A Jetcar, a Tank Watch, and an Ultra-Small Mouse

Plus, a low-cost way to measure those really low resistances! [3602421454791242043.png] Wednesday, January 31, 2024 [Modular Macro Keyboard Uses Custom Magnetic Connector >>]( Hack Away The Seasonal Blahs Depending on where you are in the world, you likely have either the winter or the summer doldrums right about now. So what better time than to start a new project? Maybe you need a little light in your life. Well, look no further than [the Companion Light]( which uses a joule thief IC common to solar garden lanterns. Want more than a weekend project? [Build yourself a Jetcar and take it for a spin.]( Although things are quiet this week, be sure to mark your calendars for next week's [Biomedical Engineering Hack Chat](. When it's time to design hardware that heals, what does an engineer bring to the table? Recent biomedical engineering grad Nyeli Kratz will be discussing this and more challenges, so be sure to tune in. As always, if you need a little inspiration for your own builds, look no further than this edition's awesome projects! Highlights from the IO POPULAR BITS [project thumbnail]( [Jetcar Does More Than Just Road Following]( Based on the NVIDIA Jetson Nano board and built with minimal additional hardware, this little car recognizes and obeys direction arrows, stop text, and stop lines. With only left and right-turn input, it will navigate a street map, only turning where allowed. [project thumbnail]( [Companion Flashlight Illuminates the Night]( Everybody needs a little light in their life. This one uses solar energy to power a joule thief circuit which lights up a straw hat LED at the push of a button. It's essentially one of those garden lights, but in a handheld version. If you need a useful weekend project, look no further. [project thumbnail]( [A Modern, Modular Home Computer]( [The Lab Guy] doesn't have the heart to butcher an old computer just for the cool case, and we have great respect for that. This throwback to home computers of the 80s is based on the PicoMiteVGA "Boot to BASIC" project and is meant to be a modular, modern version with HDMI output. Hack Chat LIVE CHAT WITH LEADING EXPERTS EVERY WEDNESDAY [Biomedical Engineering Hack Chat]( Nyeli Kratz will host [next week's Hack Chat](. It doesn't seem like there would be much overlap between what a medical doctor does and what engineers do, but at the end of the day, both disciplines are about solving problems. And sometimes, the problems patients face can be best addressed with an engineering solution. From designing something like a hip replacement to the electrical interface between the nervous system of an amputee and their prosthetic, the biomedical engineer can make a tremendous difference in patient outcomes. Nyeli Kratz, a recent biomedical engineering grad, will stop by the Hack Chat to talk about what the engineer brings to the table when it's time to design hardware that heals. Featured Projects POPULAR BITS [This DIY E-ink Tank Watch Features a Custom DSKY Display]( [Ultra-Small, Ultra-Light Gaming Mouse Weighs Less Than 10 Grams]( [Relatively Simple Kitchen Timer Has Awesome Animations]( [This Is the Low-Cost Way to Measure Low Resistances]( Live Events MEETUPS, CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS [VCF SoCal - February 17-18]( The Vintage Computer Festival comes to Southern California! Come see 14,000 square feet of fun including (of course) vintage computers, vendors, and of course, entertaining and educational presentations. [Trenton Computer Festival - March 16]( The longest-running computer festival in the world will return for its 48th year in 2024. We don't have a schedule this far out, but expect a full-day of talks and workshops, with a streaming component for those who can't make the trip to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in person. [VCF East - April 5-7]( While we don't have much information yet, the The Vintage Computer Festival East is an absolute must-see event for anyone with a love of vintage hardware. [Los Angeles Maker Faire - April 6]( The Los Angeles Maker Faire is back at the Los Angeles State Historic Park. Mark your calendars and fire up your soldering irons now. Don't you want to have something to show off? [OSHWA 2024 - May 3-4]( This year's summit will be held in Montreal, Quebec, both remotely and in person. The speakers include leaders from industry, academia, the arts, and the maker community. Talks cover a wide range of subjects from electronics and mechanics to related fields such as digital fabrication, fashion technology, self-quantification devices, and IP law. [HOPE XV - July 12-14]( Spread the word! The fifteenth Hackers On Planet Earth conference will be held once again at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Tickets are still available as of this writing, so please help support one of the most must-see hacker events to ever take place. [twitter]( [facebook]( [instagram]( [Terms of Use]( [Privacy Policy]( [Hackaday.io]( [Hackaday.com]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Hackaday · 61 South Fair Oaks Avenue · Suite 200 · Pasadena, CA 91105 · USA