I built a hardware quantum RNG and wired it into a Magic 8-Ball

Name: I built a hardware quantum RNG and wired it into a Magic 8-Ball
Availability: InStock
Author: dnhkng

by dnhkng·Jun 26, 2026·8 points·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●●BangerWizardryRabbit HoleBold Bet

Single-photon beam splitter RNG with Many Worlds Interpretation themed Magic 8-Ball demo.

Strengths

•True quantum entropy at every sampling step, not just seeded PRNG like /dev/urandom.
•Complete build documentation covers PMTs, FPGA logic, von Neumann debiasing, and TCP streaming.
•Philosophical angle on MWI makes quantum mechanics accessible through playful 8-Ball interface.

Weaknesses

•Part one of two-part series with second part still pending completion.
•Niche audience limits practical adoption beyond educational and hobbyist use cases.

Post Description

Gday, author here!

I've wanted to hack together a "real" quantum random number generator for another upcoming project, and I got carried away a bit, and went down the 'over-engineering' cliff. So, for your nerdy enjoyment, I have documented it all up, and I added something cool for fellow "Multiple World Interpretation" followers in the Quantum Mechanics debate.

This QRNG uses sexy bits: Each is the decision of a photon to go left or right after hitting a 50:50 beam splitter. Standard kinda device, where you attenuate a light source down to single photons, offer them semi-mirror to bounce off, and see which PMT detector they hit (or which universe we ended up in ;) ). Basically, Through → bit=0. Bounce → bit=1.

As I take the MWI interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (its the more fun options), I have also built a Quantum Magic 8-Ball. Ask it a questions, and you get and receive exactly one answer here, plus every possible answer across the multiverse.

https://quantumlever.stream/oracle

Enjoy!