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Open Hardware/Retro: Arduino, Pi, and More
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Tedium ☛ Could Commodore’s Brand Get A YouTube-Fueled Revival?
Atari, which just reported its best revenue numbers in more than a decade, is probably in the best shape it’s been in since at least the early ’90s, and it’s largely because it leaned into retro game culture. Could Commodore be next?
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Arduino ☛ This robotic tongue drummer bangs out all the ambient hits
When robotizing a percussion instrument, it is common to use solenoids and that is what Cook did here. Solenoid actuators like these move linearly and can strike with pretty decent force, which makes them a good choice. Cook’s drum has eight tongues, so his robot has eight solenoids held by flexible friction arms mounted onto a C-shaped laser-cut MDF frame. PVC pipes actual as the vertical structural supports on that frame.
An Arduino Opta Lite micro PLC sends power to the solenoids through an Arduino Pro Opta Ext D1608S solid-state relay expansion module, which contains eight SSRs that can each handle 24VDC at 2A.
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Jeff Geerling ☛ Sipeed NanoCluster fits 7-node Pi cluster in 6cm
Because of the limited power budget and narrow space between boards—especially if you fit NVMe SSDs (the riser cards can hold a 2242 NVMe SSD, and/or microSD)—it’s recommended you only run 4 or a maximum of 5 CM5s. CM4s may fit more within that power budget, but I’ve found 4 is probably the best number if you want to get the best performance.
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Nico Cartron ☛ A 3D-printed case for our new Zigbee doorbell!
We now have a doorbell that activates both bells, and also sends a notification on my phone in case I didn't hear the bell :)
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Arduino ☛ Using an Arduino Nicla Vision as a drone flight controller
Rasic designed and made the entire drone from zero, using 8520 brushed DC motors and a 3D-printed frame. That is cool, but it isn’t uncommon. The Nicla Vision-based flight controller is what stands out the most.