Evil Mad Scientist

I wish these guys would have released this amazing looking 6502 in circuits: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2016/6502/

I thought “evil mad science” had an inexpensive one. Including one the would pen plot on eggs. (Not available) https://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/171 And a 2d minimalist plotter. https://shop.evilmadscientist.com/productsmenu/846 They seem to have been bought. Those pro plotters look nice though quite pricy. The page still has good resources. https://www.evilmadscientist.com/

There's also the fact that they were recently acquired [1], unfortunately (IMO). I've said it before: I would totally buy one of those just to hang on my wall. It's a truly awesome project, and I love blinkenlights! [1] https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2024/bantam-tools/

I’m looking for more companies like these: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/ https://teenage.engineering/

Evil Mad Scientist have a monthly (well, maybe not every month) link post. https://www.evilmadscientist.com

You can build logic gates out of just about anything. One of my favorites is the Digi-Comp II, which uses (in this modern version) laser cut wood, steel balls, and gravity: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2012/dcii-first/ There can be real value in explaining logic gates using things you can see and touch and observe in action.

"The `paperclip computer` was introduced in 1967 in a book called How To Build a Working Digital Computer by Alcosser, Phillips, and Wolk. The book describes how you can build a simple computer with things around the house, like paperclips for switches, and a tin can for drum memory." This sounds pretty cool, and possibly worthy of its own post. http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2013/paperclip/ Apparently not first, though.

Besides the paperlet, and Scott's new format for getting out his ideas -- I thought the rolling ball binary mechanical computer called the Digi-Comp II was pretty cool, and can actually be purchased as well. [0] [0] http://www.evilmadscientist.com

http://www.evilmadscientist.com/ has lots more of this stuff if you are interested in it.

Ah nice, hadn't seen those two. The first one I came across was [1] and I have been fascinated with the idea ever since. I kind of agree with Dave Vandenbout [2] though in that it might not scale. I kind of shifted my fascination towards using code to do PCB designs and giving talks about that [3]. Best practices, it's a good idea, but it is hard enough to get people to do the minimal thing that I came up with for Kitspace and I think only certain kinds of people will read a best practices guide. At the Global Open Science Hardware Gathering [4] we are trying to come up with more general best practices for open source hardware though and doing a more focused one for electronics would be worthwhile anyway. About attending OHS, not unless I can get some travel funding :( [1]: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2011/improving-open-source-hardware-v… [2]: http://www.xess.com/blog/schematics-really/ [3]: https://fosdem.org/2018/schedule/event/cad_pcb_code/ [4]: http://openhardware.science/gosh-manifesto/

can you provide some links for visual diffing tools? 90% of the programs I write are PLC programs in the IEC 61131 function block language. I would love to be able to diff and merge. PLC processors have come down so much in cost we have gone to a modular architecture where we have multiple CPUs in a plant each running an independent machine or part of the plant process partly so that one programmer can work on the program for 1 CPU without having to merge another programmer's changes. I thought this could be useful if I could use the PLC programming software (Schneider Unity) to export PDFs of the function block diagrams: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2011/improving-open-source-hardware-vi… I thought I might be able to get this open source PLC programming software which includes a function block renderer to read the unity XML program exports and then I could render the function block sections myself and diff them: http://www.beremiz.org/doc Here is the only real product I've ever seen which has a module for matlab simulink diffing: https://www.diffplug.com/ Schneider does have the UnityDiff tool which has come a long way in the last couple years and it does pretty decent diffs but there is no way to generate them automatically that I know of. I have to open both versions of the program I want to diff and then run the diffing tool. Then the visual diff output can't be exported out of the unitydiff program. printing doesn't work. I should make some feature…

That light was a big deal - I remember when I got into Arduino years ago this was one of the common projects people would do to add a breathing LED to everything, including a pumpkin: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2010/a-pumpkin-that-sleeps-like-a-mac…

I think Think Geek used to have a "frayed cable" usb drive... and there have been "how to" for one such as https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/how-to-make-a-sawed-off-usb-key/

Not sure if it’s still being sold, but “evil mad scientist” had a kit [1] to build a giant 555 from discrete components. [1]https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2014/555v2/>

You lucked out being able to get the plotters. https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2024/bantam-tools/ Evil Mad Scientist has been acquired by bantam-tools so plotters are out of stock for awhile, along with some of the cool additions they made.

Maybe something like the Geniac[1] or a Paperclip Computer[2]? [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geniac [2]: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2013/paperclip/

Not the one I'm most proud but at least this one I can explain. I initial did it to help a friend who wanted to customize and sell bycicle bells. since most printing techniques are made for flat surfaces this creates an interesting challenge. The solution I eventually arrived at involves a pen plotter and a custom fixture. There's actually a article about it here: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2019/bike-bells-with-axidraw/ And by the way, the obvious way to produce them would probably using transparent stickers a heat gun an a coat of varnish but where's the fun in that.

Related very cool project: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2022/open-circuits-out/

Monetary density always gets me thinking about this blog post from many moons ago. https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/the-monetary-density-of-things/

Check out: Calligraphy for Computers https://archive.org/details/hershey-calligraphy_for_computers Hershey Text V3 https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2019/hershey-text-v30/ Another plugin variant https://gitlab.com/Hirmer/Hardy-Hershey-Text

The article mentions Bill Atkinson’s dithering algorithm, invented during his work on the original Macintosh. You can also read more about it here: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2012/dithering/ It’s actually implemented in BitCam iOS app by icon factory: https://iconfactory.com/bc.html And Emilio Vanni did a neat e-paper display experiment with it here: https://www.emiliovanni.com/atkinson-dithering-machine

It can be done: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2016/6502/ is a minicomputer implementation of the 6502. You can also make a "soft core" than can be uploaded to an FPGA, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_microprocessor Some of those are open source. Probably the simplest CPU architecture for the CPU hacker is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_triggered_architecture which is not only easy to design, but lets you add custom processing units such that you can codesign the chip with the software it runs.

Reminded me of this project: Flash drive disguised as a sawed-off usb cable. https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/how-to-make-a-sawed-off-usb-key/

> Every time I consider the simplicity of computing in the early 90s (when I was a kid) I have a pang of nostalgia. When I was a kid, this was my first computer: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2011/a-video-introduction-to-the-digi…

Coincidentally, this Saturday will be the Electronics Flea Market at Fry's Sunnyvale, nearby: https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2018/electronics-flea-market-now-in-s…

I think wfunction was referring to this, that food with a constant water content are still not cooked uniformly: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2011/microwave-oven-diagnostics-with-i…

> To create his pictures, Bosch uses a computer program toconvert a drawing (or painting or photograph) into a scattering of dots I think Bosch is using AJ Secord's work here: https://cs.nyu.edu/~ajsecord/stipples.html I'm also wondering if EMSLabs got the idea from him, or the other way around: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2012/stipplegen-weighted-voronoi-stipp… EDIT: Also, plenty of other people have tinkered with this since, for example: https://www.mattkeeter.com/projects/swingline/ https://github.com/repwolfe/stippling

Also: Introducing the MOnSter 6502 http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2016/6502/

Does it also deal with uneven heating? Test with a few papadums[1]... :) [1] http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2011/microwave-oven-diagnostics-with-i…

There's also this, a 555 timer kit built with discrete components: http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2013/555-kit/