Beam me Up: Simple Free-Space Optical CommunicationLet’s think of the last time you sent data without wires. We’re not talking WiFi here, but plain optical signals. Free-space optical communication, or FSO, is an interesting and easy way to transmit signals through light beams. Forget expensive lasers or commercial-grade equipment; this video by [W1VLF] offers a simple and cheap entry point for anyone with a curiosity for DIY tech. Inspired by a video on weak signal sources for optical experiments, this project uses everyday components like a TV remote-control infrared LED and a photo diode. The goal is simply to establish optical communication across distances for under $10.
Click through the break to see more…
The heart of this setup is a basic pulse-width modulator driving the LED. Pair it with a photo diode for reception, and voilà—light beams become data carriers. Add a lens for focus, and you’ll instantly see the dramatic signal gain. LEDs from remote controls are surprisingly effective. For more precision, swap to narrow-beam LEDs or use filtered photo diodes to block ambient noise from sunlight or fluorescent lights. It’s delightfully simple yet endlessly tweakable.
[W1VLF]’s advice: start small, but don’t stop there—enthusiasts have built entire FSO networks to link rural areas! If you’re intrigued, [W1VLF] has more videos to explore. Want to dig deeper into the history of optical communications?  We’ve got that!  Once you advance, share your tips and thoughts in the comments below to help others get set up.

38C3: Xobs on Hardware DebuggersIf you just want to use a debugger for your microcontroller project, you buy some hardware device, download the relevant driver software, and fire up GDB. But if you want to make a hardware debugger yourself, you need to understand the various target chips’ debugging protocols, and then you’re deep in the weeds. But never fear, Sean [Xobs] Cross has been working on a hardware debugger and is here to share his learnings about the ARM, RISC-V, and JTAG debugging protocols with us.
He starts off with a list of everything you need the debugger hardware to be able to do: peek and poke memory, read and write to the CPU registers, and control the CPU’s execution state. With that simple list of goals, he then goes through how to do it for each of the target chip families. We especially liked [Xobs]’s treatment of the JTAG state machine, which looks pretty complicated on paper, but in the end, you only need to get it in and out of the shift-dr and shift-ir states.

This is a deep talk for sure, but if you’re ever in the throes of building a microcontroller programmer or debugger, it provides a much-appreciated roadmap to doing so.
And once you’ve got your hardware setup, maybe it’s time to dig into GDB? We’ve got you covered.

Karanyi Sounds releases Cloudmax Breeze, an AI-assisted vocal chain plugin (limited-time discount)
Over the last few months, we’ve seen many limited-time offers from Karanyi Sounds, including a massive 80% off Black Friday sale.  Now, they have released Cloudmax Breeze, an AI-assisted vocal chain plugin that is available at a limited-time discount. If you missed the Black Friday sale, it’s not too late for discounts; Karanyi Sounds still has over [...]
View post: Karanyi Sounds releases Cloudmax Breeze, an AI-assisted vocal chain plugin (limited-time discount)

Airwindows releases ConsoleX for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Chris Johnson, the man behind Airwindows, did his best Santa Claus impression this year by gifting us all ConsoleX on Christmas Day. Despite dropping on the typically hectic Christmas Day, I’m sure many of you immediately downloaded the highly-anticipated mixing console plugin and hid away in blissful ignorance of everything else the day brought. In [...]
View post: Airwindows releases ConsoleX for macOS, Windows, and Linux

Google CEO says AI model Gemini will the company’s ‘biggest focus’ in 2025CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly told Google employees that 2025 will be a “critical” year for the company. CNBC reports that it obtained audio from a December 18 strategy meeting where Pichai and other executives put on ugly holiday sweaters and laid out their priorities for the coming year. “I think 2025 will be critical,” Pichai […]
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DeFi has 3 options if IRS rule isn't rolled back — Alex ThornThe United States Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) received more than 44,000 comments after proposing the rule.

38C3: Towards an Open WiFi MAC Stack on ESP32At the 38th Chaos Communications Congress, [Frostie314159] and [Jasper Devreker] gave us a nice update on their project to write an open-source WiFi stack for the ESP32. If you’re interested in the ESP32 or WiFi in general, they’ve also got a nice deep dive into how that all works.
On the ESP32, there’s a radio, demodulator, and a media access controller (MAC) that takes care of the lowest-level, timing-critical bits of the WiFi protocol. The firmware that drives the MAC hardware is a licensed blob, and while the API or this blob is well documented — that’s how we all write software that uses WiFi after all — it’s limited in what it lets us do. If the MAC driver firmware were more flexible, we could do a lot more with the WiFi, from AirDrop clones to custom mesh modes.
The talk starts with [Jasper] detailing how he reverse engineered a lot of Espressif’s MAC firmware. It involved Ghidra, a Faraday cage, and a lucky find of the function names in the blob. [Frostie] then got to work writing the MAC driver that he calls Ferris-on-Air. Right now, it’s limited to normal old station mode, but it’s definite proof that this line of work can bear fruit.
This is clearly work in progress — they’ve only been at this for about a year now — but we’ll be keeping our eyes on it. The promise of the ESP32, and its related family of chips, being useful as a more general purpose WiFi hacking tool is huge.

Telephone Guitar is a FREE guitar library for Decent Sampler
Over the last few months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with BPB as a writer (EDITOR’S NOTE: Glad to have you on board, Soroosh!). I’ve written articles on a wide range of products from various developers. Today’s article is different, though, because I get to introduce you to a new, free sample library made [...]
View post: Telephone Guitar is a FREE guitar library for Decent Sampler

Circuit Secrets: Exploring a $5 Emergency LightWho would’ve thought a cheap AliExpress emergency light could be packed with such crafty design choices? Found for about $5, this unit uses simple components yet achieves surprisingly sophisticated behaviors. Its self-latching feature and decisive illumination shut-off are just the beginning. A detailed analysis by [BigCliveDotCom] reveals a smart circuit that defies its humble price.
The circuit operates via a capacitive dropper, a cost-effective way to power low-current devices. What stands out, though, is its self-latching behavior. During a power failure, transistors manage to keep the LEDs illuminated until the battery voltage drops below a precise threshold, avoiding the dreaded fade-to-black. Equally clever is the automatic shut-off when the voltage dips too low, sparing the battery from a full drain.
Modifications are possible, too. For regions with 220V+ mains, swapping the dropper capacitor with a 470nF one can reduce heat dissipation. Replacing the discharge resistor (220k) with a higher value improves longevity by running cooler. What remarkable reverse engineering marvels have you come across? Share it in the comments!  After all, it is fun to hack into consumer stuff. Even if it is just a software hack.

The best free plugins for music production in 2025
Let's explore 18 must-try free plugins for music production that can elevate your tracks without denting your budget.

Soundgas Post-Christmas Auction Renowned vintage audio gear specialists Soundgas Auctions are currently running their December Timed Auction, which will be concluding at 6pm GMT on Sunday 29 December 2024. 

Cherry Audio release Filtomika plug-in Cherry Audio's new plug-in makes the filter section from their award-winning Polivoks recreation available as a standalone plug-in.

Bench shuts down, leaving thousands of businesses without access to accounting and tax docsBench, a Canada-based accounting startup that offered software-as-a-service for small and medium-sized businesses, has abruptly shut down, according to a notice posted on its website.   “We regret to inform you that as of December 27, 2024, the Bench platform will no longer be accessible,” the notice reads. “We know this news is abrupt and may […]
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Crypto Biz: The Year of BitcoinThis week’s Crypto Biz explores Bitcoin’s landmark year, Crypto.com’s new custody service, Russia’s partial ban on crypto mining and taxes on staking rewards in the US.

Lathe Gears Make a ClockWhen you think of making something using a lathe,  you usually think of turning a screw, a table leg, or a toothpick. [Uri Tuchman] had a different idea. He wanted to make a clock out of the gears used in the lathe. Can he do it? Of course, as you can see in the video below.
Along the way, he used several tools. A mill, a laser cutter, and a variety of hand tools all make appearances. There’s also plenty of CAD. Oh yeah, he uses a lathe, too.

Initially, the clock ran a little fast. A longer pendulum was the answer, but that required the clock to sit on a table edge because the pendulum now extends below the bottom of the clock!
We have to admit there is a lot going into this, but it looks great by the time it is done. We are impressed with the range of different tools used and the clever design. Of course, he could have made the gears, too, but using the metal gears already available is a nice touch.
You can, of course, get by with less. Much less. Or, you might elect to try something even more elaborate.