Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

SanDisk Unveils 1PB SSD Roadmap and 3D DRAM Challenges

2025-02-18

At its Investor Day, SanDisk revealed its roadmap for 1PB solid-state drives based on its UltraQLC technology, alongside insights into the challenges of 3D DRAM. UltraQLC combines BICS 8 QLC 3D NAND, a 64-channel controller, and custom firmware for high density, performance, and efficiency. While 1PB SSDs are on the horizon, 3D DRAM faces significant hurdles. SanDisk is exploring alternatives like High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) to address the massive memory demands of AI training.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Solid State Drive

NAND Flash Prices Plummet Amidst Oversupply

2025-02-18

NAND flash prices are expected to fall due to oversupply, forcing memory chipmakers to cut production. Lower-than-expected demand from PC and smartphone manufacturers is contributing to the glut. TrendForce revised growth forecasts down to 10-15% for 2025. While prices are expected to remain weak in the first half of 2025, AI server demand for SSDs is projected to boost shipments in the second half. The market is adjusting, with experts predicting a price recovery in the latter half of the year driven by AI and the transition to advanced technologies.

(www.theregister.com)

Hardware Memory Chips Oversupply

iPhone SE 3 transplanted into a Nokia Lumia 1020

2025-02-17

A Reddit user has achieved the incredible feat of transplanting an iPhone SE 3's internals into a Nokia Lumia 1020's chassis. Remarkably, the project retains core components like the 12MP camera, Taptic Engine, and Touch ID sensor. Even 5G connectivity and the Lumia's iconic camera shutter button are functional. While the headphone jack is absent, the project cleverly upgrades to a Lightning port, relocating the Touch ID to the rear. It's a testament to ingenuity and a fascinating blend of nostalgia and modern technology.

(9to5mac.com)

Hardware

Game-Changing TCA Printing: Robust, Conformal Circuits on Any Surface

2025-02-16

A groundbreaking printing technique called TCA creates incredibly robust and high-resolution circuits on virtually any 3D surface, from curved glass to even chili peppers and eggshells! By embedding conductive materials within an adhesive, TCA creates a deeply interlocked interface, dramatically improving durability against scratching, high temperatures, and bending—even withstanding liquid nitrogen. This technology promises to revolutionize flexible electronics, sensors, and energy storage, opening doors for wearables, smart devices, and extreme environments.

(www.nature.com)

Hardware TCA printing flexible circuits

Portable Pi-Powered Tactical SDR System Jams Drones

2025-02-16

Maker Media-Grizzly created a portable Raspberry Pi-based software-defined radio (SDR) system called D.E.S.E.R.T. This handy device functions as a mobile SDR and, with the flip of a switch, can disable nearby drones. Powered by a Raspberry Pi 4B (though compatible with other models), it features a keyboard, power LED, USB port, LCD display, and a prominent 'DE-AUTH' switch for drone jamming (legality varies by location). The system's source code is not yet public but is planned for release on GitHub.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Drone Jammer

Open-Source High-Performance 3D-Printed 6-Axis Robotic Arm: PAROL6

2025-02-15

PAROL6 is a high-performance 3D-printed desktop 6-axis robotic arm designed to mimic industrial robots in mechanical design, control software, and usability. Its control software, GUI, and robot STL files are open-source, allowing users to build their own PAROL6 using instructions found on Github. This project aims to provide a practical tool for educational institutions, robotics enthusiasts, and small-scale automation applications for learning, exploration, and robotics implementation.

(source-robotics.github.io)

Hardware robotic arm

Western Digital Bets Big on HAMR for 100TB HDDs by 2030

2025-02-14

Western Digital announced its roadmap to adopt Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology for its HDDs, starting late 2026, aiming for 80TB-100TB drives by 2030. This marks a shift away from their previously championed MAMR technology. Initial HAMR drives, with 36TB (CMR) and 44TB (UltraSMR) capacities, will launch in 2026, with mass production slated for the first half of 2027. Two hyperscalers are already testing these drives. This breakthrough promises to more than double hard drive storage capacity within the next few years.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Hard Drive Technology Western Digital

Nvidia Delays RTX 5070, Setting the Stage for AMD's Radeon RX 9070 Showdown

2025-02-14

Nvidia's RTX 5070, boasting RTX 4090-level performance at $549, has been delayed from February to March 5th. This sets the stage for AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT launch on February 28th. AMD's strategy appears to focus on price competitiveness against Nvidia's RTX 4070 Ti and 4070 Super, rather than directly challenging the top-tier cards. However, Nvidia's substantial profits give it considerable leeway to respond. Rumors persist of a more powerful AMD card with 32GB of RAM, though this remains unconfirmed. The GPU battle heats up!

(www.theverge.com)

Hardware

Jooki's Ghost in the Machine: Exploiting Vulnerabilities in a Dead Audio Player

2025-02-14

Following the bankruptcy of its manufacturer, many Jooki kid-friendly audio players became unusable. This post details the reverse engineering of the Jooki firmware, revealing multiple vulnerabilities, including a backdoor and remote code execution. The author analyzes the firmware, filesystem, Mender OTA update mechanism, and HTTP server interface, demonstrating how to gain control of the device. Methods for exploiting these vulnerabilities to achieve remote code execution by modifying configuration files, using flags, and leveraging the OTA update mechanism are shown. A call to the creator to open-source their work is included.

(nv1t.github.io)

Hardware

Apple's Mysterious New Product Launch Next Week: iPhone SE 4 Frontrunner

2025-02-13

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced on X that a new product will debut on February 19th. While details remain scarce, a teaser video hints at a 'newest member of the family.' Strong speculation points to the iPhone SE 4, potentially featuring an OLED edge-to-edge display, A18 chip, USB-C port, 8GB RAM, a 48MP camera, Face ID, and 5G. However, other possibilities include the M4 MacBook Air and M3 iPad Air. Analysts lean towards the iPhone SE 4 being the likely candidate.

(9to5mac.com)

Hardware Apple product launch

Yearly CPU Performance Report: Data Reveals Trends in PC Processor Performance

2025-02-12

A yearly CPU performance report based on data from PerformanceTest software shows a steady increase in PC processor performance since 2021, with the inclusion of ARM architecture processors diversifying data sources. The report includes two charts: overall yearly performance and top CPU performance for each year. Data is drawn from global user-submitted benchmark results. Note that data before 2021 is primarily from Windows systems and x86 processors, potentially introducing bias. The report is updated bi-weekly, with early-year data less accurate than year-end data.

(www.cpubenchmark.net)

Hardware CPU performance processor architecture

Game Bub: An Open-Source FPGA Retro Handheld

2025-02-12

After a year and a half of development, the author proudly presents Game Bub, an open-source FPGA-based retro gaming handheld supporting Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games. This detailed write-up chronicles the journey, from initial concept to final assembly, including hardware selection (a Xilinx XC7A100T FPGA at its core), PCB design, firmware development in Rust and Slint, and 3D-printed enclosure creation. Game Bub plays both physical cartridges and ROMs from a microSD card, and even boasts features like HDMI output, rumble, and a real-time clock. The project showcases a remarkable feat of engineering and a dedication to open-source principles.

(eli.lipsitz.net)

Hardware

DeaDBeeF: A Highly Customizable Cross-Platform Audio Player

2025-02-12

DeaDBeeF (0xDEADBEEF) is a modular, cross-platform audio player compatible with GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, OpenSolaris, and other Unix-like systems. It plays numerous audio formats, handles format conversion, boasts a highly customizable UI, and supports numerous plugins for extended functionality. The screenshot showcases a heavily customized DeaDBeeF instance running on Linux with several plugins.

(deadbeef.sourceforge.io)

Hardware audio player customizable

Global PC Performance Drops for the First Time: PassMark Data Reveals Unexpected Trend

2025-02-11

PassMark's latest data reveals a surprising downturn: for the first time ever, the average global PC processor performance has dropped, breaking a long-standing trend of yearly increases. Laptop performance fell by 3.4%, while desktop performance saw a 0.5% decrease. Despite recent releases from AMD and Intel, actual performance gains have been minimal, falling short of expectations. PassMark speculates that factors such as users switching to more affordable machines, Windows 11 performance issues, and bloatware could be contributing to this unexpected decline. However, the exact cause remains undetermined, and future data may show changes.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware PC Performance

Rethinking In-Car Climate Control: A Rotary Dial Prototype

2025-02-11

Frustrated by carmakers' over-reliance on touchscreens and overly complex interfaces, the author spent two years rethinking in-car climate control. He designed an automated system controlled by a rotary dial, adjusting fan speed and seat heating, with touchscreen overrides. Prototyping involved the Seedlabs Smart Knob kit, experimenting with haptic feedback's impact on usability. The conclusion: a dial controlling temperature and fan speed is optimal, with separate physical controls for seat heating. The author urges carmakers to return to physical controls for improved UX and safety.

(www.theturnsignalblog.com)

Hardware automotive systems hardware prototyping

RTX 5090 Meltdown Investigation: Uneven Current Distribution Points to Design Flaw

2025-02-11

YouTuber Der8auer investigated a recent RTX 5090 graphics card meltdown. While many blamed the use of a third-party 16-pin power cable, Der8auer's tests revealed uneven current distribution in the 12VHPWR connector, even with official cables. One wire carried over 22A, exceeding safety limits and reaching temperatures over 150°C, causing the meltdown. This isn't isolated; it suggests a potential design flaw in Nvidia's 12VHPWR connector requiring further investigation and improvement.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware GPU meltdown

Intel's Battlemage: A Deep Dive into the Arc B580 and its Challenges

2025-02-11

Intel's new Battlemage GPU architecture arrives with the Arc B580, a mid-range card aiming to disrupt the market with 12GB of VRAM at $250. This article delves into Battlemage's improvements over Alchemist, including wider Xe vector engines, enhanced cache mechanisms, and optimized memory access. Despite lower specs on paper, the B580 surprisingly outperforms its predecessor, the A770, in real-world tests. However, driver issues and reliance on Resizable BAR remain hurdles for Intel to overcome.

(chipsandcheese.com)

Hardware

E Ink Unveils Giant 75-Inch Color ePaper Outdoor Display

2025-02-11

E Ink, in partnership with Samsung, LG, and others, showcased a massive 75-inch Kaleido Outdoor 3 color e-paper display at ISE 2025. This low-power display, operating in temperatures from -15°C to 65°C, boasts 4,096 colors and International Dark-Sky Association certification for reduced light pollution. Ideal for outdoor digital signage like bus stop ads, it's touted as a solar-powered, eco-friendly alternative to energy-hungry LCD and LED screens.

(newatlas.com)

Hardware e-paper outdoor display energy efficient

Backblaze's 2024 Hard Drive Failure Rate Report: 24TB Drives Shine

2025-02-11

Backblaze released its Q4 2024 hard drive failure rate report, covering over 300,000 drives. The overall failure rate dropped to 1.35%, with 24TB Seagate drives boasting zero failures in Q4. 4TB drives are nearing extinction, being replaced by 20TB, 22TB, and 24TB models. The report analyzes failure rate trends across manufacturers and drive capacities, offering insights for users. The author also announced their retirement, with a new team taking over future reports.

(www.backblaze.com)

Hardware hard drive failure rate

Building a Budget-Friendly Personal AI Workstation: A Hardware Odyssey

2025-02-11

Tired of expensive cloud AI services and potential censorship, the author embarked on a journey to build a cost-effective personal AI computer. The article details the process of assembling a system using a secondhand HP Z440 workstation, two used Nvidia Tesla P40 GPUs (48GB VRAM total), and other necessary components, all for around €1700. The build presented numerous challenges, including GPU cooling and power supply compatibility, which the author meticulously documents and solves. Benchmark tests demonstrate the system's ability to run medium-sized LLMs smoothly, providing complete control over AI models.

(ewintr.nl)

Hardware personal cloud

Nvidia RTX 5090 Power Connectors Meltdown: Deja Vu?

2025-02-11

Nvidia's RTX 5090 Founders Edition is facing another power connector meltdown crisis, eerily similar to the RTX 4090 issues from two years ago. Two users reported melted power connectors and PSU damage, with images showing burnt plastic on both the PSU and GPU ends of the cables, even using cables from reputable manufacturers like MODDIY and FSP. While Nvidia previously blamed improper cable insertion, this recurrence highlights concerns about the 12VHPWR connector design. PCI-SIG has updated the connector to 12V-2x6 for improved reliability, but RTX 5090s still support older 12VHPWR cables. AMD, which uses traditional 8-pin PCIe connectors, previously hinted at 12VHPWR being a fire hazard. The 12VHPWR connector continues to face criticism for its design oversights.

(www.theverge.com)

Hardware

Floppotron 3.0: A 512-Floppy-Drive Orchestra Upgrade

2025-02-11

The Floppotron 3.0 is here! This massive hardware orchestra, featuring 512 floppy disk drives, 4 scanners, and 16 hard disk drives, has undergone a major upgrade. This enhanced version boasts increased scale and capabilities, incorporating custom electronic circuits and a completely rewritten firmware. The article details its operational principles, construction, and sound generation, explaining the intricacies of the floppy disk drive wall, scanners, and hard drives, and how MIDI controls them to produce music. It also addresses the significant power consumption and the power supply solution, along with plans for future instrument additions.

(silent.org.pl)

Hardware Creation

12VHPWR Power Connector Issues: Design Flaw or Coincidence?

2025-02-10

The 12VHPWR and 12V-2x6 power connectors, designed to simplify power delivery to high-end GPUs, are primarily used by Nvidia. Recent reports of melted 12VHPWR connectors involve third-party cables, not Nvidia's own adapters. Whether this points to a design flaw, cable quality issues, or is simply coincidental remains unclear. Nvidia has yet to comment.

(arstechnica.com)

Hardware GPU power hardware failure

USB Spec Meeting Anecdote: The Premium of Translucent Blue

2025-02-10

At a USB specification meeting, a company showcased their USB floppy drives, surprisingly offering separate versions for PCs and Macs. Committee members were puzzled, as the specification ensured the same drive worked on both systems. The representative explained that the drives were electronically identical; the only difference was the Mac version came in translucent blue plastic and cost more. This reflected the then-popular translucent plastic trend of iMacs and highlighted how some manufacturers leveraged design differences for price premiums.

(devblogs.microsoft.com)

Hardware floppy drive

Used Seagate Drives Masquerading as New: A Global Hard Drive Scam

2025-02-09

Online retailers are unknowingly selling used Seagate hard drives as new. Fraudsters have reset the SMART values of drives, often with an average runtime of 25,000 hours, and reintroduced them into the supply chain. While SMART values can be manipulated, the FARM values (Field Accessible Reliability Metrics) remain, revealing the drives' true age. The issue is global, affecting official dealers and impacting customers worldwide. Suspicion points to decommissioned Chia cryptocurrency farms as the source of these drives. Many drives are sold as OEM, lacking manufacturer warranties, making consumer recourse difficult. Buyers are urged to verify warranty status immediately upon receiving drives.

(www.heise.de)

Hardware hard drive scam Chia farms

Framework Expands Ecosystem with RISC-V Mainboard and Customizable Chassis

2025-02-08

DeepComputing's DC-ROMA RISC-V mainboard for the Framework Laptop 13 is now available. This developer-focused board, powered by a StarFive JH7110 processor, aims to accelerate the RISC-V software ecosystem. Framework also released a Framework Laptop 13 shell, simplifying the use and reuse of mainboards. Additionally, Framework now offers 8TB WD_BLACK SN850X SSDs, open-sourced the mechanical design of the Framework Laptop 16 graphics module shell, and reduced prices on select products.

(frame.work)

Hardware Modular Laptop

FPGA Recreation of Rare Retro Chip MCS6530 Released!

2025-02-08

Paul Sajna has successfully recreated the rare vintage MCS6530 chip using an FPGA after over a year of work. This chip, produced by MOS Technology, was featured in the 1975 KIM-1 computer and various 70s and 80s arcade boards. The project, named yo6530, is open-source and available on GitHub. It utilizes the reDIP RIOT board designed by Dag Lem (creator of the reSID engine) and features a Lattice ICE40UP5k FPGA, compiling with open-source toolchains. Currently, yo6530 supports the 6530-002 and 6530-003 variants, successfully booting a replica KIM-1 designed by Eduardo Casino. Further development will continue, with contributions welcomed on GitHub.

(blog.paulsajna.com)

Hardware

The Evolving Saga of 80387 FPU State Saving: A Tale of Documented Errors

2025-02-07

While investigating the behavior of x87 Floating Point Units (FPUs) and their state saving mechanisms (FSTENV/FLDENV and FSAVE/FRSTOR instructions), the author discovered discrepancies between early Intel documentation and later revisions concerning the 32-bit protected mode FPU state. Early 80387 documentation omitted the floating-point opcode from the 32-bit protected mode FPU state, while updated documentation included it. This led to several third-party reference books perpetuating the outdated information for years. The story highlights the evolution of technical documentation and how errors can persist in technical literature for extended periods.

(www.os2museum.com)

Hardware documentation errors

Pebble Lives On: Open Source Code Reignites Hope

2025-02-07

Google's release of the PebbleOS source code has breathed new life into the Pebble community. The Rebble team is hard at work developing new Pebble watch hardware and software, targeting the nRF52840 chipset. They're open-sourcing all updates and collaborating with factories and suppliers to create a new watch that closely resembles the classic Pebble experience, but with modifiable and improvable open-source software. Developers are welcome to join and contribute to improving PebbleOS, the Cobble app, and the Pebble SDK.

(ericmigi.com)

Hardware

TKey: The Open-Source USB Security Key Redefining Flexibility

2025-02-07

TKey is a new type of flexible USB security token featuring open-source hardware and software. Employing a Unique Device Secret (UDS), combined with application measurement and an optional user-provided seed, it derives unique key material for each application. This ensures that even if the application is compromised, correct authentication keys won't be generated. Supporting SSH login, Ed25519 signing, Root of Trust, FIDO2, TOTP, Passkey, and more, TKey offers versatile functionality with ongoing support for additional applications and protocols. Its robust design, using injection-molded or 3D-printed casing and a RISC-V PicoRV32 core, guarantees both security and adaptability.

(tillitis.se)

Hardware security key

Category: Hardware