Samwise Makers' News
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Addressable LEDs Make Giant 16×2 Character Display
A maker has built an oversized 16×2 character display using WS2812B addressable LEDs arranged in dot-matrix grids, creating a giant version of the classic LCD module found in countless electronics projects. Each character position consists of an array of individually programmable RGB LEDs that can reproduce any color combination. A Raspberry Pi Pico W provides the microcontroller core, with onboard Wi-Fi enabling remote text updates over a local network. The final display reproduces the familiar fixed-character grid of a standard 16×2 LCD but at large scale, making it visible across a room while maintaining the retro character display aesthetic.
Full Teardown of a 2026 Amazon Fire Stick HD
A full teardown of Amazon’s 2026 Fire Stick HD reveals the streaming dongle’s internal hardware in detail. The device runs on a MediaTek MT8696 system-on-chip paired with 1.5 GB of RAM and a combination of 4 GB and 8 GB eMMC flash storage chips. The custom circuit board carries the codename “Armadillo” silk-screened on its surface, a typical Amazon internal product identifier. The teardown photographs every component layer and identifies major chips with datasheets where available. The Fire Stick HD is noticeably compact for its specification, with most of the board area consumed by the SoC, RF circuits, and power management hardware.
3D Printing a Usable Airless Tire
A maker has successfully 3D-printed a functional airless tire for a mountain bike, eliminating the risk of flats entirely. The design uses TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) flexible filament to achieve the necessary compliance, with S-shaped internal void spacers that flex to absorb trail impacts while supporting rider weight. Because no printer bed is large enough for a full tire circumference, the design was divided into eight arc sections printed separately and bonded together. The completed tire was field-tested on actual mountain bike trails and held up to repeated riding. The project demonstrates that FDM-printed TPU components can deliver real-world structural performance beyond prototyping.
Only the Hottest Tunes Play on This Fire Organ
YouTube maker Look Mum No Computer has built a propane fire organ mounted on a trailer for portability. Copper organ pipes carry propane rather than air — the gas flowing through the pipes generates sound, while ignition provides a fire display. An earlier pilot light system was replaced with automotive spark plugs and ignition coils, allowing a single MIDI signal to simultaneously open the gas valve and fire the spark. This means any MIDI controller can sequence both the musical notes and flame effects in sync. The instrument requires tuning, but video footage shows it playing Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.
Hacking a Tenda AC1200 Wi-Fi Router with a CVE Combo
Security researcher Low Level intended to demonstrate CVE-2026-11405, a backdoor in a Tenda router, but accidentally bought the wrong model — the AC10V6. Rather than stopping, the researcher chained three CVEs for root access. CVE-2025-9090 enables Telnet by poking a file on the device; CVE-2025-52054 shows root passwords are derived from a static string plus the last two MAC address octets. The AC10V6’s static string was unknown, but Tenda’s firmware prints it in plaintext to the UART serial output. Probing the UART pins during a hard reset exposed the password, enabling Telnet root login and revealing the previously encrypted firmware image.
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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