With the 2021 Hackaday Remoticon fast approaching, we’ve been hard at work crafting a schedule filled with thought-provoking presentations from knowledgeable speakers; precisely what you’ve come to expect from one of our events, virtual or otherwise. We’ve already announced that Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) astrophysicist Keith Thorne will be presenting a literally out-of-this-world keynote on the incredible engineering it takes to detect gravitational waves with the highest precision interferometers ever devised, but that’s only the beginning.

To make doubly sure we’ll be able to pack every available minute of our second Remoticon with fascinating content, we’ve decided to extend the deadline on talk proposals for a few more days to see what the late-bloomers can bring to the table. If you’ve ever wanted to present at a Hackaday event, but couldn’t swing the trip to Pasadena or Belgrade, this is your chance to take the stage virtually and show off what you’re passionate about.

In the meantime, we’ve churned through enough of the early proposals to let slip the first four talks that we’ll be beaming out between November 19th and 20th. There is plenty more to announce over the coming weeks, but hopefully this gives you an idea of what we’ve got in store for our global audience of hardware hackers. So grab your Remoticon ticket right now!

Debra Ansell

Form is Function: Modular PCB Building Blocks

The low cost of PCB manufacturing makes PCBs a reasonable choice to use as structural elements comprising larger modular electronic projects. I first created a system of PCB-based NanoLeaf-style tiles in June of 2020. My goal was to build an inexpensive, reconfigurable, aesthetically pleasing, sturdy system using custom PCBs and readily available parts.

Issues in modular systems can be different from those in more typical PCB projects. For example physical stress on boards in an assembly can create just enough torque to separate pressure connectors from contact points. I’ve spent many hours combing through the results of “board-to-board connector” searches on Mouser and Digi-Key, and invested even more time trying to design my own PCB-based connectors.

I’ll cover which connectors have worked best for me in different builds, which connectors I would love to use if they were just a bit cheaper, and why dollhouse hinges don’t actually make a great PCB connector, even though they provide terrific structural support. Anyone with an interest in PCB design, and in stretching PCBs beyond their standard use cases might be interested in this talk.

Rob Weinstein

Patently Obvious – Reverse Engineering a 45 Year Old Patent into a Fully-Functional HP-35 Replica

I’m an electrical engineer who has spent the last 30 years designing with FPGAs for the wireless …read more

Source:: Hackaday