classic hacks

DOOM Comes To The RP2040

Published

2 months ago

March 16, 2022

To the factor of being a joke, it feels like RUIN is adjusted to work on whatever nowadays. So it was just all-natural that we would certainly see it ported to the RP2040 by [Graham Sanderson], the little chip powering the Raspberry Pi Pico.

You could be believing, what’s various concerning this port? There have actually been 55 posts concerning RUIN below on Hackaday, revealing it operating on whatever from internet checkboxes to workdesk phones. The RP2040 has 256 K of RAM, 2 halfway decent clocked cpu cores, as well as 2 megabytes of flash, so it’s not one of the most constricted system ever before to have RUIN run it. However [Graham] likewise established some extremely soaring objectives: all 9 degrees required to be usable, devoted graphics as well as songs, multiplayer, as well as it would certainly result to VGA straight. It ought to play similar to the initial. RUIN has a trial that is kept as a series of input occasions. They develop outstanding regression examinations as if the personality obtains stuck or does not make it throughout; after that you’re not exact according to the initial code.

There are 2 large troubles right out eviction. Initially, a solitary degree is bigger than the 2 megabytes storage space that the RP2040 has. As well as to drive the 320 × 200 screen, you either require to invest a great deal of your CPU spending plan competing the beam of light or allot a substantial quantity of RAM to framebuffers, making degree decompression a lot harder.

A default compression plan would not suffice due to the fact that it required a high compression proportion as well as arbitrary gain access to considering that unwinding right into RAM had not been a choice. Nevertheless, very carefully maximizing as well as pressing the various information frameworks generated wonderful outcomes. Conserve video game documents are offered a comparable therapy to guarantee they suit the continuing to be flash nevertheless the degrees (34k).

The outcome is superb, as well as it sustains RUIN, Ultimate Ruin, as well as RUIN II The review enters into even more information than we can below; take pleasure in the read. If you determine to make an outing to the midsts of Heck by yourself Pi Pico, make certain to allow us understand in the remarks.

Many Thanks to [Xark] on the Hackaday Discord server for the pointer.

classic hacks

Great Computer Hacks Make Hackers Hacker Computers

Published

2 months ago

March 19, 2022

admin

In the year 1995, computer systems were, well … monotonous. The future had not been below yet, and also computer systems were boring, beefy off-white boxes. Certain, there were some cool-ish computer systems being marketed, yet the landscape was still fairly barren. However as you’ll see in the video clip listed below the break, it does not need to be in this way, and also the [Hackers Curator] reveals us the method by recreating Johnny Lee Miller’s computer from the 1995 movie Hackers.

Cyberpunks had not been prominent when it appeared, yet throughout the years it has actually gotten fairly an adhering to. It represented computer systems and also individuals that enjoyed them in entirely brand-new methods, standing for a society that has actually never ever existed. Nevertheless, it influenced numerous young cyberpunk kinds. Amongst those influenced is the team over at [Hackers Curator] and also they have actually taken it upon themselves to, uh … curate … the props, outfits, and also tales bordering the motion picture.

Recreating Dade’s legendary camouflage “luggable” computer system included fairly a great deal of trouble. It ends up that the initial motion picture props were functioning personalized computer systems that made use of hacked with each other personalized instances and also Mac Powerbook 180c internals. Dade’s (also known as Zer0 Great and also Accident Override) was mashup of the a Compaq Portable 486c and also the previously mentioned Mac. [HackersCurator] have actually carefully recreated this prop from 2 busted computer systems, yet picked to run the internals with a Raspberry Pi.

The methods made use of in the production of this abominable cyberdeck are ones that can be made use of in structure numerous various other tasks, also if you’re not a Cyberpunks cyberpunk. Personalizing the plastics and also putting a trackball in one of the most uncomfortable of places was skillfully done, and also we’ll be describing it in the future for assistance when doing comparable tasks.

Are motion picture reproduction hacks your point? You remain in good luck! It ends up that this isn’t [Hackers Curator]’s very first develop. In 2019 they dealt with Lord Nikon’s laptop computer, and also obviously, we covered that a person as well!

classic hacks

An Old Typewriter Speaks To The World

Published

2 months ago

March 17, 2022

admin

Typewriters are something which was when common, yet which quickly disappeared and also are currently an uncommon view. There was a duration of a couple of years in which electrical typewriters and also computer systems existed side-by-side however, and also it is just one of these which [Jonah Brchert] has experimented with connecting to a computer for use as a printer or terminal.

The equipment concerned is a SIGMA SM 8200i typewriter, which is a rebadged variation of the Eastern German Erika S3004. It has an appealing 26-pin port on its side which offers accessibility to a 1200 baud serial port. It utilizes its very own personality inscribing referred to as “gdrascii”, for which there is a Python library that he might port to Corrosion. The outcome is an incurable in the old design, from the days when accessibility to a computer system was via a teletype instead of a display. All that’s missing out on is a punched tape viewers at its side!

We have actually included a great deal of typewriters right here over the ears, however this isn’t the initial that has actually obtained an incurable conversion.

3d printer

Split Flap Display Tells Us The Word

Published

3 months ago

March 2, 2022

admin

LED as well as LCD screens are a technical wonder. They have actually brought the cost of tvs as well as screens to unprecedented degrees considering that the days of CRTs, however this benefit probably includes a visual expense. When whatever is covered in dull computer system displays, the globe often tends to look a whole lot extra boring. Not so a number of years ago when there were lots of greatly contrasting means of presenting info. One instance of this various time pertains to us using this split-flap display that [Erich] has been recreating.

Split-flap screens function by publishing letters or numbers on a collection of flaps that are affixed to a pin with a stepper electric motor. Each action of the electric motor transforms the screen by one personality. They can be loud as well as do need a big quantity of upkeep contrasted to contemporary screens, however have some benefits also. [Erich]’s variation is developed out of brand-new acrylic as well as MDF, as well as makes use of an Arduino as the control panel. A 3D printer as well as CNC device maintain the resistances tight sufficient for the screen to function efficiently as well as likewise allow him to broaden the screen as required considering that each personality screen is relatively modular.

Now, [Erich]’s screen has 20 personalities on 2 various rows as well as most definitely brings us back to the past age where screens of this design would certainly have projected in airport terminals as well as train terminals. This screen makes use of a great deal of the fundamentals from an additional split flap present that we included a couple of years ago however has some renovations. And also, if you would certainly choose repairs of old screens instead of contemporary versions, we have you covered there also.