Hackaday Podcast
Hackaday Editors take a look at all of the interesting uses of technology that pop up on the internet each week. Topics cover a wide range like bending consumer electronics to your will, designing circuit boards, building robots, writing software, 3D printing interesting objects, and using machine tools. Get your fix of geeky goodness from new episodes every Friday morning.
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Ep 382: Glueballs, Borg Cubes, and Supersonic Trebuchets
08/14/2026
Ep 382: Glueballs, Borg Cubes, and Supersonic Trebuchets
It's still hot on both sides of the Atlantic, but Kristina has a new secret weapon for staying cool without making noise. Will Elliot and the others follow suit? Time will tell. In Hackaday news, well, there's a lot of it. For starters, , but chances are good that by the time you read this, the early bird offering will be all pecked out. But, never fear! More tickets will be released soon enough. Don't want to buy a ticket, but still want to go? Submit a talk proposal that gets accepted, and you'll be welcomed in free of charge. Lucky for you, . After exhausting the news, Elliot reached into the ol' Mailbag and found a funny anecdote from [Vik Olliver]. (Funny in that it'll make you go 'hmm'.) A brief discussion about imperial vs. metric ensued, but then it was on to the hacks. Check out if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 381: Airless Tires, Full-color Prints, and 28 MW of LEDs
08/09/2026
Ep 381: Airless Tires, Full-color Prints, and 28 MW of LEDs
This week’s Hackaday podcast is a European affair again, as Elliot Williams is joined by Jenny List on a summer evening to review the week. And we have a feast of hacks for your delectation. As the title above says, one of the stand-out hacks this week was a set of airless mountain bike tyres 3D printed in glorious fluorescent TPU. They look as though they shouldn’t work but in fact they showed real promise, and we discuss the process behind their design. Then we take a look at a hybrid of a UV printer and an SLA 3D printer, capable of making high-resolution and robust 3D prints. The prospect of new Amigas intrigues us for a while, then carbon-fibre fabric in 3D prints. Finally we’re in awe of the tech behind the Las Vegas Sphere, and we’re there for some radio at the Danish BornHack hacker camp. Follow that one up and you’ll find a bonus, an unofficial extra Hackaday podcast. All the usual , but before you head on down to have a listen, don’t forget we’ve got a for the podcast and we’d love to hear from you!
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Ep 380: 3D Printing the Rainbow, IR and IP Camera Hacks, and Americium 241 on the Loose
07/31/2026
Ep 380: 3D Printing the Rainbow, IR and IP Camera Hacks, and Americium 241 on the Loose
Elliot Williams and Al Williams got together to compare notes on the most interesting posts this week on the site. As usual, there are just too many choices, so you'll have to settle for just the few that can fit in a podcast. The guys were excited about 3D printing -- both FDM and SLA -- as well as a few camera projects. Ever wanted your own starship? They do, too, and you'll hear about it along with portable radar and more. Want to make flexible PCBs? Fill up a carbon dioxide tank? Or play Doom via regular expressions? Tune in, and you'll find out about those stories and more. , and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments! Better still, drop us a note in the , and you might hear your question on a future episode. You can record audio or send us a message, and one of the hosts will read it on your behalf.
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Ep 379: Driving E-ink DIY, NES on ESP, and the Other IRC
07/24/2026
Ep 379: Driving E-ink DIY, NES on ESP, and the Other IRC
On this episode, Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi discuss their love of electronic paper, clunky cartridges, and keeping old games alive by any means possible. You'll also hear about getting the most out of the sensors in our 3D printers, playing with X-rays at home, a ring that runs Java, and a roulette wheel that outgrew its 555 timer. Stick around to the end to learn about a different sort of IRC that's even more niche than the one you're probably familiar with, as well as the logistical challenges and potential benefits of catching rockets with a giant net. Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, !
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Ep 378: C Coders, Ceramic Printers, and Shadow Archives
07/17/2026
Ep 378: C Coders, Ceramic Printers, and Shadow Archives
It's a hot one at both microphones, as Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos wilt in the heat with ice lollies and freezer packs. But still, we persevered long enough to make a podcast. In Hackaday news, Supercon is on! It's going down in Pasadena, California, but the talks will be somewhere slightly larger, with a courtyard instead of an alley. In other Hackaday news, we still have our going on until Thursday, July 23rd. Interestingly enough, , whose grandfather invented the Van de Graff generator and was "quite upset" when plans for a DIY version appeared in Scientific American. And finally, Google Earth's desktop client is being discontinued, but you can still travel the globe on your phone, or in your PC's browser. Not only do we have another triple mailbag this week, we have another failed attempt at guessing the Sound by Kristina. However, [Alexander] knew that it was CD-ROM drive a-spinnin'. Speaking of What's That Sound, be sure to let us know your ideas for the new prize. That sounds like a lot of preamble, but we quickly get to a full slate of hacks, a couple of which are pretty retro in retrospect. Check out the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, !
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Ep 377: Parallel Pixels, Wiggly Consoles, and Seven Segments
07/10/2026
Ep 377: Parallel Pixels, Wiggly Consoles, and Seven Segments
This week's podcast sees Elliot joined by Jenny List, as both suffer silently in the European summer heat as the sound of a desk fan would come over on the recording. The stand-out hack of the week comes from [Bitluni], whose GPU made from thousands of cheap microcontrollers is on a scale we've never seen before. It's an amazing project in itself, but the manufacturing and power consumption issues of so many processors running at the same time make for a discussion of their own. Otherwise, we have diecasting on the bench, an impressive achievement by any measure, a Raman spectrometer, and an open source take on something like a Kei truck. In quick hacks there's a dicussion of soldering versus crimping for high current connectors, and neon tubes used as digital logic in an organ. The recording finishes with a discussion of 7-segment display history, and whether an engineering education teaches design for manufacture. Drop us a comment and .
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Ep 376: Modern Retro Projects, Retro Modern Projects, and the Teen Years for 3D Printing
07/03/2026
Ep 376: Modern Retro Projects, Retro Modern Projects, and the Teen Years for 3D Printing
Hackadya's Elliot Williams and Al Williams were in a retro mood this week. There was a new '486 computer, a new mechanical TV, and a USB stick with a magnetic personality. Can you watch YouTube on a Game Boy? Maybe. For the can't miss articles, this week, Elliot and Al reflected on the awkward phase of 3D printers when they transformed from being expensive commercial machines, to where they are now. Meanwhile, Al was interested in how airplanes know how fast they are going. Along the way, there were musical hacks, precision machine tools, and a quantum 8 ball. Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode ! Or for our mailbag segment.
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Ep 375: Rebuilding Tech on Our Terms and the Hero Nerd
06/26/2026
Ep 375: Rebuilding Tech on Our Terms and the Hero Nerd
In this episode, Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi start off by taking a trip down the Raspberry Pi memory lane and then tackle a fresh pile of listener mail. The discussion moves on to hacking bike counter, homebrew upgrades to the Nintendo Entertainment System, and building RAM from whats in the parts bin. You'll hear about the latest drop-in upgrade for a classic Casio watch, hosting light bulbs that host subversive literature, and loading Wii U games from a weird disk drive from the 1980s. They'll wrap things up with a dive into the evolving portrayals of brilliant rebels in media, and all the things you can do with a cheap router. if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 374: Flippin' Phones, Sexy Spraysers, and Frikkin' Lasers
06/19/2026
Ep 374: Flippin' Phones, Sexy Spraysers, and Frikkin' Lasers
Things are back to normal around the Podcast studio, and this week you'll hear the dulcet tones of Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos. In Hackaday news, we still have a Frikkin' Lasers Challenge going on, and now you can even enter your project into it! Join the ranks, won't you? Not only do we have a triple mailbag this week, we have another failed attempt at guessing the sound by Kristina. However, [Baron Maximilian von Knuthausen] knew that it was a train, a British one, even. Then it's on to the hacks, of course, which ought to go far in explaining the show title. Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 373: GPS, Danger In Space, and Robby the Robot
06/12/2026
Ep 373: GPS, Danger In Space, and Robby the Robot
Last week, Elliot got his foot stepped on by a 1.5 metric ton draft horse, and boy is he glad to be back to the relative safety of podcasting! Joining him today is Jenny List, no stranger to farm life, who has been trodden by a cow. It's going to be one of those podcasts, folks. Another thing the two hosts have in common is a love for the mystery of the numbers station. But did you know that GPS satellites, for the last 20 years, have broadcast literally millions of secret messages to everyone on the earth with a receiver? After that bombshell, we have an ATtiny85 emulating an 8080, a primer on how to embed magnets in 3D prints, definitive proof that more than one cassette mechanism is still being manufactured, and a look at what makes home automation enthusiasts tick. Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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EP 372: Pop Tubers, Shifty Semiconductors, and Shelving Shelf Labels
06/05/2026
EP 372: Pop Tubers, Shifty Semiconductors, and Shelving Shelf Labels
This week, we're shaking things up a little, with Tom Nardi still in the host seat, and someone besides Al Williams in the other, namely Kristina Panos. In Hackaday news, we have a new Frikkin' Lasers Challenge going on now, although we acknowledge that no one can actually enter their project into it at the moment. We hope to have that fixed in short order. Procrastinators, disregard. You'll have to wait another week for the triumphant return of What's That Sound, but we do have an audio mailbag for you this week. Thanks, Dillon! We look at loading SEGA games from a vinyl record, discuss a really cool project that puts live plane data on your ceiling, and debate the name 'Pop Tuber'. We also discuss DIY routers, and stress over the future of electronic shelf labels.
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EP 371: Space Computers, Spy Phones, and So Long CHU
05/29/2026
EP 371: Space Computers, Spy Phones, and So Long CHU
Elliot Williams is out where the deer and the antelope play for the next week, so it's up to Tom Nardi and Al Williams to wrangle this episode of the Hackaday Podcast. They'll start off by reading some listener messages before talking about the slow extinction of time broadcasts, Linux on cheap smartphones, microcontroller VPNs, and the computers of Spacelab. You'll also hear about using a video game's "Photo Mode" to capture 3D imagery, strange red lights in deep space, and ASCII fish that you don't need to feed. The episode wraps up with a discussion of WWII spy tech and the revelation that modern smartphones and powerful magnets don't always mix. Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 370: Softer Cyberdecks, a Simulated Clutch, and an Overstuffed Mailbox
05/22/2026
Ep 370: Softer Cyberdecks, a Simulated Clutch, and an Overstuffed Mailbox
With Elliot back from Hackaday Europe, he and Al Williams had a lot to talk about with two weeks of Hackaday posts to catch up on. Not to mention the mailbag was overflowing. This week, the guys look at girlie cyberdecks, a 3D printed circuit board, and talk electric motorcycles. Is 3D printing safe? Want an accurate moon on your desk? How about modern punch cards? All of that and much more were on the menu this week. For the can't miss articles, Zoe Skyforest weighs in on file sharing on the LAN while Al Williams talks about the surprising state-of-the-art in vacuum tube tech right before the end.
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Ep 369: IR, E-Ink, and Avgas
05/08/2026
Ep 369: IR, E-Ink, and Avgas
In this episode, Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi start things off by discussing the latest reason that cheap PCB fabrication isn't quite as cheap as it once was. The conversation will then move on to hacking electronic shelf labels, stylish e-ink status displays, cutting metal at home with high current and a bit of water, a solarpunk message board hiding in a IKEA-style lantern, and pushing NFC out of its comfort zone. From there you'll hear about a matching transistors, taking pictures of the International Space Station, and Linux on the PS5. They'll wrap up this week's episode by going over the surprisingly simple concept behind flow batteries, and learn who's still using leaded gasoline and why. Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!]
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Ep 368: A Pencil that Draws Against You, 3D Printing Stuff, and Tablet, Shmablet!
05/01/2026
Ep 368: A Pencil that Draws Against You, 3D Printing Stuff, and Tablet, Shmablet!
This week, Hackaday's Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up over the international tubes to bring you the latest news, mystery sound results show, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous seven days or so. Regarding Hackaday Europe, we announced the last round of speakers and opened up the workshop ticket sales. In other news, the Green-Powered Challenge has wrapped, and judging will begin quite soon. On What's That Sound, we can score another one for Kristina, which brings her record to approximately four wins and sixty-eight losses. She knew without a doubt that this was a guillotine paper cutter, probably because she recorded the sound herself. Hey, don't take this away from her. After that, it's on to the hacks, beginning with a really cool laser-powered mist-and-mirrors multi-view display, a robotic drawing assistant of questionable utility, and a new slicer that enables horizontal overhangs without supports. We also look at a trackball 3D controller, a 3D-printed pinball machine, and a good way to kill humidity sensors with humidity. Finally, we're both shocked to learn that we've been on GPS mk. II for some time now. But then once we get over that, we talk tablets and their usefulness, or lack thereof. 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!
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Ep 367: Radioactive Weather, Continuous Pickles, and Moon Junk
04/24/2026
Ep 367: Radioactive Weather, Continuous Pickles, and Moon Junk
When Elliot Williams and Al Williams compare their notes on the week in Hackaday, you know you'll get at least one or two bad puns. How bad? Tune in and find out. This week, Tom Nardi visits several in-person events, and Elliot and Al talk about smart buttons, Itanium, ejecting things from a rocket, and the infinite pickle. Will Elliot build the coin flipper? Will Al use plasma at his next cookout? Hard to say. For the can't miss articles, this week, Al swept the category with a post on splices and another on what human junk is still sitting on the moon. What do you think? Leave us a comment or record something and send it to our .
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Ep 366: DOOM on a Toaster, Music in LED Strips, and Old Drives in New Clothes
04/17/2026
Ep 366: DOOM on a Toaster, Music in LED Strips, and Old Drives in New Clothes
It's the evening before publication, and a pair of Hackaday writers convene to record the week's podcast. This week Elliot Williams is joined by Jenny List, and it's a bumper episode! Of course, a bit of Hackaday news makes the cut, as it's time to make an entry in the Green Powered Challenge. Then we make the first of a couple of sojourns into AI, as we talk about the Linux kernel stance on AI code. In short: if you submit AI code you're responsible for its bugs. Meanwhile out of this world, we look forward to a time when astronauts breathe oxygen from moon dust. There are hacks aplenty for your enjoyment, starting with far more than you ever thought it was possible to know about sound-reactive LED strips. Then we have among others a Mac on an ESP32 forming the UI for a weather monitor, Doom on a toaster, and a fascinating look at screw threads for plastic. In the longer reads we have our colleague [Tom Nardi] finding Chinese people's personal data on hard drives he bought in an electronics store, and an attempt to look at what an LLM can do that might be useful. Grab your headphones, and join us!
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Ep 365: Early 3DP Engineering, a New CAD Interface, and Flying Around the Moon
04/10/2026
Ep 365: Early 3DP Engineering, a New CAD Interface, and Flying Around the Moon
Humans flew around the Moon this week, but Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi were stuck on Earth -- luckily, there was no shortage of stories and hacks to keep them occupied. From the news that Linux might be putting the i486 out to pasture, to the fascinating potential of the threadless ball screw and connecting Bluetooth calipers up to FreeCAD. You'll hear about the latest in Internet via high-altitude balloon, the zen of organizing your parts bins, all the problems with Markdown files, and a deep-dive into making a convincing LED fire effect. The episode wraps up with some polarizing opinions on long term data storage, and a freewheeling discussion about the importance of literal moonshots. if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will
04/03/2026
Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will
This week, Hackaday's Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up over assorted beverages to bring you the latest news, mystery sound results show, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous seven days or so. In the news, there's quite a bit to talk about. Regarding Hackaday Europe, you can rest assured that the talks will be announced soon. is still underway, and to truly make it a contest. You have until April 24th to enter, so show us what you can do with power you scrounge up from the environment! As usual, a handful of , . And finally -- no fooling -- our own Tom Nardi , and is going to update the post every day until the mission ends. On What's That Sound, we can score one for Kristina, which brings her record to approximately three wins and sixty-eight losses. She knew without a doubt that the dialogue was from the Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Oh, what? There was a remake in 2008? Kristina should get bonus points, then. After that, it's on to the hacks, beginning with the basics of making clean enclosures that are decidedly not 3D-printed, a couple of sweet lo-fi cameras, and a nice way to tame the tape when it comes to SMT parts. We also discuss a clock that marks time in a mathematical way, watch an electro-permanent magnet in action, and improving soda by turning it into mead. Finally, we discuss the solar balconies taking Europe by storm, and Copilot's terrifying terms of service. Check out the links to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will
04/03/2026
Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will
This week, Hackaday's Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up over assorted beverages to bring you the latest news, mystery sound results show, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous seven days or so. In the news, there's quite a bit to talk about. Regarding Hackaday Europe, you can rest assured that the talks will be announced soon. is still underway, and to truly make it a contest. You have until April 24th to enter, so show us what you can do with power you scrounge up from the environment! As usual, a handful of , . And finally -- no fooling -- our own Tom Nardi , and is going to update the post every day until the mission ends. On What's That Sound, we can score one for Kristina, which brings her record to approximately three wins and sixty-eight losses. She knew without a doubt that the dialogue was from the Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Oh, what? There was a remake in 2008? Kristina should get bonus points, then. After that, it's on to the hacks, beginning with the basics of making clean enclosures that are decidedly not 3D-printed, a couple of sweet lo-fi cameras, and a nice way to tame the tape when it comes to SMT parts. We also discuss a clock that marks time in a mathematical way, watch an electro-permanent magnet in action, and improving soda by turning it into mead. Finally, we discuss the solar balconies taking Europe by storm, and Copilot's terrifying terms of service. Check out the links to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
/episode/index/show/hackaday/id/40724610
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Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will
04/03/2026
Ep 364: Clocks, Cameras, and Free Will
This week, Hackaday's Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up over assorted beverages to bring you the latest news, mystery sound results show, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous seven days or so. In the news, there's quite a bit to talk about. Regarding Hackaday Europe, you can rest assured that the talks will be announced soon. is still underway, and to truly make it a contest. You have until April 24th to enter, so show us what you can do with power you scrounge up from the environment! As usual, a handful of , . And finally -- no fooling -- our own Tom Nardi , and is going to update the post every day until the mission ends. On What's That Sound, we can score one for Kristina, which brings her record to approximately three wins and sixty-eight losses. She knew without a doubt that the dialogue was from the Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Oh, what? There was a remake in 2008? Kristina should get bonus points, then. After that, it's on to the hacks, beginning with the basics of making clean enclosures that are decidedly not 3D-printed, a couple of sweet lo-fi cameras, and a nice way to tame the tape when it comes to SMT parts. We also discuss a clock that marks time in a mathematical way, watch an electro-permanent magnet in action, and improving soda by turning it into mead. Finally, we discuss the solar balconies taking Europe by storm, and Copilot's terrifying terms of service. Check out the links to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
/episode/index/show/hackaday/id/40724620
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Ep 363: The History of PLA, Laser DIY PCBs, and Corporate Craziness
03/27/2026
Ep 363: The History of PLA, Laser DIY PCBs, and Corporate Craziness
What did Elliot Williams and Al Williams read on Hackaday last week? Tune in and find out. After a bit of news, [Vik Oliver] chimes in with some deep PLA knowledge. Then the topic changed to pressure advance measurements, SDRs, making super-resolution PCBs with a fiber laser, and more. Want to 3D print wire strippers? A robot arm? Or just make your own Z-80? Those hacks are in there, too. For the long articles, we talked about old tech, including the :CueCat and the Iomega Zip Drive. Let us know if you had either one in the comments. What do you think? Leave us a comment or record something and send it to our .
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Ep 362: Compression Molding, IPv4x, and Wired Headphones
03/20/2026
Ep 362: Compression Molding, IPv4x, and Wired Headphones
As the sun goes down on a glorious spring evening on the western edge of Europe, Elliot Williams is joined by Jenny List for a look at the week in all things Hackaday. First up: Hackaday Europe tickets are on sale! Bad luck folks, the early bird tickets disappeared in an instant, but regular ones are still available for now. We're really looking forward to making our way to Lecco for a weekend of hacks, and it would be great to see you there too. Then we have a new feature for the podcast, the Hackaday Mailbag. This week's contribution comes from [Kenny], a longtime friend of Hackaday and probably our most regular conference attendee. To the hacks, and we have some good ones. An air hockey robot might not seem like a challenge, but the engineering which went into [BasementBuilds'] one proves it's not a job for the faint hearted. Then we look at compression molding of recycled plastic using 3D-printed molds, something that seems surprisingly accessible and we'd like to try, too. We've got a new DOS, a 3D-printed zipper repair, the IPv4 replacement we didn't get, and the mind-bending logic of ternary computing. It's one of those weeks where the quick hacks could all deserve their own in-depth look, but perhaps the stand-outs are and Arduino style compiler that includes the source code compressed within the binary, and a beautifully-done revival of a 1980s brick cellphone as a modern 5G unit. Finally in the longer reads we've got an examination of wired versus Bluetooth headphones -- we're both in the wired camp -- and a look back at the age of free dialup. As is so often the case, the experience there differed between Brits and Americans. Anyway, enjoy the episode, and we have another week to look forward to.
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Ep 361: Hackaday Podcast Mailbag, A Phone is Not a Computer, 3D Printing History is New Again
03/13/2026
Ep 361: Hackaday Podcast Mailbag, A Phone is Not a Computer, 3D Printing History is New Again
Join Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi as they cover their favorite hacks and stories from the week. The episode kicks off with some updates about Hackaday Europe and the recently announced Green Power contest, as well as the proposal of a new feature of the podcast where listeners are invited to send in their questions and comments. After the housekeeping is out of the way, the discussion will go from spoofing traffic light control signals and the line between desktop computers and smartphones, all the way to homebrew e-readers and writing code with chocolate candies. You'll hear about molding replacement transparent parts, a collection of fantastic tutorials on hardware hacking and reverse engineering, and the recent fireball that lit up the skies over Germany. The episode wraps up with a fascinating look at how the developer of Pokemon Go is monetizing the in-game efforts of millions of players. Check out if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments! Or send us a clip for the mailbag to editor@hackaday.com.
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Ep 360: Cool Rubber Bands, Science-y Stuff, and the Whys of Office Supplies
03/06/2026
Ep 360: Cool Rubber Bands, Science-y Stuff, and the Whys of Office Supplies
This week, Hackaday's Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up over assorted beverages to bring you the latest news, mystery sound results show, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous seven days or so. In the news, we've launched a brand-new contest! Yes, is underway, and to truly make it a contest. You have until April 24th to enter, so show us what you can do with power you scrounge up from the environment around you! On What's That Sound, Kristina was leaning toward some kind of distant typing sounds, but [Conrad] knew it was our own Tom Nardi's steam heat radiator pinging away. After that, it's on to the hacks and such, beginning with an exploration of all the gross security vulnerabilities in a cheap WiFi extender, and we take a look inside a little black and white pay television like you'd find in a Greyhound station in the 80s and 90s. We also discuss the idea of mixing custom spray paint colors on the fly, a pen clip that never bends out of shape, and running video through a guitar effects pedal. Finally, we discuss climate engineering with disintegrating satellites, and the curse of everything device. Check out the links on Hackaday if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 359: Flying Squids, Edible Passwords, and a CAD Automaton
02/27/2026
Ep 359: Flying Squids, Edible Passwords, and a CAD Automaton
Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Al Williams met up to trade their favorite posts of the week. Tune in and see if your favorites made the list. From crazy intricate automata to surprising problems in Peltier cooler designs, there's a little bit of everything. Should bikes have chains? What's the hardest thing about Star Trek computers to duplicate? Can you make a TV station from a single microcontroller? The podcast this week answers these questions and more. Plus, weigh in on the What's That Sound contest and you might just score a Hackaday Podcast T-shirt. For the Can't Miss segment, Elliot had airships on his mind, while Al's sick of passwords. But is he sick enough to take electronic pills that transmit his password?
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Ep 358: Soft Displays, LCD Apertures, and Mind Controlled Toys
02/20/2026
Ep 358: Soft Displays, LCD Apertures, and Mind Controlled Toys
For today's podcast Elliot Williams is joined by Jenny List, and we're pushing the limits of mobile connectivity as Jenny's coming to us from a North Sea ferry. We start by looking forward to the upcoming Hackaday Europe, with a new location in Lecco, Italy. We hope you can join us there! There's a bumper collection of hacks to talk about, with a novel soft pneumatic display, a CRT-based VR headset, an LCD photographic aperture, and a novel time-of-flight sensor array in the line-up.Then there are 3D printed PCBs, Scotch tape for a lens, and a project to map farts. We kid you not. Finally we wrap up with mind controlled toys, and a a treatise on requirements and specifications in an age of AI. !
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Ep 357: BreezyBox, Antique Tech, and Defusing Killer Robots
02/13/2026
Ep 357: BreezyBox, Antique Tech, and Defusing Killer Robots
In the latest episode of the Hackaday Podcast, editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi start things off by discussing the game of lunar hide-and-seek that has researchers searching for the lost Luna 9 probe, and drop a few hints about the upcoming Hackaday Europe conference. From there they'll marvel over a miniature operating system for the ESP32, examine the re-use of iPad displays, and find out about homebrew software development for an obscure Nintendo handheld. You'll also hear about a gorgeous RGB 14-segment display, a robot that plays chess, and a custom 3D printed turntable for all your rotational needs. The episode wraps up with a sobering look at the dangers of industrial robotics, and some fascinating experiments to determine if a decade-old roll of PLA filament is worth keeping or not. if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 356: Nanoprinting, Vibe Coding, and Keebin' with Kristina, IN HELL!
02/06/2026
Ep 356: Nanoprinting, Vibe Coding, and Keebin' with Kristina, IN HELL!
This week, Hackaday's Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up over coffee to bring you the latest news, mystery sound results show, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous seven days or so. We found no news to speak of, except that Kristina has ditched Windows after roughly 38 years. What is she running now? What does she miss about Windows? Tune in to find out. <a href="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SCM-Secretarial-300.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-915364" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SCM-Secretarial-300.jpg?w=400" alt="" width="400" height="301" /></a>On What's That Sound, Kristina thought it was a jackhammer, but [Statistically Unlikely] knew it was ground-tamper thingy, and won a Hackaday Podcast t-shirt! Congratulations! After that, it's on to the hacks and such, beginning with 3D printing on the nano scale, and a couple of typewriter-based hacks. Then we take a look at the beauty of the math behind graph theory, especially when it comes to circuit sculptures and neckties. We also talk display hacking, macro pads with haptic feedback knobs, and writing code in Welsh. Finally, we discuss the Virtual Boy, and ponder whether vibe coding is killing open source. if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!
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Ep 355: Person Detectors, Walkie Talkies, Open Smartphones, and a WiFi Traffic Light
01/30/2026
Ep 355: Person Detectors, Walkie Talkies, Open Smartphones, and a WiFi Traffic Light
Another chilly evening in Western Europe, as Elliot Williams is joined this week by Jenny List to chew the fat over the week's hacks. It's been an auspicious week for anniversaries, with the hundredth since the first demonstration of a working television system in a room above a London coffee shop. John Logie Baird's mechanically-scanned TV may have ultimately been a dead-end superseded by the all-electronic systems we all know, but the importance of television for the later half of the 20th century and further is beyond question. The standout hacks of the week include a very clever use of the ESP32's WiFi API to detect people moving through a WiFi field, a promising open-source smartphone, another ESP32 project in a comms system for cyclists, more cycling on tensegrity spokes, a clever way to smooth plaster casts, and a light sculpture reflecting Wi-Fi traffic. Then there are a slew of hacks including 3D printed PCBs and gem-cut dichroic prisms, before we move to the can't-miss articles. There we're looking at document preservation, and a wallow in internet history with a look at the Netscape brand. As usual all the links you need can be found so listen, and enjoy!
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