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How Computers Boot Up (2008)
The previous post described [motherboards and the memory map] memory-map in Intel computers to set the scene for the initial phases of boot. Booting is an involved, hacky, multi-stage affair - fun st
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Hardware & Electronics
The most popular blog posts about hardware & electronics on Hacker News. 298 posts.
182
Disassembling the Sony FE 135mm F/1.8 GM
When we optically tested the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM we were mighty impressed. Then I threw up in my mouth a little when I read a couple of reviewers comment on the build quality. Because holding a…
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Ransomware-ing a DSLR Camera
Research by: Eyal Itkin TL;DR Cameras. We take them to every important life event, we bring them on our vacations, and we store them in a protective case to keep them safe during transit. Cameras are more than just a tool or toy; we entrust them with our very memories, and so they are very important […]
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The Nokia N9 Alarm Clock (2014)
I want to talk about the Nokia N9 (2011) alarm clock application because it’s a really nice example of thoughtful, functional design – and because it’s only on the N9, so a lot of people won’t have seen it.
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A Camera Lens Made from an Iceberg
I made a camera lens with an Iceberg
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Let's Talk About Capacitor Failure
I spend a good deal of time these days on various telnet BBS that are (naturally) focused on vintage computing. As such, much of the discussion being had in the message bases is in the form of help / advice … Continue reading →
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Understanding the BeagleBone’s built in microcontrollers (2016)
The BeagleBone Black is an inexpensive, credit-card sized computer that has two built-in microcontrollers called PRUs. While the PRUs provi...
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QCSuper: A tool for capturing 2G/3G/4G air traffic on Qualcomm-based phones
QCSuper, an open-source tool, helps capture mobile network frames from Qualcomm-based Android devices, enabling analysis in Wireshark and more.
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Raspberry Pi on Raspberry Pi
Question: Is the Raspberry Pi 4 any good? Answer: It’s good enough to run its own launch website with tens of millions of visitors.
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Theoretical way to levitate objects with light
Specially designed materials enable objects of different sizes to be levitated and manipulated with light, thanks to new research from Caltech scientists.
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SIMD Instructions Considered Harmful (2017)
In the process of writing a short introduction to RISC-V, we compared RISC-V vector code to SIMD. We were struck by the insidiousness of the SIMD instruction extensions of ARM, MIPS, and x86. We de…
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How to liberate a Chromebook
Google is about as open as a clam. Over the holidays, I found a Chromebook that Samsung had given me to evaluate about six years ago and which had been gathering dust ever since. Coincidentally, Laura’s sister Annie had just told me that she needed a laptop. Hmm… Well, there was no way I was going to give her a Google…
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ECG app and irregular rhythm notification on Apple Watch
The ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4, a direct-to-consumer product, enables customers to take an electrocardiogram right from their wrist.
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Open Source Hardware Hearing Aid Part 1
My mother got hearing aids a few years ago. About a month later, she lost one. Insurance said if she wanted a replacement, she could pay them many thousands of dollars or she could wait a year.
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DDR4 SDRAM – Initialization, Training and Calibration
A detailed tutorial on DDR4 SDRAM Initialization, Training and Calibration. Exploring topics such as Read/Write Training, ZQ Calibration, Vref Training, Read Centering, Write Centering, Write Leveling and Periodic Calibration.
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Casting Glass from 3D Printed Molds
31 Jul 2019 | self-Amos , glass art , kiln casting , fabrication , kilncasting , lost-resin , lost-wax
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In Memoriam of Charles “Chuck” Peddle
It is with sadness WDC/I announce that on December 15, 2019, Chuck Peddle passed away. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the personal computer industry. We have lost a pioneer with Chuck’s passing.
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QEMU 4.0 adds micro:bit emulation support
micro:bit emulation support is available from QEMU 4.0 onwards and can be used for low-level software testing and development. Unlike existing micro:bit simulators, QEMU performs full-system emulation and actually runs the same ARM code as the real hardware. This blog post explains what full-system emulation means and…
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Tethered Jailbreaks Are Back
Earlier today, a new iPhone Boot ROM exploit, checkm8 (or Apollo or Moonshine), was published on GitHub by axi0mX, affecting the iPhone 4S through the iPhone X. The vulnerability was patched in devices with A12 and A13 CPUs. As of this writing, the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max […]
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Solar Powered Raspberry Pi Camera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M53eJI90ETE Update: this project was featured in issue 92 of the official Raspberry Pi magazine (download as PDF, buy the issue or subscribe). SSH-ing into a remote solar powered Raspberry Pi at the top of an apple tree has a special feeling -- almost like commanding a spaceship where…
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System76 Thelio: A Review
The bottom line : Thelio, System76’s new “open hardware” desktop, is a small, beautiful, and powerful desktop computer that hits every high point anyone could have expected, faltering only in the inherent limitations of its small size.
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The Search for the Extra Pedal (2017)
McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 will race with Mercedes-Benz power in the 2026 F1 season, taking to the track for 24 race weekends with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
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Recreating the Death Star Trench Run Scene with Lego
South Korean LEGO Certified Professional Wani Kim, with the help of Olive Seon, has created an incredible replica of the Death Star Trench Run scene from
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Chip design drastically reduces energy needed to compute with light
MIT researchers have developed a “photonic” artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator that computes using light instead of electricity — and consumes relatively little power in the process — to run massive neural networks millions of times more efficiently than today’s classical computers.