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  24. <title>Bit-banged 100 MBit/s Ethernet Transmission on Raspberry Pi Pico</title>
  25. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/bit-banged-100-mbit-s-ethernet-transmission-on-raspberry-pi-pico/</link>
  26. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/bit-banged-100-mbit-s-ethernet-transmission-on-raspberry-pi-pico/#comments</comments>
  28. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Donald Papp]]></dc:creator>
  29. <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 20:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  30. <category><![CDATA[Microcontrollers]]></category>
  31. <category><![CDATA[Raspberry Pi]]></category>
  32. <category><![CDATA[100BASE-T]]></category>
  33. <category><![CDATA[bit bang]]></category>
  34. <category><![CDATA[bit banging]]></category>
  35. <category><![CDATA[ethernet]]></category>
  36. <category><![CDATA[fast ethernet]]></category>
  37. <category><![CDATA[Raspberry Pi Pico]]></category>
  38. <category><![CDATA[rp2040]]></category>
  39. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=868485</guid>
  40.  
  41. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png 1788w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868488" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/bit-banged-100-mbit-s-ethernet-transmission-on-raspberry-pi-pico/100-basetx/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png" data-orig-size="1788,1006" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="100-BASETX" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?w=800" /></div>The Raspberry Pi Pico is a very capable board, but it&#8217;s still a surprise to see bit-banged 100 MBit/s Fast Ethernet implemented on one. [Steve]&#8217;s Pico-100BASE-TX library allows an RP2040 <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/bit-banged-100-mbit-s-ethernet-transmission-on-raspberry-pi-pico/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  42. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png 1788w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868488" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/bit-banged-100-mbit-s-ethernet-transmission-on-raspberry-pi-pico/100-basetx/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png" data-orig-size="1788,1006" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="100-BASETX" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/100-BASETX.png?w=800" /></div><p>The Raspberry Pi Pico is a very capable board, but it&#8217;s still a surprise to see bit-banged 100 MBit/s Fast Ethernet implemented on one. [Steve]&#8217;s <a href="https://github.com/steve-m/Pico-100BASE-TX/" target="_blank">Pico-100BASE-TX library</a> allows an RP2040 (or RP2350) microcontroller to stream data at roughly 11 Mbyte/s, enough to implement 100 MBit/s Fast Ethernet transmission.</p>
  43. <p>We&#8217;ve seen <a href="https://hackaday.com/2022/08/26/bit-banged-ethernet-on-the-raspberry-pi-pico/">10BASE-T implemented on a Pico</a>, but it takes a lot more than just shoveling bits faster to get 100BASE-T working. 10BASE-T uses two voltage levels and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_code" target="_blank">Manchester encoding</a>, but 100BASE-T uses three voltage levels, which [Steve] cleverly implemented on the Pico with two GPIOs, and far more complex encoding. Check out the repository&#8217;s README for details as well as a couple example applications.</p>
  44. <p>[Steve] tells us that to the best of his knowledge, this is the first bit-banged 100 MBit/s Ethernet implementation using a microcontroller. It&#8217;s transmit-only &#8212; reception being an entirely different beast &#8212; but it&#8217;s possible some enterprising soul might find a solution. If you do, be sure to <a href="https://hackaday.com/submit-a-tip/">let us know all about it</a>!</p>
  45. ]]></content:encoded>
  47. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/bit-banged-100-mbit-s-ethernet-transmission-on-raspberry-pi-pico/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  48. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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  54. <media:title type="html">100-BASETX</media:title>
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  58. <title>Broken Phone To Cinema Camera With A Lens Upgrade</title>
  59. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/broken-phone-to-cinema-camera-with-a-lens-upgrade/</link>
  60. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/broken-phone-to-cinema-camera-with-a-lens-upgrade/#comments</comments>
  62. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jenny List]]></dc:creator>
  63. <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 17:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
  64. <category><![CDATA[digital cameras hacks]]></category>
  65. <category><![CDATA[C-mount]]></category>
  66. <category><![CDATA[camera]]></category>
  67. <category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
  68. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=868335</guid>
  69.  
  70. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?resize=400,225 400w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868352" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/broken-phone-to-cinema-camera-with-a-lens-upgrade/cmount-camera-featured/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg" data-orig-size="800,450" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="cmount-camera-featured" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?w=800" /></div>The advent of the mobile phone camera has caused a revolution in film making over the last couple of decades, lowering the barrier to entry significantly, and as the cameras <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/broken-phone-to-cinema-camera-with-a-lens-upgrade/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  71. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?resize=400,225 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868352" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/broken-phone-to-cinema-camera-with-a-lens-upgrade/cmount-camera-featured/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg" data-orig-size="800,450" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="cmount-camera-featured" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>The advent of the mobile phone camera has caused a revolution in film making over the last couple of decades, lowering the barrier to entry significantly, and as the cameras have improved, delivering near-professional-grade quality in some cases. Mobile phone manufacturers hire film makers to promote their new flagship models and the results are very impressive, but there is still a limitation when it comes to the lenses. [Evan Monsma] has broken through that barrier, modifying an iPhone to take C-mount cinema lenses.</p>
  72. <p>It&#8217;s likely many of us have one or two broken mobile phones around, and even if they aren&#8217;t flagship models they&#8217;ll still have surprisingly good camera sensors. This one is an iPhone that&#8217;s seen better days, with a severely cracked glass back and a dislodged lens cover on one of its cameras. Removing the back and the lens cover reveals the sensor. The video below the break has a lot of woodwork and filing away of the phone, as he modifies a C-to-CS ring to serve as a C-mount. In reality the flange distance makes it a CS mount so his C-mount lenses need an adapter, but <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/09/03/one-camera-mule-to-rule-them-all/">as anyone who&#8217;s used a Raspberry Pi camera will tell you</a>, that&#8217;s no hardship.</p>
  73. <p>The final camera has a thick plywood back with a tripod mount installed, the other two cameras work with their Apple lenses, and the C-mount gives great results with a cinema lens. We&#8217;re concerned that the Super Glue he uses to fix it all together might not hold up to the weight of bigger lenses, but we&#8217;re here for this project and we love it.</p>
  74. <p><span id="more-868335"></span></p>
  75. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="I put vintage cinema lenses on my phone" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/br76WlXVOW4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  76. <p>Thanks [Luis Mercado] for the tip.</p>
  77. ]]></content:encoded>
  79. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/broken-phone-to-cinema-camera-with-a-lens-upgrade/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  80. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  83. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">868335</post-id>
  84. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg" />
  85. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/cmount-camera-featured.jpg" medium="image">
  86. <media:title type="html">cmount-camera-featured</media:title>
  87. </media:content>
  88. </item>
  89. <item>
  90. <title>Precision, Imprecision, Intellectual Honesty, and Little Green Men</title>
  91. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/precision-imprecision-intellectual-honesty-and-little-green-men/</link>
  92. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/precision-imprecision-intellectual-honesty-and-little-green-men/#comments</comments>
  94. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Elliot Williams]]></dc:creator>
  95. <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 14:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
  96. <category><![CDATA[Hackaday Columns]]></category>
  97. <category><![CDATA[Rants]]></category>
  98. <category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
  99. <category><![CDATA[astronomy]]></category>
  100. <category><![CDATA[comet]]></category>
  101. <category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
  102. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=868427</guid>
  103.  
  104. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="464" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg 3519w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=250,145 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=400,232 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=800,464 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=1536,890 1536w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=2048,1187 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="406447" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/navigating/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg" data-orig-size="3519,2039" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Navigating" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?w=800" /></div>If you’ve been following the hubbub about 3I/ATLAS, you’re probably either in the camp that thinks it’s just a comet from ridiculously far away that’s managed to find its way <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/precision-imprecision-intellectual-honesty-and-little-green-men/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  105. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="464" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg 3519w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=250,145 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=400,232 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=800,464 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=1536,890 1536w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?resize=2048,1187 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="406447" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/navigating/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg" data-orig-size="3519,2039" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Navigating" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>If you’ve been following the hubbub about 3I/ATLAS, you’re probably either in the camp that thinks it’s just a comet from ridiculously far away that’s managed to find its way into our solar system, or you’re preparing for an alien invasion. (Lukewarm take: it’s just a fast moving comet.) But that doesn’t stop it from being interesting – its relatively fast speed and odd trajectory make astronomers wonder where it’s coming from, and give us clues about how old it is likely to be.</p>
  106. <p>Astronomy is the odd-man-out in the natural sciences. In most branches of physics, chemistry, and even biology, you can run experiments. Even those non-experimental corners of the above fields, like botany, for instance, you can get your hands on the objects you’re talking about. Not so astronomy. When I was studying in college, one of my professors quipped that astronomers were pretty happy when they could hammer down a value within an order of magnitude, and ecstatic when they could get a factor of two or three. The deck is simply stacked against them.</p>
  107. <p>With that background, I love two recent papers about 3I/ATLAS. The first <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.07678" target="_blank">tries to figure out why it’s moving so fast</a> by figuring out if it’s been going that fast since its sun kicked it out, or if it has picked up a gravitational boost along the way. While they can’t go all the way back in time, they’ve worked out whether it has flown by anything close enough to get a significant boost over the <em>last 10 million years</em>. This is impressive that we can calculate the trajectory so far back, but at the same time, 10 million years is peanuts on the cosmic timescale.</p>
  108. <p><a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.05318" target="_blank">According to another paper</a>, there is a weak relationship between interstellar objects’ age and their velocity, with faster-moving rocks being older, they can estimate the age of 3I/ATLAS at between 7.6 and 14 billion years old, assuming no gravitational boosts along the way. While an age range of 7 billion years may seem like a lot, that’s only a factor of two. A winner for astronomy!</p>
  109. <p>Snarkiness aside, its old age does make a testable prediction, namely that it should be relatively full of water ice. So as 3I/ATLAS comes closer to the sun in the next few weeks, we’ll either see it spitting off lots of water vapor, and the age prediction checks out, or we won’t, and they’ll need to figure out why.</p>
  110. <p>Whatever happens, I appreciate how astronomers aren’t afraid to outline what they can’t know – orbital dynamics further back than a certain date, or the precise age of rocks based solely on their velocity. Most have also been cautious about calling the comet a spaceship. On the other hand, if it is, one thing’s for sure: after a longer-than-10-million-year road trip, whoever is on board that thing is going to be hungry.</p>
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  120. <slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
  123. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">868427</post-id>
  124. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg" />
  125. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Navigating.jpg" medium="image">
  126. <media:title type="html">Navigating</media:title>
  127. </media:content>
  128. </item>
  129. <item>
  130. <title>A Solar Oven for Cloudy Days</title>
  131. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/</link>
  132. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/#comments</comments>
  134. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Tyler August]]></dc:creator>
  135. <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 11:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
  136. <category><![CDATA[green hacks]]></category>
  137. <category><![CDATA[Solar Hacks]]></category>
  138. <category><![CDATA[low-tech hack]]></category>
  139. <category><![CDATA[solar oven]]></category>
  140. <category><![CDATA[solar power]]></category>
  141. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=868387</guid>
  142.  
  143. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="251" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?resize=250,78 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?resize=400,126 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868398" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/img_0003_dithered/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png" data-orig-size="800,251" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_0003_dithered" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?w=800" /></div>Every Boy Scout or Girl Guide probably had the experience of building a simple solar oven: an insulated box, some aluminum foil, and plastic wrap, and voila! On warm, sunny, <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  144. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="251" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?resize=250,78 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?resize=400,126 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868398" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/img_0003_dithered/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png" data-orig-size="800,251" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="IMG_0003_dithered" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png?w=800" /></div><p>Every Boy Scout or Girl Guide probably had the experience of building a simple solar oven: an insulated box, some aluminum foil, and plastic wrap, and voila! On warm, sunny, summer days, you can bake. On cloudy days, well, you need another plan. The redoubtable [Kris De Decker] and [Marie Verdeil] provide one, with <a href="https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2025/10/how-to-build-a-solar-powered-electric-oven/" target="_blank">this solar-electric oven</a> over on <em>LowTechMagazine</em>.</p>
  145. <p>Now, you might be wondering: what&#8217;s special here? Can&#8217;t I just plug a full electric range-oven into the inverter hooked to my Powerwall? Well, yes, Moneybags, you could &#8212; if you had a large enough solar setup to offset the storage and inverter losses, that is. But if you only have a few panels, you need to make every watt count. Indeed, this build was inspired by [Kris]&#8217; earlier attempt to power his apartment with solar panels on his balcony. His electric oven is one of the things that stymied him at that time. (Not because cooking took too much energy, but because it took too much <em>power </em>for his tiny battery to supply at once.)</p>
  146. <p><span id="more-868387"></span></p>
  147. <figure id="attachment_868400" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-868400" style="width: 320px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="868400" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/oven-exploded-view_dithered/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png" data-orig-size="640,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="oven-exploded-view_dithered" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;The build guide is full featured with photos and diagrams like this one by Marie Verdeil.&lt;/p&gt;
  148. " data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png?w=320" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png?w=500" class="size-medium wp-image-868400" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png?w=320" alt="" width="320" height="400" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png 640w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png?resize=200,250 200w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png?resize=320,400 320w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png?resize=500,625 500w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-868400" class="wp-caption-text">The build guide is full featured with photos and diagrams like this one by Marie Verdeil.</figcaption></figure>
  149. <p>That&#8217;s why this oven&#8217;s element is DC, driven directly from the panel: there are no batteries, no inverter, and no unnecessary losses. The element is hand-made to match the solar setup, avoid an unnecessary electronic thermostat, and is sized to keep the oven from getting too hot. The oven itself is tiny, only large enough for a single casserole pan, but it does cover 90% of their cooking. A smaller oven is obviously going to need less power to heat up, but it also makes it practical to wrap it in oodles of insulation to reduce losses even further.</p>
  150. <p>Indeed, between the 5 cm of insulation and thermal mass from the mortar-and-tile interior, when preheated by the specified 100 W panel, this oven can retain its cooking temperature well after sunset. Instead of needing a battery, the oven <em>is</em> the battery. It&#8217;s really quite elegant. That does require a certain mental adjustment as well: &#8220;cooking temperature&#8221; here is only 120°C (248°F), about a hundred F less than most recipes in our cookbooks. This hack is almost like a solar-powered cross between an oven and a slow cooker.</p>
  151. <p>It&#8217;s undeniably efficient, but we can only imagine it would take some getting used to. Of course, so does running a <a href="https://hackaday.com/2018/10/08/perfecting-the-solar-powered-web-server/">solar-powered website</a>, and <em>LowTechMagazine</em> has kept that going since 2018.</p>
  152. ]]></content:encoded>
  154. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/a-solar-oven-for-cloudy-days/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  155. <slash:comments>16</slash:comments>
  158. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">868387</post-id>
  159. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png" />
  160. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/IMG_0003_dithered-e1760720282265.png" medium="image">
  161. <media:title type="html">IMG_0003_dithered</media:title>
  162. </media:content>
  163.  
  164. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/oven-exploded-view_dithered.png?w=320" medium="image" />
  165. </item>
  166. <item>
  167. <title>Hacking a Banned Chinese Security Camera</title>
  168. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/hacking-a-banned-chinese-security-camera/</link>
  169. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/hacking-a-banned-chinese-security-camera/#comments</comments>
  171. <dc:creator><![CDATA[John Elliot V]]></dc:creator>
  172. <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 08:00:37 +0000</pubDate>
  173. <category><![CDATA[computer hacks]]></category>
  174. <category><![CDATA[Security Hacks]]></category>
  175. <category><![CDATA[Chinese Security Camera]]></category>
  176. <category><![CDATA[Dahua]]></category>
  177. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=866793</guid>
  178.  
  179. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="A screen shot of Wireshark in action." style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg 1705w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="866797" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/hacking-a-banned-chinese-security-camera/dahua-banner/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg" data-orig-size="1705,959" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="dahua-banner" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?w=800" /></div>Over on YouTube [Matt Brown] hacks a Chinese security camera recently banned by the US government. If you didn&#8217;t hear about this you can find out more over here: Major <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/hacking-a-banned-chinese-security-camera/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  180. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="A screen shot of Wireshark in action." style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg 1705w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="866797" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/hacking-a-banned-chinese-security-camera/dahua-banner/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg" data-orig-size="1705,959" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="dahua-banner" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>Over on YouTube [Matt Brown] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhIdb10HZ4o" target="_blank">hacks a Chinese security camera recently banned by the US government</a>. If you didn&#8217;t hear about this you can find out more over here: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/major-us-online-retailers-remove-listings-millions-prohibited-chinese-2025-10-10/" target="_blank">Major US online retailers remove listings for millions of prohibited Chinese electronics</a>.</p>
  181. <p>After powering the camera with a power-over-Ethernet (PoE) adapter [Matt] sets about monitoring network activity with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireshark" target="_blank">Wireshark</a>. The first data comes from DNS for the host <code>devaccess.easy4ipcloud.com</code>, which <code>whois</code> reports is operated by Alibaba Cloud LLC in California. This is a Chinese owned company with servers in the United States.</p>
  182. <p>[Matt] covers some basics of TLS and how it works. He then goes on to explain how a Man in the Middle (MITM) attack works at a high level. To setup a MITM attack against the camera [Matt] sets up some port redirections using <code>iptables</code> for ports 443, 15301, 8683, 9898, and 12337 which his Wireshark analysis indicates were being used. His MITM attack works, which means the device is not properly verifying its certificate signing chain.</p>
  183. <p>[Matt] goes on to reverse engineer the custom UDP protocol used for transmitting video data. He uses a vibe-coded Python program along with <code>ffmpeg</code> for that and manages to reconstruct a few frames of video taken from the UDP packet capture.</p>
  184. <p>We think it would be safe to say that [Matt] did indeed find a few security problems with the camera as-is, but we don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s the point of the ban. The real problem is that there is auto-update facilities for the device firmware which means that in future malicious software could be uploaded by the manufacturer in the form of a firmware update. So even if this device was secure against MITM attacks and didn&#8217;t send unencrypted video data over UDP you would still have the problem of the firmware update if there is no trust.</p>
  185. <p><span id="more-866793"></span></p>
  186. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="The US Government Just Banned this Chinese Security Camera - Let&#039;s Hack It" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mhIdb10HZ4o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  187. ]]></content:encoded>
  189. <wfw:commentRss>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/18/hacking-a-banned-chinese-security-camera/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  190. <slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
  193. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">866793</post-id>
  194. <media:thumbnail url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg" />
  195. <media:content url="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dahua-banner.jpg" medium="image">
  196. <media:title type="html">dahua-banner</media:title>
  197. </media:content>
  198. </item>
  199. <item>
  200. <title>Channel Surfing Nostalgia Machine</title>
  201. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/channel-surfing-nostalgia-machine/</link>
  202. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/channel-surfing-nostalgia-machine/#respond</comments>
  204. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Bryan Cockfield]]></dc:creator>
  205. <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 05:00:32 +0000</pubDate>
  206. <category><![CDATA[Raspberry Pi]]></category>
  207. <category><![CDATA[cable TV]]></category>
  208. <category><![CDATA[commercials]]></category>
  209. <category><![CDATA[nostalgia]]></category>
  210. <category><![CDATA[raspberry pi]]></category>
  211. <category><![CDATA[retro]]></category>
  212. <category><![CDATA[television]]></category>
  213. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=866848</guid>
  214.  
  215. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="547" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg 1169w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?resize=250,171 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?resize=400,274 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?resize=800,547 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868276" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/channel-surfing-nostalgia-machine/retro-cable-main/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg" data-orig-size="1169,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="retro-cable-main" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?w=800" /></div>As any generation of people get older, they tend to look back fondly on their formative years when there was less responsibility and more wonder. Even if things have objectively <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/channel-surfing-nostalgia-machine/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  216. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="547" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg 1169w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?resize=250,171 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?resize=400,274 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?resize=800,547 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868276" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/channel-surfing-nostalgia-machine/retro-cable-main/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg" data-orig-size="1169,800" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="retro-cable-main" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/retro-cable-main.jpg?w=800" /></div><p>As any generation of people get older, they tend to look back fondly on their formative years when there was less responsibility and more wonder. Even if things have objectively improved, we often have a fondness for the past. Such is the case for cable television, where even though ads were everywhere and nothing was on-demand, we can see that something was lost from this era in the modern streaming ecosystem. <a href="https://hackaday.io/project/204241-retro-raspberry-pi-tv-brings-back-channel-surfing" target="_blank">[Ricardo] brought back the good parts of this golden era of cable TV with this small channel surfing television</a>.</p>
  217. <p>The project attempts to keep the good parts of this era while discarding things we certainly don&#8217;t miss. The ability to channel surf is still here, with a rotary encoder standing in for an antique television channel selector knob, but dealing with any telecommunications company is out, including those of the Internet variety. Instead it is a fully offline machine with the user able to curate their own channels and programming with a Flask application, and [Ricardo]&#8217;s includes his own collection of commercials from Argentina.</p>
  218. <p>The hardware itself is fairly straightforward as well, with a Raspberry Pi doing the heavy lifting, paired with a small screen and enclosed in a retro-themed television case. It&#8217;s a clever throwback to a time where we might not know what we wanted to see but there was always something on. Builds like this are gaining popularity right now as well, <a href="https://hackaday.com/2023/07/13/recreating-the-golden-era-of-cable-tv/">and we&#8217;ve even seen them recreate the cable company&#8217;s preview channel as well</a>.</p>
  219. <p><span id="more-866848"></span></p>
  220. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="TVArgenta" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5saGNbtMNfM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  221. ]]></content:encoded>
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  233. <item>
  234. <title>A New Way to Make (Almost) Holograms with Lasers</title>
  235. <link>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/a-new-way-to-make-almost-holograms-with-lasers/</link>
  236. <comments>https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/a-new-way-to-make-almost-holograms-with-lasers/#comments</comments>
  238. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Aaron Beckendorf]]></dc:creator>
  239. <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 02:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
  240. <category><![CDATA[Laser Hacks]]></category>
  241. <category><![CDATA[diffraction]]></category>
  242. <category><![CDATA[diffraction grating]]></category>
  243. <category><![CDATA[hologram]]></category>
  244. <category><![CDATA[laser engraving]]></category>
  245. <category><![CDATA[MOPA laser]]></category>
  246. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://hackaday.com/?p=865324</guid>
  247.  
  248. <description><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="An array of tiny parallel green lines appears over a steel surface. The white dot a laser beam is visible in the lower center of the picture." style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png 1690w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868301" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/a-new-way-to-make-almost-holograms-with-lasers/diffraction_grating_images/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png" data-orig-size="1690,951" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="diffraction_grating_images" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?w=800" /></div>The spectrum of laser technologies available to hackers has gradually widened from basic gas lasers through CO2 tubes, diode lasers, and now fiber lasers. One of the newer entries is <a href="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/a-new-way-to-make-almost-holograms-with-lasers/" class="read-more">&#8230;read more</a>]]></description>
  249. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><img width="800" height="450" src="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?w=800" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="An array of tiny parallel green lines appears over a steel surface. The white dot a laser beam is visible in the lower center of the picture." style="margin: 0 auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png 1690w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=250,141 250w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=400,225 400w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=800,450 800w, https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?resize=1536,864 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" data-attachment-id="868301" data-permalink="https://hackaday.com/2025/10/17/a-new-way-to-make-almost-holograms-with-lasers/diffraction_grating_images/" data-orig-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png" data-orig-size="1690,951" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="diffraction_grating_images" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?w=400" data-large-file="https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/diffraction_grating_images.png?w=800" /></div>
  250. <p>The spectrum of laser technologies available to hackers has gradually widened from basic gas lasers through CO2 tubes, diode lasers, and now fiber lasers. One of the newer entries is the MOPA laser, which combines a laser diode with a fiber-based light amplifier. The diode’s pulse length and repetition rate are easy to control, while the fiber amplifier gives it enough power to do interesting things – including, as [Ben Krasnow] found, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsGHr7dXLuI" target="_blank">etch hologram-like diffraction gratings</a> onto stainless steel.</p>
  251. <p>Stainless steel works because it forms a thin oxide layer when heated, with a thickness determined by the temperature it reaches. The oxide layer creates <a href="https://hackaday.com/2024/08/26/experimenting-with-interference-on-thin-layers/">thin-film interference</a> with incoming light, letting the laser mark parts of a steel sheet with different colors by varying the intensity of heating. [Ben] <a href="https://github.com/benkrasnow/MOPA_Laser_Stainless_Colors" target="_blank">wrote a script</a> to etch color images onto steel using this method, and noticed in one experiment that one area seemed to produce diffraction patterns. More experimentation revealed that the laser could consistently make diffraction gratings out of parallel patterns of oxide lines. Surprisingly, the oxide layer seemed to grow mostly down into the metal, instead of up from the surface.</p>
  252. <p>The pitch of the grating is perpendicular to the direction of the etched lines, and varying the line spacing changes the angle of diffraction, which should in theory be enough control to print a hologram with the laser. [Ben]’s first experiment in this general direction was to <a href="https://github.com/benkrasnow/MOPA_Laser_Diffraction_Gratings" target="_blank">create a script</a> that turned black-and-white photographs into shimmering matrices of diffraction-grating pixels, in which each pixel’s grating orientation was determined by its brightness. To add a parallax depth effect, [Ben] spread out images into a gradient in a diffraction grating, so that it produced different images at different angles. The images were somewhat limited by the minimum size required for the grating pixels, but the effect was quite noticeable.</p>
  253. <p>Unfortunately, since the oxide layers grow down into the metal, [Ben] doubts whether the laser can etch molds for <a href="https://hackaday.com/2018/04/16/delicious-optics-a-chocolate-diffraction-grating/">diffraction-grating chocolate</a>. If you’re interested in more diffraction optics, check out these <a href="https://hackaday.com/2024/08/23/creating-customized-diffraction-lenses-for-lasers/">custom diffraction lenses</a> or the <a href="https://hackaday.com/2024/12/03/holograms-the-art-of-recording-wavefronts/">workings of normal holograms</a>.</p>
  254. <p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Optical diffraction patterns and almost-holograms made with a MOPA laser engraving machine" width="800" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RsGHr7dXLuI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  255. ]]></content:encoded>
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