Hackaday Podcast Episode 384: OCR MOD Records, Magical PCBs, and the Gravity of Space Stations Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

What did Hackaday editors Elliot Williams and Al Williams read in Hackaday last week? Probably everything, but you can tune in and hear about their favorites on this week’s podcast. They heard from lots of listeners this week, and also saw DIY projects running from a 3D-printed Stirling engine, to clogs, to LEDs.

There are some over-the-top hacks like a refit for a decades-old watch to do tap-to-pay and a — for lack of a better word — a record player that optically reads MOD files. Want to emulate an iPod? Talk to Eliza? Print a hand-operated rail car? Hackaday is the place to read about it all.

The can’t miss articles included a talk from Hackaday Europe about making magical PCBs and a not-so-brief history of space stations starting in the 1800s.

Check out the links if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!

Direct download in MP3 suitable for hand-decoding.

Episode 384 Show Notes:

Mailbag:

• [Joshua Wiebe] had questions about using MOSFETs to drive motors. The guys had their thoughts, but feel free to send in yours.
• [Jake Wachlin] wanted to talk about using AI in projects.
• [Caleb Butler] spammed us, but all in fun.
• [Alexander] wrote in to response to last week’s podcast talking about his experiece with an ultrasonic knife.

Got something to say? Send an e-mail or an audio clip to mailbag@hackaday.com.

News:

• Announcing The 2026 Hackaday Retrocomputing Challenge
  • Linux Fu: The Old School Terminal
• Supercon 2026!

Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• Thermoacoustic Stirling Engine Is Now Fully 3D Printable
  • Thermoacoustic engines paper (pdf)
  • Thermoacoustic Organ
  • A DIY Pulse Tube Cryocooler In The Quest For Home-Made Liquid Nitrogen
• Straight Talk On 3D Printing Footwear At Home
• The Shutter Makes This 3D Printed Camera Special
• Making LEDs In The Home Fab
• Encoding MOD Files Optically On Paper, Because Amiga’s Legacy Will Outlast M-Disks
• The Casio F-91W As A Contactless Payment Device.

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks:
  • Making An LCD UI Look More Like Classic Indicator Lamps
  • Emulating The iPod
  • Quest VR Headset Becomes Unlocked Hardware
• Al’s Picks:
  • Artificial Intelligence As It Once Was
  • Neo-Cyclostyle: Automatic Document Copying Devices In 1890
  • 3D Printing A Railway Pump Car

Can’t-Miss Articles:

• Hackaday Europe 2026: PCBs With A Plot
• An Early History Of Space Stations: The Brick Moon Made Real
• An Early History Of Space Stations: Where’s My Wheel?

This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak

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