Taking a break from ogling microscopic features in Intel’s semiconductor processors, [Ken Shirriff] is back to instead poking at decidedly macroscopic pluggable modules from the 1948 IBM 604 Electronic Calculator. …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/08/03/energizing-a-vacuum-tube-flip-flop-module-of-the-ibm-604/)

Sketching Temporary Circuits with a Light-Triggered Floquet Topological Insulator
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/03/sketching-temporary-circuits-with-a-light-triggered-floquet-topological-insulator/

In semiconductor technology, a base material like silicon is permanently modified to induce certain electrical behavior. In comparison a topological insulator material could be used to create temporary circuits using …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/08/03/sketching-temporary-circuits-with-a-light-triggered-floquet-topological-insulator/)

A Versatile PDP-11/70 Emulator
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/03/a-versatile-pdp-11-70-emulator/

The PDP-11 was a 16-bit minicomputer that was very influential in its time. That’s what inspired [vanheusden] to start working on an emulator for the machine in 2018, which has …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/08/03/a-versatile-pdp-11-70-emulator/)

Yellow YAG Produces Powerful Pulses in Les’ Leftover Laser
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/yellow-yag-produces-powerful-pulses-in-les-leftover-laser/

[Les] likes lasing lasers, and who doesn’t? [Les] likes larger lasers than lots of folks, with his current project being an Nd:YAG (that’s Neodymium:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) flash pumped laser intended …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/yellow-yag-produces-powerful-pulses-in-les-leftover-laser/)

Testing Hundreds of Used LFP Cells Requires Some Automation
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/testing-hundreds-of-used-lfp-cells-requires-some-automation/

Although Li-ion cells have become a lot cheaper over the years, if you wish to buy hundreds of high-quality ones for that performance go-kart project, you may feel financially pressured …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/testing-hundreds-of-used-lfp-cells-requires-some-automation/)

Road Trains Roam The Backroads of Australia
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/road-trains-roam-the-backroads-of-australia/

Trains and the railways they run on are a great way to move lots of stuff, or lots of people, a long way. Steel wheels on steel rail can shift …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/road-trains-roam-the-backroads-of-australia/)

Un Ordinateur Pour Le Minitel-1 (A Computer For The Minitel-1)
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/un-ordinateur-pour-le-minitel-1-a-computer-for-the-minitel-1/

In the 1980s, France was the stage for one of the boldest public computing projects of the era. Minitel was the French take on viewdata, and instead of making it …read more (https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/un-ordinateur-pour-le-minitel-1-a-computer-for-the-minitel-1/)

BornHack Radio 102.8 FM, Playing Radio At A Hacker Camp
https://hackaday.com/2026/08/04/bornhack-radio-102-8fm-playing-radio-at-a-hacker-camp/