Join Hackaday Editors Elliot Williams and Tom Nardi as they talk about the best stories and hacks of the week. This episode starts off with a discussion of the Vintage Computer Festival East and Philadelphia Maker Faire — two incredible events that just so happened to be scheduled for the same weekend. From there the discussion moves on to the latest developments in DIY soft robotics, the challenge of running Linux on 8-pin ICs, hardware mods to improve WiFi reception on cheap ESP32 development boards, and what’s keeping old smartphones from being reused as general purpose computers.

You’ll also hear about Command and Conquer: Red Alert running on the Pi Pico 2, highly suspect USB-C splitters, and producing professional looking PCBs at home with a fiber laser. Stick around to the end to hear about the current state of non-Google web browsers, and a unique new machine that can engrave circuit boards with remarkable accuracy.

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

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Episode 316 Show Notes:

News:

• Celebrating 30 Years Of Windows 95 At VCF
• In 2025, The Philly Maker Faire Finds Its Groove

What’s that Sound?

• Congratulations to [laserkiwi] for winning a Hackaday Podcast t-shirt!

Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• Salamander Robot Is Squishy
  
  • The Future of Robots is Soft (and Squishy!) – YouTube
  • These Electronics-free Robots Can Walk Right Off the 3D-Printer
  • FlowIO Platform

  
  

• 8 Pins For Linux
  
  • Building The Worst Linux PC Ever

  
  

• Simple Antenna Makes For Better ESP32-C3 WiFi
  
  • ESP32 Range Extender / Antenna Modification

  
  

• LayerLapse Simplifies 3D Printer Time-lapse Shots
• Turning Old Cellphones Into SBCs
  
  • IOIO – Wikipedia

  
  

• Ben Eater Vs. Microsoft BASIC
  
  • A Very Trippy Look At Microsoft’s Beginnings

  
  

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks:
  
  • A Tiny Tape Synth
  • If You’re 3D Scanning, You’ll Want A Way To Work With Point Clouds
  • Why USB-C Splitters Can Cause Magic Smoke Release

  
  

• Tom’s Picks:
  
  • Tracking The ISS Made Easy
  • Command And Conquer Ported To The Pi Pico 2
  • Fiber Laser Gives DIY PCBs A Professional Finish

  
  

Can’t-Miss Articles:

• Which Browser Should I Use In 2025?
  
  • qutebrowser

  
  

• Supercon 2024: Quick High-Feature Boards With The Circuit Graver

hackaday.com/2025/04/11/hackad…