Linux, Open Hardware, and Android

posted by Roy Schestowitz on May 01, 2026

• Boards/Open Hardware/Modding

  • CNX Software ☛ NVIDIA phases out several Jetson modules due to high LPDDR4 RAM prices and tight supplies

    Following the well-advertised Raspberry Pi 4/5 price hikes, we’ve just written an article about some SBCs quadrupling in price since 2024 due to RAM price increases, and another victim appears to be NVIDIA Jetson modules relying on LPDDR4 memory.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Homebrew PlayStation DualSense controller adapter for PC can be built for just $20 with a Raspberry Pi Pico — wireless dongle delivers adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to gamers

    A PC gaming enthusiast has shared a video demo of the new DS5Dongle which unlocks the full gamut of Sony DualSense controller features for backdoored Windows users who prefer wireless.

  • CNX Software ☛ M5Stack Cardputer goes off-grid with new Mesh Kit featuring LoRa, GNSS, and Meshtastic support

    M5Stack has just launched the Cardputer Mesh Kit, a portable, card-sized Meshtastic communication terminal built around the ESP32-S3-powered Cardputer-Adv controller and a new LoRa expansion module (CapLoRa-1262). The kit is essentially a modular upgrade to the original Cardputer, where the base unit handles the UI via a 56-key keyboard and a 1.14-inch LCD. The added “Cap” module adds a Semtech SX1262 transceiver and an AT6668 GNSS module, allowing for off-grid text messaging and GPS location tracking without relying on cellular networks.

  • Chip Overclock ☛ Chip Overclock®: My Stratum-0 Atomic Clock

    Once the output of the CSAC is initially disciplined against GPS, the board can maintain better than 0.3 parts per billion stability in the absence of a GPS signal. An O-2 built with the JLT CSAC GPSDO could be within a few microseconds of UTC per day, even without GPS.

    It sure wasn't cheap, but it was doable.

  • BoingBoing ☛ A hobbyist mounted a cesium atomic clock on his Raspberry Pi

    O-2 runs on a cesium-133 oscillator, the active element of any atomic clock, built into a surface-mount chip. That part exists because DARPA funded its development through two research solicitations in 2001 and 2008, seeking a portable atomic frequency standard for military applications such as navigation and munitions. Symmetricom delivered the SA.45s. Jackson Labs Technologies of Las Vegas put it on a board with GPS and a microcontroller. He stacked that on his Raspberry Pi.

  • Erik Johannes Husom ☛ Making wooden skis

    I found a couple of old documentaries online – one was a short Norwegian TV-show segment showing how a craftsman made wooden skis, another was a documentary about Russian trappers living isolated in the Siberian taiga – and I tried to glean as much information as I could from them. The missing parts I had to fill in through trial and error.

    The main stages of the process included felling the tree, debarking it, cutting it down to suitable length, and splitting it into two halves. This was followed by shaping the wood, first using an axe, and then hand planes. The final polish was done using a knife and finally sandpaper.

  • CNX Software ☛ $4,290+ Unitree R1-A5 and R2-A7 humanoid robots features grippers or dexterous hands, fixed or wheeled base

    Unitree has extended its R1 dual‑arm humanoid robot family with new R1-A5 and R1-A7 models, which can be fitted with 2-finger grippers or 3 or 5-finger dexterous hands, and attached to a fixed base or a wheeled base for indoor mobility. The new robots appear based on the low-cost Unitree R1 platform launched last year, which can dance, walk, run, perform kung-fu moves, and chat with users, but is otherwise not overly useful since it lacks dexterous hands.

  • CNX Software ☛ Forlinx UP4 – A 40×40 mm LCC + LGA system-on-module family with Rockchip, NXP, and Allwinner CPU options

    Forlinx Embedded UP4 is a new family of pin-to-pin compatible system-on-modules currently offered with Rockchip RK3568J/RK3562J, NXP i.MX 9352, or Allwinner T527N/T536 processors. The UP4 modules measure just 40×40 mm and expose 487 pins through a hybrid LCC (Leadless Chip Carrier) and LGA (Land Grid Array) design with 1.0mm contact pitch and 1.27mm ball pitch, respectively. This should allow companies to design a single carrier board for multiple CPU variants.

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ ESP-FLY micro drone kit offers ESP32-S3-based flight control and ESP-NOW support

    The ESP-FLY DIY Kit is a compact micro drone platform built around the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3, developed as a collaboration between Seeed Studio and Max Imagination. The kit targets educational and hobbyist use, combining a small airframe with wireless control options and a customizable firmware environment.

• Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • Make Use Of ☛ I started using Linux terminal on Android and now I can do things no app store tool allows

    Android apps are, without a doubt, one of the best things to ever happen to smartphones. Each app has a specific function, and thanks to the sheer size of the Google Play Store, you've got tons of options to choose from. However, an app's biggest strength—its ability to do one job—can also become a limitation if you've got a complicated task at hand.