Join Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi as they talk about the best stories and hacks of the week. This episode starts off with a discussion of the Vintage Computer Festival East and Philadelphia Maker Faire — two incredible events that just so happened to be scheduled for the same weekend. From there the discussion moves on to the latest developments in DIY soft robotics, the challenge of running Linux on 8-pin ICs, hardware mods to improve WiFi reception on cheap ESP32 development boards, and what’s keeping old smartphones from being reused as general purpose computers.
You’ll also hear about Command and Conquer: Red Alert running on the Pi Pico 2, highly suspect USB-C splitters, and producing professional looking PCBs at home with a fiber laser. Stick around to the end to hear about the current state of non-Google web browsers, and a unique new machine that can engrave circuit boards with remarkable accuracy.
Check out the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
As always, the Hackaday Podcast is available as a DRM-free MP3 download.
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Episode 316 Show Notes:
News:
Celebrating 30 Years Of Windows 95 At VCFIn 2025, The Philly Maker Faire Finds Its Groove
What’s that Sound?
Congratulations to [laserkiwi] for winning a Hackaday Podcast t-shirt!
Interesting Hacks of the Week:
Salamander Robot Is Squishy The Future of Robots is Soft (and Squishy!) – YouTubeThese Electronics-free Robots Can Walk Right Off the 3D-PrinterFlowIO Platform8 Pins For Linux Building The Worst Linux PC EverSimple Antenna Makes For Better ESP32-C3 WiFi ESP32 Range Extender / Antenna ModificationLayerLapse Simplifies 3D Printer Time-lapse ShotsTurning Old Cellphones Into SBCs IOIO – WikipediaBen Eater Vs. Microsoft BASIC A Very Trippy Look At Microsoft’s Beginnings
Quick Hacks:
Elliot’s Picks: A Tiny Tape SynthIf You’re 3D Scanning, You’ll Want A Way To Work With Point CloudsWhy USB-C Splitters Can Cause Magic Smoke ReleaseTom’s Picks: Tracking The ISS Made EasyCommand And Conquer Ported To The Pi Pico 2Fiber Laser Gives DIY PCBs A Professional Finish
Can’t-Miss Articles:
Which Browser Should I Use In 2025? qutebrowserSupercon 2024: Quick High-Feature Boards With The Circuit Graver
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