Samwise Makers' News
Monday, August 31, 2026
NES Gets an Optical Data Storage Add-On
A custom PCB designed by Throaty Mumbo gives the Nintendo Entertainment System something it never had in its 1983 debut: optical data storage. The add-on uses an RP2350B microcontroller paired with a PCM5102 audio DAC to bridge the Everdrive N8 Pro flash cart with an IDE-era CD-ROM drive through the NES expansion port. The board translates the Everdrive's signals into commands a vintage optical drive can execute, effectively turning a 40-year-old console into a platform that can load data from spinning discs. Schematics and firmware are available on GitHub for builders willing to track down the increasingly scarce hardware.
Headless Game Boy Emulator Runs Entirely Through a Browser
Artificial-Age built a Game Boy emulator on an ESP32-S3 that deliberately omits the screen. Instead of a display, the microcontroller hosts its own WiFi access point and streams video and audio to any connected web browser — with keyboard or touchscreen controls handled through the same interface. The result is a pocket-sized gaming device that any nearby phone or laptop can turn into a handheld, no dedicated hardware required. All game state runs on the ESP32; the browser is purely for input and output. The project source is on GitHub, and porting other classic emulators to this browser-as-display architecture is a natural next step.
Berkeley Humanoid Lite Puts Open-Source Robotics Under $5,000
The Berkeley Humanoid Lite is an open-source humanoid robot designed at UC Berkeley with one clear priority: making the hardware buildable. Most of the robot's structure comes from 3D printed cycloidal gearboxes combined with commodity motors and embedded magnetic encoders — a modular actuator design that costs roughly $188 per joint and can be adapted for other robotic applications entirely. Total build cost lands under $5,000, significantly below comparable open platforms. The full design, including CAD files, bill of materials, and firmware, is available on GitHub. A video demonstration shows the robot performing basic tasks and accepting VR-driven teleoperation commands.
Browser Tool Turns Your Monitor Into a VHF Transmitter
A browser-based tool built by Efe exploits an electromagnetic side-effect most monitor owners would rather eliminate. By carefully manipulating the pixel clock of an HDMI or DisplayPort signal, the tool creates a spurious radio transmission at a frequency determined by the display's resolution and refresh rate. A 1080p monitor running at 60 Hz with standard CEA-861 timing produces a signal near 148.5 MHz — deep in the VHF band. The tool uses this to transmit Morse code simply by flickering the right pattern of black and white pixels. A working demo is available in-browser; users need a radio receiver held close to the monitor to detect the signal.
DOOM's Opening Theme Recreated in Pure 555-Timer Hardware
Nick has built a circuit that plays the opening track from DOOM using nothing but 555 timer ICs and discrete logic. A master 555 oscillator running at just over 7 Hz drives a binary counter feeding a decoder, creating 15 time slots. Each slot connects through a diode matrix that encodes one of six pitches, routing the signal to a second 555 whose resistor networks tune the output frequency to the correct note. The result is musically recognizable and represents a practical exercise in understanding how digital sequencing and audio generation work at the component level without a microcontroller anywhere in the design.
Wireless Brakes on a Fat Tire Bike Add ABS and Remote Control
YouTube channel Berm Peak replaced a fat tire mountain bike's hydraulic braking system with an ESP32-based wireless alternative, partly as an engineering experiment and partly because wireless brakes unlock features that hydraulics cannot offer. The system uses car door lock actuators driven by ESP32 microcontrollers communicating between brake levers, front and rear calipers, and a central control unit. Built-in features include an anti-lock braking system, a braking equalizer that maps lever position to force non-linearly, and a threshold mode that delays engagement until a set point is reached. A remote override mode can also slow a paired child's bike from the parent's handlebars.
Dual Lasers on an FDM Printer Smooth Layer Lines Without Chemicals
A maker known as I changed a thing mounted a pair of diode lasers to the X-axis carriage of an FDM 3D printer to melt and smooth the layer lines that are the format's most visible limitation. The technique works differently on horizontal top surfaces — where the laser has direct line-of-sight — than on vertical walls, which must be addressed at an oblique angle. Results on top surfaces are roughly comparable to ABS vapor smoothing without the chemical exposure or fire risk. The project builds on earlier work by the same creator, demonstrating laser-enhanced layer adhesion and near-isotropic strength improvements for both ABS and PLA materials.
Top Crowdfunding
Kickstarter / Indiegogo
IFMAKER M5 (5-axis desktop CNC) — $1.07M raised, 2,145% funded — Kickstarter Live
HeyGears G1 Series (full-color modular 3D printer) — $13.5M raised, 26,989% funded — Kickstarter Live
Hanboost T1 (pocket enclosed laser engraver) — $1.09M raised — Kickstarter Late Pledge
GitHub Trending
Makers & Hardware
HybridRobotics/Berkeley-Humanoid-Lite — open-source 3D-printed humanoid under $5K
VulcanRobotics/Sourccey — personal home robot open-sourced Aug 2026
PetoiCamp/OpenCat-Quadruped-Robot — open-source quadruped framework
Upcoming Events
Maker Faire Bay Area — Sep 25–27, 2026 — Mare Island Shipyard, CA
Maker Faire Malta — Oct 2–4, 2026 — Esplora Science Centre, Kalkara
Louisville Maker Faire — Oct 17, 2026 — UofL Student Activity Center, KY
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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