IDing Counterfeit Drugs Might Be Easier Than You ThinkOdds are, you’ve taken pills before; it’s a statistical certainty that some of you reading this took several this morning. Whenever you do, you’re at the mercy of the manufacturer: you’re trusting that they’ve put in the specific active ingredients in the dosage listed on the package. Alas, given the world we live in, that doesn’t always happen. Double-checking actual concentrations requires expensive lab equipment like gas chromatography. It turns out checking for counterfeit pills is easier than you’d think, thanks to a technique called Disintegration Fingerprinting.

The raw voltage signal from the sensor is stored as a “disintegration fingerprint” of particles detected per minute.
It’s delightfully simple: all you need is a clear plastic cup, a stir plate, and a handful of electronic components — namely, a microcontroller, a servo, and an IR line-following sensor. You’ve probably played with just such a sensor: the cheap ones that are a matched pair of LED and photodetector. It works like this: the plastic cup, filled with water, sits upon the stir plate. To start the device, you turn on the stir plate and actuate the servo to drop the pill in the water. The microcontroller then begins recording the signal from the photo-diode. As the pill breaks up and/or dissolves in the water, the swirling bits are going to reflect light from the IR LED. That reflectance signal over time is the Disintegration Fingerprint (DF), and it’s surprisingly effective at catching fakes according to the authors of the paper linked above. Out of 32 different drug products, the technique worked on 90% of them, and was even able to distinguish between generic and brand-name versions of the same drug.
Of course, you do need a known-good sample to generate a trustworthy fingerprint, and there’s that pesky 10% of products the technique doesn’t work on, but this seems like a great way to add some last-mile QA/QC to the drug distribution chain, particularly in low and middle-income countries where counterfeit drugs are a big problem.
We’ve featured pill-identifiers before, but machine vision is going to be much more easily fooled by counterfeits than this method. If your problem isn’t worrying that your pills are fake, but forgetting to take them, we’ve had projects to help with that, too.
Thanks to [Zorch] for the tip!

The SEC drops its four-year-old investigation into EV startup Faraday FutureAfter four years, and multiple subpoenas and depositions, the beleaguered startup has dodged yet another bullet.

RCSSound Nova Essential Trance Soundset Vol 3. for Novation Mininova / UltranovaThe third big soundset with 118 new awesome presets for trance, edm and other electronic music genres! Listen the first short demo, containing few patches of the total 118. Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/user-495684465/nova-essential-trance-soundset-vol-3-first-demo (The drums you hear in the first demo are NOT parts of the soundset.The drums are only providing the musical context for the synth sounds. The soundset by the way contains percussive sounds(from patch no. 097 to 117) like kicks and drum sequences. Complete patch list: 0 DRM_PsySEQ -- This will blow your mind! :) 1 ARP_gouryella 2 LD_Classsix 3 LD_ElNino 4 LD_Toca me? 5 LD_SummerSun 6 LD_coast2coast 7 LD_lethal 8 LD_7th 9 LD_TwoMoons 10 LD_electrostatic 11 LD_MakeMyDream 12 LD_Shrt&Pnhcy 13 LD_ButterflySaw 14 LD_Gates 15 LD_porta 16 LD_Zupastring 17 LD_ravesynth 18 LD_HappyRave 19 LD_Hoovah 20 LD_90svibe 21 LD_FutureRave 22 LD_Ottagen 23 LD_PlckSmooth 24 LD_Popping 25 LD_Spirit 26 LD_1999 27 LD_2000 28 LD_train 29 LD_Sharp 30 LD_Cosmic 31 LD_FancyTrancy1 32 LD_FancyTrancy2 33 LD_FancyTrancy3 34 LD_techglider 35 LD_EvilDist 36 LD_303again 37 LD_SoGood 38 LD_Nordic 39 BS_Evergreen 40 BS_Psynth 41 BS_Waaarp 42 BS_Slap! 43 BS_Organ 44 BS_Wooomp 45 BS_massiva 46 BS_Cake 47 BS_Boog 48 BS_Hands Up! 49 BS_DiscreteGlide 50 BS_woody 51 BS_Flanger 52 BS_SUB 53 BS_PureSub 54 BS_BoxySub 55 BS_DontBeShy 56 BS_Juicy 57 BS_Juicy2 58 BS_Colorful 59 BS_NailGun 60 BS_SimplyAwsm 61 BS_Rave2 62 BS_Easy 63 BS_Lazy 64 BS_TooLately 65 BS_TrncBss 66 BS_floor 67 BS_pwmish 68 BS_textured 69 FLR_midbasslow 70 FLR_midbassLow2 71 FLR_midbass-dly 72 PD_everlake 73 PD_ForestEvening 74 PD_Multiverse 75 PD_Mega_gated 76 PD_NovaSaw 77 PD_NoMoreJP8000 78 PD_Dream 79 PD_sweep 80 PD_Vintage 81 PD_Vintage2 82 ARP_Glider 83 GAT_303like1 84 ARP_303like2 85 ARP_303like3 86 ARP_filler 87 ARP_filler2 88 ARP_bouncy 89 ARP_BassArp1 90 ARP_BassArp2 91 ARP_TranceBass2 92 ARP_BS_ShrtDLY 93 KEY_Organ 94 FX SPacejet 95 FX Hit1 96 FX Hit2 97 Kick01-G4 98 Kick02-A4 99 Kick03-D5 100 Kick04-E4 101 Kick05 102 Kick06 103 Kick07 104 Kick08 105 Kick09 106 Kick10 107 Kick11 108 EuroDanceKick 109 PsyKick 110 HeavyKick 111 GabberKick-A4 112 8O8Soft 113 8O8hard-E4 114 DRM_909SoftSEQ 115 DRM_KickSEQ 116 DRM_hihat 117 DRM_clap. Read More

TiagoLr just released Sirial, a FREE rhythmic serial delay plugin
Sirial is a rhythmic serial delay inspired by “tap mode” by the SoundToys EchoBoy. The plugin works on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The developer has already brought us several amazing freeware plugins inspired by paid software, such as FILT-R, which somewhat recreates the Cableguys FilterShaper plugin. Sirial has 16 serial delay lines that allow you to [...]
View post: TiagoLr just released Sirial, a FREE rhythmic serial delay plugin

VSL update Synchron Woodwinds & Strings Synchron Woodwinds, Synchron Strings Pro and Synchron Duality Strings (Colors) have just gained some new capabilities, and the updates come alongside a new limited-time promotion across VSL's woodwind libraries. 

Warmth.dev Pale Horse Transparent OverdrivePale Horse - Transparent Overdrive Plugin Add transparent, Klon-style overdrive to your music. What It Does Pale Horse models the famous Klon Centaur circuit. Clean signal blends with overdrive in a faithful reproduction of the physical stompbox. It produces a warm, full sound that's instantly recognizable. Features Gain, Treble, Output, and Mix knobs. Realistic simulation of the legendary effect based on our original electronics research. Clean low end preserved at all drive settings. VST3 + CLAP + AU formats. macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), Windows, Linux. Stacks with other Warmth plugins Pale Horse pairs well with other plugins in our lineup: Run it into Reel Deal for tape-saturated drive tones. Add Tape Wobble for wobbly lo-fi character. Try it before Prism to shape the harmonics with multiband color. From Warmth - warmth.dev Read More

It’s been 20 years since the first tweetOn March 21, 2006, Jack Dorsey posted a simple message: “just setting up my twittr”.

ESP32: When Is A P4 A P4, But Not The P4 You Thought It WasWe’re used to electronic parts of the same type staying predictably the same, sometimes over many years. An early Z80 from the mid 1970s can be exchanged with one from the end of production a few years ago, for example. This week, we’ve had DMs from several readers who’ve found that this is not always the case, and the culprit is surprising. Espressif has released a new revision of their P4 application processor, and though it’s ostensibly the same, there are a couple of changes that have been catching people out.
The changes lie in both hardware and software, in that there’s a pin that’s changed from NC to a power rail, a few extra passives are needed, and firmware must be compiled separately for either revision. The problem is that they are being sold as the same device and appear in some places under the same SKU! This is leading to uncertainty as to which P4 revision is in stock at wholesalers. We’ve been told about boards designed for the old revision being assembled with the new one, a situation difficult to rework your way out of. Designers are also left uncertain as to which firmware build is needed for boards assembled in remote factories.
The ESP32-P4 is an impressive part for its price, and we’re sure that we’ll be seeing plenty of projects using this new revision over the coming years. We’re surprised that it doesn’t have a different enough part number and that the wholesalers have seemingly been caught napping by the change. We’re told that some of the well-known Chinese assembly houses are now carrying the two chips as separate SKUs, but that’s scant consolation for a designer with a pile of boards carrying the wrong part. If you’re working with the P4, watch out, make sure your board is designed for the latest revision, and ask your supplier to check which chips you’ll get.
If the P4 is new to you, we’ve already seen a few projects using it.

Why discoDSP Donated $1,000 to The Usual Suspects — And Got It Back
The Retromulator controversy and the unwritten rules of open-source audio Earlier this week, discoDSP donated $1,000 to The Usual Suspects, the team behind some of the best free synth emulations out there. The Usual Suspects sent the money back. If you’ve been following the Retromulator situation on KVR, GearSpace, or in BPB comments, you probably [...]
View post: Why discoDSP Donated $1,000 to The Usual Suspects — And Got It Back

Eduardo Tarilonte’s Ancient ERA Persia from Best Service The latest release from Best Service brings together a selection of string, wind and percussion instruments that promise to take users “into the sound worlds of past civilizations”.

MPG announce new Impact Award The MPG (Music Producers Guild) have announced the launch of a brand-new honour that will recognise music projects that deliver meaningful social and cultural impact through the craft and collaboration of music production.

Rumors emerge of a CLARITY Act deal between White House and lawmakersThe deal reportedly focuses on stablecoin yield and interest-bearing stable tokens, a major pain point for the banking industry.

Microsoft rolls back some of its Copilot AI bloat on WindowsThe company is reducing Copilot entry points on Windows, starting with Photos, Widgets, Notepad, and other apps.

Signing Stories: The 69 EyesDate Signed: January 2026Label: BLKIIBLKBand Members: Jyrki 69, vocals; Bazie, guitar; Timo-Timo, guitar; Archzie, bass; Jussi 69, drumsType of Music: Glam, GothManagement: Pasi Moilanen, management@69eyes.comBooking: TKO Booking Agency, dandevita@tkoco.com (North America); Bottom Row - The Music Agency, nikolas.krofta@bottomrow.com (rest of the world)Publicity: Freeman PromotionsA&R: Aldo LonobileWeb: 69eyes.com

Not only have Finnish dark glam rockers The 69 Eyes been at it since the late ‘80s, they’ve also managed to keep the same lineup in place since 1992 which, let’s face it, it practically unheard of. They have an armful of awesome albums to their name, but it was time for a change so they recently signed with BLKIIBLK, the metal imprint of the hard rock-associated Frontiers Label Group.

It’s just the latest chapter in what has been a fascinating story up to this point. It’s refreshing, in a genre associated with chaos and unpredictability, that The 69 Eyes have retained a level of consistency, with the lineup, the quality and the sound.

“It’s ‘80s glam rock with ‘90s goth keyboards and ‘50s swagger,” says vocalist Jyrki 69. 

BLKIIBLK is a recent initiative from Frontiers, and they quickly made the wise choice of appointing industry veteran Mike Gitter as global head of A&R. That they’ve signed The 69 Eyes, alongside Forbidden, Cro-Mags, Unto Others, and the gloriously named Nunslaughter, points to a big future for the imprint.

“This part is dreamy,” says Jyrki 69. “I realized I was on the phone talking about G.G. Allin with A&R metal legend Mike Gitter, as he was telling me about their new label BLKIIBLK, and I was thinking that it would be very cool to be on that. Later on, I found out that, actually, that was the reason I had a chance to talk with him. We were to be on the label! Now Mike labels The 69 Eyes like ‘Elvis-meets-GG.’ Something like that. Nevertheless, legendary.”

The band has kicked off its new life with BLKIIBLK with the single “I Survive,” which sees guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) guesting.

“I had been recording with Steve Stevens on my solo album American Vampire, on Cleopatra Records, some years ago,” says Jyrki 69. “I asked if he had any suitable tracks for The 69 Eyes, and he sent me the demo of ‘I Survive.’ I immediately wrote the lyrics for it, and now a couple of years later we finally have it released. Steve’s such a legend in our books that the whole process was pretty surreal. When it comes to guitarists, I love Link Wray, Johnny Thunders, Cheetah Chrome, Ron Asheton, James Williamson, and Steve Stevens. The 69 Eyes has recorded a Dead Boys cover, ‘Sonic Reducer,’ with Cheetah quite recently, so recording with Steve Stevens is on the line of my rock ‘n’ roll fantasy. L.A.-based Barry Pointer mixed the track to be THE Sound of Glam in 2026! It’s an anthem for us all!”

The 69 Eyes will spend 2026 doing as much touring as possible, so look out for dates as well as news of a new EP soon.The post Signing Stories: The 69 Eyes first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

How Long Can a Quadcopter Drone Fly on Just Solar?The final second prototype flying. (Credit: Luke Maximo Bell, YouTube)
The dream of fully powering everything from aircraft to cars on just the power generated from solar panels attached to the machine remains a tempting one, but always seems to require some serious engineering including putting the machine on a crash diet. The quadcopter that [Luke Maximo Bell] tried to fly off just solar power is a good case in point, as the first attempt crashed after three minutes and wrecked its solar panels. Now he’s back with a second attempt that ought to stay airborne for as long as the sun is shining.
Among the flaws with the first prototype were poor support for the very thin and fragile PV panels, requiring much better support on the carbon fiber frame of the drone. To support the very large solar array, the first drone’s arms were made to be very long, but this interfered with maneuvering, so the second version got trimmed down and the array raised above the frame. This saved 70 grams of weight from the shortened tubs, which could then be added to the new panel supports.
After an initial test flight resulted in a crash when the PV output dropped, the need for a small battery buffer was clear, so this was added, along with a reduction of the array to 4×7 panels to get the same 20V as the battery. The array also had to be reinforced, as the thin array was very wobbly in addition to making it impossible to fly with any significant wind.

The power circuit as implemented on the second prototype. (Credit: Luke Maximo Bell, YouTube)
During the subsequent five hours long test flight it was clear that the resulting PV-powered drone was at the limits of its performance, with even some mild cloud cover forcing the battery to provide backup power.
For the test location a tree-sheltered site far away from windy Cape Town was also selected to provide the best possible shot, as keeping position with this drone was very hard. With the low weight and the big surface area of the solar panel array catching any little bit of wind, the GPS-based position keeping was essential. Unfortunately a few hours into the test this feature failed.
Manual position keeping is definitely possible, but [Luke] had to constantly counteract the drone wanting to drift off somewhere else. Ultimately the test flight ended when it was still very much a sunny South African summer’s day, due to the current provided by the array no longer keeping up with the power demands of the motors.
What this perhaps demonstrates best is that if you want to use PV solar power for your flying drone – especially with a significant payload – it’s probably best to use it for recharging while idle, or to extend the battery life by an appreciable amount. That said, props to [Luke] for persevering and making it work in the end.