The hottest Hardware Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

🐿️ Riding the Current - The Insanely Profitable Tech Newsletter

Squirrel Squadron Substack • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. Smartphones today have much more power than computers from just 25 years ago. This shows how quickly technology improves, with more parts being added to chips every few years.
  2. There’s a slowdown coming in AI growth because we need special, big computer systems to run these complex programs. As we reach limits in technology, we might have to focus more on improving software instead of just making computers faster.
  3. Even though AI is advancing quickly, there are challenges like the lack of special chips and the environmental impact of new data centers. This means the future of AI development might not be as fast as we expect.

NVIDIA's Vision for AI

Gonzo ML • 0 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. NVIDIA is leading the way in AI technology, and their new RTX Blackwell chip is really powerful, making gaming and other processes faster and more efficient.
  2. Project Digits is an exciting new product that allows for powerful AI processing in a compact and portable form, which could change how we use AI at home.
  3. NVIDIA's focus on world models and agents signals a shift towards more sophisticated AI systems, making it clear they are planning for a future where AI plays a bigger role in daily life.

Arducam Mira220 CMOS Camera

Everyday Thing • 0 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. The Arducam Mira220 is a special camera sensor that works really well with infrared light and connects to a Raspberry Pi.
  2. A cool feature is that it has a monochrome look and can actually be modified for better performance by changing the lens.
  3. There's also a plan to build a custom enclosure for this camera to keep it safe and functional during experiments.

An HDMI to USBC Display Port Converter

Everyday Thing • 0 implied HN points • 03 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. An HDMI to USB-C display port converter is useful for connecting devices like AR glasses to other tech, like a Raspberry Pi. It can help you create cool projects that blend technology and fun.
  2. Exploring the inside of tech gadgets, like the converter, can reveal the chips and designs used in them. This knowledge can inspire new ideas or even lead to creating your own versions.
  3. There are helpful resources available, such as open source designs using the chips from devices like the converter. These can guide you in making or improving your own tech projects.

Movist Is the Best Mac HDR Player

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 09 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. Movist Pro is rated as the best HDR video player for Mac, outperforming other players like IINA and VLC in tests.
  2. The testing was done using various scenes from movies, and Movist provided the most accurate color and brightness compared to its competitors.
  3. VLC and Optimus Player performed poorly, with VLC being especially noted for its lack of quality, so it's advised to uninstall it for a better viewing experience.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

The Lunduke Journal Forum (How to Gain Access)

The Lunduke Journal of Technology • 0 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. Access to the Lunduke Journal forum is only for paid subscribers. You need a full subscription to join the discussions.
  2. This post is meant specifically for people who have paid for their subscriptions. It's a way to share important information with them.
  3. If you're not a paid subscriber yet, you can sign up to gain access to all the exclusive content and features.

Hitachi Router Line Card

Everyday Thing • 0 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. Content Addressable Memory (CAM) chips are used in routers to make quick searches based on data content instead of addresses. This helps manage MAC address tables efficiently.
  2. The post includes photos of a Hitachi Router line card and its components after being treated in acid. This process reveals more details about the chips used inside.
  3. Understanding how these chips work is crucial for networking, and they enhance the speed of data processing in devices like routers.

Seven Highlights from AMD's CEO Dr Lisa Su

More Than Moore • 0 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. AMD expects their AI business to grow to over $10 billion a year. This shows they are really focusing on artificial intelligence as a big part of their future.
  2. They are planning to create an AI Developer Cloud, which will help developers access tools for building AI applications. This could make it easier for more people to work on AI projects.
  3. AMD believes that training AI models will be the main focus in 2025. This means they are shifting gears from just inference tasks to actually training the models needed for AI.

File Open/Save Dialog Boxes Should Integrate with Shoebox Apps

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 19 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. File Open and Save dialogs should connect with shoebox apps like Apple Photos or Notes. This would make it easier to save and attach files without extra steps.
  2. When using these dialogs, you could see your apps listed directly, allowing for quick saves or attachments. This saves time and helps avoid confusion about where your files are.
  3. If there's a file format issue, the system should warn you. You can then decide to accept the change or save it the old-fashioned way.

TVs Aren’t Just Big Monitors — OSs Should Treat Them Differently

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 23 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. TVs are used differently than monitors, so operating systems should adjust settings accordingly. For example, videos should automatically go full-screen on the TV when it's connected.
  2. Audio and video should sync properly when using a TV to avoid jarring experiences. The TV should be the default for audio, as it usually has better speakers than laptops.
  3. Users should be able to control the TV's volume and playback functions easily, ideally using the TV remote. This would create a smoother experience when switching between devices.

All I want for Christmas is…

My Home Office Hacks • 0 implied HN points • 08 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. A bigger portable monitor can transform remote work and makes small laptop screens feel inadequate for productivity away from home.
  2. The ARZOPA 16.1 is recommended as a great budget portable monitor, with higher-end alternatives like the ViewSonic VX1655-4K, Lenovo ThinkVision M14t Gen2, and InnoView 18.5 also worth considering.
  3. Readers are encouraged to share what they want for their home office this Christmas, and the piece closes with a festive Monday vibe featuring John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War is Over)."

How to Typeless

My Home Office Hacks • 0 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. Typeless lets you dictate to your computer or phone across multiple apps and in browsers, which is much faster than typing.
  2. Typeless offers a free plan for 2,000 words per week and supports 100 languages, with a Pro plan priced at $60 per year or $30 per month.
  3. The Rocketbook New Core is a reusable spiral notebook meant to replace traditional paper notebooks, and it was listed at about $26.12 for Cyber Monday.

@adlrocha - Semiconductors: Why the 21st Century is Fought Over Sand, Not Fuel

@adlrocha Weekly Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. The semiconductor supply chain is extremely concentrated and fragile, with a handful of companies controlling the hardest-to-do steps and huge capital and expertise barriers to entry.
  2. Advanced packaging and the specialized toolmakers have become new chokepoints — limited packaging capacity and ultra-precise equipment are now throttling the production and rollout of advanced chips.
  3. Geopolitical pressure is turning chips into strategic assets, pushing countries toward "chip sovereignty" while also opening opportunities for innovations like chiplets and AI-assisted design to lower barriers and spawn new entrants.

@adlrocha - Lego Farming Blocks: Letting AIs Grow our Food

@adlrocha Weekly Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. A Lego-like modular home farming system lets people grow food indoors by snapping species-specific blocks together. Each block contains the right lights, sensors, and watering so users can plug-and-play without farming knowledge.
  2. AI plus edge controllers orchestrate plant care by turning biological needs into simple commands and running adaptive "recipes" locally or from the cloud, with offline fallback on the microcontroller. Users can optionally share data to improve those recipes across the network.
  3. The concept is prototype-ready and commercially viable: a small BOM and a hydroponic/aeroponic stack can validate the idea, and a consumables-based model (seed/nutrient pods) offers a scalable business while still allowing DIY alternatives.

Is Sonos dying in 2026? Sonos and Unintentional WiFi Jamming with Surrounds, Apple Music Problems

laserllama's blog • 0 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🎶 Music Hardware
  1. Sonos’s Apple Music integration is unreliable and AirPlay doesn’t work well across multiple speakers, which undermines the whole‑home audio experience.
  2. SonosNet surrounds can seriously interfere with 5 GHz Wi‑Fi; removing surrounds noticeably improved network speeds.
  3. Support and recent app changes have worsened the experience, so using a traditional AVR and quality speakers with an Apple TV is a practical alternative, while Sonos Amp or soundbars can still work for specific setups.

What the Smartphone Revolution Got Right (and Wrong)

Kartick’s Blog • 0 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. Smartphones and cloud services became the central way people use computing, with apps acting as front-ends to powerful cloud backends while desktops remain the place for focused, deep work.
  2. Touch-first design won on phones and small screens, eliminating many legacy input methods, but full-sized keyboards, mice and larger displays stayed essential for professional productivity.
  3. Mobile hardware grew much more powerful and ARM spread into laptops, yet app-store/OS limits and fragmented carrier practices have kept many pro apps and seamless cellular connectivity tied to traditional PCs.

MakerNews - February 2026

Maker News • 0 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Hardware
  1. Cheap microcontrollers are being repurposed as standard USB peripherals—ESP32s and similar boards can act as webcams (including thermal), USB-to-GPIO adapters, and tiny host-to-host bridges so hobby sensors plug straight into PCs.
  2. Old and low-tech hardware is getting clever modern hacks: SNES controllers can share SPI-like buses, bargain analog clocks get Wi‑Fi NTP upgrades, and neon-lamp ring counters can drive Nixies without silicon.
  3. The community favors calm, practical projects alongside playful demos—house e-paper dashboards, QR-paper audio players, and fake webcams streaming Pong all show a mix of usefulness, compatibility, and creative delight.