The joy of camera hacking lies for many at the low end of the market. Not working with many-thousand-dollar Leicas, but in cheap snapshot cameras that can be had for next to nothing at a thrift store. [Marek Sokal] has a perfect example, in a 3D printed 35mm camera body using the lens and shutter assembly from a vintage Soviet Lomo Smena 8M.

The build is a work in progress, a printed assembly that holds the 35mm film cartridge, provides the focal plane for the film, and houses the take-up reel. It fits together with M2 screws, as per the Lomo lens.

We like this build, because we can see beyond the Lomo. In a box above the desk where this is being written there is a pile of old plastic snapshot cameras from the 1960s through 1980s, none of which is worth anything much, but all of which have a similar shutter and lens assembly. In many cases it’s not a huge task to do with them what [Marek] has with the Lomo and mount them to a back like this. The LEGO film camera may not have gained approval, but this prove that making cameras of your own is still pretty easy.

This week, Hackaday’s Elliot Williams and Kristina Panos met up over coffee to bring you the latest news, mystery sound results show, and of course, a big bunch of hacks from the previous seven days or so.

We found no news to speak of, except that Kristina has ditched Windows after roughly 38 years. What is she running now? What does she miss about Windows? Tune in to find out.

On What’s That Sound, Kristina thought it was a jackhammer, but [Statistically Unlikely] knew it was ground-tamper thingy, and won a Hackaday Podcast t-shirt! Congratulations!

After that, it’s on to the hacks and such, beginning with 3D printing on the nano scale, and a couple of typewriter-based hacks.  Then we take a look at the beauty of the math behind graph theory, especially when it comes to circuit sculptures and neckties.

We also talk display hacking, macro pads with haptic feedback knobs, and writing code in Welsh. Finally, we discuss the Virtual Boy, and ponder whether vibe coding is killing open source.

Check out the links below if you want to follow along, and as always, tell us what you think about this episode in the comments!

Download in DRM-free MP3 and savor at your leisure.

Episode 356 Show Notes:

News:

• No news is good news, except that Kristina ditched Windows after ~38 years!

What’s that Sound?

• Congrats to [Statistically Unlikely] who knew this was an Earth-stomping machine!

Interesting Hacks of the Week:

• The Latest From RepRapMicron – Nail Gel, First Objects, And More
• Lego Typewriter Writes Plastic Letters
• Comprehensive Power Management For The Raspberry Pi
• Crouching Typewriter, Hidden PC
• The Graph Theory Of Circuit Sculptures
  • The 85 Ways to Tie a Tie
  • The Mathematics of Tie Knots
• DIY Macropad Rocks A Haptic Feedback Wheel
  • Simplifying The SmartKnob

Quick Hacks:

• Elliot’s Picks:
  • 5K IMac Turned Into 5K Display
  • CPU Scheduler Divines The Will Of The Heavens
  • An Event Badge Re-Imagined As A Cyberdeck
  • Ysgrifennu Côd Yn Gymraeg (Writing Code In Welsh)
• Kristina’s Picks:
  • Ordering Pizza On Your Sega Dreamcast Is Very Clunky Indeed
  • Need A Curved Plastic Mesh? Print Flat, Curve Later
  • Running DOOM And Super Mario 64 Inside A PDF File

Can’t-Miss Articles:

• After 30 Years, Virtual Boy Gets Its Chance To Shine
• How Vibe Coding Is Killing Open Source