recycle

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on Convert old IR remote controls into presentation clickers using an RP2040 USB board and open-source TTVKTR firmware

Convert old IR remote controls into presentation clickers using an RP2040 USB board and open-source TTVKTR firmware

IR remote control RP2040 USB HID

Brisk4t’s “Tossed The TV — Kept The Remote” (TTVKTR) is an open-source firmware project for Raspberry Pi RP2040 USB boards that aims to reduce electronics waste by converting old IR remote controls into presentation clickers. Most Raspberry Pi RP2040 boards with USB ports should work, but the project highlights the Waveshare RP2040-Zero combined with a standard 38 kHz infrared receiver due to its small size and low price ($4-5). The project also relies on the built-in RGB LED for layer color feedback. That’s about it for the hardware. It just required some basic soldering of the IR receiver to GPIO 28 (OUT), 5V or 3.3V, and GND pins. Nothing too hard. The WS2812 RGB LED is already connected to GPIO 16. I tried to look for RP2040 USB boards with a built-in IR receiver, but I could not find any.   The firmware receives IR codes from a standard 38 […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - 11 Comments on MiciMike’s open-source drop-in PCB converts Google Home Mini into a local voice assistant (Crowdfunding)

MiciMike’s open-source drop-in PCB converts Google Home Mini into a local voice assistant (Crowdfunding)

MiciMike Home Mini Drop In PCB

The MiciMike Home Mini Drop-In PCB is an open-source replacement mainboard designed to convert a 1st Gen Google Home Mini into a fully local, privacy-focused voice assistant running Home Assistant Voice. Built around an ESP32-S3 MCU and an XMOS XU316 audio processor, it removes cloud dependencies without any case modifications or soldering. The board offers on-device wake word detection, echo cancellation, and noise suppression via two MEMS microphones, and comes pre-flashed with ESPHome for easy Home Assistant integration. The PCBA fully supports local voice processing, optional cloud LLM integration, media playback, and Snapcast. It’s released as open hardware under the CERN-OHL-S v2 license, with complete design files available, making it suitable for privacy-focused smart-home automation, DIY voice assistants, and hardware-reuse projects. MiciMike Home Mini Drop-In PCB specifications: Compatibility – Google Home Mini 1st generation Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU –  Dual-core Xtensa LX7 microcontroller @ up to 240 […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on ExtrudeX machine recycles failed/old 3D prints into new filament (Crowdfunding)

ExtrudeX machine recycles failed/old 3D prints into new filament (Crowdfunding)

ExtrudeX machine recycle 3d printer filament

When 3D printing, users will always waste filament one way or the other, either due to a failed print or because of the support for the print, and there may also be test/old prints that you don’t need/use anymore, for example, a retraction cube or a benchy. That means all that material usually ends up in the dustbin. Priyank Pal, founder of Creative3dp, did not like all that waste, so he created the ExtrudeX machine to recycle 3D print waste and filament scraps back into usable filament. On top of that, the machine itself is 3D printable and much more affordable than commercial solutions from companies such as Filabot. I’d usually provide the specifications here, but as a crowdfunded project, the ExtrudeX’s full technical details are not fully available. We just know that a single DC gear motor drives the main screw inside a metal barrel, while band heaters and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Using an overpowered vape as a secondary display

Using an overpowered vape as a secondary display

Aspire Vipo Vape secondary display DOOM

Last week, we noted that it was possible to run a web server on a disposable vape through its USB-C port, and now I’ve been shown DOOM on an even more overpowered vape acting as a secondary display, which is a bit larger in size than the WeAct Display FS 0.96-inch USB display we just covered. Perhaps I should add a ‘vaporware’ category on CNX Software… The new hack was done by Aaron Christophel (ACT1441) using an Aspire PIXO Vape with a Cortex-M4F MCU, a small color LCD, a USB-C port, Bluetooth LE connectivity, and a battery. Aspire PIXO vape hardware specifications: MCU – Puxa PY32F403XC Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 144 MHz with 64KB RAM, 256KB Flash Storage – External 16MB SPI Flash Display – 323 x 173 LCD Wireless – WS8000 BLE chip USB – 1x USB Type-C port Misc Heating Coil Vape microphone (designed to detect airflow from […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments on Converting a disposable vape into a web server

Converting a disposable vape into a web server

Disposable vape web server

People have been recycling batteries in disposable vapes for a while, but BogdanTheGeek has gone a lot of further, converting a specific model of disposable vape into a web server. How is that possible? Vapes have apparently become a bit more sophisticated in recent times, and some integrate an Arm Cortex microcontroller with a USB-C port that can be used to bring a network interface and run a web server. The specific disposable vape (exact model not provided, but Grok thinks it may be from Bang King. Update: Wrong!) used by BogdanTheGeek features one of the ultra-cheap Puya PY32 microcontrollers, namely a 24 MHz PY32F002B Cortex-M0+ MCU with 3 kB SRAM and 24 kB flash. The web server hack here involves using the SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) through a /dev/tty device to bring up a network interface, along with uIP lightweight TCP/IP stack. The first implementation was really slow […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Citronics built a router based on the Fairphone 2 mainboard

Citronics built a router based on the Fairphone 2 mainboard

Destore Citronics Fairphone 2 industrial gateway

Belgium-company Citronics has designed a router based on the mainboard of the Fairphone 2 smartphone, connecting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 “system-on-module” to a carrier board with Ethernet, USB ports, and other connectors, while leveraging 4G LTE, WiFi, and Bluetooth connectivity from the phone’s core board. Citronics calls this type of hardware “Circular Microcomputers,” which refers to small computers focusing on sustainability and circular economy principles using parts from discarded devices like old smartphones. There’s actually more than one router, as Citronics designed its own development kit, and also partnered with other companies to design custom gateways based on the Fairphone 2 mainboard. Let’s have a look at the devkit first. Citronics devkit: Fairphone 2 mainboard SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB) quad core Krait 400 processor @ up to 2.26 GHz with Adreno 330 GPU System Memory – 2 GB LPDDR3 Storage – 32GB eMMC flash Connectivity – 2G/3G/4G LTE, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Intel floats Modular PC design proposal for repairable laptops and mini PCs

Intel floats Modular PC design proposal for repairable laptops and mini PCs

Intel modular PC design

Intel has published an article proposing a modular PC design that would improve the repairability/right-to-repair of laptops and mini PCs and reduce e-waste through the replacement of motherboard, display, and M.2 or FPC add-on modules for the user-facing ports. Making repairable, modular electronic devices is not a new idea, and the Framework laptops are probably the best-known option now, but they do come at a premium. But most projects are limited success, for instance, Project Ara modular smartphone from Google eventually died off. We’ve also covered modular or open-source hardware solutions from smaller companies over the years such as Firefly Station P3D modular Arm mini PC with swappable cards, or Olimex Teres-I DIY and open-source hardware laptop. It’s good news that a large company like Intel is taking the repairable, modular PC topic seriously, but as we’ll see below it’s currently a high-level proposal with few technical details. Most laptops […]

Posted on by Debashis Das - No Comments on Recyclable PCB created by the University of Washington is made from Vitrimers

Recyclable PCB created by the University of Washington is made from Vitrimers

Vitrimer Based Recyclable PCB

Ludwik Leibler a Polish-born French physicist and his team from the Laboratoire Matière Molle et Chimie at ESPCI ParisTech created a new class of plastics known as “vitrimers” and material researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have leveraged the new plastics to develop a recyclable PCB (printed circuit board) known as “Vitrimers PCB” (vPCB) that can be recycled many times over. The team tested their vPCB for strength and electrical properties and found that they are very similar to standard FR-4 PCB material. This means Vitrimers PCBs could offer a solution to reduce landfill waste and make it easier to recycle leftover copper, maximizing resource recovery. Key Features of Vitrimers-based Recyclable PCBs: Base material – Employs vitrimer epoxy, a type of polymer that can be repeatedly cured and uncured without damage. Environmentally sustainable – Designed to reduce e-waste and offer a more circular lifecycle for electronics. Performance – Electrical […]

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