Linux-centric Devices and Open Hardware Stories

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 09, 2026

• Devices/Embedded

  • Dark Reading ☛ Iran Disrupts US Critical Infrastructure Via Exposed PLCs

    Iran-affiliated threat actors are disrupting US critical infrastructure through attacks on Internet-exposed operational technology (OT) devices across numerous sectors, the US government is warning.

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ RealSense ID Pro F500 Combines Depth Sensing and On-Device Biometrics

    RealSense has introduced the RealSense ID Pro F500, a facial authentication module designed for access control, kiosks, and identity verification systems. The solution combines depth sensing, vision processing, and local computation to support secure biometric authentication without relying on cloud-based processing.

  • Yonathan Gashu ☛ ygashu · From UART to Root: Vendor Shell Escape on a Uniview IP Camera

    But the thing that immediately stood out to me was the unpopulated 4-pin header in the corner labeled J4. Unpopulated headers on embedded hardware are usually there for good reason, whether that’s debugging, manufacturing, or both.

    The next step was probing each pin with a multimeter to map the pinout.

• Open Hardware/Modding

  • CNX Software ☛ WeAct STM32U585CIU6 Core Mini – An $8 STM32U5 board supported by MicroPython v1.28

    While checking out MicroPython v1.28 changelog, I noticed a board from WeAct Studio based on ST’s STM32U5 Cortex-M33 microcontroller: the WeAct STM32U585CIU6 Mini Core board (WEACTSTUDIO_MINI_STM32U585 in MicroPython code).

  • Arduino ☛ The Arduino Marketing Team receives Best Digital Strategy award for “From Blink to Think”

    At Arduino, our mission has always been clear: make complex technology accessible to everyone. But accessibility also means reaching people, inspiring them, and helping them understand what’s possible.

  • CNX Software ☛ Flash Bee – An ESP32-C3-based DIY handheld lightning detector

    Flash Bee is an easy-to-make DIY handheld lightning detector based on off-the-shelf parts such as the XIAO ESP32C3 board and the Round Display for XIAO, as well as a 3D-printed enclosure. The design relies on the AMS AS3935 Franklin lightning sensor that’s been around for years, and found in kits like Sparkfun’s Arduino IoT weather station, which is capable of detecting lightning up to 40 km away with 1km accuracy. While it’s not quite new technology, I found the Flash Bee design to be rather cute and convenient, and it looks really easy to reproduce.

  • Hackaday ☛ Bending Faux-Neon LEDs Make For Animations Glass Tubes Can’t Match

    Back in the day, you’d have needed dozens of tubes for a flickery animation, but [David] figured that since these LED strips are flexible, why not flex them? He’s using addressable LEDs — WS2812s, specifically — so activating and deactivating the pupil of the eye is easy-peasy. Opening and closing the lid is accomplished with a geared motor driven by a TB6612 driver turning a barrel cam. The ends of the stiff LED strip being brought together and pulled apart result in the blinking effect here, but as [David] points out you’re hardly limited that specific motion. There’s a whole world of Tron-like glowing animatronics that can be created with this technique. Code and STLs are available on GitHub, though, if you want to replicate the eye exactly.

  • Hackaday ☛ Espressif’s New ESP32-S31: Dual-Core RISC-V With WiFi 6 And GBit Ethernet

    In a move that’s no doubt going to upset and confuse many, Espressif has released its newest microcontroller — the ESP32-S31. The confusing part here is that the ESP32-S series was always the one based on Tensilica Xtensa LX7 cores, while the ESP32-C series was the one using RISC-V cores.

  • Ruben Schade ☛ Assembling a new study desk from shelves

    But then a thought dawned on me: is a phrase with seven words. AAAAAAH! I was walking past a line of IKEA desks, and noticed they were at least 30 cm narrower than the kitchen tables we were using as desks. We scurried back to the shelving department, and noted a BILLY bookshelf case was… about 30 cm deep.

  • Electropages ☛ Secure Linux edge platform for automotive and industrial applications

    Kvaser has announced Kvaser Edge, an open, secure Linux‑based edge computing platform that transforms how automotive and industrial teams collect, process, and act on data. Designed for harsh environments and real‑time performance, it runs analytics directly where data is generated: on the vehicle, test bench, or machine.