One Hundred Years Of Telly

Today marks an auspicious anniversary which might have passed us by had it not been for [Diamond Geezer], who reminds us that it’s a hundred years since the first public demonstration of television by John Logie Baird. In a room above what is today a rather famous Italian coffee shop in London’s Soho, he had assembled a complete mechanical TV system that he demonstrated to journalists.

Television is one of those inventions that owes its genesis to more than a single person, so while Baird was by no means the only one inventing in the field, he was the first to demonstrate a working system. With mechanical scanning and just 30 lines, it’s hardly HD or 4K, but it does have the advantage of being within the reach of the constructor.

Perhaps the saddest thing about Baird and his system is that while he was able to attract the interest of the BBC in it, when the time came for dedicated transmissions at a higher resolution, his by then partly mechanical system could not compete and he faded into relative obscurity. Brits instead received EMI’s 405 line system, which persisted until the very start of the 1980s, and eventually the German PAL colour system in the late 1960s.

So head on down to Bar Italia if you can to raise a coffee to his memory, and should you wish to have a go at Baird-style TV for yourself, then you may need to print yourself a disk.

Header image: Matt Brown, CC BY 2.0.

hackaday.com/2026/01/26/one-hu…

Create a Tiny Telephone Exchange with an Analog Telephone Adapter

An analog telephone adapter (ATA), or FXS gateway, is a device that allows traditional analog phones to be connected to a digital voice-over-IP (VoIP) network. In addition to this, you can even create a local phone exchange using just analog phones without connecting to a network as [Playful Technology] demonstrates in a recent video.

The ATA used in the video is the Grandstream HT802, which features one 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port and two RJ11 FXS ports for two POTS phones, allowing for two phones to be directly connected and configured using their own profiles.

By using a multi-FXS port ATA in this manner, you essentially can set up your own mini telephone exchange, with a long run of Cat-3 possible between an individual phone and the ATA. Use of the Ethernet port is necessary just once to configure the ATA, as demonstrated in the video. The IP address of the ATA is amusingly obtained by dialing *** on a connected phone and picking 02 as menu option after which a synthetic voice reads out the number. This IP address gets you into the administration interface.

To configure the ATA as an exchange, the local loopback address is used, along with a dial alias configured in the ‘Dial Plan’ section. This way dialing e.g. 102 gets internally converted to dial the other FXS port. By setting up a similar plan on the other FXS port both phones can call each other, but it’s also possible to auto-dial when you lift the handset off the hook.

The rather hacky configuration ought to make clear that the ATA was not designed to be used in this manner, but if your use case involves this kind of scenario, it’s probably one of the cheaper ways to set up a basic, small phone exchange. There are even ATA models that have more than two ports, opening up more possibilities. Just keep in mind that not every ATA may support this kind of tweaking.

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hackaday.com/2026/01/26/create…

Restoring a 1924 Frigidaire B-9 Refrigerator Back to Working Condition

Before the refrigerator became a normal part of any kitchen, those with enough money to throw around could get an icebox, which used melting ice to cool food and drinks in a second compartment. As refrigerators became available for sale in the 1920s, this created somewhat awkward transition models, like the 1924 Frigidaire B-9 that [David Allen] recently got offered for a restoration. This was part of the restoration of a 1926 house, which foresaw putting this venerable unit back into operation.

As [David] explains, this refrigerator was still in use until about 1970 when it broke down, and repairs proved tricky. Clearly, the fault wasn’t that severe as [David] got it working again after a number of small repairs and a lot of maintenance. The running unit with its basic elements can be seen purring away in the completion video, with the journey to get there covered in a video series starting with the first episode.

What’s fascinating is that during this aforementioned transition period, the vapor compression electric cooling system was an optional extra, meaning that the basic layout is still that of an icebox. Correspondingly, instead of ice in the ice compartment, you find the low-side float evaporator, with the basement section containing the condensing unit, motor, and compressor. The temperature sensor is also a miracle of simplicity, using bellows that respond to the temperature and thus volume of the evaporator coolant, which trigger a switch that turns on the compressor.

Despite a hundred years having passed since this refrigerator was constructed, at its core it works exactly the same as the unit we have in our kitchens today, albeit with higher efficiency, more electronics, and with the sulfur dioxide refrigerant replaced with something less toxic to us humans.

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hackaday.com/2026/01/26/restor…

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One with the Split with the Num Pad

I love, love, love Saturn by [Rain2], which comes in two versions. The first, which is notably more complex, is shown here with its rings-of-Saturn thumb clusters.

Image by [Rain2] via redditSo what was the impetus for this keyboard? It’s simple: a friend mentioned that ergo keyboards are a no-go if you need a num pad really bad.

Saturn has one built right in. The basic idea was to add a num pad while keeping the total number of keys to a minimum. Thanks to a mod key, this area can be many things, including but not limited to a num pad.

As far as the far-out shape goes, and I love that the curvature covers the thumb cluster and the index finger, [Rain2] wanted to get away from the traditional thumb cluster design. Be sure to check out the back of the boards in the image gallery.

Unfortunately, this version is too complicated to make, so v2 does not have the cool collision shapes going for it. But it is still an excellent keyboard, and perhaps will be open source someday.

Phanny Kicks Butt

Say hello to Phanny, a custom 52-key wireless split from [SfBattleBeagle]. This interestingly-named board has a custom splay that they designed from the ground up along with PCBWay, who sponsored the PCBs in the first place.

Image by [SfBattleBeagle] via GitHubI personally think the thumb keys go a little too far inward for my taste, but I’m certain that [SfBattleBeagle]’s hands must be different. Probably doesn’t have these stubby little thumbs.

While Ergogen is all the rage, [SfBattleBeagle] still opts to use Fusion and KiCad, preferring the UI of the average CAD program. If you’re wondering about the lack of palm rests, the main reason is that [SfBattleBeagle] tends to bounce between screens, as well as moving between the split and the num pad. To that end, they are currently designing a pair of sliding wrist skates that I would love to hear more about.

Be sure to check out the GitHub repo for all the details and a nice build guide. [SfBattleBeagle] says this is a fun project and results in a very comfy board.

The Centerfold: Mantis WIP is Captivating

Image by [luckybipedal] via redditI love it when I can provide a lovely centerfold that’s also got a lot of story behind it. This is Mantis, a work-in-progress by [luckybipedal] aka [Felix Kühling]. You can read a lot more on GitHub, and the reasoning behind the design choices in [Felix]’s write-up over on KBD News. [Felix] expects to build the first prototypes in March or April, and publish a final design and build guide later this spring.

Via reddit

Do you rock a sweet set of peripherals on a screamin’ desk pad? Send me a picture along with your handle and all the gory details, and you could be featured here!

Historical Clackers: the Masspro

I must say, the Antikey Chop doesn’t have much to say about the Masspro typewriter, and for good reason.
Image via The Antikey Chop
But here’s what we know: the Masspro was invented by a George Francis Rose, who was the son of Frank S. Rose, inventor of the Standard Folding Typewriter. That machine was the predecessor to the Corona No. 3.

Frank died right as the Rose Typewriter Co. was starting to get somewhere. George took over, but then it needed financing pretty badly.

Angel investor and congressman Bill Conger took over the company, relocated, and renamed it the Standard Folding Typewriter Co. According to the Antikey Chop, “selling his father’s company was arguably George’s greatest contribution to typewriter history”.

George Rose was an engineer like his father, but he was not very original when it came to typewriters. The Masspro is familiar yet foreign, and resembles the Corona Four. Although the patent was issued in 1925, production didn’t begin until 1932, and likely ended within to years.
Image via Oz Typewriter
Why? It was the wrong machine at the wrong time. Plus, it was poorly built, and bore a double-shift keyboard which was outdated by this time. And, oh yeah, the company was started during the Depression.

But I like the Masspro. I think my favorite part, aside from the open keyboard, is the logo, which looks either like hieroglyphics or letters chiseled into a stone tablet.

I also like the textured firewall area where the logo is stamped. The Antikey Chop calls this a crinkle finish. Apparently, they came in black, blue, green, and red. The red isn’t candy apple, it’s more of an ox-blood red, and that’s just fine with me. I’d love to see the blue and green, though. Oh, here’s the green.

Finally, a Trackball Mouse With Nice Switches

Okay, so Keychron’s new Nape Pro mouse is pretty darn cool, and this is the best picture I could find that actually shows how you’re supposed to implement this thing on your desk. Otherwise, it looks like some kind of presentation remote.
Image via Yanko Design
So the idea here is to never take your hands off the keyboard to mouse, although you can use it off to the side like a regular trackball if you want. I say the ability to leave your fingers on the home row is even better.

There are plenty of keyboards with trackpads and other mousing functions that let you do this. But maybe you’re not ready to go that far. This mouse is a nice, easy first step.

The ball is pretty small at 25 mm. For comparison, the M575 uses a 34 mm ball, which is pretty common for trackball mice. Under those six buttons are quiet Huano micro switches, which makes sense, but I personally think loud-ish mice are nice enough.

I’ve never given it much thought, but the switches on my Logitech M575 are nice and clicky. I wonder how these compare, but I don’t see a sound sample. If the Nape Pro switches sound anything like this, then wowsers, that is quiet.
Image via Yanko Design
The super-cool part here is the software and orientation system, which they call OctaShift. The thing knows how it’s positioned and can remap its functions to match. M1 and M2 are meant to be your primary mouse buttons, and they are reported to be comfortable to reach in any position.

Inside you’ll find a Realtek chip with a 1 kHz polling rate along with a PixArt PAW3222 sensor, which puts this mouse in the realm of decent wireless gaming mice. But the connectivity choice is yours between dongle, Bluetooth, and USB-C cable.

And check this out: the firmware is ZMK, and Keychron plans to release the case STLs. Finally, it seems the mouse world is catching up with the keyboard world a bit.

Got a hot tip that has like, anything to do with keyboards? Help me out by sending in a link or two. Don’t want all the Hackaday scribes to see it? Feel free to email me directly.

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Astronomy Live on Twitch

Although there are a few hobbies that have low-cost entry points, amateur astronomy is not generally among them. A tabletop Dobsonian might cost a few hundred dollars, and that is just the entry point for an ever-increasing set of telescopes, mounts, trackers, lasers, and other pieces of equipment that it’s possible to build or buy. [Thomas] is deep into astronomy now, has a high-quality, remotely controllable telescope, and wanted to make it more accessible to his friends and others, so he built a system that lets the telescope stream on Twitch and lets his Twitch viewers control what it’s looking at.

The project began with overcoming the $4000 telescope’s practical limitations, most notably an annoyingly short Wi-Fi range and closed software. [Thomas] built a wireless bridge with a Raspberry Pi to extend connectivity, and then built a headless streaming system using OBS Studio inside a Proxmox container. This was a major hurdle as OBS doesn’t have particularly good support for headless operation.

The next step was reverse engineering the proprietary software the telescope uses for control. [Thomas] was able to probe network traffic on the Android app and uncovered undocumented REST and WebSocket APIs. From there, he gained full control over targeting, parking, initialization, and image capture. This allowed him to automate telescope behavior through Python scripts rather than relying on the official Android app.

To make the telescope interactive, he built a Twitch-integrated control system that enables viewers to vote on celestial targets, issue commands, and view live telemetry, including stacking progress, exposure data, and target coordinates. A custom HTML/CSS/JavaScript overlay displays real-time status, and there’s a custom loading screen when the telescope is moving to a new target. He also added ambient music and atmospheric effects, so the stream isn’t silent.

If [Thomas]’s stream is your first entry point into astronomy and you find that you need to explore it more on your own, there are plenty of paths to build your way into the hobby, especially with Dobsonian telescopes, which can be built by hand, including the mirrors.

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Does Carbon Fiber PLA Make Sense?

Carbon fiber (CF) has attained somewhat of a near-mystical appeal in consumer marketing, with it being praised for being stronger than steel while simultaneously being extremely lightweight. This mostly refers to weaved fibers combined with resin into a composite material that is used for everything from car bodies to bike frames. This CF look is so sexy that the typical carbon-fiber composite weave pattern and coloring have been added to products as a purely cosmetic accent.

More recently, chopped carbon fiber (CCF) has been added to the thermoplastics we extrude from our 3D printers. Despite lacking clear evidence of this providing material improvements, the same kind of mysticism persists here as well. Even as evidence emerges of poor integration of these chopped fibers into the thermoplastic matrix, the marketing claims continue unabated.

As with most things, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. A recent paper by Sameh Dabees et al. in Composites for example covered the CF surface modifications required for thermoplastic integration with CF.

Carbon Fibers

There are a number of ways to produce CF, often using polyacrylonitrile, rayon, or pitch as the feedstock. After spinning this precursor into a suitable filament, heating induces carbonization and produces the carbon fiber.
Schematic representation of carbon fiber preparation from polyacrylonitrile.A 6 μm diameter carbon filament, compared to 50 μm diameter human hair. (Source: Wikimedia)
Following this process, the CF is typically in the form of a few micrometer-thick fiber that is essentially pure carbon. To create a structural interface between the CF and the polymer of a composite material, some kind of process has to take place that creates this interface.

The fundamental difference between thermoset and thermoplastic polymers is that thermoset polymers are reacting in the mold as it sets, providing an environment in which the epoxy precursor and hardener can interact with the normally not chemically very reactive CF to form covalent bonds.

In comparison, thermoplastic polymers are already finalized, with covalent bonds between thermoplastics and CF unlikely. This means that the focus with CF-reinforced thermoplastics is mostly on weaker, non-covalent interactions, such as Van der Waals forces, pi-interactions and hydrogen bonds. Each of these interactions is further dependent on whether the thermoplastic is compatible, such as the presence of aromatic rings for pi-interactions.

Making It Stick

With those challenges in mind, how can thermoplastics be coaxed into forming a significant interface with CF? As noted in the earlier cited work by Sameh Dabees et al., there is no single surface treatment for CF that would work for every thermoplastic polymer, as a logical result of the limitations imposed by the available non-covalent interactions.
Carbon fiber in PLA after FDM printing, showing clear voids. (Credit: I built a thing, YouTube)
One way to prepare the CF is by applying a coating to the fiber, called a sizing. By applying a sizing to the fiber that is compatible with the target thermoplastic, the interface with the bulk material is expected to improve. In one cited study involving a polyamide-acid sizing for polyimide bulk material, this coating created an approximately 85 nm interface, with an interfacial shear strength increased by 32.3%. In another study targeting CF-PEEK, this had a polyimide-based, water-soluble sizing applied that also significantly improved the shear strength.

Of course, this sizing has to actually adhere to the CF, lest it simply vanishes into the bulk thermoplastic material. This is a problem that is easily observable in FDM-printed thermoplastic polymers as distinct voids around the CF where the bulk polymer pulled away during crystallization, and no interface formed. Obviously, these voids create a weak point instead of strengthening the material.

Fiber Modding

Although CF is often confused with carbon nanotubes, it does not have the rigidly ordered structure that they do. Instead it has a graphite structure, owing to the way that they are produced, meaning sheets of graphite placed together in a disordered fashion. Despite this, the external surface is still smooth, which is where the chemical inertness comes from. Combined with the lack of reactivity from the side of thermoplastics, this highlights the need for something to bridge the gap.
Various carbon fiber surface modification methods. (Credit: Dabees et al., 2025, Composites)
The review paper by Dabees et al. covers the most common types of surface treatments, with the above graphic providing a summary of the methods. Perhaps one of the most straightforward methods is the coating of the CF with an epoxy, thus shifting the interface from CF-thermoplastic to thermoset-thermoplastic. This kind of hybrid approach shows promising results, but is also cumbersome and not a universal fix.

Note that virtually all research here is focused on thermoplastic polymers like polycarbonate and PEEK, as these are most commonly used in industrial and medical settings. Yet even within that more limited scope the understanding of the exact effects of these modifications remains poorly investigated. Much of this is due to how hard it is to characterize the effects of one treatment when you take all other variables into account.

Perhaps most frustrating of all is how hard it is to research this topic considering the scale of the CF surface and the miniscule thickness of the CF-polymer interface. Relying on purely mechanical tests to quantify the impact is then tempting, but ultimately leaves us without a real understanding of why one method seems to work better than another.

Vibes Vs Science

The overall conclusion that we draw from this particular review paper is that although we know that composite materials can often provide improvements, in the case of thermoplastic-CF composites we realize that our understanding of the fundamentals is still rather lacking.

Outside of the less mainstream world of industrial and medical settings, CF is now widely being added to thermoplastic polymers, primarily in the form of filaments for FDM 3D printers. Without detailed information on whether the manufacturers of these filaments perform any kind of CF surface modification, it is very hard to even compare different CF-polymer filaments like this, even before taking into account individual FDM printer configurations and testing scenarios.

Considering that CF has for a few years now been identified as a potential carcinogen akin to asbestos, this raises the question of whether we really want to put CF and particularly the very small chopped carbon fibers into everything around us and thermoplastics in particular. When the empirical evidence available to us today shows that any mechanical improvements are not due to a solid CF-polymer interface, and any potential carcinogenic risks still years into the future of becoming clear, then the logical choice would be to hold back on CF-thermoplastics until we gain a better understanding of the benefits and risks.

hackaday.com/2026/01/26/does-c…

The cURL Project Drops Bug Bounties Due To AI Slop

Over the past years, the author of the cURL project, [Daniel Stenberg], has repeatedly complained about the increasingly poor quality of bug reports filed due to LLM chatbot-induced confabulations, also known as ‘AI slop’. This has now led the project to suspend its bug bounty program starting February 1, 2026.

Examples of such slop are provided by [Daniel] in a GitHub gist, which covers a wide range of very intimidating-looking vulnerabilities and seemingly clear exploits. Except that none of them are vulnerabilities when actually examined by a knowledgeable developer. Each is a lengthy word salad that an LLM churned out in seconds, yet which takes a human significantly longer to parse before dealing with the typical diatribe from the submitter.

Although there are undoubtedly still valid reports coming in, the truth of the matter is that the ease with which bogus reports can be generated by anyone who has access to an LLM chatbot and some spare time has completely flooded the bug bounty system and is overwhelming the very human developers who have to dig through the proverbial midden to find that one diamond ring.

We have mentioned before how troubled bounty programs are for open source, and how projects like Mesa have already had to fight off AI slop incidents from people with zero understanding of software development.

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