221 Blog Posts To Learn About Hardware

With a rapidly growing industry that revolves around software, HackerNoon's hardware stories pay attention to the physical components that drive the future.

1. How to Transform a RaspberryPi Into a Universal Zigbee and Z-Wave Bridge

Home automation comes with plenty of potential to make our lives easier. But in order to succeed in its task, it often requires you to fill your house with bridges that can connect your smart devices to your Wi-Fi network. Unless you buy a smart device that communicates directly over Wi-Fi (like a TP-Link or Belkin smart plug), odds are that many of your favourite smart devices use either Bluetooth, Zigbee or Z-Wave to communicate. These protocols solve some of the issues of Wi-Fi when it comes to smart devices — like latency, centralised topology and relatively high power requirements — but they do require some physical hardware in between to do the smart protocol <-> Wi-Fi translation and make the devices actually controllable from a Wi-Fi-connected client.

2. Turn your old useless laptop screen into an external monitor

For far too long I possessed an old Dell Studio laptop. It served me well for a good 5 years with a number of service centre visits, battery and hard disk replacements, formats and OS upgrades. From the past few years I have ditched the old laptop for a Macbook. Yet still, I never bothered to dispose of it. After all it still works (slow af but works!). <em>What if there is an ‘emergency’ situation where I need to use this ancient piece of technology?</em> I tried selling it, but the act itself and the price I get for it is honestly not worth it. Giving it to someone for free feels like a punishment to the person (most smartphones have better specs). Disposing it off just doesn’t feel right (yeah right! That’s the middle class in me speaking. Also not very good for the environment).

3. Guide: How to Install WhatsApp On Amazon Fire Tablet

This article demonstrates multiple ways of using WhatsApp on Firestick and Fire Tablet. Read until the end to master the tips and tricks

4. Differences Between RAM, ROM, And Flash Memory: All You Need To Know

ROM and RAM belong to the semiconductor memory. ROM is the abbreviation of read only memory, and RAM is the abbreviation of random access memory.

5. The Basics of The Firmware Development Process

Firmware development is a necessary process in creating a new device and an embedded system. All the features and functionality of a device depend on its firmware. In simple words, firmware lies between software and hardware parts. So, it helps run software on a device and makes hardware perform required functions without involving users.

6. Steam Deck Overheating: What You Need to Know

If your Steam Deck is overheating, there are a few things you can do to fix the problem. Check out this article to learn more.

7. How to Configure a Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera

I picked up the new Raspberry Pi High Quality camera last week. It’s pretty impressive. In this article, I’ll show you some ways to interact with this camera and do some cool stuff with it.

8. 5 Best GPUs for Crypto Mining

Which is the best GPU in 2021? If you are going to buy a powerful graphics card for gaming or cryptocurrency mining, here are our top picks from Nvidia and AMD.

9. 9 Best Gaming Earbuds in 2022

Asus, Angry Miao, and Turtle Beach produce some of the best gaming earbuds available on the market today.

10. Setting Up a Dedicated Database Server on Raspberry Pi

Learn how to set up a MariaDB database server on a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B with 8 GB of RAM that you can connect to your local network through WiFi or Ethernet

11. 6 Best Gaming Headsets Under $200

Corsair, SteelSeries, and Treblab are among the best gaming headsets under 200 dollars currently on the market.

12. 5 Best WiFi Cards for Gaming in 2023

Having a reliable internet connection can definitely promote your gaming experience. In our article we will be mentioning the best WiFi cards for gaming.

13. Running Chromecast on Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface is a laptop product owned by Microsoft and in this story, I will guide you on How to Chromecast Microsoft Surface.

14. Examining Your EMV Chip Cards

Now we are a few years into EMV mandates in the US, we all have one or more EMV chip cards in our wallet and have used them in stores.

15. Top 10 Electronic Design Companies You Should Know in 2022

Not all companies that sell great products can or wish to design devices on their own. Fortunately, businesses can choose from plenty of electronics design companies located in different countries. Many of them work internationally, offering hardware and software development, as well as other services.

16. How to customize your hacking set-up for the most affordable price

This article discusses the most affordable hacking setup at the least expensive price point possible. As a beginner, you don't need much of a really powerful PC

17. Building an iOS hardware app

As a software engineer, it is really exciting to work at the crossing of software and hardware. It is also a trend on the rise — with the spread of smart things (IoT) and increased use of AI as a differentiator for hardware (think Google’s Pixel Buds), understanding the connection between a hardware device and an iOS app can be a nice to have skill. It’s not something really common as an iOS developer, so I was glad to have this opportunity at Prynt.

18. 5 Best Gaming Headsets Under $100

Razer, Treblab, Corsair, and HyperX produce some of the best gaming headsets under $100 for gamers on a budget.

19. 5 Best 24-Inch Smart TVs Ranked by Review Score

Samsung, Insignia, LG, and VIZIO produce some of the best 24-inch smart TVs on the market today.

20. 10 Promising Hardware Startups to Follow in 2020

Software is not the only tech thriving right now. Many hardware startups are making great strides in innovation and design to provide solutions for some of our most pressing issues. From food and air quality testing to an advanced action camera that fits in the palm of your hand, these ten hardware startups are ones to watch in 2020.

21. 16/32/64 Bit Assembly Programs

Ok so before we move on and jump into writing and running 64 bit programs (because all programs today are 64bit these days no? j.k.) let's have a look how to compile a simple program for each of those architectures. This knowledge should also help you better understand how to start a nano VM and "debug" problems that might arise.

22. Human Detection System Using RaspberryPi, Thermal Camera and Machine Learning

Triggering reliable events based on the presence of people has been the dream of many geeks and DIY automators for a while. Having your house to turn the lights on or off when you enter or exit your living room is an interesting application, for instance. Most of the solutions out there to solve these kinds of problems, even more high-end solutions like the Philips Hue sensors, detect motion, not actual people presence — which means that the lights will switch off once you lay on your couch like a sloth.

23. How To Test Safety Capacitor

Test of Fixed Safety Capacitors

24. Self Healing System Concept, Explained

What are Self Healing Systems & How Can You Develop One?

25. What is a BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) and How Does it Work?

A BESS is an energy storage system (ESS) that captures energy from different sources, accumulates this energy, and stores it in rechargeable batteries.

26. The Top 6 Serial over Network utility

Attempting to connect a serial device to more than one computer would lead to a tangle of cables and is almost impossible without a serial over network solution

27. Jitter Clicking: A Strategic Mouse-Clicking Strategy

Jitter Clicking is a strategic mouse-clicking strategy that helps you achieve your desired results.

28. Why Foldable Phones are NOT the Next Big Thing

I was convinced that folding phones were going to be the next big thing. Now, a bit over a month into using one myself, I’m not so sure anymore.

29. How I Built a Houseplant Alerting System with ksqlDB on Apache Kafka

Learn how I built an IoT data pipeline, powering real-time alerts that notified me to water my houseplants using a Raspberry Pi, Apache Kafka, and ksqlDB.

30. 5 Devices to Get Started in DePIN

DePIN devices like the DIMO Macaron offer token rewards to their owners without the need to change their daily routines.

31. Hardware Review: 90 Days With The Pinebook Pro

So earlier this year I reviewed the PineBook Pro. I was pretty impressed with it at the time, but am I still enamored with this $200 laptop? I’ve now been using it for at least 90 days. I know that because I haven’t rebooted it in 90 days. Really.

32. Building a Brushed DC Motor Controller: An Overview

A DC motor has some advantages, and one of them is the simplicity of its control system. Learn more about its working principles and get some helpful tips.

33. Using Arduino To Build Your Own ‘Snake Game’

Oh, the magic of hardware

34. DC-to-DC Converters: What are They and How do They Work?

DC-DC converters can be found in almost any modern electronics. The applications of DC-DC converters range from smartphones and laptops to industrial and military systems. From this article, you can learn about their common types, their advantages and drawbacks, how they work, where and why they are used, and what issues one can face when designing electronics with DC-DC power converters.

35. Using FPGA in the Near Future: Trends and Predictions

The FPGA market continues to boom. According to the global forecast, over the next few years, its CAGR will be at an average of 8.6%. But the most interesting are new appliances of the tech, which are sometimes more akin to science fiction than to real life.

36. x86 Handling Exceptions

In previous article we got our CPU into 64 bit mode and were able to run 64 bit programs. Our vCPU is already very useful but it doesn't deal well with issues like division by zero, page faults or other exceptional cases it might encounter.

37. Connecting to Schlage's New WiFi Locks Is Not Easy

I like Schlage’s smartlocks, and have used them for years. Built by a company with a long history of making reasonably secure, reliable locks, I’ve used several of their Z-Wave locks over the years, but Z-Wave is…Z-Wave. Proprietary until recently, a PIA to troubleshoot, and while the technology held a lot of promise on paper, in reality it’s been the cause for many a swear word to erupt from my mouth (I realize this is partially due to the controllers I’ve used over the years).

38. What Hardware Do Developers Truly Need?

The bottom line is that learning to code is possible with a wide range of hardware configurations. it's not about having the most expensive machine

39. How To Redirect USB Dongle: Hyper-V USB passthrough

Majority of software programs require a hardware USB dongle in order to produce correct results. And what if you need to work with such a program in virtual environment where you cannot plug the dongle? There is no full-blown mechanism for connecting USB devices to virtual machine in Hyper-V, so when server is virtualized, all references with USB bus and USB devices connected to it are gone.

40. Taproot and Schnorr: The Biggest BTC Upgrade for 2021

Taproot is the most significant BTC update since the SegWit soft fork of 2017. It is intended to increase Bitcoin's fungibility.

41. IIOT – Receiving Data From Mercury Meters Via RS-485 Over TCP/IP

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a technology that is used in manufacturing, warehouses, factories, and laboratories.

42. Product is the King: How Ukrainian Engineers Are Creating Home Security Products

5 years ago, Ajax Systems were making 4,000 devices per month. 2 years ago, 30,000. Now we make 250,000. Our Kyiv team has managed to create competitive security systems, which are successfully sold in more than 90 countries worldwide. Global trade fairs recognize Ajax devices as the best on the European market.

43. How To Build a GPS Tracker From Scratch Using Arduino

Combining 3 Arduino boards to create a GPS tracker & data logger.

44. What's the difference between 74HC595 and 74HC164?

Hey guys, if you are an electronic DIY lover, you will always find a lot of similar or interchangeable components, which have subtle differences in the specs or features, therefore lead to the wrong application, 74HC595 and its similar components is an example I'm going to mention today.

45. Wave Hello to the Future: Designing Intuitive Gesture Recognition Systems for Smart Devices

Thanks to gesture recognition technology and voice recognition, users can now control their devices multimodel: via gestures or voice control.

46. Make Arduino Voice-Controlled Appliances with HC-05 Bluetooth Module

47. I Made The 'Best' Hacking PC Under a Ball-Busting Tight Budget

To me, hacking is a subset of testing and tweaking things by looking at them from a different point of view.

48. A Comprehensive Guide to UAV Digital Forensics With DJI Drones

Drone digital forensics is used to investigate UAV crime scenarios. This article researches the best forensics techniques for DJI drones.

49. Bias Tees and DC Blocks: When to Use Them

Low frequency filters such as bias tees and DC blocks are designed to transfer some desired signals and power rails while blocking others and limiting the output effect on RF/microwave circuits.

50. 5 Popular Hacker Hardware Tools in 2022

A look at some of the hardware tools that hackers use to access and corrupt your computer.

51. Intro to Amplifier Comparator Circuits: LM311, LM393, LM2903 and LM2901

The comparator is a circuit that makes use of operational amplifiers with power functions, here gives some typical examples that you can use to analyse them

52. Designing Electronics To Avoid Electrostatic Discharge

Electronics can be easily damaged by electrostatic discharge from things as small as a light touch in the right conditions though designs can avoid it.

53. The Hidden World of Firmware: Exploring Your Computer's Boot-Up Process

A lot of people are interested in how the computer starts up. This is where the magic begins and continues as long as the device is on. I.

54. Top Electronic Design Service Companies You Should Consider in 2020

As I can see, electronic design companies are far more undervalued by the media than the software ones. But the fact remains that the market is fairly large and continues to snowball in growth. According to the Grand View Research comprehensive report, the size of the electronic design services, combined with contract manufacturing, has reached almost $400 bln in 2018 and will grow by up to more than $650 bln by 2025.

55. An Introduction to High Speed Printed Circuit Boards (PCB)

A high speed printed circuit board design provides the transmission of signals at high speeds. It's a device that transfers data at very high speeds.

56. How to Solve the Common Problems of Embedded Firmware

Firmware is an integral part of any embedded system. A device is more than a combination of components. Without instructions, the microcontrollers do not “know” how to manage the peripherals. But embedded firmware development is not an easy task. It involves not only coding but a lot of testing and debugging as well. Today, we are going to talk about the common challenges of embedded firmware programming and their solutions.

57. A Guide to Serial Terminal Servers: Secure Remote Access to a Serial Port

A Serial Terminal Server is a software or hardware solution designed to make a non-networked serial-based peripheral connect to the network through itself.

58. Oculus Quest Vs. Leap Motion: Hand Tracking Review and the Future of Leap Motion in VR

With the early release of Oculus Quest’s Hand tracking, there are bound to be some questions and curiosity. What’s new? It was already possible using Leap Motion? Is it better? Let’s review and find out.

59. Statistics of Damaged Mobile Phones in the UK

According to the latest research, the British People have spent more than £680m each year just to have their phones’ screens fixed. From a poll of 2,000 users of mobile phones, the study showed that 53% have paid around £30 or more just to have their phones fixed last year alone. With around 42.7 million mobile phone users in the UK alone, the numbers can add up to a huge amount.

60. A Water-Cooling Upgrade That Can Give Bitcoin Miners Their Power Back

In typical open and transparent fashion Bitcoin mining sales and service company Meta-Luban does another public test of their water-cooling systems...

61. 5 Best Budget Gaming Laptops Under $800

The Acer Nitro 5, Dell G3 and Asus TUF FX505DT are some of the best budget gaming laptops under $800 available on the market today.

62. 5 Best Power Strips for Gaming in 2022

We’ve lined up the best power strips for gaming in 2021 to help you build an epic gaming setup and ensure an uninterrupted gaming experience

63. Linux Desktops and Hardware Enablement - It’s Time for a Change

If you told me twenty years ago that Nvidia GPU's would still be a pain in the you-know-what to get working in Linux to this very day, I wouldn't believe you.

64. The Evolution of Nvidia's Graphics Cards

This isn't going to cover every single graphics card used in the whole world as there are so many. But we are going to be covering the one company that almost run the whole production and lead the market with a storm. Side note for the Nvidia side the cards I have added are all the main board cards from Nvidia themselves and not custom boards like which MSI and Asus make.

65. Hardware Upgrades At Home: Hacking Nintendo Joy-Con Controller

Surgically implanting a 3D-Touch Capacitive Trackpad in place of the original Analog Joystick.

66. Top 10 Gaming Laptops with RTX 30 Series Graphics Cards

The Gigabyte, Strix, and ASUS ROG Zephyrus are some of the best gaming laptops with RTX 30 series graphics cards.

67. Clash of Chips: Apple's M1 Max vs. Intel's 12th Gen Core i9

Intel's new 12th-gen chip is a powerful processor and gives Apple's M1 good competition in the processor market.

68. Building 28-Core Raspberry Pi Cluster from Scratch: Release The Kraken

This is the second installment of my 'How I built' trilogy detailing the build process of all 3 of my clusters. Read the first here.

69. Angry Miao's Cyberblade vs. Apple Airpods: Battle of the Buds

Can the Cyblerblade futuristic earbuds inspired by the video game Horizon Zero Dawn compete with Apple Airpods?

70. IoT Home Irrigation System Using Losant and Particle Photon

Water your plants, get alarms, and analyze the data

71. How to Build Custom Generators for State Machines Easily 🚀

State machines, as they are used today in software projects, are an effective way of developing software for a lot of different applications. They have been used in the embedded systems domain to model reactive systems for decades. Highly-sophisticated tools, like Mathworks Stateflow and YAKINDU Statechart Tools, help embedded systems engineers to model and simulate the behavior of their systems and generate high-quality code out of the statechart models.

72. AOC G2460PF Review: A Great But Complicated Budget Gaming Monitor

For fulfilling fluid gaming, our KickoffTech gaming experts recommend a monitor with a high refresh rate (like 144Hz). We have reviewed hundreds of such high-end models, and our focus today will be on AOC G2460PF, a functional but complicated gaming monitor.

73. How to Install Anthos Bare Metal on Intel NUCs: A Beginner's Guide

Anthos on Bare Metal allows you to spin up a cluster from as few as 2 Intel NUCs. It’s a relatively straightforward process.

74. Finding the Perfect Keyboard Size

Have you been trying to find your perfect keyboard layout? We've got the answers!

75. Why We Need Radar Detectors

Radar detectors matter more than ever, but you wouldn’t know it from the poorly researched clickbait that was Doug Demuro’s recent article, “Radar Detectors Are Useless Now.”

76. Smart Toilet: Artificial Intelligence In Your Bathroom

According to Sameer Berry, “Everything these days is connected and smart, but I feel like the bathroom is a very untapped area,”

ChatGPT is a new AI-driven chatbot that can answer some questions and even write a paragraph of essays.

78. Everyday Use of Internet Of Things (IoT)

Internet of Things (IoT) is the inter-connectivity of computing devices that are embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data. It is simply defined as an extension of internet connectivity introduced into physical devices and everyday objects. These physical devices range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools.

79. An Introduction to BLDC Motor Controllers

A brushless DC (BLDC) motor is one of the most popular electrical motors with a broad scope of applications.

80. Understanding Modern CPU Architecture(Part 2): Microarchitecture

Today we will delve into what the microarchitecture of the CPU is made up of.

81. Everything You Need to Know About Multithreading: Sequential Consistency Concept [Part 1]

You probably have heard of the idea of out-of-order execution, and that it breaks some common-sense assumptions about writing programs, and software has to insert barriers to make things right. That was a baffling concept to me at least when I heard of it. At the very least, why would the hardware want to execute out of order only to have the software correct the behavior back? What's the point? Is the software taking care of all the quirks for me? And if not, where's the catch?

82. What Are PID Controllers and How Do They Work?

The article covers the basics of PID controllers: what PID is, how it works, its advantages and disadvantages, and application peculiarities.

83. A Look at Connectix QuickCam — One of the First Webcams in the World

Connectix released the QuickCam in 1994. Initially, it was only available for the Mac and connected via an RS-422 connector.

84. Custom RFID and NFC Device Development: Theory and Practice

RFID and NFC technologies are incredibly commonplace in the modern world but what goes into making them? This is the theory and practice behind the technology.

85. Lowering the Barrier of Entry to Zero Knowledge Proofs

Next Generation Semiconductors: Designing accelerators for advanced cryptography

86. Getting Started With RISC-V Board

Read about RISC-V, why it's in the news, how you can get involved and where you can learn more

87. Pet Tech is Getting Crazy!

Explore the wild world of Pet Tech: from DogTV to wearables and automated care. Dive into the future of pet care and the tech transforming our furry friends' li

88. WearOS Vs. WatchOS: Comparing Two Smart Watches

While a few smartwatches are accessible that have exclusive programming, the prevailing stages are the Google Wear OS (previously Android Wear) and Apple watchOS. These working frameworks give diverse usefulness, customization, and input to their separate gadgets. We contrasted the two with assistance you choose which one is directly for you.