place, but the exemptions substantially narrow the scope of what repair advocates had anticipated. Critics warn the concessions echo manufacturer lobbying points and may set a precedent for further erosion of EU repairability rules across device categories.
Seeed Studio reCamera Pro Opens Pre-Orders at $299.90 With 3 TOPS On-Device AI
Seeed Studio has opened pre-orders for the reCamera Pro, a compact open-source AI camera powered by a Rockchip RV1126B quad-core Cortex-A53 SoC with a 3 TOPS neural processing unit. Priced at $299.90 for the 2 GB variant, it ships July 29. The camera supports computer vision, large language models, vision language models, and built-in speech-to-text and text-to-speech via dual MEMS microphones and a 1-watt speaker. Connectivity includes Gigabit Ethernet with PoE, dual-band Wi-Fi 5, USB-C, and a MIPI DSI expansion port. Trigger events span object detection, audio cues, HTTP requests, UART commands, and scheduled tasks, with RTSP, ONVIF, and MQTT protocol support for NVR and industrial integration.
Sources: CNX Software Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Espressif Releases esp-aliro SDK for Interoperable Smart Lock Access on ESP32
Espressif Systems has released esp-aliro, an open SDK bringing the Aliro digital access protocol to its ESP32 microcontroller family. Aliro, developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, lets smartphones and wearables act as digital keys for smart locks across residential, enterprise, and hospitality environments. The initial release supports Aliro over NFC using an external NFC chip paired with an ESP32-C or ESP32-H SoC, with Bluetooth LE and Ultra-Wideband planned for future updates. All Matter-enabled Espressif chipsets are supported, letting makers add interoperable keyless access to DIY lock projects. The goal is eliminating proprietary fragmentation so wallets from Apple, Google, and Samsung work with any compliant Aliro device.
Sources: CNX Software Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Open-Source Firmware Turns $47 M5Stack Core2 Into $230 Codex Micro Substitute
A maker known as IAMLIUBO has published open-source PlatformIO firmware converting an M5Stack Core2 into a working substitute for the $230 Codex Micro, a macro pad for controlling OpenAI's AI coding agents. The Core2 sells for as little as $46.90, cutting hardware cost by roughly 80 percent. The original Codex Micro includes a CNC-milled enclosure, rotary encoder, and joystick; the firmware replicates its software interface on the Core2's ESP32 platform. Source code and documentation are on GitHub. The Codex Micro is currently out of stock, and Codex AI has opened $125 pre-orders for a 25-key alternative, making this open firmware an immediately practical option for agent developers.
Sources: CNX Software Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Open Sauce 2026 Opens This Weekend With 500+ Maker Projects in San Mateo
Open Sauce, the technology and creator festival founded by YouTube engineer William Osman, launched its 2026 edition this weekend at the San Mateo County Event Center, running July 17 through 19. The event displays more than 500 unique projects spanning homemade robots, backyard rockets, 3D printers, and vintage space equipment, alongside creator panels, Q&A sessions, and a Creator Museum. Featured participants for 2026 include Mark Rober, Colin Furze, Michael Reeves, Gavin Free of the Slow Mo Guys, and Practical Engineering. Friday opened with a Creator Industry Day summit for technology brands and their creator partners. General admission two-day passes are priced at $200.
Sources: Open Sauce Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
BornHack 2026 Cyber Aegg Badge Blends LoRa Mesh, NFC, and Tamagotchi in One Egg
BornHack 2026's attendee badge is the Cyber Aegg, an egg-shaped open-source design built around a Nordic nRF52840 microcontroller with a Semtech SX1262 LoRa radio and a 1.54-inch tri-color e-paper display. Designed to last the entire Danish outdoor hacker camp on one charge, the badge connects participants to a long-range LoRa MeshCore network, emulates an NFC tag, and talks to phones via Bluetooth LE. On-camp software includes BornPets, a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet with mini-games, an event calendar, and an RFID token game. After the event, the flat-sided 3D-printed enclosure doubles as a desk clock and permanent MeshCore node. Hardware designs and firmware are published openly on Codeberg.
Isopropyl Alcohol Frees Stubborn TPU Prints From Textured PEI Build Plates
YouTube channel Maker's Muse has demonstrated a rescue technique for flexible filaments that bond too aggressively to textured PEI build plates: applying isopropyl alcohol to the stuck print. TPU and similar flex materials are prone to adhering with enough force to tear on removal and leave residue behind. The key is letting the IPA wick under the print rather than surface-wiping, as shown at the 18:10 mark of the video. This mirrors the well-known use of isopropanol to release hot-glue bonds, and proves effective with minimal risk to the build surface. A glue-stick interface layer prevents over-adhesion during printing; this IPA method offers reliable recovery when that step is skipped.
Top Crowdfunding
Kickstarter / Crowd Supply
1. RootBoard — $23,799 raised (476% of $5K goal, Kickstarter)
2. Open Book Touch — $25,658 raised (57% of $45K goal, Crowd Supply)
3. None found this week
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
1. jetpax/PiZZa — Arduino runtime for Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W
2. Seeed-Studio/OSHW-reCamera-Series — Open AI camera platform
3. None confirmed this week
Upcoming Events
Open Sauce 2026 — July 17–19, San Mateo CA
Maker Faire Bay Area — Sept 25–27, 2026, Vallejo CA
Hackaday Supercon 2026 — Nov 6–8, 2026, Pasadena CA
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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