Engineering & Technology

Who doesn’t want a Star Wars cabinet game? We could spend all day playing, and our housemates could just stand behind us saying “Stay on target! Stay on target!” But as time goes on, working versions of these cabinets are harder and harder to find. So make James Milroy just made one, with a little help from a Raspberry Pi. Here’s more from the Raspberry Pi Blog:

“My project was to build a replica, or as close as I could reasonably manage, of the Atari Star Wars arcade cabinet,” James Milroy tells [MagPi]. “I really wanted to build a cockpit as that’s what I played on in the eighties, but sadly I didn’t have the room to house it, so the compromise was to build a stand-up cabinet instead…. Initially, I had toyed with sourcing an original cabinet and restoring it, but soon gave up on that idea after finding it nigh on impossible to source a cabinet here in the UK,” James explains. “Almost all cabinets for sale were located in the USA, so they were out of the question due to the high cost of shipping. Atari only made just over 12,500 cabinets worldwide, so their rarity meant that they commanded top dollar, effectively putting them out of my price range. It was at this point that I decided that if it was going to happen, then I would have to make it myself.”

See project!

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 1, Episode 25 (May 1988), “Conspiracy”, was one of my favorites. It featured a mind-controlling alien parasite referred to as the “Nubbin bug”, or at least by The Greatest Generation Star Trek podcast.

Back in 1998, there was not a lot of computer CGI, so it was a stop-motion prop. Years later, the co-hosts of The Greatest Generation, a fun Star Trek podcast, stumbled upon the original silicone molds used to create the Nubbin bug while a listener found in a warehouse clearance sale in Van Nuys, California.

The podcasters acquired the mold. Shortly after, a listener from Atlanta who works at a prop studio offered to help preserve the prop since the original rubber material would decay over time. This led to the creation of archival-quality plaster casts to preserve the iconic alien for generations to come.

And they did some more, using 3D scanners – the Nubbin bug was recreated as a 3D model, allowing for exact replicas to be printed. Over 100 of these replicas were made, each one hand-painted and assembled to match the original as closely as possible. Their handmade / 3D-printed versions look almost identical to the bugs that appeared in the episode.

They also designed a Playschool-style retail packaging box to package the bugs. Fans of the podcast can purchase the limited-edition replicas. I don’t know if they will post the 3D files, but I’ll email and ask.

This is a really cool project from one of the weirdest/best episodes, and I am thrilled that someone was able to preserve this piece of Sci-Fi history in such a cool way – the entire story is on this TikTok video.

No word where this cutie is though.

In order to fly the ER-2 aircraft for NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem Postlaunch Airborne eXperiment (PACE-PAX), the pilot must put on an interesting specialized suit.

NASA’s ER-2 aircraft flies high in the sky — approximately 70,000 feet in altitude, where the pilot can see the curvature of Earth. At that high an altitude, pilots must be equipped with a uniform closer to that of an astronaut rather than a flight suit. In fact, while flying the ER-2, the pilot sports a pressurized suit that is essentially a spacesuit.

Read more.

If you are old enough you’ll remember going to channel 3 to get gaming, and watching VHS, and a cable box in some instances. And you probably had to hand turn the knob!

Fun bit of history and explainer from VWestlife:

If you had a VCR, video game console, or computer connected to your TV via RF, in North America it was usually on channel 3, and sometimes on channel 4. But why those two channels? With a little knowledge of television broadcasting history and electronics, it’s actually not that hard to figure out.

Update an old CRT monitor with How to Convert a JVC Videosphere into a Monitor for Raspberry Pi and Desktop Computers on the Learn.Adafruit

ADAFRUIT WEEKLY EDITORIAL ROUND-UP

We’ve got so much happening here at Adafruit that it’s not always easy to keep up! Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Each week we’ll be posting a handy round-up of what we’ve been up to, ranging from learn guides to blog articles, videos, and more.

This year’s Halloween finds all of us at Adafruit in a state of Beetlemania and, frankly, we’re all feeling a bit like the ghost with the most.

Even so, it can sometimes be more trick than treat when trying to pick the right flourish to tie together your costume design or finish your fright-tastic front-lawn setup. This guide, which highlights some of our spooky season favorites, is here to help. Check out the guide!

BLOG:

• BeetleJuice Bob
• The Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter
• A 160 phrase Augmentative Alternative Communication device for a nonverbal client, powered by CircuitPython
• National Hispanic Heritage Month 2024

LEARN

Qualia S3 iOS Photo Display with itsaSNAP

The Adafruit itsaSNAP app lets you use Apple Shortcuts to send data from your iOS device to your Adafruit IO feeds. Did you know that this includes photos? In this project, you’ll setup an Apple Shortcut to use Base64 encoding to send a photo to your Adafruit IO feed. A Qualia S3 running CircuitPython code will retrieve the photo from the feed using MQTT, decode it and show it on a beautiful 720×720 round display. Check out the full guide!

More LEARN

• ScoutMakes DRV5032 Hall Sensor
• Adafruit Feather RP2350 with HSTX
• LEGO-Compatible Servo Mounts

Browse all that’s new in the Adafruit Learning System here!

New nEw NEWs From Adafruit is an email newsletter sent out once a week to subscribers only. It features new products, special offers, exciting original content, and more. Sign-up NOW for the Adafruit weekly Newsletter here: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter

Here’s an oral history of one of the greatest cyberpunk themed, hacking involved PC games of all time: System Shock! Here’s more from Rock Paper Shotgun:

[Austin Grossman, designer]: Everybody had seen the Ridley Scott films, and I was a huge fan of William Gibson. After all of the pretension and forced whimsy of the Ultima franchise, we just wanted things to be dirty and messy and futuristic for a while, which is what drove the aesthetic.

Marc LeBlanc, programmer: Origin wanted another Underworld, in space, and that is what we were pitching. How do you make a dungeon in space? Well, it’s going to be a space station. We imagined you were a hacker. We had physical augmentation and cyberspace. In the original pitch there was going to be terminal hacking, where you would sit down and start typing. That got cut, because it was too real at the time. That was like most people’s experience of a computer before Windows was really a thing – sitting down and typing in a text prompt.

See more!

Alter Egos is a 6-part documentary taking you backstage with your favorite cosplayers. KamuiCosplay shared this video on Youtube!

Watch the full 6 Episodes here: https://alteregosdoc.com/?via=Kamui
Or use code KAMUI on checkout for a 50% discount!

Thanks so much to the production team of the Alter Egos Cosplay Documentary for asking me to be a part of this awesome project! I really hope you all enjoy the show, no matter if you are a cosplayer or not! Also, please check out the last 5 episodes! They are just as awesome! 🙂

– Svetlana

Check out our Cosplay Hacks guide in the Adafruit learn system that covers 100 hacks for cosplayers, ranging from “Level 1 basics” to “Wait, what?”

This lamp designed by DavidF6 on Instructables cycles through billions of base pairs of DNA represented by red, purple, green and blue LEDs with help from an ItsyBitsy:

This LED lamp lights up the room with the full genetic code of humanity. It slowly reads off the DNA code from an SD card and displays the genetic base pairs as colors that move up through the helix. The four bases—A, T, G, and C— are represented as red, purple, green, and blue respectively. It has a power button as well as speed and brightness dials on the base. For the helix structure, I tried to make the proportions as close as I could to actual DNA. It’s a fun lamp to get lost in thought staring at. Because there are roughly three billion base pairs, it takes a long, long, long time to go through the whole thing.

Read more

Meta Description: Discover Leo and Libra compatibility, where passion meets charm. Learn how these signs balance each other, creating a dynamic and harmonious relationship.

3 of Pentacles tarot card symbolizes teamwork, collaboration, and mastery. Learn how this card represents building success through cooperation and shared goals.

8 of Pentacles tarot card symbolizes hard work, skill development, and dedication. Discover how this card represents mastery, craftsmanship, and self-improvement.

The Ten of Pentacles stands as a pinnacle in the Tarot's Suit of Pentacles, symbolizing the culmination of a long and arduous journey through the material realm. This powerful card beckons us to pause, reflect, and savor the abundance and stability we have cultivated, while also recognizing the deeper spiritual dimensions that lie beyond the physical. As we delve into the rich tapestry of meanings woven within the Ten of Pentacles, we uncover a tapestry of insights that can guide us towards a life of lasting prosperity, harmonious relationships, and a profound sense of purpose.

After a relatively dry September, the rain has returned and the sun is setting earlier. How handy would it be to have an umbrella handy that also helps light your way home on your evening commute?

Leslie Birch has a great guide in our Learn system that shows you how to build your own LED Umbrella with NeoPixels

You can make it with either Circuit Playground or with FLORA.

You’ll be a rainbow in any storm with the FLORAbrella. With its NeoPixel LED strips and color sensor, you’ll be able to match your clothing, or display rainbow and rain patterns. Get ready to have an entourage at the next parade!

For this project, you’ll need to create the circuit, mount it in the dome of the umbrella, and then finish it off by creating clear vinyl hammocks for the battery and electronics.

See the full guide here.

We’ve got the New nEw NEW for you right here:

NEW PRODUCTS THIS WEEK

iFixit FixHub – Power Series Smart Soldering Iron

The FixHub Smart Soldering Iron is the portable soldering solution for your precision soldering work. With USB-C power, this 100W iron heats up in under 5 seconds, giving you full-size soldering performance in a compact, easy-to-handle design. It’s ready when you are.

Read more

LANA TNY – CH32V203 mini microcontroller board by PHVX BV

TNY is PHVX BV’s take on our Adafruit QT Py and Seeed studio XIAO bite-sized development boards but with added SMD pins for optional extra IO capabilities and a built-in WS2811 compatible LED output. The LANA TNY is a small development board based around the WCH CH32V203 RISC-V microcontroller.

Read more

Adafruit Sunken USB Type C Breakout Board – Downstream Connection

When you want a svelte USB C build, a ‘sunken’ type connector that straddles the PCBA will let you keep your build super slim. This breakout gives you all the contacts for a USB Type C connector, but lower than the classic ‘horizontal’ USB-C breakout and a vertical version.

Read more

Adafruit Double-Sided Emitter NeoPixel LED Strip – 120 LEDs/m – 1m long

“Prepare for trouble.. and make it double!”
Fancy new dual-sided NeoPixel strips are a great alternative for folks who have loved and used Adafruit LED strips for a few years but want gorgeous, glowy light from both sides! These are very similar to our Dual Edge Side-Light NeoPixel LED Strip but are much slimmer, with a side-light NeoPixel emitting both left and right at the same time.

Read more

Adafruit NeoPixel Silicone Bead LED Strip – 180 LEDs per Meter – 1 meter

Plug in and glow with this incredible, ultra-high-density NeoPixel strip with an astonishing 180 LEDs/meter. That’s no typo; this meter-long strip has 180 miniature NeoPixels crammed together and coated with a milky silicone bead to give it a smooth and continuous color gradient compared to classic LED pixel strips.

Read more

Adafruit I2S MEMS Microphone Breakout – ICS-43434

Listen to this good news – we now have a breakout board for a super tiny ICS43434 I2S MEMS microphone. Just like ‘classic’ electret microphones, MEMS mics can detect sound and convert it to voltage, but they’re way smaller and thinner. This microphone doesn’t even have analog out, it’s purely digital. The I2S is a small, low-cost MEMS mic with a range of about 50Hz – 15KHz, good for all general audio recording/detection. The chip has a built in low-pass filter that cuts frequencies above 24KHz.

Read more

Visit www.adafruit.com/new for more info.

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New nEw NEWs From Adafruit is an email newsletter sent out once a week to subscribers only. It features new products, special offers, exciting original content, and more. Sign-up NOW for the Adafruit weekly Newsletter here: https://www.adafruit.com/newsletter

Gizmodo shares how archaeologists identified 1,309 potential glyphs, 303 figurative geoglyphs, and 42 newly identified geometric glyphs with the help of AI.

The Nazca Lines refer to a collection of these geoglyphs in the Nazca Pampa; between roughly 200 BCE and 500 CE, local groups removed the darker rocks on the arid landscapes surface, revealing the white sandy soil below. They did this on smaller scales but also on glyphs so large that they can only be properly seen from the air.

The lines are ancient but were rediscovered en masse in the 20th century; nevertheless, some went under the radar. In 2020, a feline geoglyph—as in, it depicts a cat—was found on a hillside in the region. Last year, two members of the recent team identified four new geoglyphs using an object detection algorithm, but they didn’t pursue a more comprehensive survey. Now, the larger team has done just that and been rewarded for their AI-assisted efforts.

Read more.

In this Project Farm episode, Todd tests a bunch of end-cutting pliers to determine which ones are best. He tests Knipex, Milwaukee, Blue-Point, GearWrench, Channellock, Gedore, NWS, Tekton, Barnwell, Wazakura, Bates, Speedwox, Kseibi, Hautmec, WorkPro, American Mutt Tools, Performance Tools, and Irwin brand.

Todd compares the pliers for performance on the closeness of the flush cut, handle-force to cut through nails, screws, and drill bitd. Only one brand successfully cut through a hex key. Can you guess which brand reigned supreme? Yes, the Knipex (at $63 at time of testing) slayed the competition. But, the Wiha (at only $25) also performed surprisingly well.

Stanford University undergraduates have developed an inexpensive kit to bring the gene-editing technology to a classroom near you.

Matthew Lau, who is a co-first author on the paper, began working in the Qi lab while he was still a high schooler, after he attended a summer camp at Stanford. In 2018, Qi took him to a biotech conference in New York, where Lau saw a poster regarding an educational kit, which was expensive. That was the spark for making a DIY kit – something that could engage the community and bring science into the hands of students. The team focused on CRISPR because it was already a major part of Qi’s lab research.

Read more.

James Hoffman takes an analytic approach to coffee. He studies grain consistency, tamp pressure, total dissolved solids, and much more all in persuit of the perfect cup. In this recent video he is looking for the most average espresso. He asked 39,425 people how they make espresso. If you like to nerd out on coffee science check out the stats!

We ran a survey to check out the state of global espresso in 2024 and nearly 40,000 people responded. Here’s some of the data! Do you have any hypotheses about what we found, or any other questions you think we should be asking of the data?

Thank you to all 39,425 of you who responded, and to Dr. Samo Smrke, Federick Ho (from University of Glasgow), and the Discord user who helped us process the huge quantity of data we received.

Craft the perfect, or average, cup with the Adafruit Learning System – Make sure your grind is right with John Park’s Coffee Detonator, and get precise ratio with Jan Goolsbey Clue Coffee Scale!

On Filament Friday, Chuck got tired of seeing all of these cool (but expensive) storage solutions for parts organizing boxes on channels like Adam Savage’s Tested. After finding some plastic parts organizers at the dollar store, he decided to design and 3D print brackets for them to create a wall-hanging storage solution for all of his electronics components.

You can find the storage boxes here and he’s made the STL files available if you want to print your own brackets.

Sometimes color grading is fun. Sometimes it’s a drag. It’ll def be a better experience if you’re doing it with something you’ve built! Check out John Park’s build for this neocontroller color grading input box