Samwise Makers' News
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Rust Powers a $1 Handheld Gaming Console on a 9-Cent RISC-V Chip
Developer Chris Dell has built a fully playable handheld gaming console using the WCH CH32V003, a 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller that costs just $0.09 in bulk, bringing the total hardware bill to roughly $1. The console runs a side-scrolling platform game written in Rust using the ch32-hal crate. An early floating-point build ran at one frame per second; rewriting the physics engine with fixed-point arithmetic pushed performance to a smooth 25 fps with a full scrolling map. The project demonstrates Rust on ultra-constrained 48 MHz hardware with only 2 KB of RAM and 16 KB of flash. Full source code and a browser simulator are on GitHub.
Sources: Hackaday
Museum Staff Debug the Drive Electronics Behind a Stopped Foucault Pendulum
When the historic Foucault pendulum at the Houston Museum of Natural Science stopped swinging after decades of uninterrupted operation, staff traced the failure to the electromagnetic drive system that keeps the pendulum in motion. The mechanism, originally installed in the 1970s, uses a pickup coil to sense the pendulum's position and trigger a brief magnetic kick at the correct phase to sustain oscillation. Troubleshooting revealed a fault in the drive electronics rather than a mechanical failure. A recent YouTube video from the museum confirmed the system is working again, providing a real-world lesson in analog feedback electronics, museum-scale maintenance, and Lenz's Law.
Sources: Hackaday
ESP32 Desk Display Puts Your Calendar on an 8×8 LED Matrix Without the Phone
Builder Paul Lagier has created a compact desk display that keeps his calendar visible without needing to pick up his phone. The device centres on a Waveshare ESP32 board paired with an 8×8 RGB LED matrix, all housed in a 3D-printed enclosure fitted with a black grid to separate each LED cell for a crisp pixelated look. The ESP32's Wi-Fi connectivity lets the device query Lagier's online calendar and display appointments as 15-minute colour blocks. Flipping the unit in different orientations triggers the onboard 6-axis IMU to switch between display modes, showing weather or other data. The project firmware source is publicly available.
Sources: Hackaday
Off-Grid Magnetic Induction Water Heater Turns Mechanical Rotation Into Heat
Builder Greenhill Forge has demonstrated an off-grid magnetic induction water heater that produces heat from mechanical rotation rather than combustion or mains electricity. The device works like a reversed motor: spinning a magnet near a metal vessel intentionally generates eddy currents, which dissipate as heat in the water container. Initial tests using a power drill as the driver heated 1.5 litres of water from 7.9 to 24.4 degrees Celsius in three minutes, delivering an estimated 575 watts. At higher rotor speeds achievable with a wind or water turbine, the builder calculates potential output around 14.5 kilowatts, making the design viable for off-grid homesteads.
Sources: Hackaday
Researcher Publishes Open-Source Bootloader Running Ubuntu 24.04 on the Original PS5
Security researcher Andy Nguyen, known online as TheFlow, has published ps5-linux, an open-source bootloader that runs Ubuntu 24.04 on the original PlayStation 5 by exploiting a patched hypervisor vulnerability. The release includes a build script producing a bootable Ubuntu image, M.2 SSD installation tools, and a fan and CPU/GPU boost utility. Testing shows GTA V Enhanced with ray tracing running at a stable 60 fps at 1440p. Linux runs alongside Sony's stock system without wiping internal storage. The exploit only works on consoles still running firmware 3.xx or 4.xx; any PS5 updated to version 5 or later via PSN cannot be affected.
Sources: Hackaday
Commodore 64 Mainboard Meets the PET Case in a Vintage Electronics Restoration
A maker has combined a Commodore 64 mainboard with the iconic Commodore PET all-in-one case, creating a machine that pairs the C64's SID sound chip and extended BASIC with the PET's integrated monitor and keyboard. The restoration involved careful debugging of the power supply and video circuits before the unit would produce a stable picture. A faulty ROM chip and multiple failing RAM modules compounded the troubleshooting, requiring substitution of individual chips with a known-good donor board for isolation. Once the hardware stabilised, the combined machine proved fully functional. The project serves as a practical exercise in TTL-era electronics diagnosis using logic probes and period-appropriate test equipment.
Sources: Hackaday
ESP-FLY Kit Packages a Pocket-Sized ESP32-S3 Quadcopter for Makers and STEM Classes
Seeed Studio is now selling the ESP-FLY DIY kit, a miniature quadcopter designed around the Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 module. The kit measures 67 by 67 by 31 millimetres and weighs little enough to pocket, targeting STEM education, hobbyist makers, and indoor flight practice. The ESP32-S3R8 processor runs at 240 MHz and provides 8 MB of PSRAM plus 8 MB of SPI flash alongside Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0. Control is handled through the ESP-Drone Android app or an ESP-NOW radio controller. Assembly requires soldering and some mechanical work. The kit, created by designer Max Imagination, sells for $59.99 on Seeed Studio with firmware source on GitHub.
Sources: CNX Software
Top Crowdfunding
Kickstarter / Indiegogo
None this week
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
1. davidmonterocrespo24/velxio — browser-based Arduino/ESP32/Pi emulator
2. wagiminator/CH32V003-GameConsole — RISC-V mini game console
3. xor-gate/awesome-embedded-systems — curated embedded resources list
Upcoming Events
Hackaday Europe — May 16–17, Lecco, Italy
Open Hardware Summit — May 23–24, Berlin, Germany
Maker Faire Long Island — June 6, Stony Brook, NY
Curated by JD · samwise.agency