I tried building this little waterwheel model using the Jacdac Energy Experiment Kit, following the ELECFREAKS Wiki guide.

What caught my attention was the way it combines a simple mechanical model with sound input from the micro:bit V2.

The built-in microphone detects how loud the surrounding sound is, and the program maps that value to the speed of a 360° servo. The servo turns the wheel, while the little buckets around its edge represent the containers used to lift water in traditional waterwheels.

So the louder the sound, the faster the wheel spins. It’s not actually powered by sound, of course — sound is just being used to simulate changes in water flow.

I like how this project connects a few different ideas: reading sensor data, mapping values in MakeCode, controlling a motor, and learning how an old mechanical device worked.

It also seems like a fun starting point for experimenting with the code. You could change how sensitive the wheel is to sound or explore other ways to control its speed.

What other historical machines would be fun to recreate with a micro:bit?

Finding teammates for a hackathon can be surprisingly difficult.

Sometimes you have the technical skills but need a designer. Sometimes you have an idea but can't find genuinely committed people. And if you're participating solo, finding the right team can be half the battle.

I'm an engineering student from India building Buildory, a network for student builders.

I'm working on a feature that lets hackathon organisers list events and participants find teammates based on skills, interests, availability, and the roles their teams need.

[https://buildory.online](https://buildory.online))

I'd love honest feedback from people who've actually participated in hackathons:

How do you currently find teammates?

What's the biggest problem you've faced when forming a team?

What would make you choose a platform like this over Discord or existing hackathon websites?

What feature would make this genuinely useful rather than just another directory?

I'm building this and want to understand what participants actually need before going further. Criticism is welcome.