Best of Embedded Systems — 2025

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   Collections·37w

   Transforming a Disposable Vape into a Functional Web Server

   A creative hardware project successfully repurposed a disposable vape's PY32F002B microcontroller (24MHz ARM Cortex-M0+, 24KB flash, 3KB RAM) into a functional web server. Using semihosting communication, SLIP protocol for networking, and the uIP TCP/IP stack, the project achieved 20ms ping times and 160ms page load times through careful optimization including ring buffers. This demonstrates the potential of transforming resource-constrained everyday electronics into versatile computing devices.

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   Lobsters·1y

   Golang on the PlayStation 2

   The author explores the concept of running baremetal Go code on a PlayStation 2, using TinyGo and the ps2dev SDK to tackle compatibility challenges. The piece details the specific configurations, issues with 64-bit integer operations, and steps taken to get Go programs running on the console. Code snippets and technical explanations are provided, and future improvements are outlined for advancing this project.

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   Let's Get Rusty·23w

   I’m a Rust developer, here’s what I’d do if I had to start over

   Three key strategies for learning Rust more effectively: focus on domain-specific knowledge rather than trying to master every feature, maintain consistent progress through community support and mentorship instead of repeatedly restarting, and learn with the goal of becoming job-market ready to ensure practical skill development. The approach emphasizes learning only the 20% of Rust needed for your specific use case, whether backend services, embedded systems, or blockchain development.

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   Michael Lynch·25w

   My First Impressions of MeshCore Off-Grid Messaging

   MeshCore enables encrypted text messaging over long-range (LoRa) radios without cellular infrastructure, forming mesh networks where devices relay messages through each other. Testing three devices (Heltec v3, SenseCAP T-1000e, and Lilygo T-Deck+) revealed significant usability challenges: confusing onboarding, poor UI/UX design, limited range (only 5 blocks in suburban areas), and critical components being closed-source despite appearing open. While the concept appeals for emergency communication, the technology isn't yet practical for non-technical users or reliable disaster scenarios.

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   Hacker News·52w

   Root Shell on Credit Card Terminal

   A security researcher reverse engineered a Worldline Yomani XR payment terminal and discovered an exposed root shell accessible via serial console without authentication. Despite sophisticated tamper detection mechanisms using pressure-sensitive connectors and copper traces, the debug interface remained accessible through an external hatch. The researcher extracted unencrypted firmware using chip-off techniques, revealing an outdated Linux system (kernel 3.6 from 2023). However, the security impact is limited because the Linux system only handles networking and updates, while sensitive payment operations run on a separate, encrypted secure processor.

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   Micah Norwood·32w

   How to Get Into Embedded Systems

   A web developer with 6 years of professional experience seeks guidance on transitioning into embedded systems development. They're looking for project recommendations, community groups, and learning paths to explore lower-level programming concepts, with willingness to learn C or C++.

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   Hacker News·51w

   Air Lab Simulator

   A web-based simulator that replicates Air Lab firmware functionality, allowing users to interact with virtual environmental sensors through different simulated environments. The simulator includes device controls, USB connectivity simulation, and menu navigation features, providing a hands-on experience without requiring physical hardware.

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   Lobsters·32w

   Software can be finished

   Explores the concept of "finished software" as a thought experiment to challenge conventional development practices. Defines finished software as feature-complete, secure, and standalone with minimal dependencies. Uses examples like the Nintendo Gameboy, embedded systems, and small JavaScript apps to illustrate software that requires no updates. Discusses principles for building finished software: understanding requirements deeply, keeping scope small, reducing dependencies, producing static output, and increasing quality assurance. Emphasizes this as a theoretical framework for thinking about trade-offs rather than a universal goal.

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   80 LEVEL·36w

   This Website Runs on Disposable Vape

   A developer successfully hosted a website on a disposable vape's microcontroller using SLIP protocol. The initial implementation was extremely slow with 1.5s pings and 50% packet loss, but optimization with ring buffers improved performance to 20ms pings and 160ms page loads. The project demonstrates creative hardware repurposing and embedded systems programming.

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    Hacker News·32w

    The Day My Smart Vacuum Turned Against Me

    An engineer discovers their smart vacuum was remotely disabled by the manufacturer after blocking its telemetry servers. Through reverse engineering, they gained root access via an open ADB port, found the device running Google Cartographer SLAM software on Linux, and uncovered evidence of remote kill commands. The investigation revealed the vacuum transmitted unencrypted data including WiFi credentials, had pre-installed remote access software (rtty), and could be controlled by the manufacturer without user consent. The engineer successfully restored offline functionality and documented the findings, highlighting broader IoT security and privacy concerns affecting multiple brands using the same hardware platform.

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    Lobsters·50w

    r9os/r9: The R9 operating system

    R9 is a reimplementation of the Plan 9 operating system kernel written in Rust. The project supports multiple architectures including x86-64, aarch64, and RISC-V, and can be built using cargo with the xtask pattern. It runs on QEMU emulation and has been tested on real hardware like Raspberry Pi 4. The project includes detailed build instructions, runtime dependencies, and setup guides for both emulated and physical hardware deployment.

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    Advanced .NET·29w

    Build a Raspberry Pi kiosk with Avalonia UI and DotNetBrowser!

    A guide demonstrates how to build a kiosk application on Raspberry Pi using Avalonia UI framework and DotNetBrowser. The approach runs outside the desktop environment, offering developers more flexibility than traditional lockdown browsers while combining native app capabilities with web development simplicity.

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    80 LEVEL·27w

    Developer Runs Minecraft On Smart Lightbulb

    A developer successfully ran a Minecraft server on a smart lightbulb's BL602 microcontroller by creating Ucraft, an extremely compact server implementation. The binary is only 46-90 KB depending on authentication, with heap usage reaching 20-70 KB for up to 10 players. The project demonstrates creative resource optimization for embedded systems and is available on GitHub with build instructions.

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    omg! ubuntu!·35w

    Meet the Coolest (and Most Expensive) Raspberry Pi Ever

    Raspberry Pi launched the Pi 500+, a premium keyboard PC featuring mechanical switches, RGB backlighting, and built-in SSD storage. Priced at $200/£175, it's the most expensive Raspberry Pi device yet, targeting enthusiasts who want better build quality and tactile experience. The device includes Gateron KS-33 Blue switches, customizable LED lighting, 16GB RAM, 256GB NVMe storage, and an aluminum heatsink for thermal management.

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    Oxide·24w

    A disappearing Service Processor

    A Service Processor on Oxide's Cosmo sled would intermittently disappear from the network, appearing completely dead. After weeks of debugging with limited access, the root cause was traced to mismatched memory attributes between privileged and unprivileged modes when accessing an FPGA via the STM32H7's Flexible Memory Controller. The CPU's cache was treating the FMC bus as Normal Cached memory in kernel mode but Device Memory in task mode, causing the bus to hang when stores from unprivileged tasks hit the cache during interrupts. Moving the FMC base address to a memory region with consistent Device Memory attributes resolved the issue.

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    Jeff Geerling·24w

    CM0 - a new Raspberry Pi you can't buy

    The CM0 is a new Raspberry Pi Compute Module based on the Pi Zero 2 architecture, featuring castellated edges for direct PCB soldering, eMMC storage, and WiFi. Currently only available in China through EDAtec's CM0NANO development board, global distribution is unlikely due to LPDDR2 RAM shortages and supply prioritization for the Pi Zero 2 W. The module targets low-end commercial integration in products like kiosks and signage, offering a complete Linux environment in a postage stamp-sized System on Module.

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    xkcd·52w

    xkcd: Check Engine

    An xkcd webcomic that humorously explores the frustrating experience of dealing with car check engine lights and automotive diagnostics. The comic likely draws parallels between debugging code and troubleshooting car problems, highlighting the universal developer experience of cryptic error messages and unclear diagnostic information.

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    Let's Get Rusty·47w

    The Industries Adopting Rust

    Rust is being rapidly adopted across multiple industries including security, backend infrastructure, embedded systems, and blockchain. Major companies like Microsoft, Google, AWS, and Cloudflare are using Rust for memory safety and performance benefits. The security industry particularly values Rust's compile-time safety guarantees, while cloud providers use it for critical infrastructure components. Embedded systems and robotics companies are adopting Rust for safety-critical applications, and the blockchain ecosystem has made Rust foundational for many protocols. Career opportunities exist across these sectors, with companies actively hiring Rust developers for both low-level systems work and surrounding infrastructure.

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    Hacker News·29w

    zserge/grayskull: A tiny, dependency-free computer vision library in C for embedded systems, drones, and robotics.

    Grayskull is a minimalist computer vision library for microcontrollers and resource-constrained devices. Written in pure C99 as a single header file under 1000 lines, it requires no dependencies or dynamic memory allocation. The library provides grayscale image operations including filtering (blur, Sobel edges), thresholding (Otsu, adaptive), morphology (erosion, dilation), connected components, perspective warping, FAST/ORB feature detection for object tracking, and LBP cascades for face/vehicle detection. It includes PGM file I/O and uses integer-based operations optimized for embedded systems.

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    Hacker News·1y

    Fluid Simulation Pendant

    The post discusses the design and creation process of a fluid simulation pendant using STM32L432KC microcontroller and various other components. The project explores the intricacies of fluid simulations, the advantages of diagonal charlieplexed displays, and numerous hardware challenges encountered along the way. It also delves into the potential for mass production and improvements in the design over time.

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    Hacker News·38w

    Elements of Rust – Core Types and Traits

    A visual guide mapping Rust's complete type system, focusing on lang_items - the built-in types and traits that support specific language syntax. The guide distinguishes between core language features and library code, explaining how Rust's platform-independent core enables no_std development for embedded systems and other contexts without dynamic heap allocation.

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    Hacker News·50w

    A developer toy from PostHog

    PostHog introduces DeskHog, an open-source handheld gaming device built around an ESP32-S3 microcontroller with a color TFT display, WiFi connectivity, and 10-hour battery life. The palm-sized device features a custom 3D-printed case and comes with several pre-built games including Pong variants, idle clickers, and roguelike adventures. Developers can create their own games using AI editors or C++, and the device can connect to PostHog for displaying analytics data. The hardware includes expansion ports for additional functionality and all design files are available on GitHub for DIY builders.

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    Hacker News·32w

    Tragic Titan submersible’s $62 SanDisk memory card found undamaged at wreckage site — 12 stills and nine videos have been recovered, but none from the fateful OceanGate implosion

    Recovery teams found an intact SubC Rayfin Mk2 Benthic Camera from the Titan submersible wreckage with an undamaged SanDisk Extreme Pro 512GB SD card. Despite damage to the camera's PCBs and lens, investigators successfully recovered 12 still images and 9 videos by interfacing the SD card and NVRAM chip with a surrogate system-on-module board. The recovered media showed footage from the Marine Institute in Newfoundland rather than the fatal dive, as the camera was configured to store dive data on external storage.

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    Jeff Geerling·33w

    How much radiation can a Pi handle in space?

    Mark Rober's team tested Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 and Google Pixel 7 Pro radiation tolerance for their SatGus CubeSat mission. Using cyclotron testing at UC Davis and gamma testing at University of Maryland, they found the CM4 experienced single-event upsets every 39.3 Rads at 50 Rads/minute and survived until 57.8 kRads with permanent failure. The Pixel 7 Pro died around 9.2 kRads at high dosage. A 5mm aluminum enclosure provides shielding for the mission's expected 1-year lifespan in Low Earth Orbit. Standard Raspberry Pis work in space when not in critical flight paths, with watchdog timers handling radiation-induced reboots.

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    Hacker News·1y

    lvgl/lvgl: Embedded graphics library to create beautiful UIs for any MCU, MPU and display type.

    LVGL is a popular free and open-source embedded graphics library for creating user interfaces (UIs) on any microcontroller unit (MCU), microprocessor unit (MPU), or display type. It features 30+ built-in widgets, a powerful style system, web-inspired layout managers, and support for many languages. LVGL is highly portable, requiring minimal system resources, and can be integrated with various development platforms like Arduino, Zephyr, and RT-Thread. The library also provides comprehensive documentation, examples, and support services including UI design, implementation, and consulting.

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