Automated Mouse Trap

ArtusIndus shares an interesting way to trap tiny squeakers. They do a share a disclaimer that the trap is for educational purposes and to follow local regulations regarding animal handling. (We strongly agree!)

In this project, I will show you how to build a simple automated mouse trap using an Arduino and a servo motor.

The system uses a phototransistor and an LED as a light barrier. When a mouse interrupts the light beam, the trap is triggered instantly.

Additionally, the Arduino records how long the system was running before activation using EEPROM.

This project is simple, low-cost, and great for learning basic electronics and sensor systems.

You can also check out their GitHub repository.

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Advanced Mac Substitute implements 80’s Macs without Apple ROMs

Advanced Mac Substitute is an API-level reimplementation of 1980s-era Mac OS. It runs 68K Mac applications in an emulator without an Apple ROM or system software.

Unlike traditional emulators, Advanced Mac Substitute doesn’t emulate the hardware on which an operating system runs (except for the 680×0 processor), but actually replaces the OS — so it launches directly into an application, without a startup phase.

Advanced Mac Substitute is a factored application. The backend includes a 68K emulator and should build and run on any POSIX-like system. The frontend is a generic bitmapped terminal abstraction, provided by SDL2 (for various platforms) along with custom implementations for macOS, X11, and Linux framebuffer (fbdev).

Advanced Mac Substitute is capable of running several applications written for the original Macintosh computer. Examples include four games from 1984: Amazing, Solitaire, Missile, and IAGO.

Read more here and see the source on GitHub.

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PlanePortal: Make a Live Flight Tracker with PyPortal

image via Kevin Loeffler on Hackster.io

 

Hackster.io user Kevin Loeffler used a PyPortal to make PlanePortal, a live flight tracker:

PlanePortal is a weekend project that turns an Adafruit PyPortal into a live flight tracker for your desk. It watches a configurable radius around any point you choose, pulls live aircraft positions from the OpenSky Network, enriches them with route and airline data from ADSBDB, and renders everything on a compact aviation-style dashboard with mini radar, featured aircraft card, and a scrolling list of recent traffic.

Read more

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NEW LEARN GUIDE: Using a Raspberry Pi as a Router #Hacks #AdafruitLearningSystem @Adafruit

The FCC recently announced a ban on new consumer-grade routers produced in outside of the US. This does not effect existing devices that were already authorized, and there is a carve-out for manufactures to apply for a conditional approval, so it’s difficult to say what the medium or long term effects of the ban will be.

This got me thinking about what could be used as a makeshift router in a pinch. As it so happens any computer that can run Linux and has networking interfaces can function as a router. This blog post by Noah Baily documents the process using various old computers and components as custom routers over the years.

These makeshift routers are not going to win any bandwidth speed races, but they’re perfectly capable of routing traffic for IoT devices or basic browsing. They’re also useful for capturing traffic to analyze or sharing internet access from WiFi to Ethernet or vice-versa.

This new guide documents the set up process and capabilities of using a Raspberry Pi as a router. It does not require a particularly powerful computer, even the older Pi 3 B+ that lots of us have tucked away in an old parts bin works fine for this.

Read more at Using a Raspberry Pi as a Router

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Happy International Day of Human Space Flight 2026 #IntlSpaceDay

Image Via United Nations

 

2026 marks a special year for human space flight as the crew of the Artemis II returned to earth last Friday. The record breaking expedition sent astronauts approximately 252,756 miles into space; the last record was set in 1970. There are 3 more Artemis missions planned culminating with the construction of a permanent moon base. Are we entering a new golden age of space exploration?

 

Stylized poster for Artemis II Crew Poster – Virtual Background Via NASA

 

On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen, became the first human to breach the cosmos. Take some time today to learn about a past or future space project, or just look up in awe. Via United Nations:

On 4 October 1957 the first human-made Earth satellite Sputnik I was launched into outer space, thus opening the way for space exploration. On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth, opening a new chapter of human endeavour in outer space.

The Declaration further recalls “the amazing history of human presence in outer space and the remarkable achievements since the first human spaceflight, in particular Valentina Tereshkova becoming the first woman to orbit the Earth on 16 June 1963, Neil Armstrong becoming the first human to set foot upon the surface of the Moon on 20 July 1969, and the docking of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts on 17 July 1975, being the first international human mission in space, and recall that for the past decade humanity has maintained a multinational permanent human presence in outer space aboard the International Space Station.”

Learn more From the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

See more great posts on Space, NASA, and science

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Celebrate with a NeoPixel laden Space Helmet from the Ruiz Brothers and the Adafruit Learning System.

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Adafruit Weekly Editorial Round-Up: Mother’s Day Gift Guide and More!

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ADAFRUIT WEEKLY EDITORIAL ROUND-UP

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We’ve got so much happening here at Adafruit that it’s not always easy to keep up! Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Each week we’ll be posting a handy round-up of what we’ve been up to, ranging from learn guides to blog articles, videos, and more.

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Mother’s Day Gift Guide

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Upgrade this Bendable Lamp with Custom Sound Reactive Modes

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Star Trek Data Dispenser

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Science Museum Celebrates Star Trek at 60

The Science Museum is celebrating 60 years of Star Trek.

2026 marks 60 years since Star Trek first hit our screens. To celebrate this major milestone, we’ve partnered with Star Trek on a special season of must-see film screenings and one incredible trail of iconic objects from the TV series and films.

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