Technology

PCEI Multiplier Expands Raspberry PI 4 Possibilities

by

It probably goes without saying that hardware hackers were excited when the Raspberry Pi 4 was announced, but it wasn’t just because there was a new entry into everyone’s favorite line of Linux SBCs. The new Pi offered a number of compelling hardware upgrades, including an onboard PCI-Express interface. The only problem was that the PCIe interface was dedicated to the USB 3.0 controller; but that’s nothing a hot-air rework station couldn’t fix.

We’ve previously seen steady-handed hackers remove the USB 3.0 controller on the Pi 4 to connect various PCIe devices with somewhat mixed results, but [Colin Riley] has raised the bar by successfully getting a PCIe multiplier board working with the diminutive Linux computer. While there are still some software kinks to work out, the results are very promising and he already has  a few devices working.

Read more…

Laser cutting 3D printer – Endurance Laser 10 watt honest review – Update in pinned post

by

Having access to 4 watt and 5 watt diode laser cutters, I was excited to see how powerful a 10 watt system would be. The Endurance Laser website made some big claims and I built my MPCNC Lowrider2 with this laser in mind. Unfortunately, my experience has not been positive and I can only conclude from the 20+ hours I’ve put into testing that this product does not match what is advertised.

This laser was provided at a discounted price of US$300 by George from Endurance lasers to make a video guide/review. It cost me another ~AU$50 to send the first defective unit back to Russia. All opinions expressed are my own.

We tested popular cellphones for radiofrequency radiation. Now the FCC is investigating.

by

The Apple iPhone 7 was set to operate at full power and secured below a tub of clear liquid, specially formulated to simulate human tissue.

With the push of a button, a robotic arm swung into action, sending a pencil-thin probe dipping into the tub. For 18 minutes, it repeatedly measured the amount of radiofrequency radiation the liquid was absorbing from the cellphone.

Read more…

‘80s-Style Music Player Combines VFD Displays with Raspberry Pi Streaming

by

Redditor GuzziGuy misses “1980s-style HiFi systems with flashing lights, knobs, etc.” Instead of just ignoring this impulse, however, he “decided to make one that looked/worked exactly as [he] wanted.”

The device uses a Raspberry Pi 3 running Mopidy to stream both locally stored music and Internet radio. A Behringer UCA202 USB audio interface along with a TPA3116 amp are implemented to actually pump out the tunes. The UCA202 includes an audio passthrough, which can play from other audio sources, e.g. GuzziGuy’s computer.

Read more…

Circuit boards with lights in epoxy in a table

by

I put circuit boards in epoxy in a table, and that’s what is in this video. It has 15 LED lights, that go without electricity (yes, magic.. ;-). Learn at the end if the table was a success or a fail. A thanks goes to all the friends who donated their electronic equipment for this video. There is about 10 liters of epoxy resin in the table, which set me back around 300 euros. I bought the table second hand for 100 euros. The used LEDs and fiber optic cable were together about 20 euros.

Inspector Uses Augmented Reality to Help You Inspect Your PCBs

by

It is now very affordable to have your own PCBs fabricated and delivered to your door, and free open source software like KiCAD makes it easier than ever to design them. But you’re still going to have to validate and test your PCBs once they arrive. That can be a surprisingly laborious task if your PCB is complex. Fortunately, new software called Inspectar promises to make your board inspections quick and easy with the help of augmented reality.

Read more…