iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 30/09/2026

Our mods to the Energy Breakthrough (eb.org.au) vehicles this year have gone a bit excessive... this year they get a dual-redundant-battery system with 2 custom PCBs handling power management and fully integrated sensors/electronics via loomed cables with aircraft connectors. Because why not.

Custom PCBs for the Energy Breakthrough competition

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 21/09/2026

One of our members designed an awesome little custom PCB that takes all the inputs from retro arcade cabinets, like this original Sega OutRrun cabinet, and converts them (via a Pro Micro) into USB HID gamepad inputs for modern gaming PCs. Check it out when you visit the hackerspace.

Original Sega OutRun cabinet with a modern gaming PC inside.

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 21/05/2026

We re-used the phone from a previous project but completely redid the internals with an ESP32 that picks up the pulses from the original dialling mechanism, then passes it to a Raspberry Pi over Serial to initiate playing of the audio clips. There are over 50 conversations stored (+ easter eggs).

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 21/05/2026

We were commissioned to build an interactive art installation for the Ballarat Heritage festival. You can go see it in the Mining Exchange on Lydiard St. This has been a truly massive undertaking and we're very proud of it. You can dial a year and hear real facts/stories from Ballarat's history.

An early-1900s telephone on a wooden plinth, in front of an antique side table decorated with a lamp and old book.

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 09/02/2026

Continuing our work on improving the Energy Breakthrough (eb.org.au) vehicles for our local primary school, we created an entirely new custom steering system that moves all steering components and linkages underneath the chassis, instead of tangled up in the rider's legs/hands area in the stock kit.

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 11/12/2025

Ballarat Hackerspace will be closed to casual members and visitors from December 17th to January 6th. Full-time members can continue to access the space themselves as desired. Come in for our final open session of the year on Tuesday December 16th from 2pm-9pm!

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 02/12/2025

Ballarat Springfest 2025 is over, and it went better than we ever could have expected. Despite bucketing rain and wind threatening to turn gazebos into kites, we got through it intact and had an incredible turnout. Thanks for visiting if you did, and don't forget to drop into the space and say hi.

Ballarat Hackerspace stall at Springfest 2025

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 12/11/2025

Working on giving our robot workshop-vacuum a head with some personality... as well as the ability to see. Rough draft for now, rushing prep for Ballarat Springfest, but should be operational and driving around at our stall.

Camera and LCD display acting as the eyes and face for our robotic vacuum cleaner

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 24/10/2025

Teaser for a big LED project in the works for Ballarat Springfest, where we have a stall this year showing off some of our creations. This one is 2.2m high and almost 3m wide and will certainly grab some attention.

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 16/05/2025

We now have OutRun running on our gaming-PC-powered OutRun cabinet in the most roundabout way possible… Thanks to sk1ds.itch.io/outrun-clone Still lots of bits and pieces to fix/replace but it’s playable and loads of fun.

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 28/03/2025

Over the last few days we converted the original high/low single-switch toggle shifter to a 2-switch sequential shifter so it works in modern racing games. Getting the mechanism working was a much bigger job than expected, but we finally got the right springs and switch-angles and everything sorted.

Original Sega OutRun gear stick mechanism

Our modified shifter mechanism using 2 switches and a Pro Micro

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 14/03/2025

Still a lot to do, but it "works" and we drove our first laps today. Assetto Corsa running in a 1986 Sega Outrun arcade cabinet. Original steering and pedals are now working and calibrated in Steam via an Arduino Pro Micro. Next we'll modify the shifter to work as a sequential gearbox.

Assetto Corsa racing simulator game playing on an original Sega OutRun arcade cabinet

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 22/02/2025

Steam and Assetto Corsa on an original Outrun arcade cabinet, using the original cabinet inputs? Don’t mind if I do… Still lots to fix and tidy up but we officially have the gaming PC installed inside the cabinet and all the original pedals/steering inputs working in Steam.

1980s Outrun arcade cabinet modified to have a gaming PC and showing Steam on the screen.

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 20/12/2024

Proud of our Blinken Lights Christmas tree this year!

Yes that is a giant sushi fish on top of our Christmas tree

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Ballarat Hackerspace @ballarathackerspace.org.au · 22/11/2024

Our group project #Picocade is still moving ahead. We now have an info overlay working and the ability to do a clean shutdown by holding the menu button. We can also adjust the brightness #picocade #pico8 #retrogaming

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