2026-06-19 16:00:53
Linux developers have been trimming the fluff in recent years, removing support for older processors that hardly anyone uses with a modern kernel anymore. With that said, it’s possible to run the latest kernel on some truly old metal. As a case in point, [Colin Maykish] just got it going on a Motorola 68008!
The rig in question is a Mackerel-68k—a homebrew single-board computer built around Motorola’s famous 68000 CPU line. This version in particular is running a 68008 rated at 8 MHz, though it’s overclocked to 14 MHz for a little more pep, and has just 3.5 MB of RAM. Despite these limitations, the board can run the mainline v7.1-rc6 kernel, booting into userspace and providing a very minimalistic BusyBox shell. Booting is slow, and doing much more than that is impossible without running out of RAM, but it’s an impressive feat nonetheless. [Colin] has also had the 68010 and 68030 chips running the kernel, too.
We’ve previously discussed efforts to bring Linux into the future while leaving old chips behind. Video after the break.
2026-06-19 13:00:34
The Nintendo GameCube is known for playing the best version of Smash Bros. and its vaguely rectangular aesthetic. It’s not particularly known for running a workstation OS from the mid-1990s. However, with a little work, your diminutive purple console could also boot up Windows NT if you really wanted it to.
If you’re interested in seeing what this looks like, there’s a great video from [Jiga Tech] on YouTube that outlines the install process. Just note that the GameCube never really came with a proper keyboard. If you want textual input, you’ll have to fuss with a range of controller-entry methods, or get one of the rare GameCube controllers that had an entire keyboard in the middle. We’re not even kidding, they did exist.
If you’re still obsessed with this generation of consoles, consider trying to order pizza from your Sega Dreamcast. Video after the break.
2026-06-19 10:00:36
Generally the idea with photopolymers as used with resin 3D printing is that the process only works in a single direction as with all thermosets: after polymerization under influence of UV light they become an inert lump of plastic. Being able to turn these lumps back into resin would of course be ideal, as it would make recycling incredibly easy. Here depolymerizable resin turns out to be a thing, with 3Dresyn being one company that sells additives and resin which enable this (found via Fabbaloo).
These additives and resins come in essentially two flavors based on which temperature they depolymerize at, which can be at either 80°C or 150°C. This comes at a cost, of course, with the ready-to-use resin coming in at an eyewatering €833.00 for a 1 kg bottle, a factor only slightly helped by the reusability aspect.
From a more technical perspective this depolymerization feature is fascinating, as it addresses the one aspect of thermosets (like SLA and epoxy resins) that thermoplastics have as advantage, especially from a recycling view. This type of circular photopolymer appears to be quite novel, with an article by [Machado] et al. from 2024 claiming to have demonstrated the first resin that can be photopolymerized, depolymerized and subsequently again photopolymerized in a closed loop.
In the demonstration by [Machado] et al. the depolymerization is achieved using dynamic disulfide bonds, with the pulverized printed samples put into a 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran (MeTHF) solvent. After heating at 80°C for 3 hours with an inert atmosphere, most of the photopolymerized material had returned to its original, pre-printing state. In a more recent 2025 study by [Bo Yang] et al. an approach using catalytic thermal dissociation of dithioacetal bonds was explored.
Based on the available information by 3Dresyns it would seem that their product is closer to this latter approach, with depolymerization requiring putting the part into an oven at the target temperature for up to an hour, presumably in some kind of suitable container. This is said to target elements like sacrificial molds, reusable tooling and jigs that would otherwise be discarded, or need to melt like a thermoplastic instead of acting like a thermoset. Whether a solvent like MeTHF is required as in the two cited studies is sadly unclear based on a quick scan of the site.
Thanks to [SpillsDirt] for the tip.
2026-06-19 07:00:44
There are a million and one cheap OLED display modules out there. The only problem is, they’re all assembled on bare PCBs with slight differences, and that frustrates efforts to mount them in a clean and tidy manner. [Galopago] decided to build a small OLED module that solved this frustrating problem.
The idea to pursue this came from off-the-shelf panel displays commonly used for power supply builds and other such equipment. These come in relatively standard sizes and are designed from the outset to slot neatly into a panel with a bezel that covers any ugly edges or awkward gaps.
The build began with a 48 x 29 mm enclosure grabbed from an off-the-shelf power panel meter. There are two PCBs—one holding the regulator and other equipment to run the display, the other carrying a set of screw terminals that make it easy to wire up the display to a piece of equipment. The SSD1306-compatible OLED screen itself connects to the first board with a flat flex cable, as is the norm.
If you find yourself often wanting to pop a small display into a piece of custom test equipment, this might be relevant to your interests. Files are on GitHub for the curious.
We’ve featured some other fun OLED hacks over the years, like this interesting effort to whip up displays from scratch in a home lab. If you’ve got nifty usability hacks of your own in the works, don’t hesitate to let us know.
2026-06-19 04:00:30
Do you have a ZKETECH EBC-A20 battery tester? Perhaps you don’t like the default software used to control the device. In that case, you might like the alternative whipped up by [Kazhuu.]
A reverse-engineering effort targeted at the EBC-A20 served as the basis for the work. The battery tester is ultimately controlled by a simple serial interface, running at 9600 bps, 8 bits, with odd parity. Armed with a relatively complete understanding of the commands used to control the device, [Kazhuu] was able to whip up a simple web app to control the device instead, using WebUSB to access the device over a USB-to-serial converter, though a desktop version for Linux and Windows is also available. If you’ve got one of these battery testers sitting on your bench, using the app is as simple as pointing your browser here with the device plugged in via USB. Then you can run basic load tests on battery cells and graph the results right on your computer without having to deal with the proprietary software.
Of course, if you don’t like the EBC-A20 battery tester, you could always build your own. If you’re whipping up your own test hardware on the lab bench, don’t hesitate to notify us on the tipsline.
2026-06-19 02:30:13
Holographic displays sound very fancy but you can build various simple types yourself at home. [Julius Makes] whipped up a neat design that shows a different image depending on the position from which you view it.
Running the show is a Wemos D1 devboard equipped with the ESP8266 microcontroller. It’s hooked up to a pair of OLED displays over I2C. The displays are placed in a 3D printed assembly that aims each one at a beam-splitter cube. This bounces light projected into one face through 90 degrees, and out another face. By leveraging this, it’s possible to aim each display at one face and bounce it out another, such that looking at either side of the beamsplitter cube shows a different image. Since the beamsplitter cube also allows some light to be transmitted directly through as well, the image from each display appears to float in space.
[Julius] notes that this setup is being used in a puzzle box game, while wondering whether there’s any other fun ways to leverage this technique. We’ve seen some other neat holographic displays before, too, like this neat Holochess build.
