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Gareth Halfacree

@ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy

93 followers 0 following 763 posts

#Technology, #science, and #computing #journalist and #photojournalist. #Author, #Microbit & #RaspberryPi User Guides. Custom PC columnist. Bylines Hackster.io […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ mastodon.social/@ghalfacree, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 03/10/2026

I maintain that the Playdate is basically the perfect client device for the #GeminiProtocol.

A bright yellow Panic Playdate, a small handheld microcontroller-powered console with two face buttons and a D-pad beneath a single-colour Sharp Memory LCD display. A 360-segree rotating crank protrudes from the side. The screen is showing a Gemini page about the Matra Alice microcomputer, loaded in the Hopper browser.

Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/09/2026

In a virtual presser with a major IP vendor, in which we would be hearing from its three business units: AI, different AI, and another type of AI. I made it just past the slide describing the future of "agentic" (not agentic anything, just "agentic") before disconnecting. Maybe... three […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/08/2026

Been a minute or two since I posted here! I'm working on a guide to the best new dev boards of the year - or the most interesting coming in the next few months. Microcontrollers and fully-fledged single-board computers. Seen anything exciting? *Made* anything exciting? I wanna know! #makers […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/05/2026

Had my first reason to try out DJI's warranty support this week, after a drone turned up deaf to GPS. Reported the problem on Sunday afternoon, got a DPD return label a few hours later, dropped it off at the Co-op Sunday night, a replacement was shipped out yesterday, and it was in my hands […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11/05/2026

Absolutely snowed under with work and non-work stuff at the mo', so I've been lax in doing my daily round-ups. I aintn't dead, though - everything's still going up on Hackster and Gemini! Normal service will resume when it resumes. Probably.

Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

As always, those are also available via the #GeminiProtocol: "Counterfeit" Raspberry Pis: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202605/20260504-pi5.gmi Altoid-tin terminal: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202605/20260504-mint.gmi One-pixel camera: gemini://tilde […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

And finally, Erich Styger's back with another MetaClockClock - this time using 78 clock faces to display the time, animations, or text. Or why not connect two together over RS-485? (Maybe because building 'em takes three months and costs $1,500 in parts?) […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

I'm very much loving how many cyberdecks/writerdecks/terminals I'm seeing that use actual honest-to-goodness CRT displays - like this one, which is built around a Samsung tube salvaged from a dead portable TV […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

Y'know those little photoresistors? The ones that change resistance according to ambient light? Well... that's a camera sensor, right? A single-pixel camera sensor? Well, here's a camera built around that idea. It works, if you're patient enough: you're looking at around eight hours for a […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

Another Altoids tin project, next - and this time it's a fully-functional #RaspberryPi terminal, complete with neato (if slow) electrophoretic ePaper display and internal battery […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/05/2026

It's a bank holiday here in the UK, so you know what that means! Absolutely nothing, 'cos I'm freelance! First up on #Hackster today: there are "counterfeit" #RaspberryPi 5 boards in the market, likely bought as 1GB models and upgraded to 4GB/8GB/16GB using out-of-spec and/or low-quality parts […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

Also! #Hackster's looking at getting me to do more video (boo), starting with one op-ed piece a month. Could be short-form portrait for the socials, could be long-form landscape - it's up to me. If you've any ideas of things you think you could stand to watch me drone on about, I'm open to […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

Want to read those ad- and tracker-free? The #GeminiProtocol awaits. New Arduino App Lab: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202605/20260501-applab.gmi Ergonomic cyberdeck: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202605/20260501-deck.gmi 8086YES!'s portable Apple II clone: gemini://tilde […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

Finally, Copy Fail. Yeah, couldn't leave this one unmentioned: local privilege escalation vulnerability in Linux kernels stretching back nine years, most likely including the one you're using now. (Yes, even if you're on Windows, if you've got WSL installed. Mac users, feel free to engage smug […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

8086YES! is back, and this time it's a no to 8086: the BOOK II is a TTL-based Apple II clone with a whole bunch of upgrades including a Z80 SoftCard for CP/M goodness... in a netbook-like (chunky) laptop chassis. Not going to lie, I'm kinda tempted […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

Lovely twist on one of Un Kyu Lee's Micro Journal #cyberdeck designs next, and it appears to me personally 'cos I *love* split ergo keyboard layouts. www.hackster.io/news/this-ergonomic… […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

Was nearly nice and early with today's #Hackster round-up, the first of the month - then there was a power cut. I really need to get the network infra on UPS... Anyway, first up: new App Lab for #Arduino UNO Q users, with the ability to make your own "Bricks" - think distributable Python […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/04/2026

Looks like my webhost is having a bit of a morning. Guess this month's round-up post will have to wait for another day!

Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/04/2026

All three articles are also available via the #GeminiProtocol, ad- and tracker-free: The MiciMike Google Home Mini upgrade: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260429-mike.gmi Seeed's new ESP32/nRF52840 ePaper kits: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260429-seeed.gmi xTool's […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/04/2026

And finally, a drop-in upgrade for old Google Home Minis which removes the cloud requirement and retools them for use with #HomeAssistant - and it's #OpenHardware, too […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/04/2026

Then a #crowdfunding campaign for xTool's latest gadget: a three-in-one (five-in-one, per their counting) heat press that doubles as a baking oven (for craft, not cookies) and a vacuum former […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/04/2026

Right, last #Hackster round-up of the month 'cos I've hit my 78-article budget a month early. Word of warning: today's three are all things to spend money on, so lock your wallets away now. First, two new ePaper driver boards with your choice of Espressif ESP32-S3 or Nordic nRF52840 […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 29/04/2026

I'm not saying my to-read list is a little out of hand, but...

A Remarkable Pro ePaper tablet, resting on knee as the photographer sits in sunshine on a wooden deck overlooking a path and two small lawns. The device is showing a page from the February 1996 issue of UK technology magazine PC Pro: the introduction to an article by David Tebbutt called Empire of the Sun, detailing his visit to and discussions with Sun Microsystems' SunLabs in Silicon Valley.

Not exactly breaking news, is what I'm saying.

Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

You can read all of that ad- and tracker-free on Gemini, too. (But not Teletext. Yet.) Commodore 64C Ultimate: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260428-c64c.gmi CM5 RTL-SDR adapter: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260428-cm5.gmi STMicro camera sensors: gemini://tilde […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

And finally, a 3D-printable Formula 1-style steering wheel which is a self-contained #RaspberryPi-powered games console tailored towards driving games — using an IMU to track the wheel's movement in free space to control steering […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

A neat respin on an existing open-source PCB design next, to adapt the M.2 slot on a #RaspberryPi CM5 IO Board for USB - so that you can (just about!) squeeze an RTL-SDR dongle into the Raspberry Pi CM5 IO Case. You can even route the RP-SMA connector out the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth antenna hole, which […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

STMicro's got two new image sensors out, low-res high-framerate global-shutter things in mono or colour - targeting ultra-low-power always-on vision. The neatest part: on-board change detection, meaning they can sit there sipping power and then wake the host up if movement is detected. ST says […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

Something for the #Rust fans next, as a $0.09 RISC-V microcontroller is used to make an embedded-Rust handheld games console for under $1. In bulk quantities, anyway. www.hackster.io/news/chris-dell-s-1… […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

I'm crossing my fingers for a C128 Ultimate, but that would require a rewrite of the FPGA side of things to add a soft-core Z80...

Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/04/2026

...why does it feel like a Friday today? That doesn't bode well for the week ahead. Anyway, it's time for Tuesday's #Hackster round-up - and first up today is the news that the reborn #Commodore has a new machine out! Well, kinda. It's still an Ultimate 64, but this time in the later […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

I want to be clear: this is not thing. Yet. It may never be a thing. ...but am I so wrong for wanting it to be a thing? #Teletext

A screenshot of a Teletext viewdata page, titled "Gareth Halfacree's Hobby Teletext." The introductory paragraphs from the Hobby Tech Gemini page follow, lightly edited, along with page numbers for an index, archives, and latest articles. Fasttext shortcuts for an index, archives, about page, and diary appear below a chyron reading "Teletext: it's text... on your telly."

Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

As always, those are also available via the #GeminiProtocol 3D fog projector: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260427-brown.gmi Compute Unit case: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260427-dosch.gmi Meshtastic mint tin: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260427-mints.gmi […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

Finally, a landline phone upcycled into a remote control (and now-playing display) for music streaming. Nice touch: the audio ducks when you lift the handset off-hook to dial in the track number you're after […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

Another 3D-printable case from Jay Doscher next, the compute unit - which accepts a #RaspberryPi 5 or #LattePanda IOTA and offers a modular approach to making room for add-ons. Optimised for airflow, too! […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

Then another open-source #RaspberryPi add-on courtesy of the Ubo Pod project - this time delivering NFC connectivity, even if the Raspberry Pi is switched off. www.hackster.io/news/mehrdad-majzoo… #Technology […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

It's been a while since I covered a project that crams something useful (or otherwise) into an Altoids tin, so here's a #Meshtastic/#Meshcore node in one. www.hackster.io/news/this-ultra-com… […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 27/04/2026

It was a lovely sunny Monday when I started work, and now it's absolutely widdling it down - so here's a wet #Hackster round-up to start the week. To start, @ancientjames is back with another 3D(ish) display, this time about as close to a sc-fi hologram you're ever likely to see - viewable from […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/04/2026

As always, you can also read those ad- and tracker-free via the #GeminiProtocol: The amazing Time Frog Color wearable Game Boy Color: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260424-frog.gmi The LightInk smartwatch: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260424-solar.gmi Ubuntu 26.04 LTS […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/04/2026

And finally, the Tindie marketplace - once independent, owned for the last decade-and-change by Supplyframe which is, in turn, a Siemens subsidiary these days - has been down for over a week now... owing, we learn from account manager @tindie in lieu of any sort of official announcement from […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/04/2026

It's an even-numbered year, so there's a new Ubuntu Long Term Support release out - Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Resolute Raccoon. Which means my desktop is now... two major releases out of date. I'll get around to upgrading... at some point […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/04/2026

Another smartwatch next, but this time built for energy efficiency - so much so that, between clever use of low-power modes on an Espressif ESP32 and its ePaper screen, it can run indefinitely using a little solar panel like everyone's pocket calculators used to have […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/04/2026

Right, last #Hackster round-up of the week and then I'm off to enjoy the rare sunshine I can see out of the shed window. First up is... well, nothing short of incredible. A working Game Boy Color... in a smartwatch form factor. "That's easy," you cry, "emulate it on a microcontroller." Nope […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/04/2026

If you'd rather read those via the #GeminiProtocol, please do: The GR3ML1N handheld: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260423-grem.gmi Lumos Ultra laser engraver: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260423-laser.gmi Move Ultralight fitness tracker: gemini://tilde […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/04/2026

Finally, ProtoCentral has its own smart wearable in the works - only this one doesn't have a screen: the Move Ultralight, a low-power privacy-focused fitness and health tracker. Only the good kind of machine learning in this one: a small model that run on-device to track biometrics, no sending […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/04/2026

David Pride's Qwatch is an Espressif ESP32-powered smartwatch designed around customisability - from the open firmware to the 3D-printable bezel and strap. Yeah, strap: you can either use TPU or another flexible material for a soft strap or a harder material for a print-in-place bracelet-style […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/04/2026

Absolutely no AI involved in this next project: @hailey has taken the Windows Subsystem for Linux where Microsoft dare not tread, with the Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like: a modern Linux kernel running on top of Windows 95 or Windows 98, on hardware as old […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/04/2026

Then @andy_warb's fantastic GR3ML1N (Gremlin,. for the screen-reader users) Espressif ESP32-powered handheld. Love the design on this one! Content warning before you click: the firmware is AI slop, unfortunately, but the hardware is all-human - and the files are available for you to print your […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/04/2026

After another day off nursing illnesses, I'm back at it today - so it's time for another #Hackster round-up. Today's first is a crowdfunding campaign (already well-funded) from WeCreat for the Lumos Ultra, a compact laser cutter which lets you choose between 6W UV and up to 100W MOPA lasers […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/04/2026

As ever, that is all available via the @GeminiProtocol too: Genio 520, 720 Ubuntu: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260421-buntu.gmi Chris Combs' climate art installation: gemini://tilde.club/~ghalfacree/202604/20260421-combs.gmi TinyGO on the Arduino UNO Q: gemini://tilde […]

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Gareth Halfacree @ghalfacree.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/04/2026

And, finally, the inimitable @combs has a new bit of electronic art out: a birch branch which tells a story of unchecked climate change... on a four-digit seven-segment LCD. In six minutes […]

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