2026-03-15 22:00:11
If you weren’t around for the early PC era, or were a little more casual about operating systems, you could perhaps be forgiven for not knowing that DOS is not synonymous with MS-DOS. MS-DOS was just Microsoft’s implementation — or rather, an implementation they purchased — of a Disk Operating System, one that was…let’s just say “inspired by” Digital Research’s CP/M.
Digital Research shot back with DR-DOS, an operating system that was both compatible with and much superior in some ways to MS-DOS. The last version was released in 1991, after Novell bought the struggling Digital Research. Now it’s back, or at least, it’s on its way back with a fully clean-room implementation by a fellow who calls himself [CheeseWeezel] on Reddit.
He’s gone so far as to purchase the trademark, so this re-creation is the official DR-DOS. In any case [CheeseWeezel]’s DR-DOS is considered version 9.0, and is currently in Beta. The clean-sheet re-implementation of DR-DOS’s API was sadly necessary due to the rather tortured history of the IP after DR was bought by Novel, who sold DR-DOS to Caldera, who briefly open-sourced the code before retracting the license and selling on. Some of you may remember a controversy where a previous rights holder, DR DOS INC, was found purloining FreeDOS code in violation of the GPL. Perhaps because of that, [CheeseWeezel] isn’t using any old code, and isn’t open-sourcing what he’s done. Right now, the beta of DR-DOS 9 is free for non-commercial use, but as is standard for EULAs, that could change at any time without warning. [CheeseWeezel] is still working full compatibility, but at this point it at least runs DOOM.
Still, given the origins of DOS in Digital Research’s early work on CP/M, it warms the heart to see what many of us thought of as the “true” DOS survive in some form in the 21st century. Arguably it already had, in the form of SvarDOS, but you can’t use that to make smug jokes about your operating system having PhD instead of a measly master’s. If you did not like DOS, we recall the joke from Mac users was that those were the degrees needed to operate the PC. Speaking of DOS, you don’t necessarily need a retrocomputer to run it.
Thanks to [OldDOSMan] for the tip!
2026-03-15 19:00:10
If you’re at all familiar with digital computing, you’ll know that computers represent everything in binary values of one and zero. Except that’s not technically the only way to do computing! You can use any numerical system you like if you build your hardware to suit, as [Jeroen Brinkman’s] ternary adder demonstrates.
As you might guess from the prefix, “ternary” refers to a base-3 numerical system. In this case, [Jeroen] implemented a balanced ternary system, which effectively uses values of -, 0, and + instead of just 1 and 0. The adder is built using relay logic, and is designed to handle 4 trits—the ternary equivalent of bits, where each trit can have one of the three aforementioned states. On a hardware level, trit states are represented with voltages of -5, 0, or 5 V in this case, and are handled with special tri-state switching elements that [Jeroen] constructed out of simple SPDT relays.
[Jeroen]’s write-up does a great job of explaining both ternary basics as well as the functioning of the adder. It’s also quite intuitive because it’s possible to see the relays clicking away and the LEDs flashing on and off as the circuit does its work to add values stored in ternary format.
If you’re trying to get your head around ternary computing from the very lowest level, this project is a great place to start. We’ve seen base 3 hardware built before, too—like this simple ternary computer lashed together from accessible components.
If you’re cooking up your own computing apparatus that uses some weird number system or something, remember—we’d love to hear about it on the tipsline!
2026-03-15 16:00:20
3D printing has had its time to spread its wings into the everyday home, yet many of those homes lack the proper ventilation to prevent the toxic VOCs from escaping. Because of this, [Clura] has put together an entire open-sourced smart enclosure for most open concept printers.
While certain 3D printers or filament choices lend themselves to being worse than others, any type of plastic particles floating around shouldn’t find their way into your lungs. The [Clura] enclosure design includes HEPA and carbon filters in an attempt to remove this material from the air. Of course, there’s always the choice to have a tent around your printer, but this won’t actually remove any VOCs and air located inside a simple enclosure will inevitably escape.
What makes this enclosure different from other, either commercial or open-source designs, is the documentation included with the project. There are kits available for purchase, which you may want for the custom PCB boards for smart features such as filament weighing or fume detection. Even still, if you don’t want to purchase these custom boards the Gerber files are available on their GitHub page.
As smart as this enclosure is, it still won’t fix the issues of what happens to the toxins in your print after it’s done printing. If you are interested in this big picture question, you are not alone. Make sure to stay educated and help others learn by checking out this article here about plastic in our oceans.
2026-03-15 13:00:35
Reading analog clocks is a pretty straightforward skill to learn. However, if you’ve already learned to read and don’t want to pick up the extra skill, a word clock is a perfect solution for telling time. [povey_tech] found some nice examples in the wild but didn’t appreciate the price, so he set about building his own.
The build is based around an ESP32 microcontroller. While many projects in this vein would use the onboard wireless connectivity to query network time servers, in this case, the board relies on the user manually setting the time and a DS1307 real-time-clock module to keep a steady tick. Also onboard is a VEML7700 ambient light sensor, which the microcontroller uses to control the brightness of the WS2812 LEDs inside the board.
The words themselves are laser cut out of acrylic panels, with everything set inside a tidy oak picture frame. A layer of anti-reflective glass in front helps cut down on glare, while [povey_tech] was so kind as to implement two LEDs per letter to allow for lovely color gradients to be displayed. Configuring the clock is easy thanks to a webpage hosted on the ESP32 that allows for control of dimming modes, colors, and setting the time. Home Assistant integration is something planned for the future.
We’ve seen many great word clocks over the years. Perhaps the biggest leap forward in this world was the development of the addressable LED strip which made constructing these clocks much easier.
2026-03-15 10:00:23
If a zipper breaks, a 3D printer might not be the first tool one reaches for — but it’s more feasible than one might think. [MisterJ]’s zipper slider replacement is the kind of 3D print that used to be the domain of well-tuned printers only, but most hobbyist printers should be able to handle it nowadays.
What really sets this design apart from other printed versions is its split construction. Putting a new slider onto a zipper usually requires one to free the ends of the zipper by unsewing them. [MisterJ]’s two-part design instead allows the slider to be assembled directly onto the zipper, without the hassle of unsewing and re-sewing anything. That’s a pretty significant improvement in accessibility.
Want to make some adjustments? Good news, because the files are in STEP format which any CAD program will readily understand. We remember when PrusaSlicer first gained native STEP support and we’re delighted that it’s now a common feature in 3D printer software.
[MisterJ]’s zipper slider design is available in a variety of common sizes, in both standard (zipper teeth face outward) and reverse (zipper teeth face inward) configurations. Naturally a metal slider is more durable than a plastic one, but being able to replace broken parts of a zipper with a 3D printer is a pretty handy thing. Speaking of which, you can also 3D print a zipper box replacement should the squarish bit on the bottom get somehow wrecked or lost.
2026-03-15 07:00:47
[idealdealy] had a problem. GNU Radio Companion was proving to be a powerful tool, but it just didn’t look… cool enough. The solution? A custom bit of software called PimpMyGRC, designed to jazz things up a bit in everyone’s favorite open-source SDR package.
In the creator’s own words, PimpMyGRC solves the problem nobody had with GNU Radio. It stemmed from [idealdealy]’s desire to have a plain black background in the software to ease eye strain during late night debug sessions. From there, it developed into a full theming package coded in Python, complete with all kinds of fun color schemes.
You can go with “arctic” if you’re somewhere cold, “bubblegum” if you’re feeling young and fun, or “neon hacker” if you’re still obsessed with early 90s movies with terrible plot holes around computers.
None of these themes will help you work faster, but they’ll probably make your friends jealous that your setup looks a little bit cooler than theirs. Plus, there are some really fun animated effects to catch your eye if your attention is fading. You might get flames dancing on the bottom of the screen, or binary digits falling through the display in a manner vaguely akin to terminals from The Matrix.
If you’re new to this world, you might like to check out this primer on getting started with GNU Radio. Meanwhile, if you’re cooking up your own SDR hacks of value, don’t hesitate to notify the tipsline!
