Secure TOTP Storage & Usage

Keeping online accounts secure is more important than ever, especially with breaches occurring all the time. Using a password manager is an important step, but if you want to take your security to the next level, it’s worth looking at secure hardware devices like the TOTPVault. This fully open-source project stores TOTP secrets and generates codes with them for 2-factor authentication (2FA), an extremely important security feature that prevents attackers from accessing accounts even with a breached password.

Separating the TOTP secrets from a general-purpose, online device like your smartphone significantly decreases the likelihood of your accounts being breached. Moving TOTP away from password managers is also important; while convenient, storing passwords and TOTP secrets in the same database degrades the security model provided for by 2FA.

The TOTPVault stores encrypted TOTP secrets on a RISC-V microcontroller, an ESP32-C3, and a different MCU handles the USB interface, separating the cryptographic processes from the data access methods. TOTP data are encrypted with AES256, and the decryption key is derived from a vault password using PBKDF2. JTAG has been permanently disabled, with eFuses set to prevent accessing the data inside the MCU. The WiFi/Bluetooth stack has been completely disabled, and there is no antenna on-board.

The project’s source code is fully available and therefore auditable; you can also build the firmware and flash it yourself to ensure the running code is exactly what you expect, reducing the amount you need to trust the seller. The ESP32-C3 was chosen because it has excellent hardware crypto support, good support for Rust, and it has been PSA-L1 certified. So if you want to take an easy step to increase your account security, especially if you work in a high-risk job like journalism, give the TOTPVault a look!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/07/secure-totp-storage-usage/

Give C64 Emulation a Realistic Touch

The Commodore 64 keyboard is one of the most unique features of that machine and its siblings the VIC-20 and C128. Some people love it, some people hate it – but it’s undeniably how millions of people interacted with the C64. While emulation has opened up a whole new era of enjoyment for vintage computers, some people miss the real feel of the keyboard and joysticks. Well, the KEY2USB makes this a cinch!

Simply plug the KEY2USB into the expansion port of the C64, connect it with USB to your modern PC, and use the keyboard and joysticks as USB HID devices! There is no modification of any kind needed to any part of the C64, so you don’t need to even open it up. It’s great for playing video games with the real Commodore or compatible joysticks, or doing cross-development where you develop your code in VICE and then you can test it with real hardware controlling it, or vice-versa – test your C64 developed code in the emulator with single-step debugging and the real interface.

The only gotcha for new users is that VICE must be set to use a “positional” key map instead of the default “symbolic”. This setting is under Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Mapping. It will still work just fine, but VICE will interpret each key incorrectly and show the wrong character.

Oh, and because this shows up as a standard USB HID device, you can use it with the VIC-20/C128 emulators, and you can also plug it in to a C128 where it will boot it into C64 mode. It also works with the Ultimate 64. It should even be usable as a regular keyboard input device, so you can write your next novel on your C64 keyboard. Unfortunately, the VIC-20 uses a totally different set of expansion headers, so while you can use your C64/C128 to control the VIC emulator, you can’t use the VIC-20 hardware with this kit. Perhaps a sibling project might show up down the line?

It’s a simple, easy to solder through-hole kit. The chips come with sockets, and so future firmware updates will be very easy to install for end-users. The entire project is fully open-source (woo!) and is available under CERN OHL-P v2 at the GitHub repository.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/07/give-c64-emulation-a-realistic-touch/

Lua-based Microcontroller Platform

There are lots of alternatives for programming microcontrollers other than C/C++. Python has become very popular, with MicroPython and CircuitPython exploding in popularity in recent years. But Lua has always had a presence in the embedded field. It’s an exceptionally flexible scripting language, giving users the power to essentially make any data structure they want from Lua tables. The ELM11 Microcontroller Board from Brisbane Silicon is a powerful, multi-core chip specifically designed to quickly interpret Lua.

I had the opportunity to play with a couple of these boards over the last months, and they are extremely cool! Not only has the documentation been continually improving, but Brisbane Silicon recently launched a new IDE specifically for developing for this board. This simplifies a lot of the process, especially in creating “hardware overlays” which are custom implementations of whatever hardware interfaces you need for your project — from the basic serial buses like SPI to whatever you can dream up, if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and design your own.

It’s easy to get up and running quickly. When plugged in to a computer, you get a serial port that allows direct access to the Lua REPL running internally. You can play around with importing different modules and prototyping basic code. When you’re ready to push a project to the board, you can use either their new Arvore IDE or the original command line tools. Their website has a ton of information about using and programming this chip.

The ELM11 is the brainchild of two guys from, you guessed it, Brisbane, Australia. Craig Haywood designed the software side, and I asked him why they chose Lua for this project. His response was “Lua is quite simple to use, and it’s great for low-resource environments like embedded platforms. It’s also easily extensible; users can rapidly and easily add their own modules and expand functionality as they see fit. And because Lua is such a lightweight language, implementing a lightning-fast interpreter is not only feasible but easier to do than with other scripting languages.” I couldn’t agree more – I’ve always had a soft spot for Lua, and if you are curious about the board, make sure to check out the product page!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/07/lua-based-microcontroller-platform/

Show off your creations with Tindie at Teardown 2026!

Teardown 2026 is happening in Portland, Oregon this July 24-26 at the Jupiter hotel. It’s going to be a fun event, with talks, workshops, breakout sessions, and tons of cool hacks. In collaboration with Open Boards Guide we will be there and we want to show off your cool Tindie projects!

So, if you’d like to showcase your product there, all you need to do is post your project in this thread over on Tindie’s forums, and propose anything you’d like to have featured. We’ll pick the coolest stuff, and if selected, you ship us a sample of your project. It’ll be featured in our display at Teardown, with info about your board and a QR code directing people to your product page. If you have any issues with this process, email David at tindie@ishotjr.net for help!

This should get lots of eyes on your project! Once the event is over, we’ll ship everything you sent us back to you. If you happen to live in the area and can attend the event — even better! Grab tickets, bring your project with you, and you can be present to promote your gadget and answer any questions that users may have. For those who can’t be present, try and give us the most frequently asked questions and info about your project so we can represent you and show people what your product does!

If you want to attend Teardown, tickets are still available here and it’s going to be a great event. Check out the full schedule for info on the speakers, topics, and workshops that will be happening.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/07/show-off-your-creations-with-tindie-at-teardown-2026/

Important Update: Tindie’s New Payment and Seller Payout System Is Now Live

Hi everyone,

Today, we are officially launching Tindie’s new payment and seller payout system. This is an important change for the platform, and we want to explain why it was necessary, what is now available, and what sellers should expect during the transition.

First, thank you for your patience over the past few months. We know the payout situation has caused frustration, delays, and additional work for many sellers. We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience.

Why we had to change the payout system

For more than two months, we worked continuously with PayPal to restore the automated Payouts function previously used by Tindie. We submitted extensive company, identity, transaction, order, fulfillment, and shipping documentation, and made more than one hundred calls to different PayPal support teams. At several points, we were told that Payouts had been approved or enabled. However, actual seller payouts through the API continued to be blocked by PayPal’s internal risk systems.

The main difficulty is that our PayPal account is new, while Tindie is an established marketplace that immediately began processing a large volume of transactions. Tindie is also not a traditional retailer: products are stocked and shipped directly by independent sellers, so the platform itself cannot provide fulfillment documents for every order. After repeated reviews, temporary approvals, new restrictions, and additional document requests, it became clear that PayPal was unlikely to provide us with a stable automated payout solution in the near term.

We could not ask sellers to wait indefinitely, so we had no practical choice but to introduce a new system, which we’re announcing today! Some sellers may have already noticed the changes on site. You now have two options for payouts.

What is now available

Stripe Connect

Stripe Connect is now Tindie’s primary automated payout method. Sellers in supported countries can connect or create a Stripe account, complete the required verification, and receive eligible payouts automatically. Availability, verification requirements, and payout timing may vary by country. Once you have established a Stripe account, it should be smooth sailing moving forward for payouts.

Wise

Wise is available as a manual payout option for sellers who cannot use Stripe Connect or prefer Wise. Wise is an online payment processor that we have used internally and had great experiences with. It’s easy to set up an account, and you can easily convert between different currencies and then either use a Wise card directly or transfer funds to other bank accounts. Wise payout requests will have to be reviewed and processed manually by the Tindie team, though, so it may not be as fast as Stripe Connect. Sellers may be asked to provide a Wise payment link or other account details in order to have funds disbursed.

Updated payment and marketplace information

Along with the new payment system, we have also updated several important pages on Tindie:

• Buying on Tindie
• Selling on Tindie
• The Tindie Guarantee
• Terms of Service

These pages provide clearer information about payments, seller payouts, fees, shipping responsibilities, refunds, buyer protection, and the roles of Tindie, Stripe, Wise, buyers, and sellers.

We encourage everyone to review the updated information.

A clearer and more sustainable payment structure

This update is not only a change of providers. It also allows us to make Tindie’s payment and payout structure clearer and more sustainable.

The real cost of international marketplace transactions can vary significantly depending on the buyer’s country, payment method, currency conversion, refunds, and payout method.

Under the previous system, these costs were not always reflected clearly and were sometimes absorbed by the platform. That approach was difficult to sustain and limited our ability to invest in support, security, infrastructure, maintenance, and new features.

The updated structure is designed to provide clearer fee information, more reliable seller payouts, and a healthier foundation for Tindie’s long-term growth.

Please expect a transition period

During the past two months, our technical team has also been:

• stabilizing Tindie after migration to our infrastructure;
• repairing problems in an older system with many third-party plugins;
• responding to large volumes of malicious traffic and attacks;
• implementing and testing the new payment system;
• manually processing seller payouts during the transition.

We have done everything reasonably possible to make the new system stable before launch. Even so, some sellers may encounter verification requests, country-specific limitations, payout delays, or interface issues during the first days and weeks. If you experience a problem, please contact Tindie Support and include your store name, country, payout method, and a screenshot or clear description of the issue. Our team will work with you to find the most suitable available solution.

We understand that changing payment methods may be inconvenient, especially for sellers who have used PayPal for many years. We are sorry for the additional steps, and we appreciate your understanding and support. Unfortunately, we are left with no choice after trying to find a solution with PayPal.

Looking ahead

Launching the new payment system is an important step, but it is only the beginning. Our immediate priorities are stable platform operation, reliable seller payouts, clearer fee information, faster support, stronger security, and better tools for sellers and buyers. Once these foundations are stable, we will continue adding new features and connecting Tindie with more industry resources.

Our goal is to make Tindie a stronger home for makers around the world — a place where creative hardware ideas can become real products more efficiently and reach the people who need them.

Thank you for your patience, feedback, and continued support as we take this step forward together.

— The Tindie Team

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/07/important-update-tindies-new-payment-and-seller-payout-system-is-now-live/

May 12th Update

Quick updates for everyone on the disbursements. We got all set up with PayPal after transferring all the account info over, and we were able to send some payments out but apparently we tripped some kind of safety mechanism with PayPal — we tried to send too much, too quickly as a new account and so we’ve had to go through a long, drawn-out manual review process. We are able to manually disburse funds now but automatic disbursements will take a while. We want to be careful to not get locked out again!

The staff running the support@tindie.com email assure me that they have been reading and responding to all emails they receive, and constantly check Spam folders etc. just in case. To be safe we’re investigating whether there is some other issue as some people have reported not getting a response. If you don’t get a response, maybe try from a different email address, or try again after 12-24 hours. If you are sure your emails are not getting answered, try from another address or contact me on social media and I can pass your email address along for investigation.

All sellers will be disbursed — we are disbursing sellers manually at the moment which requires some manual labour in each case (checking all the info given to us previously and checking for sales since then) and this will happen more quickly as we “gain trust” in the PayPal system. We’re working as fast as possible to resolve this!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/05/may-12th-update/

More on the transition

We’re excited to announce more information about the transition to the new team!

Tindie is now owned by EETree LLC, a Washington state company. The transition is being led by Gongyu Su and a new team with long experience building technical communities and electronics-related platforms. The goal is to invest in Tindie as an independent platform for the global maker and hardware community.

In the last couple of hours, PayPal finally got everything working for Tindie. Purchases and disbursements should be working as normal now. If you have any issues, please reach out and let us know!

We care a great deal about user trust. We will do everything we can to resolve the issues that arise from the handover between the old and new systems. We are grateful for everyone’s patience, and we hope the community will continue to give us the chance to earn that trust. We’re doing our best with our small team to get everything straightened out while providing updates when we have new information to share. Things are moving along, and we’ll have more announcements in the future, which will be posted here and shared across all our social media channels.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/05/more-on-the-transition/

Back up and running!

Thank you for your patience during the recent downtime. We recognize that this disruption has been frustrating—and in some cases costly—particularly for sellers who rely on the platform.

This message comes from the new management team, and we want to be fully transparent: Tindie is entering a new chapter.

We’ve taken on stewardship of Tindie because we believe in its importance—not just as a marketplace, but as a home for makers, hardware creators, engineers, and curious builders bringing ideas into the physical world. Our team brings deep experience across technical communities, creator ecosystems, and electronics platforms. We’ve built and supported engineering-focused communities before, and we are committed to doing so here with long-term care and investment.

During the ownership transition, the platform experienced nearly two weeks of downtime. Since then, our immediate priority has been restoring stability. The site is now back online, and we’ve been working to ensure that both sellers and buyers can rely on it again.

Looking ahead, we are dedicating resources to technical improvements. Our goal is to modernize the platform’s underlying infrastructure to improve performance, reliability, and scalability. As we implement these changes, we will take care to minimize disruption to active sellers, buyers, and ongoing transactions.

Beyond the platform itself, we are investing in the community. This includes building better tools for product discovery, creating more opportunities to highlight makers and sellers, and supporting the visibility of innovative projects.

Most importantly, we want to listen.

As stability returns, we are actively seeking input from both sellers and buyers. What should we prioritize? What long-standing pain points need to be addressed? What would make Tindie more reliable, more valuable, and more worth your time? Feel free to leave your comments below!

Your feedback will directly inform our roadmap and priorities.

We appreciate your continued support as we work to rebuild and strengthen Tindie—together.

— The new Tindie Team

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/04/back-up-and-running/

Classic Radio Shack Protoboards

Radio Shack famously made many different products for hobbyists and professionals alike. Their series of protoboards were specially designed to fit inside project boxes that were also sold by Radio Shack. They followed a somewhat similar layout to a breadboard, but as you can see there are also completely independent, unconnected pads for three of the columns. These Workbench Classics 276-150 Prototype Boards are exact replicas of the Radio Shack classics, enabling usage with those original project boxes. You can even 3D print your own, if you have a 3D printer!

Another nice feature is the white silkscreen section allowing you to write a board/project name along with a revision number. This can be extremely handy when you are digging through old projects. Many times you come upon an old project board with chips soldered to it, and you end up scratching your head wondering what on earth you were building — if only all protoboards had label sections! Another bonus is ENIG plating, which makes soldering so much easier and gives projects a much cleaner look.

Not only is this an exact replica of the classic 276-150 prototyping board, the same seller also has the larger 276-168 prototype boards as well! So if you want to give a project that classic Radio Shack feel, or you just like the size and design, these are excellent prototyping boards.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/04/classic-radio-shack-protoboards/

DIY UPS System

Having battery backups for various devices around the house can be extremely useful. A couple of years ago, I installed a UPS for my ISP’s modem, my router/AP, and my Raspberry Pi running network services. Now when the power goes out, all our battery-powered devices still have internet access! This has been a lifesaver on multiple occasions. Commercial off-the-shelf UPSes are good, but often are too big (or too low capacity!) for the application you have in mind. Enter the DCzilla – a DIY UPS control board. Just add some batteries, a cheap DC/DC module, and you can easily power any DC-powered devices like my aforementioned modem/router/Raspberry Pi setup!

The DCzilla has some nice features. All the on-board fuses are the widely available automotive type, so replacements are inexpensive and easy to get. The board does require a small DC/DC module, but the product page lists options and where to get them. You can, of course, also spin your own! Another convenient feature is customizable cutoff voltages for each of the three outputs, allowing you to prioritize certain devices as the battery voltage drops over time.

Monitoring is achieved over both serial and via a NodeRED web dashboard, allowing you to view the status of the system from anywhere. This board is just one component of a full DIY system, allowing you to grow or shrink the size of your DC backup system depending on your use case. You could start with a single lead-acid battery and a single board, and later on add many more batteries in parallel with more control boards to power additional devices.

Be sure to contact the seller PicoTouch if you have any questions!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/02/diy-ups-system/

PDP-1 Replica Kit!

Digital Equipment Corporation (more commonly known as DEC) was an extremely influential computer manufacturer from 1957 until their purchase by Compaq in 1998. Their line of PDP mainframes and minicomputers were extremely popular; their PDP-10 and PDP-11 machines led directly to the creation of UNIX. However, these machines are extremely rare, difficult to acquire and maintain, and so many projects like this PiDP-1 Console and/or Rack kit exists to allow hackers to play with these amazing machines!

This incredible kit is based directly on the incredibly accurate C and Verilog emulators written by Angelo Papenhoff, so it acts and feels just like an original PDP-1 in form and function! The PDP-1 is the machine that built the first true hacker collective, the group at MIT which led to the creation of the AI Lab there – leading to all sorts of things like Lisp Machines, the FSF, GNU and more.

Even simple programs can make very neat outputs on the original phosphor display (originally a converted radar scope) and many of the original programs written by the hackers at MIT are still available, demonstrating the capabilities of the machine. And, of course, there is the first interactive video game ever made – Spacewar! This incredible game is just as popular with people today as when it was first demonstrated in 1962.

Simply add any Pi, from the Pi Zero 2W up to the Pi 5 and you’re ready to compute like it’s 1959. The amazing console will amaze and delight hackers old and young. It’s an amazing display piece, while being fully functional and expandable. Add the RetroPie software and you’ve got yourself a full video game emulation machine in probably the coolest case you’ll ever see!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/02/pdp-1-replica-kit/

BT110 Bytebeat Synthesizer

Bytebeat synthesis is a very unique and strange way to create sounds. You simply take a variable, and then do whatever logical/mathematical operations you feel like doing to it. This will generate a pattern of output bytes that, when fed into a DAC, can sound like just about anything. That’s what the BT110 does — it packages up everything you need to create bytebeat synthesis into an easy to use module.

A neat feature is the visualizer – this shows you what the output bytes actually “look” like, so you can get an idea of how each additional logical function, multiplication, modulo addition, etc. changes the output.

The BT110 has exposed pins on the side for future expansion – ideas include video output, analog signal processing, additional control inputs and more. It’s really hard to put into words exactly what this module can do, so I think the best way to get it across is to watch their demonstration video (watch your volume!):

When I first discovered this method a few years ago, I gave it a try and the results were… very interesting.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/01/bt110-bytebeat-synthesizer/

MacroPad for Math Geeks: Mathpad!

I have written enough things in LaTeX to know how incredibly powerful it is. The equation typesetting in particular is just magical, and is more or less the academic standard for scientific papers. However, entering mathematical symbols (both when editing LaTeX and outside) can be a real pain. Some are easy to remember, but I often find myself having to quickly search online for the less common ones (how do I do a definite integral again?) which slows things down. Enter the Mathpad: a macropad for students, academics and engineers who use mathematical symbols often and want to be able to enter them directly!

Fully open-source (and OSHWA certified!), you are free to hack on the device and customize it with whatever symbols or keystrokes you find best. As it comes, there are multiple different modes. The plaintext mode enters the symbol directly; the LaTeX mode enters the proper LaTeX syntax for the symbol; and there are also Microsoft/OpenOffice Equation Editor modes to allow easy insertion and editing in those environments.

A neat version of this might be to change some of the symbols to those commonly used by engineers: µ, Ω, ±, and things like the logical operators ⊼ ⊽∧. However, with the open firmware, changing these things is easy! So no matter what field you’re in, you can easily customize the symbols. Oh, and the best part? The Gateron switches are hot-swappable, so you can easily pop in your favourite clicky or tactile switches to get just the feel you want!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2026/01/macropad-for-math-geeks-mathpad/

Duonacci Pendant

California STEAM is back again with yet another gorgeous piece of illuminated jewelry. The Duonacci Pendant combines the mathematics of the Fibonacci numbers with 103 blue/green LEDs to create an entrancing, swirling pendant. California STEAM have a track record of making beautiful pieces of jewelry and the Duonacci lives up to their reputation.

Multiple different modes can be selected depending on your mood or the atmosphere you’re in. Patterns can be shown in a fixed order, generated by random numbers, updated at 120BPM (for house music), a swirling portal mode, and even more beyond those! The combinations are endless.

The coolest part of all is that the pendant does not use a battery. Instead it uses a 90F hybrid supercapacitor. 6 minutes of charging is all that’s needed to keep it running for 10 hours, or 8 minutes if it’s totally empty. That’s pretty amazing, and makes it more likely you’ll be able to use it at short notice. Instead of pulling it out and finding it loaded with a dead battery, just hook it up to USB-C while you’re getting ready to go out, and it’ll be ready when you are!

Of course, pictures don’t do it justice, so make sure to check out the video below to see it in action.

 

source https://blog.tindie.com/2025/11/duonacci-pendant/

Chatter 2: Encrypted LoRa Communicator!

The follow-up to the original Chatter is here! These easy to assemble, encrypted LoRa communicators are not only useful for their headline feature but also allow writing custom firmware and games. The pair of communicators comes pre-soldered, so all you need to do is assemble the housing around the completed board.

My brother and I each assembled one, and while there were some tricky steps (keeping the battery cable out of the way while trying to close the case), overall it was easy and could definitely be accomplished by young hackers with a little supervision and encouragement. For some reason my NiMh batteries didn’t quite fit the holder properly, though I’ve had this happen with other devices as I think the bump on the positive end of the battery isn’t as long as most alkaline batteries.

Powering the device from USB-C worked flawlessly for testing, and once the included lanyard was attached, we were able to get each other set up as friends and send a few messages! Typing out longer messages on the phone-style keypad could be improved by using a system like T9, but even so it works well, and knowing the unit doesn’t require any infrastructure like WiFi or LTE is super cool.

The other neat facet of this device is its programmability. Just like the original Chatter, you can program the device using CircuitBlocks or the Arduino environment. It’s a great way to explore and learn about wireless communication – especially LoRa, the long-range, low-power radio protocol used in the Chatter 2.0.

CircuitMess are so sure you’ll like the new Chatter 2.0 that they’ve offered a generous 35% off promo code – SECRET35OFF – that’s valid until December 5th, 2025! So if you need a gift for a hacker or teen who is interested in STEM, cryptography, wireless communication or programming, the Chatter 2.0 is bound to be a hit.

 

source https://blog.tindie.com/2025/11/chatter-2-encrypted-lora-communicator/

3:1 Scale CURTA Replica

Since I was a child, I’ve always loved mechanical devices of all shapes and sizes. I remember my grandmother’s cottage had one of those old totalizer “calculators” that you’d use a pen to slide the digits up and down and thinking it was the coolest thing ever. As I grew up I remember when I first read about the Curta calculator – it absolutely blew me away. Even then (back in the early 00s) they were already difficult to get and expensive, so I figured I’d never own one. Well, some incredibly dedicated hacker from Germany has created a 3:1 3D printed replica of the Curta that is fully functional!

At first, I was doubting whether 3D printed parts would hold up long-term, as the Curta is famously durable and very well-made. However, many of the important parts in this replica are made from CNC machined steel, like the main crankshaft. Other dimensionally critical components are printed in different types of plastic like PETG to get the best balance of durability, accuracy, smooth operation and price.

The Curta has a very unique place in history. We recommend reading Empire of the Sum by Keith Houston, which covers the history of pocket calculators from Blaise Pascal’s “Pascaline” devices, through the Friden STW-10, up through the Curta and on to the TI-81 and beyond. I was already a fan of the Curta but learning about how it fits in to the overall development history of calculating devices makes it even more interesting.

All in all, we at Tindie are simply blown away by the obvious passion and painstaking work that must have gone into creating this project. I can’t fathom how many prototypes and tweaks it must have taken to get things working smoothly while maintaining that lovely Curta look. With the holidays coming up, this should be on your list for any hacker you know that loves calculators and mechanical devices!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2025/11/31-scale-curta-replica/

Educational Transistor Set!

For the young soon-to-be engineers out there, or anyone who wants to learn about the basics of transistors, logic circuits and how it all ties into modern computing, the Transistor Logic Pixie kit is a well-polished and easy to follow guide. Featuring a breadboard, pre-cut wires, and the “Pixie” itself (a small PCB with push buttons, resistors, transistors, capacitors, etc.) getting started is a breeze.

The guide walks you through setting up each circuit, using colour-coded wires to make it easy to follow. Starting with the simplest buffer circuits and moving up through all the standard logic gates, eventually arriving at multivibrators and flip-flops, all the essentials are covered. The spiral-bound printed guide has easy to follow diagrams and text which explain how each circuit works and how they can be used in combination to build more complex devices.

With the holiday season coming up, this might make a great gift for a young hacker interested in electronics, or anyone who wants to quench their curiosity about how computer circuits actually work at the fundamental level.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2025/11/educational-transistor-set/

Wireless Hacking Tool

Editor’s note: As always, either test equipment like this on devices you own, or gain the consent of others before attempting to attack their communications. It’s unethical, not to mention illegal, to do otherwise! Also, jamming can be illegal in many places — be sure to check your local laws before doing anything that might get you in trouble.

This compact and flexible wireless hacking/penetration test tool called the AeroSniff-X3 has just been launched on Tindie! It combines hardware for sniffing, modifying and jamming WiFi, BLE, drone protocols, and other 2.4GHz-based wireless communication channels.

An-onboard dual-color OLED screen makes using it in the field easy, with clear and sharp text. Manual, handheld use is possible, but there is also a fully integrated web UI for control and packet sniffing/analysis. Dual NRF24L01 devices allow advanced probing and sniffing across a wide range of protocols and frequencies. Built-in attacks such as Bad BLE allow you to test your systems to see if they are susceptible.

An on-board ESP32 module both controls the rest of the system and adds WiFi and BLE scanning and connectivity. For the price, you’re getting a decent package with a lot of flexibility. Writing and hacking on the firmware can open new analysis opportunities, plus you can customize the UI and design software specifically for your application! Writing code for the ESP32 is a cinch these days, with multiple platforms and languages available.

So if you want to add a portable, easy-to-use tool to your wireless hacking toolkit, checkout the AeroSniff-X3.

 

source https://blog.tindie.com/2025/10/wireless-hacking-tool/

New Amateur Radio Gear

A new seller has arrived on Tindie, and he’s brought some neat amateur radio tools to the platform! Whether you’re looking to temporarily mount a large vertical in your tow hitch, practice your CW keying with any USB-capable computer, phone or tablet, or teach others how to use Morse code in a group setting, KE9BOS_Radio has you covered!

The portable hitch receiver mast mount is a great way to quickly set up temporary, tall vertical antennas at a remote site, or in emergencies. With four tight velcro straps, the vertical is held firmly in place. Note that this design is not suitable for use while driving on public roads: while the attachment is secure, it’s not as secure as a permanent vehicle mount and you wouldn’t want to risk damaging your antenna or putting other drivers in danger!

The 11-to-1 CW key splitter could be used for all sorts of group teaching scenarios. Imagine a group of students all with their own keys, all attached to the same morse decoder projected onto a screen. The teach can demonstrate a letter or technique, and the students can then one by one try it out on the same system. This could also be useful if you have many different types of keys and you’d like to keep them ready to go without having to plug and unplug them all the time!

Finally, the USB CW Vail adapter is used to connect any type of key to computers or mobile devices, either for practice sessions, or for internet communication! With the advanced design, you also get a capacitive key built-in, as well as the ability to connect to any radio key inputs. So with all these neat amateur radio toys, be sure to keep an eye on KE9BOS_Radio’s store in the future!

source https://blog.tindie.com/2025/10/new-amateur-radio-gear/

8BitFlux Store Sale!

First off, 8BitFlux has just launched a new product: the Binary Keyboard, an 8-switch panel device reminiscent of classic computers like the Altair 8800, PDP-11, and many other amazing vintage machines. You can use it standalone to teach binary, or you can attach it to just about anything to enter in a byte of data at a time. Ones’ complement mode inverts all the bits if needed. An optional add-on can display the current switch settings on an LED display which can show hexadecimal or octal!

Not only that, but the entire 8BitFlux store currently has a sale running! Make sure to check out some of their other super cool projects, like this serial attachment for the Apple I/II that allows you to dump a text file in via the keyboard, as if it had been typed in. There are also other keyboard-related tools, like this ASCII Keyboard tester which shows the actual data coming from an ASCII-format keyboard. Or check out the Super Breadboard, which has built-in power rails and short-circuit protection, plus an obvious way to separate inputs and outputs from the circuit being prototyped.

In any case, take a look at what 8BitFlux has to offer and see if anything catches your eye! With holidays coming up, it’s always good to keep an eye out for interesting things for our hacker friends and family.

source https://blog.tindie.com/2025/10/8bitflux-store-sale/