Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Elegant Parametric Speaker Cabinets: A 3D-Printed Odyssey

2025-01-28

This detailed post chronicles a multi-year journey designing and building fully parametric speaker cabinets using OpenSCAD. Inspired by the curves of Mission SX2 and Sony speakers, the author crafted an elegant design adaptable to various drivers and enclosure volumes. The build process, meticulously documented, covers 3D printing challenges (PLA curling, bed adhesion), assembly using clever screw-based clamping, and meticulous finishing to hide layer lines. The final product boasts exceptional sound quality and a professional finish, exceeding expectations for a DIY project.

(calbryant.uk)

Hardware speaker build

Intel Quietly Slashes Xeon 6 CPU Prices by Up to $5,340

2025-01-28

Intel unexpectedly slashed prices on its latest Xeon 6 'Granite Rapids' processors, just four months after their release. The flagship model now costs $12,460, a $5,340 drop. This makes Intel's Xeon 6 CPUs cheaper than AMD's EPYC processors, both in absolute terms and per-core. While unannounced officially, the price cuts are reflected in Intel's online database. Reductions vary by model, reaching up to 30% for some, with certain models undercutting AMD's per-core pricing. This move may be a response to declining market share or an attempt to boost sales. However, these prices are based on Intel's Recommended Customer Price (RCP) for 1,000 units; large-scale buyers will likely have negotiated different prices.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware Xeon Price Cuts

Pebble Is Back!

2025-01-27

The beloved Pebble smartwatch is making a comeback! Founder Eric Migicovsky and his team are developing a new Pebble-like watch running open-source PebbleOS. This revival is thanks to Google open-sourcing the OS and the continued support of the Rebble community. The new watch will retain Pebble's signature simplicity, long battery life, and add some exciting new features. Sign up to get one!

(repebble.com)

Hardware

Puget Systems' Mineral Oil-Cooled PC: A Decade+ of Experimentation

2025-01-27

Since 2007, Puget Systems has experimented with mineral oil cooling for PCs, iterating through multiple versions. Starting with a simple aquarium and inexpensive hardware, they refined their design with custom acrylic motherboard trays, efficient radiators, and dual-pump systems, achieving remarkable cooling performance and stability. While patent issues led to the discontinuation of sales, their persistent experimentation and contribution to the DIY community remain noteworthy.

(www.pugetsystems.com)

Hardware mineral oil cooling liquid cooling

SiFive P550 Microarchitecture Deep Dive: RISC-V's Ambitious Step

2025-01-27

This article delves into SiFive's P550 microarchitecture, a RISC-V processor core targeting high-performance applications. The P550 employs a three-wide out-of-order execution architecture with a 13-stage pipeline, aiming for 30% higher performance in less than half the area of a comparable Arm Cortex A75. The analysis compares P550 to the Cortex A75, examining branch prediction, instruction fetch and decode, out-of-order execution, and the memory subsystem. While the P550 shows weaknesses in areas like unaligned memory access, it represents a significant step forward for RISC-V. Though needing further refinement, the P550 demonstrates SiFive's progress towards high-performance general-purpose CPUs.

(chipsandcheese.com)

Hardware Microarchitecture

Halliday AR Glasses: A Unique Design with Significant Drawbacks

2025-01-27

Halliday's AR glasses, showcased at CES, boast a novel optical design that deviates from conventional waveguide-based approaches. Employing a monocular projector to directly project images onto the eye via a mirror optical system, they offer advantages in brightness and efficiency, and compatibility with standard prescription lenses. However, users must look upward to view the image, leading to discomfort and social awkwardness. Stray light also results in a halo effect, diminishing contrast. Despite successful marketing, the design may hinder resolution and image quality improvements, and the lack of a camera limits its AI potential. While innovative, its drawbacks significantly outweigh the benefits.

(kguttag.com)

Hardware AR Glasses Optical Design

L3 Systems WristPC Keyboard: A Rugged Wearable Keyboard

2025-01-27

L3 Systems has developed the WristPC Keyboard for portable and wearable computer applications. This rugged QWERTY keyboard features a standard PC keyboard interface and comes in black anodized aluminum or blue ABS plastic housings. Completely sealed, it's designed for use in rain and harsh environments. Its curved back ensures comfortable and secure wrist placement, with an optimized alphanumeric layout and conveniently positioned arrow keys. Optional wrist straps and keyboard illumination are available. Custom keyboards for Aaton Cantar users are also offered (requires separate Gotham Sound Dsub15-USB adapter).

(www.l3sys.com)

Hardware keyboard ruggedized

Automating Giant 3D Prints with a Python Jigsaw Generator

2025-01-26

This article details the creation of an automated system using Python and OpenSCAD to split large 3D printing models into smaller, printable parts. The system generates parts with dovetail joints for easy assembly. The author meticulously outlines the geometric derivation of the dovetail profile, overcomes OpenSCAD performance limitations and non-manifold mesh issues, ultimately succeeding in printing a large speaker model. This showcases a compelling example of 3D printing, parametric design, and automated workflows, highlighting the ingenuity in overcoming technical hurdles for efficient 3D printing production.

(calbryant.uk)

Hardware parametric design

Building Artificial Synapses with LEDs: A Hardware Approach

2025-01-26

The Global Science Network demonstrates how to build artificial synapses on a breadboard using LEDs as optocouplers. The article details the components of an artificial synapse: an inverter, an optocoupler made with two LEDs, an output buffer, a diode, and a variable resistor. Inhibitory synapses require an additional discharge transistor. Each synapse adds or removes charge from the postsynaptic neuron. For functional equivalence to biological cells, a proportional number of states must be transferred compared to the biological network. The accompanying video provides a more detailed explanation.

(www.gsnetwork.com)

Hardware artificial synapse

Sony Discontinues Production of Several Storage Media

2025-01-25

Sony announced that it will cease production of Blu-ray discs, MD recording discs, MD data discs, and Mini DV cassettes in February 2025. This marks the official end of these once-popular storage media, with Sony stating there will be no successor products.

(www.sony.jp)

Hardware storage media discontinued

Steam Deck Gets 'Bricked': A Minimalist Handheld Mod

2025-01-25

A developer has created a radical modification of the Steam Deck, removing the screen and controllers to create a minimalist handheld dubbed the 'Steam Brick'. This involved a complete teardown and rebuild, leaving only the motherboard, power button, and a USB port. The motivation? Portability. The resulting device is about a third the size of the original and significantly lighter, easily fitting into a backpack. While functionality is reduced – accessing the BIOS is currently impossible – for users who primarily connect their Steam Deck to AR glasses or a TV, this could be a worthwhile trade-off.

(crastinator-pro.github.io)

Hardware Minimalist Handheld

The Undocumented 68030 Instruction That Saved the Mac Classic II

2025-01-25

While debugging a Macintosh Classic II in MAME, the author discovered a bus error causing a 'Sad Mac' in 32-bit addressing mode. Reverse engineering revealed an out-of-bounds jump in the ROM, leading the CPU to execute an undocumented 68030 instruction. Surprisingly, this instruction corrected the value of register A1, preventing a crash and allowing the Classic II to boot successfully. The author validated this by repairing a vintage Classic II and modifying its ROM. This case highlights the power of emulators in uncovering hardware quirks and showcases how a software bug was inadvertently fixed by hardware.

(www.downtowndougbrown.com)

Hardware

VexRiscv: An FPGA-Friendly 32-bit RISC-V CPU Implementation

2025-01-25

VexRiscv is an FPGA-friendly 32-bit RISC-V CPU implementation written in SpinalHDL. It features a configurable pipeline depth, various instruction set extensions (including M, A, F, D, C), and a highly extensible plugin system allowing for easy addition of custom instructions and features. The project offers a wide range of configurations, from simple RV32I to complex Linux-capable SoCs, and includes comprehensive documentation, tests, and examples for rapid deployment and debugging on FPGAs.

(github.com)

Hardware

Bambu's Controversial 3D Printer Update: A Necessary Security Measure or a Path to Enshittification?

2025-01-25

Bambu Lab, maker of popular 3D printers, implemented a new proprietary authentication system, sparking controversy. While presented as a security measure against remote hacks, users fear it could lead to restrictions on third-party tools and filaments, and potentially, subscription services. Bambu claims the update is optional and maintains local access, but inconsistencies in their statements and security vulnerabilities have eroded user trust. The company's response to concerns, including promises to keep a developer mode and not require subscriptions for current models, attempts to quell fears but skepticism remains.

(www.theverge.com)

Hardware 3D printer

Nvidia Phasing Out Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPUs

2025-01-25

Nvidia is phasing out its Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPU architectures, moving them to a legacy driver branch. While CUDA support will remain, these GPUs will no longer receive new feature updates. The announcement marks the end of an era for GTX-series cards, with only the GTX 16-series and newer architectures receiving full support going forward. While game driver support for Maxwell and Pascal currently persists, the timeline for its termination remains unclear. This means no further performance improvements for users of these older cards.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Hardware driver support

Steve Reich's Clapping Music, Reimagined with Flip-Disc Displays

2025-01-24

An artist ingeniously recreates Steve Reich's iconic 'Clapping Music' using two flip-disc displays. By controlling the flipping of individual segments, they produce a rhythmic sound reminiscent of clapping. The project showcases a blend of hardware and software, demonstrating a unique artistic approach to sound and visuals. The code is open-source, inviting others to experiment and build upon the work.

(hannahilea.com)

Hardware Creative

Roto VR: Revolutionizing VR Comfort with a Rotating Chair

2025-01-24

The Roto VR Explorer chair automatically rotates to match your head movements in VR, significantly enhancing comfort and immersion. By tracking a sensor on your headset, the chair synchronizes its rotation, mitigating motion sickness and improving comfort during extended VR sessions. A Pro version and add-ons are available for productivity, such as working with virtual monitors. While some lag and control issues exist, Roto VR's core concept is innovative, particularly excelling in relaxed VR experiences, showing immense potential for future development.

(skarredghost.com)

Hardware Haptic Feedback

Impact of Extremely Low Temperatures on 5nm SRAM Array Size and Performance

2025-01-24

New research explores the effects of extremely low temperatures (down to 10K) on the size and performance of 5nm FinFET SRAM arrays. Researchers found that at cryogenic temperatures, the maximum array size is limited by wordline parasitics, not leakage current, and performance is governed by both bitline and wordline parasitics. This has significant implications for future low-power, high-performance computing, offering valuable insights for optimizing SRAM arrays in extremely cold environments.

(semiengineering.com)

Hardware cryogenic temperatures

Intel's Modular PC Design: A Sustainable Approach to Reduce E-waste

2025-01-24

Addressing the growing e-waste problem, Intel introduces a modular PC design. This innovative approach allows for easy upgrades and repairs by modularizing key components, extending device lifespan and reducing electronic waste. Three levels of modularity—factory, field, and user—cater to different repair needs and skill levels. Intel aims to lower carbon footprint, support the right-to-repair, streamline manufacturing, and ultimately create a more sustainable PC lifecycle.

(community.intel.com)

Hardware modular design

Zen 5's Op Cache Disabled: A Deep Dive into its Clustered Decoders

2025-01-24

This article delves into the instruction fetch and decode mechanism of AMD's Zen 5 processor. Zen 5 uses a unique dual-decoder cluster architecture, with each cluster serving one of the core's two SMT threads. Normally, Zen 5 relies on a 6KB op cache to deliver instructions, with the decoders only activating on cache misses. The author disables the op cache, forcing the decoders to handle all instructions, to evaluate their performance. Tests reveal significant performance drops in single-threaded mode with the op cache disabled; however, in multi-threaded mode, the dual-decoder clusters effectively compensate for the performance loss, even showing performance gains in some multi-threaded workloads. The author concludes that Zen 5's dual-decoder cluster design isn't the primary instruction source but acts as a secondary mechanism, boosting performance in high-IPC and multi-threaded scenarios, complementing the op cache for a balanced performance and power consumption.

(chipsandcheese.com)

Hardware CPU Architecture

Geometric Series Solution for Capacitor Charge Under Square Wave Excitation

2025-01-24

This article analyzes the charge and discharge process of a capacitor under the influence of a symmetric square wave voltage. By establishing recursive equations for charging and discharging, the geometric series solution for the process is obtained. Special cases are discussed where the time constant is much smaller or larger than the period of the square wave. For example, when the time constant is much smaller than the period, the capacitor fully charges and discharges; when the period is much smaller than the time constant, the circuit acts as a low-pass filter.

(ivanbelenky.com)

Hardware capacitor square wave geometric series

DM50: A Cheap, Open-Source, High-Precision Calculator

2025-01-24

DM50 is a cheap, powerful, easy-to-build, open-source hardware calculator boasting high precision. The project is hosted on GitHub and offers downloads for PCBs, firmware, bezels, and a 3D-printed case. Recent updates include finalizing the casing design, battery life testing, key model selection, and processor advancements. DM50 aims to provide a user-friendly, high-performance calculator experience.

(50calc.com)

Hardware

Intel's Modular PC Design: A New Approach to E-Waste?

2025-01-23

Intel has proposed a modular PC design aimed at reducing e-waste by simplifying repairs and upgrades. Current PC designs are typically monolithic, leading to disposal when a component fails or becomes obsolete. Intel's approach allows for easy component replacement, extending device lifespan. Three designs targeting different market segments are proposed: Premium Modular PC, Entry/Mainstream Modular PC, and Desktop Modular PC. While modular PCs aren't new, Intel's proposal directly addresses the growing e-waste problem and aligns with the right-to-repair movement. However, widespread adoption depends on cost-effectiveness and market acceptance.

(www.theregister.com)

Hardware Modular PC E-waste Right to Repair

Dhruv Vidyut: Bolt-On E-Conversion Kit for Bikes

2025-01-23

Dhruv Vidyut offers a revolutionary electric conversion kit (DVECK) for bicycles and tricycles. Easily retrofitted, DVECK transforms any bike into an e-bike, providing a comfortable, efficient, and eco-friendly ride on any terrain. The company offers various options and welcomes business inquiries, including bulk purchases, dealership opportunities, and overseas imports.

(dhruvvidyut.co.in)

Hardware e-bike conversion kit electric bicycle

Liberux NEXX: The Privacy-Focused Linux Phone You've Been Waiting For

2025-01-23

The Liberux NEXX is a phone running LiberuxOS, a mostly open-source and ethical operating system based on Debian 13 Linux. Boasting an 8-core processor, 32GB RAM, and 2TB storage, it prioritizes user privacy and security. Integrated PC desktop functionality allows connection to external displays, keyboards, and mice. Liberux NEXX aims to combat data exploitation by large corporations, giving users complete control over their device and digital lives.

(liberux.net)

Hardware Linux phone

Building an Open-Source Laptop from Scratch: The anyon_e Project

2025-01-22

Bryan embarked on an ambitious journey to build a highly integrated open-source laptop, anyon_e, from the ground up. The resulting machine boasts a 4K AMOLED display, a Cherry MX mechanical keyboard, and impressive performance running games like Minecraft and 7B parameter LLMs, all while maintaining ~7 hours of battery life. The project involved designing a custom motherboard around an RK3588 SoC, a dedicated power controller (ESP32-S3), and creating a mechanical keyboard and trackpad. This interdisciplinary endeavor, spanning hardware design, software development, and mechanical engineering, showcases the power of open-source collaboration and the drive to push boundaries.

(www.byran.ee)

Hardware

Retro DIY Home Computer: 4x the Power of a C64!

2025-01-22

A developer built a retro home computer using just 61 74HCxx logic ICs, 2 6C1008 SRAM chips, and 4 39SF0x0 FLASH chips – boasting 4x the processing power of a Commodore C64! The Minimal 64x4 features 64KB RAM, a 512KB FLASH SSD, VGA output, and a PS/2 port. It has 256 instructions and a complete toolchain including an OS, text editor, assembler, and a Python-like interpreter. The open-source project includes classic games like Tetris and Space Invaders.

(github.com)

Hardware

DIY Studio-Grade Ribbon Mic: From ModMic Rage-Quit to Amazing Sound

2025-01-22

In a fit of pique, the author snipped their ModMic cable and decided to build a replacement: a studio-grade ribbon microphone. The post details the entire process, from material selection (using artist's silver leaf, unexpectedly), mechanical design (an ingenious corrugation method), to the circuit design (employing a Lundahl transformer). The resulting DIY microphone not only works perfectly, but sounds amazing, receiving praise for its realistic and immersive sound quality.

(khz.ac)

Hardware Microphone Audio Engineering

Reverse-Engineering a Pentium's Clever BiCMOS Circuits

2025-01-21

This post details the reverse engineering of interesting BiCMOS circuits within Intel's Pentium processor, focusing on the output circuitry of the constant ROM in the floating-point unit. The author meticulously explains the layered structure, the use of MOS transistors, and the unique aspects of the BiCMOS driver. A deep dive into the multiplexers, latches, and driver design reveals the intricate design of the Pentium and highlights the role of BiCMOS technology in enhancing performance. The article ultimately illustrates the remarkable growth in processor complexity as described by Moore's Law.

(www.righto.com)

Hardware BiCMOS circuits

Bambu Lab Addresses Security Update Controversy: Third-Party Integration and Optional LAN Mode

2025-01-20

Bambu Lab responded to the controversy surrounding its security update for X-series printers. The company denied online accusations of remotely disabling printers, restricting functionality, and including backdoors. To balance security and flexibility, they introduced an optional LAN mode with a standard mode (default, prioritizing security) and a developer mode (for advanced users to assume responsibility for their network security). Bambu Lab emphasizes that its Connect platform is designed to ensure continued third-party integration, and it's actively working with developers like Orca Slicer to maintain user experience and security.

(blog.bambulab.com)

Hardware security update third-party integration

Category: Hardware