Day: May 19, 2025

Remembering The ISP That David Bowie Ran For Eight Years

May 19, 2025 by 14 Comments

The seeds of the Internet were first sown in the late 1960s, with computers laced together in continent-spanning networks to aid in national defence. However, it was in the late 1990s that the end-user explosion took place, as everyday people flocked online in droves.

Many astute individuals saw the potential at the time, and rushed to establish their own ISPs to capitalize on the burgeoning market. Amongst them was a famous figure of some repute. David Bowie might have been best known for his cast of rock-and-roll characters and number one singles, but he was also an internet entrepreneur who got in on the ground floor—with BowieNet.

Continue reading “Remembering The ISP That David Bowie Ran For Eight Years” →

A white control box is shown in the foreground. The box has an LCD display, eight button, and two barbed fittings for flexible tubing.

Using Pitot Tubes For More Than Aircraft

May 19, 2025 by 7 Comments

When we hear the words “pitot tube,” we tend to think more of airplanes than of air ducts, but [Franci Kopač]’s guide to pitot tubes for makers shows that they can be a remarkably versatile tool for measuring air speed, even in domestic settings.

A pitot tube is a tube which faces into an air flow, with one hole at the front of the tube, and one on the side. It’s then possible to determine the air speed by measuring the pressure difference between the side opening and the end facing into the wind. At speeds, temperatures, and altitudes that a hacker’s likely to encounter (i.e. not on an airplane), the pressure difference is pretty small, and it’s only since the advent of MEMS pressure sensors that pitot tubes became practical for amateurs.

[Franci]’s design is based on a Sensiron SDP differential pressure sensor, a 3D-printed pitot tube structure, some tubing, and the microcontroller of your choice. It’s important to position the tube well, so that it doesn’t experience airflow disturbances from other structures and faces straight into the air flow. Besides good positioning, the airspeed calculation requires you to know the air temperature and absolute pressure.

[Franci] also describes a more exotic averaging pitot tube, a fairly simple variation which measures air speed in cavities more accurately. He notes that this provides a more inexpensive way of measuring air flow in ducts than air conditioning flow sensors, while being more resilient than propeller-based solutions – he himself used pitot tubes to balance air flow in his home’s ventilation. All of the necessary CAD files and Arduino code are available on his GitHub repository.

If you’re looking for a more conventional duct flow meter, we’ve covered one before. We’ve even seen a teardown of a pitot tube sensor system from a military drone.

MiSTER Multisystem 2 on a wooden table

MiSTer For Mortals: Meet The Multisystem 2

May 19, 2025 by 21 Comments

If you’ve ever squinted at a DE10-Nano wondering where the fun part begins, you’re not alone. This review of the Mr. MultiSystem 2 by [Lee] lifts the veil on a surprisingly noob-friendly FPGA console that finally gets the MiSTer experience out of the tinker cave and into the living room. Developed by Heber, the same UK wizards behind the original MultiSystem, this follow-up console dares to blend flexibility with simplicity. No stack required.

It comes in two varieties, to be precise: with, or without analog ports. The analog edition features a 10-layer PCB with both HDMI and native RGB out, Meanwell PSU support, internal USB headers, and even space for an OLED or NFC reader. The latter can be used to “load” physical cards cartridge-style, which is just ridiculously charming. Even the 3D-printed enclosure is open-source and customisable – drill it, print it, or just colour it neon green. And for once, you don’t need to be a soldering wizard to use the thing. The FPGA is integrated in the mainboard. No RAM modules, no USB hub spaghetti. Just add some ROMs (legally, of course), and you’re off.

Despite its plug-and-play aspirations, there are some quirks – for example, the usual display inconsistencies and that eternal jungle of controller mappings. But hey, if that’s the price for versatility, it’s one you’d gladly pay. And if you ever get stuck, the MiSTer crowd will eat your question and spit out 12 solutions. It remains 100% compatible with the MiSTer software, but allows some additional future features, should developers wish to support them.

Want to learn more? This could be your entrance to the MiSTer scene without having to first earn a master’s in embedded systems. Will this become an alternative to the Taki Udon announced Playstation inspired all-in-one FPGA console? Check the video here and let us know in the comments. Continue reading “MiSTer For Mortals: Meet The Multisystem 2” →