maker community

Espressif's latest ESP32 chip can now boot Linux, a milestone for a microcontroller line traditionally limited to bare-metal and RTOS work. Reports note the low-cost chip is approaching entry-level Raspberry Pi capability, sparking debate among makers about whether cheap microcontrollers could soon replace single-board computers for simple projects.

A maker is revisiting their Archimedes robot owl project from 2021, explaining that moonstones were used for its backlit eyes. The stones look striking in normal light while also working as LED diffusers, giving the owl a soft glow. The project is documented on Hackster.io, and robotics hobbyists are sharing appreciation for the elegant combination of natural materials and electronics.

A developer has released an open-source tool that uses AI to generate Lego-style models, shared on GitHub as ldraw-nova. The project lets users create building instructions or designs automatically using the LDraw format, and it is drawing attention and debate among tech enthusiasts interested in AI-powered creative tools.

An open-source desktop companion robot called JBR-001 has been released, built around the Arduino Uno Q and fully 3D printable. The project, shared on Arduino's Project Hub by the maker behind Synthetic AI Data, lets anyone print, assemble and customise their own small desktop robot. It is drawing attention in the maker community as an accessible entry point into hobby robotics.

Slow Pour Brewing in Lawrenceville, Georgia, is hosting a Sunday Market inviting local residents to browse and buy from local artisans. The event promotes crafts and books alongside the brewery's beer, with a call to support small makers in the Atlanta area. The pop-up market format pairs shopping with a casual brewery setting on Sunday.

CHOMPI, a portable sampler instrument popular with hobbyist musicians, has been released as open-source, covering both its hardware and software. The move lets owners and makers study, modify, and build on the design, with documentation available on the CHOMPI Club site. Musicians and DIY synth enthusiasts are welcoming the decision, seeing it as a boost for community-driven development and repairability.

A developer known as M-Abozaid has released an open-source project that turns a $2 ESP32-C3 microcontroller, which lacks PSRAM, into a Pi-hole-class DNS ad blocker. The software stores 537,000 blocked domains as compact 40-bit FNV-1a hashes in flash memory and searches them with binary search, running a UDP DNS sinkhole alongside a web dashboard. Enthusiasts are discussing the efficient use of minimal hardware for whole-network ad blocking.

The makers behind Wicked Makers have built a Five Nights at Freddy's-style animatronic for use in an actual haunted house attraction, documenting the build from design to movement. The project blends game-inspired horror aesthetics with practical robotics, and is drawing major attention from fans of the game series, haunted attraction operators and hobbyist builders alike.

A video game development expo is returning to Albany, bringing together developers, studios and fans for the regional event. Organisers say the comeback gives local game makers a venue to showcase projects and network with industry professionals. The return is being welcomed by the area's growing games community, though details on dates, venue and featured exhibitors have not yet been announced.

German tech outlet Heise has published a video tutorial showing how to build a DIY USB sound card using the Raspberry Pi Pico 2. The microcontroller's onboard programmable I/O makes it flexible enough to act as a sound processor, and the guide walks viewers through the full process. Hobbyist electronics projects like this are popular in the maker community, and the Pi Pico line remains a favorite for cheap audio experiments.

Muse Gadgets is turning AI hardware into an open-source DIY project, allowing anyone to build and modify their own AI-powered devices. The initiative invites makers and hobbyists to access designs and contribute to development, positioning it as a community-driven alternative to closed commercial AI gadgets. Details about pricing, availability, and the team behind the project remain limited so far.

3D printer maker Bambu Lab has launched a Halloween sale cutting prices by up to 30% across its printer range, alongside bulk discounts on filament rolls. The promotion is being shared among maker and tech communities, with buyers urged to take advantage before the seasonal deal ends.

A visitor spent a relaxed Sunday at Prishtina Hackerspace in Kosovo doing informal tinkering, with some soldering and open-source robot assembly. The person shared the experience with FLOSSK, the Kosovo free and open source software community behind the space, and said they hope to return for more sessions soon.

Hackaday highlights how LineageOS, the open-source Android distribution, is being used to extend the life of old phones and to power DIY smart TV projects. The piece frames it as a practical option for makers who want to repurpose ageing hardware without vendor software restrictions, a familiar theme among open-source and hobbyist communities.

A maker project featured on Hackaday uses an Arduino-driven pen plotter to draw the Moon in detailed contour prints, turning lunar surface imagery into line art that can be reproduced at home. Enthusiasts in the plotting and electronics communities are sharing it, praising the combination of art, robotics and space imagery in an accessible DIY build.

Artist Niklas Roy has built the Glashütte Trash Clock, a pendulum clock made from discarded materials that runs on a 30-minute cycle. The project plays on the name of Germany's famous watchmaking town, known for precision timepieces, by applying the same principle to rubbish. It is being shared and discussed on Hacker News, where makers and clock enthusiasts are weighing in on the design and craftsmanship.

FPV drones exist in their modern form thanks to open source software and community-driven projects, a new explainer argues. The piece traces how hobbyist-developed firmware and flight controller tools replaced proprietary systems, letting builders customize every part of their craft. Viewers are praising it as a clear account of the technology's roots, and the topic has drawn strong attention from the drone and maker communities.

La MaMa and Spiderwoman Theater are presenting a Global Indigenous Theatre Festival in New York, bringing together Indigenous artists and productions from around the world. The programme highlights Indigenous storytelling on an international stage and continues both organisations' long histories of championing experimental and underrepresented voices in theatre.

Hackaday has published a piece exploring the use of OpenSCAD, the open-source 3D modelling software usually associated with parametric design and 3D printing, in a gardening context. The writeup has drawn modest attention among open-source hardware enthusiasts, who enjoy seeing maker tools applied outside their usual workshop settings, though details of the project itself remain limited to the article.

A developer has published a DIY project that turns an iPhone and a $20 smart plug into an f-stop timer for photographic darkroom enlargers, with instructions available on his website. The hack replaces dedicated darkroom timer hardware with an app-controlled smart plug, and the project is drawing discussion among tech and photography hobbyists on Hacker News.

Developer Carlos Antelo has released ldraw-nova, an open-source tool that lets large language models such as GPT-6 Astra and Claude Opus 5.5 design LEGO models as LDraw CAD files. The resulting builds use more than 2,000 real pieces, meaning designs can actually be assembled with existing bricks rather than remaining purely digital concepts.

A DIY CNC build called PrintNC, a steel-frame metal cutter running LinuxCNC controller software, is drawing a large audience with demonstrations of aluminium milling on a homemade machine. The project shows hobbyists can cut and mill metal at home without commercial equipment. Viewers are discussing the build's affordability and its potential for home workshops and small-scale fabrication.

The CHOMPI Sampler, a small standalone audio sampler popular with hobbyist musicians, has been released as an open source project. Its design files are now publicly available, allowing users to study, modify and build their own versions of the device. The move has drawn attention in the maker and electronic music communities, where open sourcing music hardware is often celebrated as a way to encourage experimentation and community-driven development.

A hobbyist robotics project called dogsbod has been presented online: a homemade quadruped robot designed, built and programmed from scratch to walk across complex terrain. The writeup describes the design and construction process and cites the builder's long-standing fascination with four-legged robots as the motivation for the build.