Dennis Morello writes about Defrag98, a free browser-based simulator that recreates the Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter. Unlike scripted animations, each run simulates the defragmentation process from the current disk state, so no two runs look alike. It features four virtual drives with different sizes and speeds, authentic period hard-disk audio, and exact color palettes sampled from the original utility. The app runs entirely offline as an installable progressive web app and never touches real files on the device.
- Realistic mode mimics Windows interrupting the defrag mid-run, causing the progress bar to drop back; after the first completion the run never finishes again, just like the original
- Each pass can make one of three moves: consolidate a run in place, drag a chunk forward from further down the disk, or shove a run out of the way to clear space ahead
- The project has been written up by PC Gamer, heise online, Boing Boing, and kottke.org, and discussed on Hacker News and Lobsters
- On mobile devices it displays a period-accurate "Windows 98 is not supported on mobile devices" warning that users can dismiss before the simulator runs normally
- Realistic mode mimics Windows interrupting the defrag mid-run, causing the progress bar to drop back; after the first completion the run never finishes again, just like the original
- Each pass can make one of three moves: consolidate a run in place, drag a chunk forward from further down the disk, or shove a run out of the way to clear space ahead
- The project has been written up by PC Gamer, heise online, Boing Boing, and kottke.org, and discussed on Hacker News and Lobsters
- On mobile devices it displays a period-accurate "Windows 98 is not supported on mobile devices" warning that users can dismiss before the simulator runs normally
This GitHub repository serves as a comprehensive collection of community-contributed resources for the Uxn virtual machine and its Uxntal programming language. It includes links to learning materials, documentation, emulators across various platforms (including desktop, web, and other hardware systems), creative applications, utilities, games, and specialized development tools like assemblers and disassemblers.
- Includes support for multiple languages targeting Uxn, such as C via chibicc-uxn and B via Crust.
- Features emulators for retro-style hardware including Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation Vita.
- Provides a list of community forums and IRC channels for discussion.
- Includes support for multiple languages targeting Uxn, such as C via chibicc-uxn and B via Crust.
- Features emulators for retro-style hardware including Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation Vita.
- Provides a list of community forums and IRC channels for discussion.
This repository features a generative AI image generator designed to run on the RP2350 microcontroller (Raspberry Pi Pico 2). The model uses a latent flow diffusion transformer (DiT) architecture, similar to Flux, but scaled down significantly with only 1.7 or 2.9 million parameters—thousands of times smaller than typical local diffusion models. It can generate $128 times 128$ RGB images of human faces in approximately 5-20 seconds and supports conditional generation for five classes based on gender, smile, and neutral expressions.
- The model architecture includes a VAE decoder and a DiT component.
- Hardware output can be displayed via a VGA monitor or streamed over USB.
- Includes an int8 pipeline involving calibration, distillation-QAT (Quantization-Aware Training), and folding.
- Two variants are provided: a high-quality flagship model and a faster build version.
- The model architecture includes a VAE decoder and a DiT component.
- Hardware output can be displayed via a VGA monitor or streamed over USB.
- Includes an int8 pipeline involving calibration, distillation-QAT (Quantization-Aware Training), and folding.
- Two variants are provided: a high-quality flagship model and a faster build version.
eenk is a custom firmware for Xteink ESP32-powered e-ink reader devices that turns them into dedicated interactive fiction players. Stories are written in inkle's Ink scripting language, compiled via the eenky IDE (a fork of Inky), and run on-device using the inkcpp C++ runtime. The project includes a browser-based web flasher for firmware installation and library management over USB with no drivers or WiFi required.
- Supports three hardware models: X3 (ESP32-C3, 792×528), X4 (ESP32-C3, 800×480, USB-C), and X4 Pro (ESP32-S3, 800×480, touchscreen, backlight)
- Uses Papyrix firmware's text layout and rendering pipeline for custom fonts that can be applied per story or globally
- Images (cover art, thumbnails, inlined) are bundled with stories using the same pattern as Inky's web export
- Supports three hardware models: X3 (ESP32-C3, 792×528), X4 (ESP32-C3, 800×480, USB-C), and X4 Pro (ESP32-S3, 800×480, touchscreen, backlight)
- Uses Papyrix firmware's text layout and rendering pipeline for custom fonts that can be applied per story or globally
- Images (cover art, thumbnails, inlined) are bundled with stories using the same pattern as Inky's web export
>"reverse engineering process of a real-world hardware implant discovered inside of a Ledger Nano X cryptocurrency hardware wallet."
The z386 project aims to implement the Intel 80386 processor core on an FPGA. Recent optimizations have significantly improved its performance, including the implementation of early start memory access and a reduction in branch jump cycles from 9.25 down to six through microcode refinements. These changes resulted in approximately a 39% increase in DOOM benchmark scores, though the project still falls short of original hardware speed and cannot yet boot Windows.
- Implementation of early start memory access for FPGA cores
- Optimization of store queues and branch jump timing
- Significant performance gains in gaming benchmarks
- Implementation of early start memory access for FPGA cores
- Optimization of store queues and branch jump timing
- Significant performance gains in gaming benchmarks
Following his successful creation of a 7:1 scale Arduino UNO Rev3, creator UncleStem has developed a matching oversized "turtle robot" designed to operate with the massive board. Using a standard-sized turtle robot as a blueprint, he scaled up every component by utilizing functional equivalents, such as high-power motors intended for kids' ride-on vehicles and 3D-printed shells that mimic the appearance of original miniature parts. The resulting mega-robot functions identically to its small counterpart, using an ultrasonic sensor on a servo mount to navigate around obstacles.
The author explores the potential of running an AI agent framework on low-cost hardware by testing MimiClaw, an OpenClaw-inspired assistant, on an ESP32-S3 microcontroller. Unlike traditional AI setups, MimiClaw operates without Node.js or Linux, requiring the user to flash custom firmware using the ESP-IDF framework. The setup integrates with Telegram for interaction and utilizes Anthropic and Tavily APIs for intelligence and web searching. Despite the technical hurdles of installation and potential API costs, the project successfully demonstrates a functional, sandboxed, and low-power personal assistant capable of persistent memory and routine tracking.
AirLLM is an open-source library that allows large language models to run on consumer hardware using layer-wise inference. By loading layers sequentially, it enables 70B parameter models to operate on as little as 4GB of VRAM. Optimized for research and batch processing, it features block-wise quantization for up to 3x faster performance on Linux and Apple Silicon.
This article provides a guide on building a DIY high-end Bluetooth speaker in only 30 minutes using an ESP32 and simple hobbyist components. Using a LILYGO T-Display board, which supports the Bluetooth Classic protocol required for A2DP audio streaming, the project pairs with a MAX98357A module to act as a digital-to-analog converter and amplifier. The setup uses the I2S interface for audio transmission and can even display track information and connection status on the onboard TFT screen. It is an excellent, quick project for electronics enthusiasts looking to repurpose spare parts into a functional, polished audio device.
