url stringlengths 37 208 | title stringlengths 4 148 | author stringclasses 173
values | publish_date stringclasses 1
value | categories listlengths 0 12 | tags listlengths 0 27 | featured_image stringlengths 0 272 | content stringlengths 0 56.1k | comments_count int64 0 900 | scraped_comments_count int64 0 50 | comments listlengths 0 50 | scraped_at float64 1.76B 1.76B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/18/a-guide-and-helper-script-for-arm-cross-compiling-toolchain-on-a-mac/ | A Guide And Helper Script For ARM Cross Compiling Toolchain On A Mac | Mike Szczys | [
"ARM"
] | [
"arm",
"mac",
"OsX",
"STM32F4",
"summon",
"toolchain"
] | [Mitchell Johnson] wanted to develop for the STM32F4 Discovery board on his Mac. There are a few ready-to-use options when it comes to the ARM toolchains, but he couldn’t find one that satisfied all of his needs. After working out all the kinks
he wrote a guide and tweaked a script to install the ARM tools on a Mac
.
The problem he had with some of the pre-packaged tool chains is that they didn’t support the hardware floating point functionality of STM’s Cortex-M4 chips. To get around this without doing his own ground-up build (which can be quite a challenge)
he forked the Summon Arm Toolchain script
and modified it to include ST-Link support in the build. One of the things that we like about that script is it installs the tools in a sub-directory of your home directory. This way if you already have another ARM toolchain you can switch between the two by tweaking your PATH variable. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "942127",
"author": "hans",
"timestamp": "2013-01-18T23:41:40",
"content": "I also have installed summon-arm-toolkit (for Linux), thinking I had fpu support, but then I got weird bugs.. it turned out that the fabs() function wasn’t working. And yes, I had initialized the fpu at start... | 1,760,376,632.777352 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/18/humble-beginnings-of-a-home-automation-project/ | Humble Beginnings Of A Home Automation Project | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"home automation",
"ldr",
"milling",
"pcb",
"relay"
] | This board is the start of [Steven Pearson’s]
quest to automate his home
. The module will be used to prototype the rest of the project. Right now it uses an ATmega328 chip running the Arduino bootloader. This connects to one mechanical relay which we would wager is mains rated. The module will be controlled wirelessly via the wireless module seen in the foreground. That is a nRF24L01 board which he chose because of it’s bargain basement price tag of around $1.50.
There is much room for expansion in the system. You can see that a light-dependent resistor has been added to some of the microcontroller’s breakout pins. We would guess that [Steven] will use the hardware to develop for many different functions and will design more task-specific modules as the project progresses.
If you’re a fan of PCB milling and population you won’t want to miss the video after the break. [Steve] posted a fast-motion video of the entire process.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4Ypo_4zHvo | 12 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "942045",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2013-01-18T20:18:47",
"content": "Using the light sensor to turn on a light when it is dark, or to close a curtain/shade when it is sunny, or sound an alarm when the refridgerator door is opened (while on a weight loss plan). Yep! A good fir... | 1,760,376,632.831312 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/18/tp-link-tl-wr703n-specialized-firmware-generator/ | TP-Link TL-WR703N Specialized Firmware Generator | Mike Szczys | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"TL-MR3020",
"TL-WR703N",
"tp-link",
"you"
] | Seen at the center of this image is a TP-Link TL-MR3020 which is basically a TL-WR703N wireless router with a few extra LEDs. We’ve seen a lot of projects using this hardware and that’s because it’s cheap and ripe for hacking. The devices can run OpenWRT, a Linux distro for routers that greatly extends the functionality when compared to the stock firmware. Now a couple of members of Shackspace — a hackerspace in Stuttgart, Germany — have written
a script that automatically generates specialized firmware for the router
. That link goes to their wiki page about the script, but you may find
this overview post
to be an easier read.
The concept is that gathering specialized hacks into easy to flash packages does away with a lot of configuration headaches. For example, if you just want to play around with an NFC reader for a day-long event you can connect hardware like what is seen above and use the NFC-gate option of the script to flash firmware meant to drive it. So far there’s also support for streaming a USB webcam, serving as a USB network bridge, and a few others. But the whole point of this is to make it simple to roll new firmware mods into the script that make it easy to preserve the work for use at a later time.
[Thanks Hadez] | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "941986",
"author": "MikrySoft",
"timestamp": "2013-01-18T18:38:23",
"content": "So… Someone wrote couple of custom profiles for stock OpenWrt Image Builder and wrapped them in scripts… OK. I thought that was default usage of Image Builder. On the other hand profiles themselves are q... | 1,760,376,632.735698 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/18/breathing-life-into-an-old-lcd/ | Breathing Life Into An Old LCD | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware"
] | [
"display",
"fpga",
"hitachi",
"lcd",
"papilio",
"papilio one"
] | Out of the depths of a junk drawer, [Alex]’s friend pulled out an old monochrome LCD display. This is an older low-resolution display from ancient electronics that unfortunately doesn’t have its own controller chip. No worries, though, because with the help of an FPGA [Alex]
figured out how to drive this display
.
On the back of this display are eight Hitachi LCD drivers, six column shifters and two row shifters, allowing the LCD to display a 256×128 pixel image. Without an LCD controller, though, [Alex] couldn’t just send a static image to the LCD. Instead, he had to continuously refresh the display just like a VGA monitor.
With the help of a 1500-page PDF titled
Hitachi LCD Controller/Driver LSI Data Book,
[Alex] was able to dump pixels into the ICs on the display with the help of a Papilio One FPGA board. A lot of work just to display the beautiful [Lena], but she wouldn’t have it any other way. | 10 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "941853",
"author": "Bryan Baker (@XBrav)",
"timestamp": "2013-01-18T15:13:58",
"content": "Neat project. It’s kind of cool to see how Hitachi later developed the HD44780 to interface with these screens. The manual is just as brutal too!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"... | 1,760,376,633.162221 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/18/building-an-automatic-bicycle-transmission-in-a-week/ | Building An Automatic Bicycle Transmission In A Week | Brian Benchoff | [
"contests",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"bicycle",
"transmission"
] | Every year, the ECE department of Carnigie Mellon University hosts Build18, an engineering festival intended to get students out of the classroom and into the workshop. [Andrew Toth] along with team members [Jenna MacCarley], [Peter McHale], and [Nicolas Mellis] have been busy this last week putting together
an automatic bicycle transmission
.
Most cyclists agree that a cadence of 80 RPM is just about right for most cycling. The team’s transmission uses Hall effect sensors to sense the cadence of the rider and will change to a higher gear if the cadence drops below 60 RPM and a lower gear if the cadence is above 100 RPM.
One of the requirements of the Build18 festival is the completed project must cost less than $250. By using an Arduino Mega and a servo to change gears, the team has a fairly low cost solution to automatically changing bicycle gears.
It’s a very cool project, and hopefully we’ll see a video once the competition is over at noon, EST today. | 58 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "941811",
"author": "Jim",
"timestamp": "2013-01-18T14:14:51",
"content": "“The team’s transmission uses Hall effect sensors to sense the cadence of the rider and will change to a higher gear if the cadence drops below 60 RPM and a lower gear if the cadence is above 100 RPM.”I think ... | 1,760,376,632.987041 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/18/operation-stratosphere/ | Operation StratoSphere | Jeremy Cook | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Featured",
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"balloon",
"camera",
"GoPro",
"high-altitude"
] | Panoramic photos are nice, however a full 360 degree x 180 degree, or spherical panorama would be even better. [Caleb Anderson] decided to take this concept much further, attempting to extract panoramic photos from video taken at 100,000 feet using a high-altitude balloon and six GoPro cameras.
The
overview of this project can be found here
, and gives some background. The first task was to start prototyping some payload containers, which for a device that you have little control over once out of your hands is quite critical. As well as some background, there’s a cool interactive panorama of the first test results on this page, so be sure to check it out.
The “real” hacking in this experiment wasn’t a matter of putting a balloon into the stratosphere or recovering it, however.
Chaining these images together into pictures
was a huge challenge, and involved a diverse set of skills and software knowledge that most of our readers would be proud to possess. There are several videos in the explanation, but we’ve embedded one with the cameras falling out of the sky. Be sure to at least watch until (or skip to) just after 1:05 where all the cameras impressively survive impact!
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwqpqRJjP9A?rel=0%5D | 7 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "941749",
"author": "Nippey",
"timestamp": "2013-01-18T12:25:00",
"content": "A completely stitched video stream would be nice ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "941751",
"author": "Nippey",
"timestamp": "2013-0... | 1,760,376,632.626947 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/hackaday-links-january-17th-2013/ | Hackaday Links: January 17th, 2013 | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"entropy",
"fpga",
"gps",
"traffic light",
"vfd"
] | Free-formed
VFD clock
[James] doesn’t need a circuit board or even some protoboard to get the job done.
He free-formed all the circuits for his VFD clock
. Right now this is the only project hosted on his blog so click around to see how he got to this point.
DIY LED traffic light
Here’s
a scratch-build traffic light
which [Jarle] uses to display information about his server. If you’re unable to
find your own storm damaged original
this is a pretty easy way to build one.
FPGA space attack game
This
game is running on an FPGA
, but it’s not written in HDL. Instead, [Johan] wrote the game in C to run on a soft processor loaded on the gate array.
Hourglass entropy
This is a fascinating idea for generating random numbers. [Gijs] is shining a laser onto a light dependent transistor. The beam of the
laser is broken by the falling sand of an hourglass
. This technique could be use as an entropy source for random number generation.
GPS clock source for a digital timepiece
It seems like massive overkill, but you can’t beat the time accuracy of
using a GPS module as a clock source
. We don’t expect that [Jay] kept the clock in one piece after finishing the project. It’s just a good way to practice decoding the GPS data. | 17 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "941473",
"author": "Quin",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T23:58:38",
"content": "It looks like the laser ‘entropy’ device isn’t. Some of the light is not reflecting from the sand, but from the walls of the timer. Without some compensation, it doesn’t look to be be securely random.",
"... | 1,760,376,633.114405 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/google-talk-bot-running-on-raspberry-pi/ | Google Talk Bot Running On Raspberry Pi | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"bot",
"google talk",
"pygtalkrobot",
"python",
"RPi",
"xmpppy"
] | [Michael Mitchell] put together a demonstration of
how Google Talk can be used to communicate with scripts
. Although the concept isn’t new we haven’t seen very many projects that use the chat interface for issuing commands and receiving data. The one that does come to mind is
this home automation project which uses Google Talk
because it’s quite a bit faster than SMS or email communications.
Luckily there’s already a Python library called
pygtalkrobot
which helps with the XMPPPY protocol used by Google Talk. In addition to that package, [Michael] also installs some extras which allow him to access the GPIO pins on the RPi via Python. In the video after the break he demonstrates switching and LED on and off, as well as reading from a slide switch connected to pin 8. Of course it’s a snap to code feedback from the OS itself. As you can see in the image above the RPi is reporting it’s uptime after being issued a command by [Michael] | 13 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "941419",
"author": "freax",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T22:08:10",
"content": "the protocol is called XMPP (also known as “Jabber”), XMPPPY is a PYthon library for it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "941612",
"author": "... | 1,760,376,632.686197 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/real-life-mario-karts-react-to-launchable-items/ | Real Life Mario Karts React To Launchable Items | Mike Szczys | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"go-kart",
"mario kart",
"rfid",
"waterloo labs"
] | The team over at Waterloo Labs reasserts their reputation for creativity with
this real life Mario Kart project
. One of the team members must work at Austin’s Park because they seem to have had free rein when it comes to modifying the go-karts and filming the delightful video presentation found after the break.
It’s one thing to put on some costumes and head off to the go-kart track. It’s another to modify the vehicles to react to items launched by another rider. You can see the painted PVC launcher hardware to the right of each driver. By stuffing a plush item (banana, star, mushroom, etc.) in the barrel the driver can use compressed air to launch it quite a distance. Inside of each item is an RFID tag. When the RFID reader on a kart detects the tag it can take control of the steering, brake pedal, or speed limiter to inflict the appropriate actions.
If you don’t have this kind of insider access to your local go-kart track don’t fret. You just need to
build your own set of karts
. | 24 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "941376",
"author": "Squintz",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T21:09:01",
"content": "Now that is one awesome video. Great work!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "941406",
"author": "Dave",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T21:48... | 1,760,376,633.05134 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/raspberry-pi-power-controller-adds-shutdown-and-startup-functionality/ | Raspberry Pi Power Controller Adds Shutdown And Startup Functionality | Mike Szczys | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"pic",
"power supply",
"RPi"
] | This breadboarded circuit uses
a PIC chip to control the Raspberry Pi’s power supply
. We first noticed this gap in the RPi features when
we built an XBMC setup around the RPi board
. It’s not the end of the world, but since installing the Raspberry Pi we have been unplugging it after each use. [Kevin Sangeelee’s] circuit could be the path to automating this process.
This is not really aimed at media applications. The PIC circuit does switch power to the RPi, but the goal was to add a push-button to do so. Other goals of the project include scheduled shutdown and data logging of brownout events on the power rail. As you can see, there’s a coin cell in the mix which keeps time when the system is in power down. The RPi communicates with the PIC via i2c. This facilitates full power-down using the Linux command ‘shudown -h’, as well as the ability to schedule a restart time.
Adding an IR receiver and tweaking the PIC code are all it would take to trigger the power controller from the couch.
[Thanks Donn] | 22 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "941355",
"author": "Hugh O'Brien",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T20:32:42",
"content": "What’s the rationale for unplugging it so often? I presume you’re not worried about the power consumption.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "941365... | 1,760,376,632.890228 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/led-cloud-lamp-in-any-color-you-can-image/ | LED Cloud Lamp In Any Color You Can Imagine | Mike Szczys | [
"Featured",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"cloud",
"led",
"rgb"
] | This lamp which [Dablondeemu] built will add a little whimsy to your home decor. The project started as coursework for a Digital Art and Installations class. But
the remote controlled color changing cloud
ended up being a pretty neat gift for her little brother.
The prototype uses an Arduino, breadboard, and a collection of LEDs to perform its tasks. [Dablondeemu] admits the next revision should have a standalone circuit board. The electronics are housed in a clear plastic container which was then adorned with Polyfill stuffing which would commonly be found inside a decorative pillow. The polyester fibers do a great job or filtering and diffusing the light. But they don’t seem to interfere with the incoming IR signals from the remote control.
If you like the idea of creatively shaped diffusers you should take a look at
this giant LED lamp
. It’s molded to look like a through-hole package with the leads hiding the power cord. | 30 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "941292",
"author": "messmaker",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T19:17:18",
"content": "Pretty neat looking, my son would love that!By the way, I can “image” a lot of colors… :P",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "941300",
"author": "S... | 1,760,376,633.347628 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/build-and-install-your-own-high-end-cycling-power-meter/ | Build And Install Your Own High-end Cycling Power Meter | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cadence",
"cycling",
"power meter",
"strain gauge"
] | Cycling power meters can set you back quite a pretty penny. [Keith] quotes prices starting at $1500 and going up to $4000. We know several serious cyclists who would think twice about spending that on a bike, and wouldn’t even consider putting that kind of investment into an accessory for it. But if you’ve got the time [Keith] will show you
how to build and install your own cycling power meter
.
The link above is a roundup of all the posts and videos [Keith] made along the way. We’ve embedded his introduction video after the break where he discusses the goals of the project. The system allows for independently measuring the power of each leg. This is accomplished using strain gauges on the cranks to monitor torque. This data is combined with cadence measurements (how fast the rider is turning the cranks) which is all that is necessary to calculate the power output of the rider.
The parts list comes in at about $350. This doesn’t include the equipment he used to test and calibrate his calculations. | 15 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "941231",
"author": "Cold_Turkey",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T18:03:36",
"content": "Did you guys link to the right video? This tells us nothing about the device except that commercial options are very similar to it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,376,633.86268 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/making-better-noises-with-dual-pwm/ | Making Better Noises With Dual PWM | Brian Benchoff | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"8bit",
"pwm",
"resolution"
] | Although it’s technically possible to get 16 bits of resolution on a ATMega328, most implementations of PWM on everyone’s favorite ‘mega – including just about every Arduino sketch – are limited to 8 bit PWM. This means the pins can only output 256 different values, so if you’re playing around with music made on an Arduino don’t expect very high fidelity.
There is a clever way around this: use two PWMs, and use one pin for high bytes and another for low bytes.
That’s what Open Music Labs did
when working on a synthesizer project that needed very high quality audio.
The basic idea behind the build is that PWM pins can be used to create audio frequencies. Using two PWM pins and adding them together means it’s possible to add extra bits of resolution. This requires using different values of resistors on each pin. For example, using the same value of resistors on two PWM pins increases the resolution by one bit. Two pins with a resistor value ratio of 1:4 increases the resolution by four bits, and so on.
There’s
a great tutorial
for setting up these higher resolution, dual PWM outputs on an ATMega or Arduino, as well as a
distortion analysis
for this dual PWM setup. | 20 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "941129",
"author": "Bogdan",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T14:28:38",
"content": "The article is very good as theory explanation.I’ve tried this once, going for an expansio to 12 bits. I’ve found the sound of a R2R rrsisot dac with 10bits resolution better than the 12b pwm generated.I... | 1,760,376,633.810425 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/17/raspi-astrophotography-board-also-does-everything-else/ | Raspi Astrophotography Board Also Does Everything Else | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware",
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"fpga",
"pixi",
"raspberry pi"
] | A few years ago the folks at Astro Designs put together a board that took off-the-shelf CCD sensors from point and shoot cameras and turned them into respectable astrophotography sensors. Since then, the world has seen an explosion of Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, and other microcontroller platforms, making this the perfect time for a hardware revision.
Their
PiXi-200
, like their previous AstroCam board, is able to take image sensors out of cameras and turn them into telescope mounted cameras. That’s only one of its tricks, though: The PiXi-200 also has accelerometers, gyroscopes, enough UARTs to do just about anything, a four channel ADC and four channel DAC, two dozen GPIO pins, enough LEDs and buttons for any project, and a 200,000 gate FPGA. All this in a board that plugs directly into the GPIO pins on the Raspberry Pi just like an Arduino shield. Needless to say, there’s a lot you can do with this board.
Right now, the design is still in the prototype stage, but once everything is finalized the basic model of the board will sell for £30 GBP ($50 USD). The high-end “Model C” board, with all the bells and whistles, will sell for £45 GPB ($70 USD). | 17 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "941085",
"author": "Justin",
"timestamp": "2013-01-17T12:30:55",
"content": "Somewhat better photo (and blog to keep an eye on) here:http://rasathus.blogspot.be/2013/01/a-sneaky-peak-at-pixi-200-expansion.htmlCould someone elaborate on how they “take image sensors out of cameras and... | 1,760,376,633.974539 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/16/script-defeats-minteye-captcha/ | Script Defeats Minteye CAPTCHA | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"audio",
"captcha",
"mineye",
"text2speech"
] | We hadn’t heard of minteye CAPTCHA before, but we’ve seen evidence of
a script that can break the system
. Minteye combines two things which you probably don’t love about the Internet: advertisements and CAPTCHA. The system uses a slider to distort an advertiser’s image. Once the slider is in just the right spot the image becomes clear and you can click on submit to see if you passed the challenge.
Challenges like this are impossible for the visually impaired, so there is usually an audio option as well. In this case the audio button will instruct you to move the slider to the right, left, or that it’s already in the correct place. [Samuirai] used the text2speech API available in Google Chrome to parse these commands. As you can see above, “movies later” is a misinterpretation of “move the slider”, but he was still able to get enough accuracy to solve the challenge. See the script in action in the video after the break.
Audio challenges have been exploited like this in the past. Check out this talk about
beating reCAPTCHA through the audio option
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0M7gmS5Eg0
[Thanks Hadez via
Shackspace blog
] | 41 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "940764",
"author": "wardy",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T22:12:03",
"content": "An elegant and straightforward way to defeat a flawed system. Good stuff.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "940766",
"author": "wardy",
"timestam... | 1,760,376,633.699136 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/16/coffee-table-arcade-hides-its-controls/ | Coffee Table Arcade Hides Its Controls | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"60-in-1",
"arcade",
"coffee table",
"icade",
"jamma"
] | [Hoogen] did a fantastic job of
building arcade hardware into this Ikea coffee table
. Sound familiar? We just looked at
another Ikea coffee table arcade
, but this one goes quite a different route. It uses a Ramvik table which has a very deep drawer in the end where the controls are located. The image to the left shows that you’re going to have a problem with the joystick when you try to close it. [Hoogen] came up with a clever mechanism to overcome this issue.
This is not an emulated system. It uses a JAMMA board called the iCade 60-in-1 to bring sixty classic arcade games to the build. To interface with this hardware [Hoogen] included a JAMMA full cabinet wiring harness. The inset image on the right is pretty small, but it shows the speaker mounted in the back of the drawer, as well as the control surface angled down. This tilting surface is what allows the controls to move out of the way when closing the drawer. This happens automatically as described by [Hoogen] in his write-up. | 15 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "940719",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T21:06:06",
"content": "Bookmarked to steal later.I hope he also included a quick-release latch to keep the drawer open. I have exactly the catch in mind but obviously I can’t try it out. XD",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": ... | 1,760,376,633.610339 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/16/polaroid-catcher-make-print-screen-do-what-it-says/ | Polaroid Catcher Make Print Screen Do What It Says | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"camera",
"chrome",
"itp new york",
"photo printer",
"polaroid",
"screen shot"
] | As part of their coursework at ITP New York a group of students developed the Polaroid Catcher. It’s a way to make your digital experiences more permanent. When you have something on-screen that you’d like to keep as a memory
you can print the screen on this old Polaroid camera
. Of course you’re not going to get the chemical-filled container you may remember from ages past. But we thing you’d agree the nostalgic camera makes a nice enclosure for a modern image printer.
The workings of the system are shown off quite well in the clip after the break. But we’re always interested in the particulars of how they pulled it off. The system uses a Google Chrome extension to capture what is being displayed in the browser. Before the image is sent to the printer the user has the opportunity to frame up the subject of the photo. Once decided, the image is pushed to a Bluetooth photo printer using some scripts written by the team. | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "940675",
"author": "Grammar Nazi",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T20:09:35",
"content": "*we think",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "940684",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T20:25:35",
"content": "This would ... | 1,760,376,633.744979 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/16/adapting-modern-cameras-to-use-old-flash-units/ | Adapting Modern Cameras To Use Old Flash Units | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"flash",
"flash bulb",
"optocoupler",
"vintage"
] | We don’t think this one is going to bring back the days of one-time-use flash bulbs. But for camera enthusiasts who do have old flash units lying around this will be quite interesting. [Sven] worked out a method of
interfacing this vintage flash with a modern camera
.
The trick is to map the trigger signal from the camera to the flash module. Instead of patching into an electrical signal from the camera he’s using the light from the stock flash. He cut an optocoupler in half, keeping the receiving side of the part. This is molded in plastic that was shaped to surround the original flash unit. When that flash goes off the triac in the remaining half of the IC is activated. This is connected to a hot shoe mounted on an extension arm that is attached to the camera’s tripod mount. The shoe can be used to interface a few different styles of flash modules.
We don’t have an alternative use in mind right now. But chopping an optocoupler in half could come in handy for other applications that use a bright light as a trigger event. | 11 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "940681",
"author": "lwatcdr",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T20:21:41",
"content": "Umm have you not heard of a CdS cell, or any number of other light sensors. No real need to cut an optical isolator in half.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comme... | 1,760,376,633.913075 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/16/one-method-of-fabricating-translucent-faceplates/ | One Method Of Fabricating Translucent Faceplates | Mike Szczys | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"acrylic",
"enclosure",
"face plate",
"laser cutter"
] | Enclosures are the bane of electronics engineers (or so says [Dave Jones] of the EEVblog and The Amp Hour). But fabricating a case that looks great has been getting easier lately. [Eric Forkosh] produced this professional-looking translucent face plate with a minimum of effort. He found
a way to use a laser cutter to etch icons in acrylic
.
Admittedly, this is not very involved. But just look at the quality he achieved. The secret to his success (aside from having a quality laser cutter on hand) is to use high-temperature spray paint. The acrylic is coated in paint and allowed to dry before heading to the laser cutter. By using the rasterize setting under low power he kills two birds with one stone; the paint is etched away while the acrylic is left a little bit rough to act as a diffuser for LEDs behind the panel. [Eric] cautions against using regular spray paint. In his write up he shows off the unsightly results of doing so.
This makes a great addition to some of the case options out there. One that we have been keeping our eye on is
the Sick of Beige initiative
being spearheaded by [Ian Lesnet]. | 41 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "940584",
"author": "jelleAtProtospace",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T18:21:17",
"content": "Rather meh if you ask me. The special paint is only to make it stick to the acrylic better, the high temp does not occur. I guess I was lucky to pick a random paint that happened to stick well to... | 1,760,376,634.059897 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/16/no-sleep-till-brooklyn-aquaponics-installation-is-complete/ | No Sleep Till Brooklyn Aquaponics Installation Is Complete | Mike Szczys | [
"green hacks"
] | [
"aquaponics",
"brooklyn",
"farming",
"hydroponics",
"urban"
] | This is some extreme gardening. [I Am Become Derpth] didn’t let lack of space or tillable soil stop him from growing a bountiful harvest. Instead of cutting though prairie sod to begin the farming he had to contend with the concrete expanses found in the NYC area. Here he’s nearing the end of
an impressive aquaponics installation in Brooklyn, New York
.
For a good overview of what aquaponics is all about we suggest you
take a look at this Oakland, CA setup
. The heart of the system is a closed loop that uses both plants and fish for balance. The byproduct is edible greens. The image above shows the growing beds through which water is circulated. They’re filled with clean gravel which keeps the roots happy. Once the water has made it through this system it is piped into the basement of the apartment where water tanks filled with fish reside. The system uses the fish waste (broken down by bacteria) to feed the plants.
It’s an efficient system but one thing’s for sure, you don’t just go out and buy a rig this complicated. We think you’ll really enjoy going through the build log linked at the top.
[via
Reddit
] | 12 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "940548",
"author": "Isaac",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T17:23:31",
"content": "That’s a pretty cool project, I’m glad you featured it.I’d like to try something like this in the future.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "940922",
... | 1,760,376,634.119541 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/21/laminated-wooden-case-brings-a-dropped-coffee-grinder-back-from-the-junk-heap/ | Laminated Wooden Case Brings A Dropped Coffee Grinder Back From The Junk Heap | Mike Szczys | [
"cooking hacks",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"case",
"coffee grinder",
"mason jar",
"plastic",
"plywood"
] | Instead of giving it up for dead, [Suprise Pink Mist]
fabricated a replacement case for the motor and blade
of his broken coffee grinder. The original enclosure was made of plastic, which didn’t survive being dropped. There isn’t an image of what those plastic parts looked like, but we have to think they were nowhere near as neat as the replacement.
The first step was to cut a set of plywood discs to the approximate outside dimensions. Since the base of the motor has several different diameters each disc had a void cut out of its center to match. The image to the right shows the motor sitting upside down next to the stacked plywood. The black electrical tape seals around the mason jar ring which was a perfect friction fit with the original bowl of the grinder. Once everything was glued together the outside edges were flattened on a belt sander and the mason jar was screwed in place to house the beans during grinding.
[via
Reddit
] | 14 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "944317",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2013-01-21T19:09:30",
"content": "I like the idea, but didn’t see much more than 4 photos on the web site.Last month I threw out a hand held mixer that had been dropped. It’s plastic case was also was too far gone to glue back together. I th... | 1,760,376,634.178912 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/21/award-clock-put-to-good-use-as-a-bench-meter/ | Award Clock Put To Good Use As A Bench Meter | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"adc",
"analog clock",
"clock",
"display",
"PICAXE",
"stepper motor",
"voltmeter"
] | The motivation industry turns out these type of award trinkets by the millions. Here’s a way to actually put the thing to use. Instead of displaying time,
the clock dial serves as the readout of a voltage meter
.
When we first saw this post we assumed that the hack used
some type of coil injection to drive the hands
. But it turns out that this is mechanically driven. The image above shows the stepper motor which is mounted behind the clock. Its drive shaft is coupled with the adjustment knob on the back of the clock. The precision of the motor lets the PICAXE set the clock dial based on the number of motor steps. The hour hand shows the tens value with the minutes serving as ones (base 10, not base 60). This means the top measurable voltage is 12V — when the hour hand is at 12 the measurement is 0 volts plus tenths of a volt from the minute hand. With the dial taken care of the rest of the project focuses on measuring the voltage using the ADC, which has an upper limit of just 5V. This is overcome with a simple voltage divider.
After the break you can see the accuracy of the rig as it performs measurements next to a digital voltmeter.
[Thanks Pat] | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "944303",
"author": "Cold_Turkey",
"timestamp": "2013-01-21T18:42:05",
"content": "Nice. Seems that it finds the voltage a little faster than the voltmeter, maybe due to a small load? Would be nice to see a vid showing more than 1volt tho",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,376,634.223815 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/21/building-a-tool-to-bend-small-metal-tubes/ | Building A Tool To Bend Small Metal Tubes | Brian Benchoff | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"brass tubing",
"cnc",
"tube bender"
] | [Joel] is setting up a really nice workshop. Included in his list of machinery are the staples of any workshop; a lathe, miter saw, containers full of organized screws, and a manual mill converted to a CNC machine. [Joel] wanted an oiling system for his mill, and like any good maker decided to fabricate his own. This required bending very small diameter brass tubes, something doable by hand (or without sand, at least). He decided to solve this problem with a
DIY tube bending tool
that allows him to bend tiny brass tubing without the walls collapsing.
[Joel] broke out his lathe and machined two brass rollers with a groove to hold his 3/16″ tubing. One of these brass rollers is attached to a handle, while the other is attached to a block that gets clamped into [Joel]’s bench vise. After threading some tubing through the rollers, [Joel] is able to bend it precisely with only a tiny bit of collapsing on small-radius bends. | 32 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "944214",
"author": "steve eh",
"timestamp": "2013-01-21T15:36:07",
"content": "Hmmm… I’d like to see the details, but either the link is wrong, or the sites been Hackaday’d",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "944231",
"aut... | 1,760,376,634.411509 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/21/tired-of-playing-the-macbook-play-the-raspberry-pi/ | Tired Of Playing The MacBook? Play The Raspberry Pi! | Brian Benchoff | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"midi",
"monome",
"Novation Launchpad",
"raspberry pi"
] | Hit up any club, party, or get together where musicians are present and you’ll probably find a DJ booth stacked to the gills with faders, various MIDI devices, and a MacBook. However abundant an OS X-based DJ platform is, we haven’t heard hide nor hare of a Raspberry Pi being used as a sequencer, MIDI device, or MaxMSP box.
[James] over at Illuminated Sound
put together a great tutorial
for making all those cool electronic music devices play nice with a Raspberry Pi. He used a
Novation Launchpad
, an 8×8 MIDI controller that can act as faders, a keyboard, or even a functional equivalent to the pads on an MPC.
Hardware is nothing without software, so [James] used
Puredata
and libusb to turn the MIDI data into notes and audio effects.
[James] added a download that includes the Launchpad driver and a Puredata sketch to test everything out. You can see how it all fits together in the video after the break. | 29 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "944196",
"author": "jim.chien.andalusia",
"timestamp": "2013-01-21T14:53:32",
"content": "One of my friends is a professional DJ. I’ve been to gigs with him, and it’s changed from a mixer and amps being provided and you bringing your own decks and vinyl, to there just being half emp... | 1,760,376,634.340878 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/21/plastic-sword-detects-wifi-enabled-orcs/ | Plastic Sword Detects WiFi-enabled Orcs | Brian Benchoff | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"lord of the rings",
"sword",
"the hobbit",
"wifi"
] | For a few years now, [Jomegat] has been thinking about Sting, the sword wielded by [Bilbo Baggins] and later [Frodo] in
The Hobbit
and
The Lord of the Rings.
Sting glows blue whenever an orc is near. Assuming the Elvish magic created by Tolkien is in reality highly advanced Elvish technology, [Jomegat] figured out a way to
make his plastic Sting detect WiFi-enabled orcs.
Since
The Hobbit
was released, toy stores have been flooded with related merchandise that included a wonderful toy version of everyone’s favorite orc killing weapon. The only problem was how to add orc sensors to this plastic Sting. [Jomegat] assumed all orcs carry a cell phone, and being the low creatures they are, would always have their WiFi turned on. [Jomegat] found a very inexpensive WiFi detector key chain that would sense these phone-carrying orcs and light up to alert our warrior to imminent danger.
After acquiring the materials crafted from Elvish
magic
technology, [Jomegat] opened up the plastic hilt of Sting and installed the WiFi detector. Now, whenever Sting senses the preferred wireless connection of the orc, the blade glows a bright blue.
[Jomegat] was eaten by a grue shortly after completing this project. | 15 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "944109",
"author": "ingrownelectron",
"timestamp": "2013-01-21T12:22:14",
"content": "Let this be a lesson! Don’t forget your light source when entering the basement.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "944115",
"author": "ingro... | 1,760,376,634.691073 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/20/flatbed-scanner-eliminates-the-perils-of-macro-photography/ | Flatbed Scanner Eliminates The Perils Of Macro Photography | Brian Benchoff | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"macro photography",
"photography"
] | If you have ever played around with macro photography, you’ll know how hard it is to get a focused image of something that isn’t two-dimensional. For virtually every 3D object, you’ll have to deal with the depth of field – the small region where things are actually in focus. [David] came up with
a neat homebrew solution
for making sure everything in his macro photos is in focus using a discarded flatbed scanner and a Raspberry Pi.
[David]’s technique relies on focus stacking. Basically, [David] takes dozens of images of the same object, moving the camera closer by a fraction of an inch before snapping each frame. These pictures are stitched together with
CombineZ
, a piece of software used for extending the depth of field in images.
The hardware part of the build is a Raspberry Pi hooked up to a stepper motor driver and the shutter button of [David]’s camera. By attaching his camera to the carriage of a flatbed scanner, [David] can inch his camera ever closer to his object of study while grabbing the images for CombineZ.
The results are impressive, and would be nearly impossible to replicate any other way without tens of thousands of dollars in camera equipment. | 48 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "943538",
"author": "northstreetlabs",
"timestamp": "2013-01-20T19:10:12",
"content": "Could something like this be done with video, in real time? like for use under a digital microscope?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "943548"... | 1,760,376,634.942838 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/20/raspberry-pi-and-r/ | Raspberry Pi And R | Brian Benchoff | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"R",
"raspberry pi"
] | [Stephen] picked up a Raspberry Pi to do a little hardware hacking and add a blinking LED to the many feathers in his software development hat. He picked up an analog to digital converter and a temperature sensor that would serve him well in a few projects he wanted to put together, including a weather station and a small Pi-controlled home brewing setup. He ended up not liking Python, and didn’t like the C-ness of wiringPi. He’s a scientist, so he’s most comfortable with R and Matlab. Of course, playing around with a R and a Raspberry Pi
means replicating his sensor-reading code in R
.
[Stephen] put together a neat little package that will allow him to read his sensors over an SPI bus with his Raspberry Pi. Yes, this functionality can easily be duplicated with Python, but if you’re looking to generate beautiful graphs, or just do a whole lot of statistics on something, R is the tool you need.
It’s a cool project, even if it is only measuring the temperature. Using R for the nerd cred isn’t bad, either. | 10 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "943502",
"author": "ggea",
"timestamp": "2013-01-20T18:23:49",
"content": "Do. Not. Use. MATLAB for numerical computations because it suffers from floating point issues. Mathematica or cLISP is way better and more precise.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,376,634.795368 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/16/a-steampunk-combination-sketchbook/ | A Steampunk Combination Sketchbook | Brian Benchoff | [
"Featured",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"combination lock",
"notebook"
] | [Admiral Aaron Ravensdale], fine craftsman of steampunk wares, just finished up a new project. It’s
a sketchbook protected by two layers of security
, covered in gilded leather and drenched in the expositions of a [Jules Verne] novel.
The first layer of security for this sketchbook is a combination lock. On the cover are four switches, each with four positions. These are connected to a PICAXE microcontroller which goes to the next stage of the lock once the correct combination is entered.
The book’s security also includes a knock sensor. With a small piezo element hidden under the cover, [Ravensdale] deeds to tap the book with a specific pattern before it opens. The mechanical part is a small hobby servo also mounted to the cover that releases a pair of brass clasps once both locks are opened.
Like all of the [Admiral]’s builds, it’s a fine piece of craftsmanship, equally well suited to take on a holiday with the baron or to the opium dens of Ceylon.
You can check out [Admiral Ravensdale]’s demo of his sketchbook after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rUtVLy9YiQ&w=580] | 28 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "940455",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T14:29:00",
"content": "My bolt cutter beats your pickaxe.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "940490",
"author": "Elmars",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T15:45:40",
... | 1,760,376,634.860422 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/ltc3105-and-ltc3109-energy-harvesting-chips/ | LTC3105 And LTC3109 Energy Harvesting Chips | Mike Szczys | [
"Parts"
] | [
"energy harvesting",
"ltc3105",
"ltc3109",
"peltier",
"peltier cooler",
"solar"
] | [Shahriar] devoted the lastest episode of
The Signal Path
to
looking at energy harvesting chips
. These parts are designed to gather energy from non-traditional sources as efficiently as possible. The full episode, which is embedded after the break, is about one hour long. It starts with a bit of background about the nature of these parts, and a brief overview of the wide-range of chips available. Each is suited for a different type of energy source.
He moves on to test and explain the LTC3105 and the LTC3109. The former is shown above on a development board. [Shahriar] hooks it up to his bench equipment to compare its performance to the published specs. This culminates in a circuit that uses a solar cell as the source with a super capacitor used as storage. The latter is connected to a Peltier cooler and used to convert the potential energy of ice cubes to electrical energy which charges his iPhone for about thirty seconds. This might be useful in
that Peltier generator we saw last week
. | 17 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "940523",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2013-01-16T16:36:06",
"content": "A lot of problems with these is that they will not do a WIDE voltage swing. I have a 15 watt solar panel that would generate useable power until dark if one ofthese chips was used for the low light part,... | 1,760,376,634.745939 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/print-your-own-30-round-ar15-magazine/ | Print Your Own 30 Round AR15 Magazine | Brian Benchoff | [
"3d Printer hacks",
"Featured",
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [
"ar15",
"gun",
"magazine"
] | Here’s a 30 round magazine for an AR15
, made just in time to add to the national conversation over things that look scary.
This magazine is the product of
Defense Distributed
who have previously graced the front page of Hackaday with their
3D printed scary bang bang machine
. While continuing to work on their WikiWeapon – a gun printable on a home-built 3D printer – the team decided they could subvert more obtuse gun laws by making their own high-capacity magazine.
The magazine is printed on an extremely expensive commercial 3D printer, but the team is working to make it printable on more affordable models. The prototype magazine survived unloading a full 30 rounds. Video demo of that after the break.
Also on Defense Distributed’s DEFCAD is
a sound moderator
for paintball and air guns. While the design isn’t yet finalized for those big scary assault weapons, it should be possible to modify it for the big guns. One of their next projects is a stock, hopefully one that includes a hinge.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q10Jz2qIog8&w=580] | 333 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "940075",
"author": "chevalier",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T23:08:21",
"content": "Stop calling high-capacity to things that are designed as is. 20 and 30 rounds are standard capacity on an AR15 platform. if something is high capacity at least look at belt feed ar15 lowers or beta C-ma... | 1,760,376,635.380685 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/retrotechtacular-the-differential/ | Retrotechtacular: The Differential | Mike Szczys | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"differential",
"retrotechtacular"
] | Any video that starts off with two minutes of motorcycle formation riding has got to be good. If the grainy black and white video didn’t tip you off that this was made in a different time the helmetless riders standing on the seats of moving motorcycles certainly would have. But there is a purpose to this exposition. A single line of motorcycles riding shoulder to shoulder as they go around a curve illustrates
why a differential is necessary and soon after you’ll find out how one works
.
Two wheels mounted on one axle need to turn at different speeds as a vehicle goes around a corner or one of the wheels must slip to accommodate the speed difference. The differential is necessary to allow for these different turning rates while still letting both wheels connect to the power train. We were surprised to learn from the video after the break that early automobiles got around this issues by powering only one of the four wheels.
This instructional video is a prefect compliment to
the fluid coupling video we saw in the last installment
of Retrotechtacular.
[Thanks Matt via
Auto Week
] | 22 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "940051",
"author": "Jordan",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T22:24:04",
"content": "Wow, this was the best explanation for differentials I’ve ever seen",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "940065",
"author": "critter42",
"... | 1,760,376,635.042377 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/converting-a-weather-station-kit-for-wireless-data-harvesting/ | Converting A Weather Station Kit For Wireless Data Harvesting | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"elektor",
"rn-vx",
"rovio",
"weather station",
"wifi"
] | Everyone loves getting something you can play with as a Christmas gift. [Thomas] was the lucky recipient of an Elektor USB weather station kit. But the fun didn’t end once he had assembled everything. He went on to
hack the device for wireless data collection
.
Shown above is the weather station board connected to the transmitter. The red board with a tiny antenna to the right is a Rovio RN-VX module. It is capable of transmitting serial data to its twin on the receiving end of the setup. The weather station is pretty easy to connect to the transmitter since it feeds serial data to an FTDI USB chip. [Thomas] simply connected power and ground, then added a jumper from the board’s TX pin to the Rovio’s RX pin. The receiving end uses a serial-to-USB converter — getting a signal for its RX pin from the TX pin on the Rovio receiver board.
We know
from other projects
that these radio modules can connect to a WiFi AP. Perhaps a future revision of [Thomas’] hack will allow the weather station to communicate with his server over the network, doing away with the need for a standalone receiver. | 6 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "940026",
"author": "gregoryfenton",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T21:09:04",
"content": "Great except I can’t see the schematics unless I pay a minimum of 60 GBP (around $80) for an elektor membership.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id"... | 1,760,376,634.990748 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/coffee-table-arcade-cabinet/ | Coffee Table Arcade Cabinet | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"arcade cabinet",
"coffee table",
"ikea",
"mame",
"RPi"
] | Get some Pac-Man fever while sitting on this couch thanks to
the arcade rig built inside of the coffee table
. The controls are a bit more sparse than
more dedicated MAME rigs
, but you should still be able to play most of the classics with four buttons and a joystick. After all, you need to reserve some room to put your feet up when you’re not gaming.
[Manny Flores] started the project with a Lack table from Ikea. The top is anything but solid. After tracing the outline of his LCD screen and cutting through the surface he discovered this is more of a beefed of cardboard than it is wood. The honeycomb of paperboard inside the surface of the table makes it really easy to clear out some space. In fact, when it came time to add the arcade buttons he just used a utility knife to cut the openings. Inside you’ll find a Raspberry Pi which interfaces with the buttons and joystick via an iPac USB controller board. A set of powered speakers mounted on the underside complete the design.
[via
Adafruit
] | 14 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "940005",
"author": "shiro",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T20:16:49",
"content": "Cool idea, but this looks like back murder. Unless you sit on the floor, in which case the screen is hard to see and the controls are hard to use.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,376,635.433943 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/hacking-grandfather-clock-accuracy-while-its-still-ticking/ | Hacking Grandfather Clock Accuracy While It’s Still Ticking | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"frequency",
"grandfather clock",
"hall effect sensor",
"magnet",
"mains"
] | [Keith] got his hands on a few grandfather clocks. Apparently the price tag is greatly reduced if you are able to get them second-hand. The mechanical timepieces require weekly winding, which is a good thing since you’ll also need to correct the time at least that often. But this drift got [Keith] thinking about improving the accuracy of these clocks. He figured out
a high-tech way to adjust the timepiece while it’s ticking
.
The first thing he needed was a source of super-accurate time. He could have used a temperature compensated RTC chip, but instead went the more traditional route of using the frequency of mains power as a reference. The next part of the puzzle is to figure out how to both monitor the grandfather clock and make small tweaks to its pendulum.
The answer is magnets. By adding a magnet to the bottom of the pendulum, and adjusting the proximity of a metal plate positioned below it, he can speed up or slow down the ticking. The addition of a hall effect sensor lets the Arduino measure the rate of each swing and calculate the accuracy compared to the high voltage frequency reference. | 36 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "939982",
"author": "JZatopa",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T19:09:15",
"content": "What a great hack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "939983",
"author": "Monopole",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T19:10:45",
"content": "From 38 ... | 1,760,376,635.520701 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/little-sisters-turn-for-hobby-electronic-party-favors/ | Little Sister’s Turn For Hobby Electronic Party Favors | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"birthday",
"led",
"party favor",
"ping pong ball",
"princess",
"throwie",
"wand"
] | [Ian Lee, Sr.] made something special for his daughter’s birthday party. It’s pretty common for girls of this age (this was her 5th birthday) to be enthralled with stories of princesses so
he made a blinky princess wand for each party guest
. The motivation came when she asked what special thing he was going to do for her celebration. You may remember seeing the
LED badge kits
that were featured at her brother’s party earlier this year. From the look of the party guests he surely satisfied her desire for a memorable party.
The project is very inexpensive, extremely easy to assemble, and might make a perfect kit for supervised Kindergarteners. It’s basically an LED throwie with a stick and a feather added. [Ian] used CR2032 batteries along with an LED and current limiting resistor to light things up. He clipped off one leg of the LED and replaced it by soldering the LED in place. The remaining leads were then pressed to either side of the coin cell and the whole thing was shoved into a slit cut in the end of a balloon rod. The whole thing was wrapped tightly in with a rubber band before being crowned with a ping pong ball. To trim it out he hot glued a feather at the base of the ball.
The only think that has us worried is what he’s going to do next year to top these parties. | 10 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "939959",
"author": "ka1axy",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T18:14:33",
"content": "Keep your eye on the little boy 3d from right — looks like he already has started to take his apart!:-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "939979",
... | 1,760,376,635.712256 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/how-6502-overflow-works/ | How 6502 Overflow Works | Eric Evenchick | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"6502",
"ALU",
"logic",
"silicon"
] | The 6502 was a ubiquitous microprocessor back in the 80s, powering devices such as the Apple II and the Nintendo Entertainment System. [Ken] took an in depth look at a small part of the processor:
the overflow circuit
.
In order to do signed calculations, a microprocessor’s arithmetic logic unit (ALU) needs to be able to calculate when an overflow occurs. This happens when two numbers are added that cannot fit in a single byte. The result of a calculation will be incorrect, so the processor must inform the program that an overflow has occurred. This is done by setting an overflow flag.
[Ken] uses this example to first explain how the overflow circuit works in logic. He then looks at the gates and a transistor implementation of the logic. Finally, he walks us through the circuit on the actual 6502 die, showing how the circuit is constructed in silicon.
This is a great example to learn a bit more about how ALUs work and how integrated circuits get built. | 16 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "939933",
"author": "Counting Bits, Picking Nits",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T17:26:40",
"content": "This brings back great memories.As a teen in the early 80’s, I learned to program in BASIC on a ti99. And then machine language on an APPLE ][. And then assembly language on that Apple.... | 1,760,376,635.852976 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/evolutionary-algorithms-computes-the-best-blackjack-strategy/ | Evolutionary Algorithms Computes The Best Blackjack Strategy | Brian Benchoff | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"blackjack",
"evolutionary algorithm"
] | Don’t want to learn about evolutionary algorithms the usual way, by generating sentences from random letters, or randomly placing pixels to generate the Mona Lisa?
Then make your own evolutionary algorithm! With blackjack!
[Brian] has been playing around with evolutionary algorithms, and wanted a task that’s well suited for optimization. He chose blackjack, because of the limited number of hands that can be dealt to the player (32) and low number of hands the dealer can have (10).
Even with the low number of initial conditions for the player and the dealer, there are still 4.562 x 10^192 possible combinations of hands, so brute forcing a blackjack strategy would require the computational power of the entire planet. An easier way to compute a good strategy is an evolutionary algorithm, implemented by [Brian] with the
Watchmaker Java library
.
For each generation in [Brian]’s program, a 32×10 grid was generated, one cell each for possible player’s hands against the dealer’s hand. In each cell, the computer put a ‘hit’, ‘stay’, or ‘double down’, and played thousands of hands with that strategy. The best strategies were bred and eventually [Brian] ended up with a good blackjack strategy.
The resulting best strategy is pretty good – using his strategy, he can walk out of an Atlantic City casino with 96% of the money he arrived with. | 28 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "939902",
"author": "cirrus",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T16:10:18",
"content": "*takes notes for 6.S912*",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "1011405",
"author": "POSEIDON",
"timestamp": "2013-06-02T01:56:48",
... | 1,760,376,635.972454 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/theres-something-strange-about-this-game-boy/ | There’s Something Strange About This Game Boy | Brian Benchoff | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks"
] | [
"Case mod",
"dingoo",
"emulator",
"game boy"
] | What looks to be a stock brick Game Boy with two additional buttons is actually
one of the coolest portable mods
we’ve ever seen.
Instead of the classic 1989 hardware, the interior of this Game Boy is stuffed with a Dingoo A330 portable emulation machine capable of playing Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and other 8 and 16-bit console classics.
After a great deal of modification to the original Game Boy enclosure, [Alex] cut down two Game Boy PCBs to wire the D pad, A, B, select and start buttons to the Dingoo. An extra pair of buttons were added and the shoulder buttons present on the Dingoo were emulated with rocker switches placed where the original volume and contrast controls were.
All this and a new color LCD (and screen bezel) means this Game Boy looks nearly stock, save for the addition of an extra pair of buttons. It’s a fabulous piece of work, and we’re exceedingly jealous for [Alex]’s friend receiving this for his birthday.
You can check out this build in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWKhb6EOgJQ&w=580] | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "939873",
"author": "Justin",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T15:22:00",
"content": "Awesome, and documented up the wazoo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "939885",
"author": "bunedoggle",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T15:45:05",
... | 1,760,376,635.906465 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/3d-printing-vacuum-tube-sockets/ | 3D Printing Vacuum Tube Sockets | Brian Benchoff | [
"3d Printer hacks",
"classic hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"tube socket",
"vacuum tube"
] | With the popularity of 3D printers and the current cult of vacuum tubes, it’s shocking we haven’t seen someone do this before.
[Peter]
printed his own sockets
for a few vacuum tubes he had lying around. After designing them on his computer, [Peter] printed them out on
his local hackerspace’s
3D printer.
After printing out the plastic parts, [Peter] needed to add a few strips of metal for a conductor. He used a few pieces of an ATX power supply; a little difficult to fit, but something that works all the same.
So far, [Peter] has whipped up a few sockets for UX5 and VT76 tubes, UX6, B7G (7 pin mini), and B9D Magnoval tubes. No Nixie sockets yet, but it’s enough diversity to build your own tube amp using the most common designs. Now if we could only make our own transformers with laser cutters and 3D printers… | 21 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "939834",
"author": "truebassb",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T14:13:46",
"content": "excellent work! The only way to get rare sockets in some cases.Only concern is i hope the resin can handle the heat of the tubes without drying and cracking any time on.",
"parent_id": null,
"dep... | 1,760,376,635.790867 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/15/automating-a-key-fob-camera-for-time-lapse/ | Automating A Key Fob Camera For Time Lapse | Brian Benchoff | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"808 camera",
"key fob",
"key fob camera",
"time-lapse"
] | If you’re lofting a digital camera high into the stratosphere with a helium balloon, you really can’t do better than one of those key fob spy cameras. Being extremely lightweight with decent resolution, they’re the perfect camera to take to near space. If you’re bringing someone along to snap the pictures, that is.
[Román] wanted to take his 808 spy camera to new heights, but not wanting to manually reset the thing when it’s 100,000 feet in the air
decided to use a microcontroller instead
. An 8-pin PIC12F675 takes care of taking 60 pictures with a 4-second interval, then switching to movie mode and recording a 20-second video.
The entire device can be powered by 6 to 9 volts with the help of a voltage regulator. [Román] found the camera hangs after taking about 1600 photos, so a connection from the microcontroller to the reset switch was added. Everything works on the ground, so we can’t wait to see what happens miles above the Earth’s surface. | 15 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "939784",
"author": "Sven",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T12:38:06",
"content": "You do not need the regulator, the camera and micro will run quite readily off a single LiPo cell’s voltage. I have built 7 of these and they all worked fine without regulated voltage. Search for Ghlargh on y... | 1,760,376,636.078401 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/type4me-is-a-hardware-clipboard-for-your-digital-copy-and-paste-needs/ | Type4me Is A Hardware Clipboard For Your Digital Copy And Paste Needs | Mike Szczys | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"18f14k50",
"clipboard",
"copy",
"cut",
"keyboard",
"paste",
"pic",
"serial",
"usb"
] | It doesn’t happen often, but every now and again we find ourselves wanting for a more extensible cut and paste experience. Most notably we’ve searched for something that makes is
very easy
to keep multiple things in the clipboard and paste them as needed. Although we’ve tried several software offerings nothing really made it up to grade, but
this hardware clipboard looks very promising
. [Luca Dentella] calls it Type4me as it functions as a USB keyboard.
The PIC 18F14K50 enumerates as a USB keyboard, allowing it to send characters anywhere the cursor is located. It sends whatever string is stored inside, with an optional return character at the end. In addition to its keyboard properties it also establishes a serial connection, which allows you to push new strings to the device. This setup does require you to do copy or type your strings into a serial terminal, along with one of four special commands which are parsed by the microcontroller. One of these commands allows you to save the string to EEPROM so that it will be persistent through a power cycle.
The pasting back to the computer takes a mere push of the button. We’ve embedded the video demo after the break. It’s in Italian but there are English subtitles. Near the end [Luca] shows off the device as a macro button for gaming. | 41 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "939439",
"author": "john",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T23:11:20",
"content": "About the software clipboard managers: for windows I finally settled on the minimalistic freeware ‘Clcl’ (http://www.nakka.com/soft/clcl/index_eng.html). May be worth a shot.",
"parent_id": null,
"dep... | 1,760,376,636.156311 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/unwrapping-images-of-cylindrical-objects/ | Unwrapping Images Of Cylindrical Objects | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"cylinder",
"cylindrical",
"imagemagick",
"picture",
"RPi"
] | Here’s an automated setup that lets you
create flat images of cylindrical objects
. The example shown above takes a creamer and lets you see what the painted pattern looks like when viewed continuously.
The image capture rig is similar to
turntable photography setups
that allow you to construct animated GIF files or 3D models of objects. The subject is places on a stepper motor which allows precise control when rotating the object between frames. The EiBotBoard (which we’ve seen in at least
one other project
) is designed for the EggBot printer. But it is used here to interface the motor and capture equipment with the Raspberry Pi.
We’re a little uncertain if the RPi actually handles the image manipulation. The project uses ImageMagick, which will certainly run on the RPi. There is a mention of
the Raspberry Pi camera
joing the rig as a future improvement so we do expect to see a fully-automatic revision at some point.
[via
Adafruit
via
EMSL
] | 15 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "939397",
"author": "roboman2444",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T22:07:55",
"content": "Taking a video and roating the stepper at a constant speed would make it look better",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "939398",
"author": "robom... | 1,760,376,636.02822 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/papercraft-dial-is-the-slide-ruler-of-current-limiting-resistors/ | Papercraft Dial Is The Slide-ruler Of Current Limiting Resistors | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"calculator",
"dial",
"forward voltage",
"resistor",
"slide rule"
] | This
paper dial makes selecting current limiting resistors a snap
. [Giorgos Lazaridis] came up with the tool, which he describes in detail in the Worklog tab of his writeup. If you want one of your own he also posted a PDF which you can print, cut, and tack together.
At this point we can calculate resistor values for LED circuits without looking at reference material. But it wasn’t always like that. This wheel will be a fantastic tool for those just starting out in hobby electronics who are trying to grasp the theory behind lighting up a simple project. The outer wheel references the source voltage, with the inner being a gauge of forward voltage across the LED(s). Line those two values up and you can read the optimal resistor value in the window seen to the right. But wait, there’s more! As you can see in the video after the break the opposite face of the dial also includes a window which will tell you the power dissipation so that you may choose a properly rated resistor. Slick! | 33 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "939356",
"author": "janstevens007",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T21:06:57",
"content": "The link to the PDF is broken, any other links?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "939359",
"author": "Phrewfuf",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T... | 1,760,376,636.390942 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/microcontroller-statistics-with-a-small-sram-footprint/ | Microcontroller Statistics With A Small SRAM Footprint | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"library",
"math",
"mean",
"standard deviation",
"statistics"
] | You may know your way around the registers of that favorite microcontroller, but at some point you’ll also need to wield some ninja-level math skills to manage arrays of data on a small device. [Scott Daniels] has some help for you in this arena. He explains how to
manage statistical calculations on your collected data without eating up all the RAM
. The library which he
made available
is targeted for the Arduino. But the concepts, which he explains quite well, should be easy to port to your preferred hardware.
The situation he outlines in the beginning his post is data collected from a sensor, but acted upon by the collection device (as opposed to a data logger where you dump the saved numbers and use a computer for the heavy lifting). This can take the form of a touch sensor, which are known for having a lot of noise when looking at individual readings. But since [Scott] is using the Mean and Standard Deviation to keep running totals of collected data over time it is also very useful for applications like
building your own home heating thermostat
. | 9 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "939334",
"author": "AS",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T20:27:29",
"content": "I haven’t grabbed the code, but the description in the linked page seems to show the author making every sort of numerical stability and loss of precision mistake possible. Even wikipedia has a good tutorial Ku... | 1,760,376,636.317009 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/deathly-hallows-mark-the-passing-of-time/ | Deathly Hallows Mark The Passing Of Time | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"deathly hallows",
"harry potter",
"led",
"servo"
] | Whether you’re a
Harry Potter
fan or not we think you’ll enjoy
this Deathly Hallows clock
. The body is modeled after the triangle, circle, and line that make up the symbol that played a prominent role when concluding the fantasy novel series. A bit of motion and a couple handfuls of LEDs are what allow it to display the time of day.
[Yeenasty] started by building the triangular surround out of wood. In the center he added a circular veneer which was partitioned into twelve chambers. These indicate the hour and are illuminated one at a time from midnight until noon. Once all of the LEDs are switched on (as seen above) they are then extinguish one at a time from noon until midnight. [Yeenasty] mentions that this means the clock isn’t overly bright during the night-time hours.
Minutes are displayed by the wooden slat in the middle of the ring of LEDs. Here it’s showing 30 minutes after the hour because it is vertical and the bottom red LED is lit. The hand is mounted on a 180 degree servo so when it has made half of a rotation the hand backtracks 29 minutes and the LED at the other end is illuminated to continue progress around the face of the clock.
[via
Reddit
] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "939338",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T20:34:23",
"content": "Having fewer LED’s on at night, Great idea!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "939666",
"author": "Eirinn",
"timestamp": "2013-01-15T09:20:31",
... | 1,760,376,636.263623 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/kitchen-scale-key-transplant/ | Kitchen Scale Key Transplant | Mike Szczys | [
"cooking hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"cherry mx",
"keyboard",
"scale",
"switch"
] | [Markus] is quite happy with his kitchen scale. It’s one of the tools he uses most frequently when cooking. But recently the button has begun to give him problems. He figures the years of spilling a little bit of this and that has mucked up the contacts. His solution was to
bypass the button using a Cherry MX switch
.
Really any replacement should do since the switch merely completes an electrical connection. But there’s a subset of hackers who swear by the Cherry MX switches that come in some keyboards. [Markus] had just such a keyboard on hand, which he was already using for parts, so he pulled out the switch and cut a hole in the scale’s case where he could mount it. After temporarily super gluing the switch in place he completed the task by filling the gap on the outside with hot glue, then running another bead of it along the inside. The addition of the ‘T’ key finishes the hack. The plastic key is easy to clean and will help shed flour, oil, or anything else he might spill during his culinary adventures.
This hack was fast and easy and may have convinced [Markus] to roll his own controller board for the device. We’ll keep a lookout for a follow-up post detailing those alterations. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "939264",
"author": "deathventure",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T18:28:49",
"content": "Due to the location of the device, I would have went with something more sealed. The button itself is still exposed, it may take longer to make sticky, but it will end up sticky again at some point. u... | 1,760,376,636.664389 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/usb-to-serial-adapter-tells-you-what-com-port-youre-on/ | USB To Serial Adapter Tells You What COM Port You’re On | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware"
] | [
"COM",
"serial",
"serial port",
"USB to serial"
] | Since most of us are long past the days of hardware serial ports, the USB to serial adapter has become a mainstay on the hacker’s tool belt. While they’re cheap and convenient, USB to serial adapters aren’t always the easiest thing to use: there’s always the issue of what COM port Windows is calling your USB to serial adapter, or what TTY device it is in Linux/OS X.
[Avishay] has a very, very cool solution to this problem:
put a display on a USB to serial converter
to tell the user what COM port the OS labeled it as.
The prototype runs on a PIC 18F2553 dev board. When plugged into a Windows box, the serial adapter sets up two USB devices. The first device is a
Communications Device Class
that handles the grunt work of the USB to Serial connection. The second USB device is a proprietary piece of software that grabs the current COM port number. This number is displayed on an LCD thanks to a host application on the Windows PC that reports the COM port of the Serial adapter.
It’s one of those ideas where you didn’t know you needed it until it was presented to you. An excellent tool from [Avishay], although maybe a pair of 7-segment LEDs would make it a more manufacturable device. | 32 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "939163",
"author": "Bogdan",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T16:07:45",
"content": "The idea is great, eveb extending it to support a small 8×2 lcd which can display all the info(baudrate, port name, data format)Then again… Its not that hard to check and, at least win7, remembers what ... | 1,760,376,636.608728 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/magic-eye-spectrum-analyzer/ | Magic Eye Spectrum Analyzer | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"fft",
"magic eye",
"magic eye tube"
] | If Nixies aren’t cool enough, maybe it’s time to step it up to magic eye tubes.
Magic eye tubes are, like Nixies and Dekatrons, display tubes. Unlike the alphanumeric characters of Nixies or rotating points of light in a Dekatron, Magic eye tubes are either bar graph or ‘Pac-Man’ displays that were used to show the signal strength of a radio station on very expensive radio sets.
After doing a few experiments with tubes, [sylvain] thought it would be cool to do something with magic eye tubes. He sourced eight vertical ‘bar graph’ magic eye tubes and built
an audio spectrum analyzer
.
One of the more difficult things to do was to compute the power levels for each frequency band. There are a
few graphic equalizer ICs
available, but [sylvian] decided to go the old-school, harder way by putting an FFT algorithm on an ATMega624.
An impressive piece of work that would look amazing next to a nice tube stereo system. | 13 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "939109",
"author": "Ryan",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T15:07:28",
"content": "Old school easy way would be to use a bandpass filter for each tube. No uC needed :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "939117",
"author": "bsvso... | 1,760,376,636.716995 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/a-bluetooth-trackpad-from-a-resistive-touchscreen/ | A Bluetooth Trackpad From A Resistive Touchscreen | Brian Benchoff | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"TouchPad",
"trackpad"
] | If you’ve checked out your favorite online retailer of absurdly inexpensive Chinese electronics, you’ll find a whole bunch of replacement parts. Phone parts are especially common, with high-resolution LCDs available for just a few dollars. There are also a few touchscreen kits – resistive touchscreen digitizers that can easily be read with a microcontroller. [Vinod] got his hands on one of these touchscreen digitizers, and with the help of an 8-pin micocontroller
turned it into a Bluetooth trackpad
.
The clear plastic touchpad is a relatively simple device. By reading a pair of analog values, it’s easy to find the coordinates of a finger or stylus on the touchpad. [Vinod] programmed an ATtiny13 to read these values and turn them in to x y coordinates, but he needed something useful to do with this data.
By connecting a small bluetooth module to his microcontroller, [Vinod] could send these coordinates to his computer. The result is a homebrew touchpad, able to move a cursor around, left and right click, and emulate a scroll wheel.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSuIEGvD4jc&w=470] | 23 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "939034",
"author": "Galane",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T13:09:45",
"content": "Nifty. Next step, put a color LCD under it with a button to turn on a keyboard mode.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "939063",
"author": "Jasp... | 1,760,376,637.005983 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/14/this-has-not-been-a-good-week-for-the-hacker-community/ | This Has Not Been A Good Week For The Hacker Community | Brian Benchoff | [
"News"
] | [
"Aaron Swartz",
"Fabio Varesano",
"Femtoduino",
"FreeIMU",
"JSTOR"
] | The Internet lost a few great minds this week. [Aaron Swartz], confronted with an upcoming federal trial for his actions in downloading and releasing public domain academic articles from JSTOR, hanged himself this week. As one of the co-developers for RSS, the Creative Commons license, and slew of other works, [Aaron]’s legacy expanded the freedoms and possibilities of the most important human invention since the book.
Perhaps overshadowed in the news by [Aaron] is [Fabio Varesano], the man behind
FreeIMU
and
Femtoduino
. He died of a sudden heart attack at the much too young age of 28. The RC helicopter/plane/drone and HCI/physical computing communities lose a great mind with [Fabio]’s passing.
There is talk
on the Dangerous Prototypes forum
of continuing the development of FreeIMU, a project it seems [Fabio] worked on alone. We’d love to see someone pick up the reigns of the FreeIMU project, hopefully after doing a run of the current hardware and donating the proceeds to [Fabio]’s family. | 29 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "939017",
"author": "crenn",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T12:38:04",
"content": "RIP both of them…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "939082",
"author": "Bill Gander",
"timestamp": "2013-01-14T14:24:56",
"content": "RIP Fabi... | 1,760,376,636.857257 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/13/putting-the-bbc-in-seattle/ | Putting The BBC In Seattle | Brian Benchoff | [
"Radio Hacks",
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"radio",
"raspberry pi",
"web radio"
] | Among great British traditions, there’s tea, knowing how to lose an empire, tea, Parliament, big ben, tea, incalculable wit, Parliament, big ben, tea, and BBC radio. While Britons in foreign lands may not be able receive BBC radio over the airwaves, there is the remarkable BBC iPlayer that allows online streaming of all those awesome BBC radio stations. Unfortunately, moving away from the Prime Meridian means the BBC radio schedule deviates from the schedule ordained by divine right. In Seattle, for example, a Friday evening comedy would be broadcast in the middle of the afternoon. Basically, it’s like listening to
Prairie Home
Companion
on Saturday morning. It just feels wrong.
[Adam]
came up with a clever solution to this problem
. Yes, it’s really just a Raspberry Pi-powered web radio, but there’s a twist to this build: everything from BBC radio is buffered and time shifted. A program that airs at noon in London will now play on [Adam]’s radio at noon in Seattle.
The hardware portion of the build is an exceedingly British radio which [Adam] deftly modified to include an auxiliary input.
The software portion
of the build uses ffmpeg, mplayer, and a PHP script to stream the iPlayer audio to a file, wait 8 hours (or whatever the offset from GMT is), and start playing the audio.
In the end, the time shifted BBC radio works perfectly, and even
caught the attention of a few people at BBC Radio 4
. [Adam] was interviewed about his project, and was even able to listen to his interview several hours later. | 57 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "938691",
"author": "Bogdan",
"timestamp": "2013-01-13T15:07:12",
"content": "Looks great! I like the old radio built.Never thought about time shifting programs :))",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "938849",
"author": "Al... | 1,760,376,638.958311 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/12/listening-in-on-weather-balloons-with-rtl-sdr/ | Listening In On Weather Balloons With RTL SDR | Brian Benchoff | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"radiosonde",
"RTL-SDR",
"RTLSDR",
"weather balloon"
] | Every day, twice a day, over 800 weather balloons are launched around the world at exactly the same time. The data transmitted from these radiosondes is received by government agencies and shared with climatologists and meteorologist to develop climate models and predect the weather. Near [Carl]’s native Auckland, a weather balloon is launched twice a day, and since they transmit at 403 MHz, he decided to
use a USB TV tuner to receive data
directly from an atmospheric probe.
The hardware portion of this project consisted of building
a high gain antenna
designed for 162 MHz. Even though the radiosonde transmits at 403 MHz, [Carl] was easily able to receive on his out-of-band antenna.
For the software, [Carl] used
SDRSharp
and
SondeMonitor
, allowing him to convert the coded transmissions from a weather balloon into pressure, temperature, humidity, and GPS data. | 34 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "938492",
"author": "Argon",
"timestamp": "2013-01-12T21:53:35",
"content": "So those strange transmissions above 400MHz are weather baloons, thank you for revealing the mystery :) Or are they?I received something similar at 428MHz with funcube dongle pro and single wire “antenna”.",... | 1,760,376,638.86805 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/12/a-pirate-box-for-sharing-files/ | A Pirate Box For Sharing Files | Brian Benchoff | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"dead drop",
"Pirate Box"
] | This is [illwill]’s Pirate Box,
the newest addition to the network
over at NESIT, the Meriden, CT hackerspace.
A pirate box is a completely anonymous wireless file server, kind of like a wireless version of a
dead drop
. It’s the perfect device for transferring files at a LAN party or hackerspace. The guts of [illwill]’s portable server comes from an old Fonera router NESIT had lying around. After installing OpenWRT, connecting a few batteries, and finding a wonderful lunch box / treasure chest enclosure on ebay, [illwill] had a portable file server perfect for sharing files.
The pirate box isn’t connected to the Internet. Instead, users can connect to each other and the 16GB USB drive by simply connecting to the router’s WiFi and opening up a browser. All web page requests are redirected to the Pirate Box page, where users can chat and share files. The folks at NESIT uploaded a few public domain files to their pirate box, but they’re anxiously waiting to see what files other users will upload.XVID.AC3.HQ.Hive-CM8. | 39 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "938409",
"author": "svofski",
"timestamp": "2013-01-12T17:13:21",
"content": "I love the idea but 16GB is not much for some.XVID.AC3.HQ.Hive-CM8[PROPER]",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "938414",
"author": "lanux",
... | 1,760,376,639.081451 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/12/finally-ti-is-producing-simple-cheap-wifi-modules/ | Finally, TI Is Producing Simple, Cheap WiFi Modules | Brian Benchoff | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"texas instruments",
"ti",
"wifi",
"wireless"
] | Ever responsive to the hobbyist market, Texas Instruments
is releasing a very inexpensive, very simple WiFi module
specifically designed for that Internet of Things.
The
TI SimpleLink TI CC3000 WiFi module
is a single-chip solution to putting 802.11b/g WiFi in just about every project you can dream up. Just about everything needed to put the Internet in a microcontroller is included in this chip – there’s a TCP/IP stack included on the chip, along with all the security stuff needed to actually connect to a network.
The inexpensive micocontroller WiFi solutions we’ve seen –
including the very cool Electric Imp
– had difficult, or at least odd, means of putting WiFi credentials such as the SSID and password onto the device. TI
is simplifying this with SmartConfig
, an app running on a phone, tablet, or PC that automagically takes care of setting up a link in a wireless network.
Best of all, the CC3000 only costs $10 in quantities of 1000. Compare that to other Internet of Things WiFi solutions, and it looks like we might be seeing and easy and cheap way to connect a project to the internet this year. | 78 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "938383",
"author": "Roel",
"timestamp": "2013-01-12T16:21:47",
"content": "This excites me.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "938385",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2013-01-12T16:25:53",
"content": "A penny apiece? ... | 1,760,376,639.186116 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/12/hackaday-retro-roundup-ultraportables-edition/ | Hackaday Retro Roundup: Ultraportables Edition | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"classic",
"retro",
"Toshiba Libretto",
"ultra portable",
"ultraportable"
] | A few months ago, we rolled out an updated Hackaday, a badly needed new layout replacing the HTML and CSS that had remained unchanged since 2004. Of course a few people didn’t like change and complained about slow load times. We’ve experienced a slightly slower load time as well, so we’ll just wait until the year 2020 when our computers are many times faster and our Internet is provided by Google Fiber. Until then, our pokey battlestations and vintage computers can still check out a few classic hacks
on our retro site
. Here’s a few retro successes – Hackaday readers who pulled out their old tech and loaded up the retro site – that have come in over the past weeks and months.
The idea behind a Macbook Air, a few Sony Vaios, and a whole bunch of EEEs and other netbooks – sacrificing expandability and horsepower for an extremely small portable computer – isn’t a new one. Ultraportables have always found their niche, whether it’s a TRS-80 (like the one with a new motherboard
we saw earlier this week
) being carried into a war zone, a nifty Powerbook duo being used a fashion accessory, or a Macbook Air representing the lowest rung of a product lineup.
Ultraportables also have another thing going for them: they’re small enough to fit in a box in a basement and be forgotten for 20 years. Where a huge ATX tower housing a 60 MHz 486 is a prime candidate for a yard sale or a trip to the recycling center, an ultaportable can sit forgotten for years.
We’ve gotten two retro challenge submissions over the past few weeks. First up is [Curtis] with his
Toshiba Libretto 100CT
. It’s got a 133 MHz Pentium and 64 MB of RAM. [Curtis] had a bit of a challenge getting his teensy laptop online; he ended up salvaging a networking card from a Netgear MR314 wireless router and plugging it in to the PCMCIA slot. Getting the driver onto the machine was a pain, but after configuring the router as an access server and setting up a terminal connection he was able to get his tiny box on the web.
Next up is [Eugenio],
again with a Libretto
, this time a CT50. A capable machine from the dawn of the Pentium era, [Eugenio] is running Windows 95 and Netscape Communicator 4. There’s also an oldish
Sony Vaio Picturebook
, an even tinier ultraportable from the turn of the century.
That’s all for now, but if you’ve got a retro submission to send in,
give us a shout
over on the Hackaday tip line. | 17 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "938379",
"author": "snake plissken",
"timestamp": "2013-01-12T15:36:21",
"content": "If you use webkit to monitor the page load, you will see that the main site and images load quickly (milliseconds). The slow down (1+ sec) is contributed by ads (additional javascript), and addons ... | 1,760,376,639.240337 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/building-an-inexpensive-squeezebox-client-replacement/ | Building An Inexpensive Squeezebox Client Replacement | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"audio",
"client",
"pogoplug",
"Squeezebox",
"squeezeplug"
] | [Andrew] is a fan of the audio quality provided by the Squeezebox hardware. Like many he was unhappy to hear that the devices were being discontinued, but he figured out a way to
build a Squeezebox client clone for less than he could have bought an original
.
He set several goals for the build. Most notably he wanted the system to be low-power, noiseless, and to support audio quality of at least 96 kHz at 24 bits. What he came up with is the Pogoplug seen in between the two speakers above. It can be acquired for under $20 and it runs embedded Linux. Another member of the Squeezebox community had been working on a custom distro called
SqueezePlug
to turn these types of devices into Squeezebox clients. After flashing the distro and tweaking the settings [Andrew] has accomplished his goals. The one caveat is the lack of an audio out port. Above he’s using some cheap USB speakers, but higher-fidelity is possible by choosing a more expensive external USB device.
This will work nicely with
that Squeezebox server you built from a Raspberry Pi
. | 20 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "938044",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T22:23:06",
"content": "Yeah, I totally get the idea of going for some specific audio quality, but with those speakers you could just settle for phone quality :]",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{... | 1,760,376,638.631856 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/veronica-vga-board-finalized/ | Veronica VGA Board Finalized | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"6502",
"backplane",
"gpu",
"veronica",
"vga"
] | The latest update in the Veronica 6502 computer project is
this finalized VGA board
which now has a home in the machine’s backplane.
We’ve been glued to the updates [Quinn Dunki] has been posting about the project for many months now. Getting the GPU working proved to take quite a bit of time, but we learned a ton just by following along. The video output had
humble beginnings way back in March
. That breadboarded circuit got complicated very quickly and that was before it was even
interfaced with the CPU
. As you can see from the image above, etching and populating the GPU board really cleans up the build. We’re sure it’s robust enough to move around at this point. We wonder if she’s planning on showing it off at a Maker Faire or another geeky gathering?
It really has become clear how wise [Quinn] was to
design a backplane board
early on. It plays right into the modular concept. She was even smart enough to include that SIL pin header on the near side of the board which was used heavily while prototyping this video module. | 16 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "938033",
"author": "Wretch",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T22:02:39",
"content": "Right. Fantastic. Well done. I’m just going to kill myself now for wasting my life.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "938071",
"author": "Gr... | 1,760,376,639.01244 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/replacement-drivers-for-old-led-signs/ | Replacement Drivers For Old LED Signs | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"driver",
"sign",
"signature electronics",
"TPIC6B595"
] | The LED signs sitting idle on the left are
brought to life by an Arduino replacement driver
shown to the right. The big one is made by Signature Electronic and used as an advertising display like you would see in front of a business. [Bob Davis] picked it up on eBay being sold as non-working. After some power supply repair he set to the task of driving them with his own hardware.
The images he shared give us a good look at the parts used on the sign. The display area is made up of a set of eight 8×5 pixel LED modules. Each module has a key and slot in the top and bottom to help align the rows properly when building a larger array. They use TPIC6B595 shift registers (the same ones
seen in yesterday’s low-res gaming hack
) and 74HCT138 decoders to multiplex the pixels. Most of this info is shared in
the second part of his post
.
He hasn’t quite gotten the larger sign to run properly. Each row displays the same data but one pixel lower than the last. If you’ve got some insight on why this is happening we’re sure he’d like to hear about it.
[via
Dangerous Prototypes
] | 17 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "937998",
"author": "SavannahLion",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T20:47:51",
"content": "NEI I’m just armchairing this but….If his panels are blinking as he activates more panels, then he probably needs to learn to access the AVR I/O directly instead of depending on the Arduino environmen... | 1,760,376,638.79784 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/extending-the-features-of-an-ip-camera/ | Extending The Features Of An IP Camera | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"attiny85",
"ip camera",
"kill switch",
"servo"
] | [Dave Astolfo] wanted to be able to let his CNC mill run by itself with the ability to monitor it remotely. The only problem with that idea is that if he checked in and saw something bad happening he needed a remote kill switch as well. He ended up killing two birds with one stone by
adding extra features to an IP camera
.
These Internet Protocol cameras are pretty nifty. Just plug their power cord in and they’ll connect to WiFi and start streaming video. Many of them offer features like pan and tilt, and this model even features IR LEDs for night viewing that can be switched on and off through the web interface. That’s the point at which [Dave] started his hack. He patched into the leads on the IR LEDs. They’re monitored by an ATtiny85. When he turns on the LEDs via the webpage the ATtiny85 senses it and drives a servo motor to push the ESC key on the keyboard. As you can see in the clip after the break, this will stop the milling in its tracks. We especially liked the use of LEGO Technique pieces to make the servo mount removable. | 17 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "937952",
"author": "Per Jensen",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T19:04:45",
"content": "LEGO Technique ? – It’s Technic…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "937959",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T19:27:59",
"content... | 1,760,376,638.739773 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/printing-images-with-a-wood-burning-cnc-machine/ | Printing Images With A Wood Burning CNC Machine | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"halftone",
"python",
"wood burning"
] | Just to clear up any confusion from the title,
this wood burning CNC machine
runs on electricity. The wood burner acts as the print head. It’s the thing in the upper right of the field that looks a bit like a soldering iron. In this case it’s being used like a dot matrix printer.
We suppose this is a form of halftone printing, although it doesn’t produce
the uniformity we’ve seen with mill-based halftone techniques
. [Random Sample] built the machine from wood, drawer sliders, and stepper motors with toothed belts. His Python script takes an image and transforms it into a file which can be used to guide each of the three axes of the machine. An Arduino receives these commands via the USB connection. Each image prints in a grid, with darker pixels created by leaving the hot tip in contact with the wood for a longer period of time.
Don’t miss the sample video embedded after the jump.
[Thanks Ian via
Reddit
] | 16 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "937937",
"author": "Eirinn",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T18:09:32",
"content": "Good job, but… isn’t this an obvious use for a laser cutter? :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "937943",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,376,638.685331 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/bluetooth-network-monitor/ | Bluetooth Network Monitor | Eric Evenchick | [
"computer hacks",
"News"
] | [
"atmega328",
"bluetooth",
"network monitor",
"tft"
] | [Zak] wanted to keep tabs on his network connection without needing to log into his router. Since his router was a PC running Debian Linux, he rigged up a
Bluetooth Network Monitor
to display the information.
The monitor is based on a ATMega328P that reads data from a Bluetooth serial connection and displays it on the TFT screen. It uses a low cost Bluetooth module to receive data from a router. A shell script fetches the data and formats it into a string that can be sent over the Bluetooth link.
A USB connection with a desktop computer is used to power the device, but [Zak] also added USB support using
V-USB
. He plans to use it to get data from the desktop. For example, he could display CPU load and temperature data.
Overall, this is a nice project for fetching data wirelessly and displaying it on your desk. [Zak] has provided the code and Eagle files with his write up for anyone interested in building their own. | 20 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "937860",
"author": "ozel",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T16:15:41",
"content": "nice one! thumbs up for the display graphics",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "937868",
"author": "nathangray",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T16:25:54",... | 1,760,376,639.313571 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/ask-hackaday-we-might-have-some-fpgas-to-hack/ | Ask Hackaday: We Might Have Some FPGAs To Hack | Brian Benchoff | [
"Ask Hackaday"
] | [
"Ask Hackaday",
"fpga",
"Pano Logic"
] | [Chris] is an IT guy for a medical clinic up in Alaska, and until very recently the systems he monitored, fixed, and beat with a wrench included over 100 Pano Logic “Zero Client” thin clients. Pano Logic just went out of business and all support for these little boxes have been cut off, leaving [Chris] with a hundred or so very interesting pieces of hardware.
The idea behind these “zero clients” is the ideal of a thin client – take all the storage, processing, RAM, and other goodies and move them to a server. Pano Logic took this one step further than other thin clients, removing the CPU, memory, and basically everything you’d find in a thin client. What was left was a Spartan-6 FPGA, a few chips to drive the USB ports, a pair of HDMI chips, and a few DDR2 modules. Basically, [Chris] has about 150 FPGA dev boards just sitting in a storage room. The only thing that is needed is a bunch of software and an extreme amount of cleverness.
After opening one of these zero clients, [Chris] found a Spartan-6 FPGA right next to what he thinks is a 6-pin programming port. Along with the FPGA are a few other chips that would make any FPGA dev board a very neat tool:
RAM
Ethernet
Display chips
(2)
USB controller
Audio chip
We’re going to agree with [Chris] these Pano Logic zero clients show a lot of potential. If you’re up to the challenge of creating a very, very cheap FPGA dev board out of some discarded hardware,
head on over to ebay
or chat up your local IT guy. | 79 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "937821",
"author": "Phrewfuf",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T15:06:00",
"content": "ebay only has the ones with VGA, no DVI or HDMI :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "937846",
"author": "Devin",
"timestamp": "2013-0... | 1,760,376,639.500867 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/new-years-eve-countdown-clock-included-sms-interactivity/ | New Year’s Eve Countdown Clock Included SMS Interactivity | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Holiday Hacks"
] | [
"countdown timer",
"gsm",
"sms",
"text message"
] | We remember several years back, when text messaging was first becoming popular, we went to a bar which had a huge television that would display text messages sent to a particular number. This sounds like a novelty, but in a large group of folks who know one another it’s the sandbox of social games. Wanting to tap in on that fun for his New Year’s Eve party, [James] built this
countdown timer that includes an element of SMS interactivity
(link dead, try
the Internet Archive version
).
The rig is projector based. A computer using Processing does the majority of the work but [James] needed a way to accepts text messages (the locale of the party had no Internet connection so this was the best bet). He grabbed a GSM shield and his Arduino Leonardo. The bulk of the evening the display showed the last few messages received, with a small countdown timer in the lower corner. As the countdown approached zero the time was given prominence as in the image above. We guess he was lucky to find a prepaid SIM card that allowed free incoming text messages. Our cell provider charges us 20¢ for each.
You might give this one a whirl next year. If it’s not quite your thing take a look around. We’ve seen a lot of fun setups like
this mini ball drop
. | 15 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "936560",
"author": "Giles",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T18:41:29",
"content": "Sorry if I’m being a bit British, but what phone company CHARGES for incoming texts?! That seems like madness to me, unless the messages are coming from another country or something but even then in the UK t... | 1,760,376,639.825332 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/glass-delay-line-slide-used-in-an-rgb-lamp/ | Glass Delay Line Slide Used In An RGB Lamp | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"attiny2313",
"bluetooth",
"delay line memory",
"glass delay line",
"hc-05",
"lamp",
"led",
"light pipe",
"rgb"
] | The spire used in this lamp is a part from an old television. It’s a glass delay line slide which
pipes the light up from the Bluetooth controlled RGB lamp
(translated) in the base.
We have looked at delay lines previously
when [Dave Jones] tore down a camcorder to get at one. But we must have missed the EEVblog follow-up episode which
explains how the glass slides work
. The device uses physical distance to form a delay. Waves directed into the edge of the glass slide bounce around at an angle before being sensed at the collection point. [Lukas] liked the visual appearance of the part and decided to use it to add visual interest to his lamp project. The nature of the glass makes it perfect for directing the light up and away from the PCB.
The lamp consists of one RGB LED module controlled by an ATtiny2313 microcontroller. Also on board is a HC-05 Bluetooth module. This along with an app he wrote lets the user change lamp color and behavior wirelessly. You can see the lamp in action in the video after the break, but we think the camera shot probably doesn’t do it the justice it deserves. | 15 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "936509",
"author": "Nate",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T17:20:58",
"content": "Glass delay line, I never even knew what these were called, but I managed to break one that was part of a printer I believe",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_i... | 1,760,376,639.878274 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/led-ice-cubes-prevent-alcohol-induced-blackouts/ | LED Ice Cubes Prevent Alcohol Induced Blackouts | Brian Benchoff | [
"ATtiny Hacks",
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"alcohol",
"blackout",
"ice cube",
"oh god ouzo",
"party"
] | On November 23rd last year, [Dhairya] attended a little shindig at MIT. Three drinks into the night, he blacked out and woke up in the hospital the next day. It was an alcohol-induced blackout, and like all parties at MIT,
there’s an ingenious solution to [Dhairya]’s problem
.
[Dhairya] came up with an alcohol-aware ice cube made of a coin cell battery, an ATtiny microcontroller, and an IR transceiver are molded into an edible gelatin ice cube. The microcontroller counts the number of sips per drink, and after one glass of adult beverage changes the color of the flashing LED from green to yellow. After two drinks the LED changes from yellow to red, signaling [Dhairya] to slow down.
If [Dhairya] feels the night is too young and keeps on drinking, the IR transmitter signals to his cell phone to send a text to a friend telling them to go take [Dhairya] home.
Less than three weeks after waking up in the hospital, [Dhairya] tested out his glowing ice cubes at another party. Everything performed wonderfully, even if he admits his creation is a little crude. A neat piece of work, and we can’t wait to see an update to this project. | 121 | 45 | [
{
"comment_id": "936395",
"author": "qbert",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T15:24:58",
"content": "I can see it now, student looses teeth after eating ice cube…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "936439",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,376,640.269762 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/turning-a-game-boy-into-an-android-gamepad/ | Turning A Game Boy Into An Android Gamepad | Brian Benchoff | [
"Android Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"dmg",
"game boy",
"gamepad",
"wiimote"
] | [Chad] has been messing around with emulators on his phone, but as anyone with a smart phone knows, even the most advanced touchscreen controls are terrible. Wanting something that pays tribute to the classic systems he was emulating, he decided to
turn a classic old school brick Game Boy into an Android gamepad
.
After gutting an old DMG-01, [Chad] set to work turning the D-pad and buttons in the Game Boy into something his Galaxy Nexus could understand. He chose a Bluetooth connection to provide input for his emulators, with the hardware generously donated from a Nintendo Wiimote.
The Game Boy PCB was cut up and a few leads attached to the Wiimote PCB. After modifying the case to include space for the Wiimote and a cell phone mount, [Chad] had a functional game pad, perfect for his adventures in emulation.
You can see [Chad]’s demo of his game pad after the break,
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIPLcj3y7gA&w=570] | 20 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "936315",
"author": "Robert",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T13:25:37",
"content": "Poor GameBoy!!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "936435",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T16:09:43",
"content"... | 1,760,376,639.773977 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/ben-krasnow-builds-a-ct-scanner/ | [Ben Krasnow] Builds A CT Scanner | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware",
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"ct scanner",
"x-ray"
] | After building a homebrew x-ray backscatter imager, [Ben Krasnow] realized he had nearly all the components to
build his own CT scanner
, able to make a 3D model of the inside of a frozen chicken.
Basically, a CT scanner takes dozens of x-rays of an object and reassembles them with the help of fancy algorithms to allow doctors to peer inside a human body. The CT scanners you’ll find at your local hospital are monstrous devices, rotating an x-ray tube and sensor around a patient with the help of some very heavy duty electromechanical engineering. [Ben] wanted to keep his build rather small, so instead of rotating the x-ray tube and screen around an object, he simply made a stepper motor-driven lazy suzan to rotate his frozen bird.
[Ben] set a digital camera off to the side of his build and captured 45 images of a rotating chicken. After correcting for the perspective distortion, the images were thrown into
3D Slicer
to create a true 3D representation of a x-rayed chicken.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3V-GHiJ78&w=570] | 44 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "936272",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T12:08:29",
"content": "Missed opportunity for classical music with the gracefully spinning chicken.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "936396",
"author": "Queeg",
... | 1,760,376,640.002769 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/robot-has-rhythm-carries-drum-sticks/ | Robot Has Rhythm; Carries Drum Sticks | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"blue man group",
"drum set",
"drum stick",
"PICAXE",
"robot",
"tread"
] | This little robot needs to go on the road with the Blue Man Group. The treaded rover carries its own drum sticks and
uses random objects as its drum set
.
We admit that this is not a fresh hack. It harkens from 2008 but this is the first time we can remember seeing the little guy. After viewing the video embedded after the jump we think you’ll agree the project deserves to be seen by as many aspiring hardware hackers as possible.
Perched atop the pile is a speaker, with a second hidden between the yellow treads. The lower unit lets the PICAX 28 microcontroller produce beeps and pops, while the upper unit provides a background track for the drumming. The two rods extending above the ultrasonic rangefinder are connected to a couple of motors and drum along with a third stick that looks like a tail. Even the servo that sweeps the rangefinder from side to side keeps the beat. The synchronized magic is all in the code, which you can get your hands on in step 11 of
this longer build tutorial
. | 15 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "935974",
"author": "Stefan Hofmann",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T23:23:43",
"content": "old as dirt",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "935981",
"author": "Reid Richards",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T23:42:19",
"content": "DOP... | 1,760,376,639.924703 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/adding-airplay-to-a-shelf-system/ | Adding AirPlay To A Shelf System | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"airplay",
"amplifier",
"apple",
"edirol",
"RPi",
"shairport",
"ua-5"
] | AirPlay is a great system. It allows you to send whatever media is playing from one device to another. Sure, we wish it were a bit more open (Apple is certainly not known for that) but there are several option for creating your own AirPlay receivers. After coming across a project that does just that, [Matt Shirley] decided to
turn his shelf system into an AirPlay receiver
.
The path to his goal depends on the Raspberry Pi’s ability to receive AirPlay audio using the Shairport package (we just looked in on
another player that does this
last week). He uses an Edirol UA-5 USB audio interface as an amplifier for his record player. He wasn’t using the USB port for it and knew that it would be simple to connect the RPi USB as a host for the device.
Wanting to keep the look of the system as clean as possible he popped the lid off of the amp. There is just enough room to fit the small RPi board inside. He hacked (literally, look at the pictures) an opening for the USB ports into the side of the metal enclosure. A short patch cable connects from one port to the USB jack on the back of the amplifier. The white cable leaving the side of the case provides power to the Rasperry Pi. The surgery was a success and now he can listen to his tunes with a tap of his finger. | 27 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "935933",
"author": "DNMEBOY",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T22:08:03",
"content": "If you took the board from a stereo bluetooth speaker and soldered on some plugs and a permanent power source and connected it tot he aux of any stereo is that the same idea as this? Simply to stream audio... | 1,760,376,640.066482 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/turning-a-broken-bass-into-a-headless-bass/ | Turning A Broken Bass Into A Headless Bass | Brian Benchoff | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"bass",
"bass guitar",
"lutherie"
] | A while back [Michael] inherited a broken bass guitar from a friend. The headstock for this bass was cracked right down the middle, and the friend attempted a repair with a bolt and a couple of washers. After trying to figure out what the addition of a bolt was trying to accomplish, [Michael] set to work repairing this bass and ended up
doing a headless conversion
.
A headless bass, just as the name implies, does away with the headstock and moves the tuners to the other side of the guitar – in [Michael]’s case, right below the bridge. After sawing off the broken headstock above the truss rod, [Michael] made a string retainer and bolted it on to the remainder of the neck.
The tuners had to be moved, of course, so [Michael] routed out a section of the body below the bridge. Four holes were drilled and the original tuners slipped right in. The result is a perfectly functional bass that would fit right in to the tour van of an 80’s metal band.
You can check out [Michael]’s bass down in the pocket.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O83FpFXnynU&w=580] | 5 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "937871",
"author": "EFH",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T16:30:02",
"content": "Nice work!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "937912",
"author": "Willaim",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T17:23:37",
"content": "cool man nice riff to... | 1,760,376,640.113356 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/a-really-really-tiny-tube-amp/ | A Really, Really Tiny Tube Amp | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"subminiature tubes",
"tube amp"
] | After building his first tube amp from a kit, he set to work on his next amp build. Since tube amps are a much more experimental endeavor than their solid state brethren, [Jarek] decided to make his next amp unique with military surplus subminiature tubes, and in the process
created the smallest tube amp we’ve ever seen
.
Instead of bulky 12AX7s and EL34s tubes usually found in tube amp build, [Jarek] stumbled upon the subminiature dual triode 6021 tube, originally designed for ballistic missiles, military avionics, and most likely some equipment still classified to this day. These tubes not only reduced the size of the circuit; compared to larger amps, this tiny amplifier sips power.
The 100+ Volts required to get the tubes working is provided by a switched mode power supply, again keeping the size of the final project down. The results are awesome, as heard in the video after the break. There’s still a little hum coming from the amp, but this really is a fabulous piece of work made even more awesome through the use of very tiny tubes.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5T-cXi09xQ&w=580] | 37 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "937756",
"author": "DosX",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T13:06:22",
"content": "Love the size of the tiny thing lol.a woman has a poodle in her handbag and a man has this in his napsack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "937981",
... | 1,760,376,640.398596 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/letting-euler-help-out-with-pcb-fabrication/ | Letting [Euler] Help Out With PCB Fabrication | Brian Benchoff | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"CNC mill",
"pcb",
"transformation matrix"
] | Since [Alessio] has been etching his own PCBs, he’s hit upon the most tedious part of the process, and the reason homebrew SMD boards are so awesome: drilling your own boards is a pain. While [Alessio]’s CNC mill takes care of most of the work, aligning the pre-drilled boards and correcting for any scaling issues from the mask is a bit difficult. With the help of a transform matrix, though,
drilling PCBs has never been easier
.
While the Gcode running the mill may be accurate, the actual manufactured PCBs might not be. If the extents on [Alessio]’s board aren’t exactly aligned with the axes of the CNC mill, the drill holes end up where they’re supposed to be. To solve this problem, [Alessio] wrote a PCB drilling transformational matrix calculator. The basic idea is by drilling just a few holes, [Alessio] is able to calculate any offset required in the Gcode with the help of a little bit of linear algebra. | 20 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "937783",
"author": "Fernando",
"timestamp": "2013-01-11T13:51:48",
"content": "why not use the word ´manufacturing´ instead of ´fabrication´?. I´m not a native English speaker but ´fabrication´ always makes me think of the word´s 3rd meaning: “3. To concoct in order to deceive: fabr... | 1,760,376,640.32888 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/10/peltier-campfire-generator-put-out-14w-kind-of/ | Peltier Campfire Generator Put Out 14W (kind Of) | Mike Szczys | [
"green hacks"
] | [
"campfire",
"generator",
"peltier cooler",
"radiator"
] | This is the control and monitoring hardware which [Jack] built for
his campfire electricity generator
. He’s done an amazing job to get this far. You can see he’s pulling 1 Amp at 14.2 Volts off of the system. But there one gotcha that’s still plaguing him.
The rig uses a big metal plate as a heat sink over the campfire (which is simulated by a cooking stove for testing). On the back of that plate is an array of Peltier coolers which generate electricity based on the temperature difference from one side to the other — it’s the same theory behind
candle generators
. The cold side has a heat sink with water running through it. What you see above are three relays which switch between using the Peltiers in series or in parallel based on their voltage output. You can’t really make it out there but there’s a radiator and recirculating pump to the right which are used to cool the water. The gotcha we mentioned is that the radiator can’t quite keep up with the heat of the fire. To get the results seen above [Jack] is running cold water from the tap through the radiator. But maybe if this were used in the winter the water could be circulated through a big box full of snow. Just keep shoveling it in to keep up the electrical potential!
After the break we’ve embedded part four of the project video as it shows off the array of peltier coolers quite well. You will also see part five (radiator and recirculating pump testing) from which this image was taken.
Part four – electric stove testing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjfrHgbSHaU
Part five – radiator and recirculation pump testing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_IeODun_Qo | 47 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "937488",
"author": "Fallen",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T23:35:30",
"content": "I love it. I’ve done something similar with a peltier cooler to charge a cell phone. But I never followed that project through to completion. This seems fairly well executed.",
"parent_id": null,
"d... | 1,760,376,640.595239 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/10/prototyping-a-low-resolution-handheld-gaming-rig/ | Prototyping A Low-resolution Handheld Gaming Rig | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"8x8",
"shift register",
"TPIC6B595",
"video game"
] | [Jason] has been hard at work on
this Arduino-based low-res gaming platform
. He even had a fab house deliver circuit boards to pull everything together. It’s a little small in his hands, and the graphics are limited to the 8×8 pixels provided by the display. But it still looks like a lot of fun and the code was written to make adding new games quite painless.
The board hosts an ATmega328 which drives the bi-color LED display using a pair of TPIC6B595 shift registers. Control is provided by a collection of buttons to either side of the display. The unit is powered by three AAA batteries held in a pack soldered to the back side of the PCB.
The image above shows [Jason] giving a Space Invaders game a try. The clip after the break shows respectable action, sound from a piezo buzzer, and it even scrolls your score at the end of the game. But you’re not limited to just one title. Adding new games is as easy as implementing a class in a new header file. You can get a feel for how this is set up by viewing
the source code repo
.
This reminds us of
the Pixel Bros low-res system
. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "937456",
"author": "Miguel Rosa",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T22:17:15",
"content": "At the end how much would this cost?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "937468",
"author": "Craig",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T22:37:56",
"... | 1,760,376,640.645008 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/10/one-button-scan-to-email-using-raspberry-pi/ | One-button Scan To Email Using Raspberry Pi | Mike Szczys | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"email",
"RPi",
"scan",
"scanner",
"script"
] | We’ve come across extremely expensive photocopiers that also fax, scan to email, and generally have too many features to list. [Eduardo Luis] figured out how to implement some of this type office magic using very inexpensive components. Specifically, he can
press one button to scan a document and send it to an email address
.
The user controls patch into the RPi GPIO header. There’s the button we already mentioned, a red LED for “System Busy”, and a green one for “System Status”. A set of scripts montor the button and drive the LEDs. When it’s time to scan, the RPi uses the scanimage package to capture a .PNM file, then converts it to .JPG before sending it via email using the mutt package.
We’d love to see a character LCD and a few more buttons added to the setup. This way you could select between different recipients (or even send via fax). And there’s always the possibility of connecting a printer to the other USB port on the RPi to make it work as a photocopier too.
You can catch a demo video after the jump. | 7 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "937422",
"author": "Bojan",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T21:27:19",
"content": "Patent trolls want $1,000 per employee for using scanners:http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4997419",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "937426",
... | 1,760,376,640.693673 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/10/motorized-binocular-chair-has-you-stargazing-in-comfort/ | Motorized Binocular Chair Has You Stargazing In Comfort | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"astronomy",
"chair",
"drill",
"electric drill",
"ice cream maker",
"motorized"
] | It seems like something out of
The Red Green Show
but
this motorized stargazing chair is a serious piece of astronomical hardware
. It has a shelf that places a set of high-power binoculars directly in the user’s line of sight. The elevation is easy to adjust. And a power drill lets you take the whole thing for a spin.
The base has been outfitted with cogs and a chain from an old bicycle. The gear reduction lets a power drill rotate the platform. This worked well enough but [Gary] found that making fine adjustments was rather difficult and more often than not he ended up moving the binoculars to avoid overshooting when adjusting the platform with the drill. Luckily he didn’t give up on the idea. On the eighth and final page of his build log he refines the rotating setup with the help of an ice cream maker. It’s gear box is used as a speed reducer so that a very slow drill speed results in an extremely small heading correction. Now he can view the stars in peace, freed from frustration by a well-refined hack. | 30 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "937374",
"author": "Mulvane",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T20:08:09",
"content": "AWESOME! Love this…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "937376",
"author": "Mulvane",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T20:10:15",
"conte... | 1,760,376,640.762021 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/10/weather-station-graphs-history-on-webpage/ | Weather Station Graphs History On Webpage | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"humidity",
"pressure",
"RPi",
"termperature",
"weather station"
] | Kudos go out to [Jose] for his work getting so many different components to talk to each other in this
Arduino weather station that using a Raspberry Pi to display the data online
.
The components shown above make up the sensor package. There’s an Arduino with a custom shield that interfaces the barometric pressure sensor, real-time clock chip, a digital temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor. On top of that shield is an XBee shield that lets this push data back to the base station. [Jose] also rolled in an LCD character display and a few buttons so that the user may view weather data without heading to the web.
A Raspberry Pi board makes up the other half of the XBee pair. It harvests the incoming data from the radio module using a USB to Serial converter cable. You can see the data log on the webpage linked above. Just choose the “LIVE” menu option and click on “Daily” to get a better overview of humidity and pressure changes. | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "937341",
"author": "vonskippy",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T19:09:44",
"content": "To bad [Jose] can’t figure out how to pick cheapass hosting that doesn’t tank at the first whiff of traffic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "9374... | 1,760,376,640.811044 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/10/8x8-led-matrix-pendant-sealed-in-a-block-of-epoxy/ | 8×8 LED Matrix Pendant Sealed In A Block Of Epoxy | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"8x8",
"atmega328",
"matrix",
"pendant"
] | This is the back side of [Dmitry Grinberg’s]
8×8 LED matrix pendant
. He had seen the
other projects that used a 5×7 grid
but wasn’t really satisfied with the figures that can be drawn in that confined area when each pixel has only the option of being on or off. His offering increases the drawing area and includes the ability to display each pixel at several different levels.
He’s using an ATmega328 microcontroller soldered directly to the pins on the back of the LED module. He mapped out the IO in his firmware to make the soldering as easy as possible. To protect the hardware he fashioned a mold around the edges of the LED package using duct tape. The tape held epoxy in place as it hardened, encasing the microcontroller and holding the power wires and ICSP header tightly.
After the break you can see about six seconds of the device in action. The four levels of brightness for each pixel really do make quite a difference! | 26 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "937281",
"author": "MikeK",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T17:47:50",
"content": "Nice job!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "937283",
"author": "zaprodk",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T17:49:29",
"content": "Best. Video. Ever.",... | 1,760,376,640.874575 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/10/the-picnduino-review/ | The PICnDuino Review | Jeremy Cook | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Reviews"
] | [
"arduino",
"pic",
"Pic and Arduino",
"PICnDuino"
] | For those of you that can’t make a decision between buying an Arduino and a PIC processor, [Brad] has come up with a novel solution,
the PICnDuino.
We’ve featured him before with his
[Retroball] project
, but this time Brad has been full funded on Kickstarter, and is pre-selling boards for delivery in March.
[HAD], specifically I, was fortunate enough to be sent one of the boards to try out early. I’ve worked with an Arduino before, but never a PIC processor, so read on to see if it was actually as easy as the tutorial video (at the end of the article) would have you believe it is to get started.
I was sent both a black board fully populated, as well as several blanks in the various colors pictured below. After loosely attaching the headers, I found that the oscillator on the bottom makes the board sit up a bit when placed into a breadboard. This is actually a clever design feature to make sit up a bit to allow USB attachment while breadboarded. After a quick physical inspection, the real trick would be seeing if it worked as advertised.
The first challenge for me was that, according to the documentation, this board runs in Windows or a virtualisation environment. I normally run Ubuntu, so, grabbing my wife’s circa 2000 vintage XP notebook, I downloaded and Amicus and Arduino software as explained in the video tutorial. The tutorial really spells out how to get the software running. This would be great for a total beginner, and made it so I didn’t have to even poke around for where to get the software.
The only issue I had connecting to the board(s?)was that I had to manually install the Amicus18 USB driver. I’m a total noob when it comes to the PIC processor, and only have limited experience with the Arduino, but once the driver was updated, it was quite easy to get everything going.
After programming a “blink” sketch using it as an Arduino, I then flipped a switch and opened the Amicus IDE. Programming the PIC was also simple, although I had to use a and modify a program called “LED_Flash” to match the video instead of the “blink” program as described in the tutorial. It was a bit strange to see the built in blinking light for the Arduino still working while the PIC was being programmed, as well as both built-in lights blinking slightly offset while running simultaneously.
The documentation is extremely well done for a product that won’t even be available for delivery until March 2013. I’m really excited to play with it more, and I think it will be a great tool for people to either run two processors simultaneously, or just have the option of learning to program both a PIC and (n) Arduino.
So check it out here
, and get it shipped worldwide straight out of Australia!
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–JmATApB2A?rel=0%5D
Side note, bonus points if you can tell from the two pictures what kind of computer I used for this review! | 34 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "937120",
"author": "Bogdan",
"timestamp": "2013-01-10T13:11:09",
"content": "Doesn’t the Arduino programming actually hide a lot of hardware details so that it doesn’ really matter what micro you have there?Doesn’t putting 2 micros make things 2x more complex? When you get onto seri... | 1,760,376,641.195667 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/in-depth-look-at-an-lvcd-board-from-a-saturn-v-rocket/ | In-depth Look At An LVCD Board From A Saturn V Rocket | Mike Szczys | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"apollo",
"lvdc",
"reverse engineering",
"rocket",
"saturn v",
"x-ray"
] | Join [Fran] as she dons the hat of an electronics archaeologist when
looking at this vintage circuit board from the space race
. As part of her personal collection she somehow acquired a Launch Vehicle Digital Computer board for a Saturn V rocket. This particular unit was never used. But it would have been had the Apollo program continued.
[Fran] is enamored with this particular board because she believes it is the forerunner of modern digital circuit design and layout. Since routing circuit boards is part of what she does for a living you can see why this is important to her. Also, who isn’t excited by actual hardware from the space program? We’ve embedded two of her videos after the break. In the first she shows off the component to the camera and speaks briefly about it. But the second video has her
heading to the dentist’s office for X-rays
. The image above is a rotating X-ray machine, but it looks like the best imagery comes when a handheld gun is used. They get some great images of the traces, as well as the TTL components on the board itself.
A look at the board itself
Analysis of the LVDC using an X-ray machine | 58 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "936713",
"author": "Tom the Brat",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T22:27:00",
"content": "Wow. Fascinating.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "936723",
"author": "Kenny",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T22:36:59",
"content": "She sho... | 1,760,376,641.119782 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/unsigned-code-running-on-windows-rt/ | Unsigned Code Running On Windows RT | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"exploit",
"payload",
"WIndows 8",
"windows rt"
] | A crack has been found in the armor of Windows RT. This subset of Windows 8 is designed to run on ARM processors. The payload listed in the image above
allows you to run unsigned desktop applications on the OS
.
We haven’t seen very much about the Windows RT package, so it’s nice to hear [Clrokr’s] thoughts on it. As far as he can tell the system has not been watered down from its Intel-aimed (x86) counterpart. Rather, RT seems to be a direct port with what is called “Code Integrity” mechanisms switched on. There is a kernel-level setting, barricaded behind UEFI’s Secure Boot, which determines the minimum software signing level allowed to run on the device. This is set to zero on a Windows 8 machine, but defaults to 8 on an ARM device. [Clrokr] uses a debugger to insert the code seen above into a DLL file in order to reset that minimum signing value to 0.
Do you have a project in mind for which this is useful? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!
[via
Reddit
] | 32 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "936669",
"author": "muriani",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T21:17:57",
"content": "The first thing I saw running in this way was an RT port of the PuTTY ssh/telnet client running on a Surface.That alone makes it far more useful.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,376,641.269325 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/another-take-on-the-rear-window-led-marquee/ | Another Take On The Rear-window LED Marquee | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"led",
"marquee",
"rear-window",
"sign",
"truck"
] | This
rear-window LED marquee
will help let the driver behind you know when you’re planing to change lanes or make a turn. But it also includes the ability to send a message like “Back Off!”. [Robert Dunn] was inspired to undertake the project after seeing
the one we featured back in October
. We’d say his has a better chance of being street legal since it uses all red LEDs.
The marquee is a matrix of 480 LEDs, all hand soldered to form the nearly transparent 48×10 grid shown above. This is important to preserve visibility out the back window of his truck. It makes us wonder about the feasibility of using SMD instead of through hole components. That would certainly make it even less visible when not illuminated, but the assembly process would be much more difficult. That’s because the 5mm LED packages fit nicely in the grid of holes he drilled in some plywood which served as the jig during soldering. The presence of leads also made the soldering process manageable.
Power to an Arduino board is provided from the cigarette lighter adapter. A set of six shift registers drive the columns while the rows are controlled by a 4017 decade counter and some transistors. Check out the blinker test video after the break to get a look at what this can do while on the road. | 40 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "936605",
"author": "Mike Skoczen",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T20:10:49",
"content": "Supper awesome would be smt leds on a glass circuit board",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "936626",
"author": "Chris Hightower (@hightow... | 1,760,376,641.025931 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/09/garage-parking-monitor-guides-you-in-every-time/ | Garage Parking Monitor Guides You In Every Time | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"distance",
"garage",
"parking",
"rangefinder",
"ultrasonic"
] | The live Adafruit Show and Tell stream from last weekend featured this project put together by [Silent Jeff]. He’s called “Silent” because when it came time to present his project on the show his microphone wasn’t working. As you can see in the video after the break, [PT] and [Ladyada] worked together to explain the project (of which they had no prior knowledge) using a game of charades. This is one of
the follow-up images he sent them which details his parking spotter project
.
[Ladyada] compliments [Jeff] on the finished look of the device and we agree. Not only does this do a great job of letting a driver know if they have pulled far enough into the garage, but it’s finished appearance ensures it won’t ever look out-of-place. The two silver discs near the lower end of the box are the sensors of an ultrasonic rangefinder. You mount this box so that the sensor is measuring distance between itself and the bumper of your vehicle. As the distance decreases the LEDs change to let you know when to stop. Inside the case you’ll find a voltage regulator and single-chip running the Arduino bootloader. [Jeff] says this is just his second Arduino project and we hope that at this rate we’ll be looking for big things from him in the not too distant future!
This is basically the same idea as cars that use
parking assist sensors in the bumper
. It’s just attached to the building instead of to the vehicle itself.
[Jeff’s] part of the show starts at the 17:46 mark of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvjNPDKDVt4?t=17m46s | 20 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "936576",
"author": "deathventure",
"timestamp": "2013-01-09T19:13:28",
"content": "Not bad for a beginner project, now add 2 more, for the 2 sides and have them wireless transmit to an indicator inside the vehicle so that you know you are pulling in straight (helpful when back the v... | 1,760,376,641.332082 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/picture-frame-that-scrapes-train-times-from-the-web/ | Picture Frame That Scrapes Train Times From The Web | Mike Szczys | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"python",
"RPi",
"tkinter",
"train",
"web scraping"
] | Whenever [Gareth James] needs to catch a train he has only to
push a button on this frame and the next three departure times will be displayed
. As you can see from the post-processing in the photo, this is accomplished by a Raspberry Pi board using a few familiar tools.
Let’s take a look at the hardware first. He acquired a 7″ LCD display which he removed from its plastic case. The bare screen will easily fit inside of the rather deep wood frame and its composite video input makes it quite simple to interface with the RPi board. There was a little work to be done for power. The LCD needs 12V so he’s using a 12V wall wart to feed the frame, and including a USB car charger to power the RPi. The last thing he added is a button connected to the GPIO header to tell the system to fetch a new set of times.
A Python script monitors the button and uses Beautiful Soup to scrape the train info off of a website. To get the look he wanted [Gareth] wrote a GUI using tkinter. Don’t miss the demo after the jump.
If you need a bit of a primer on scraping web data
take a look at this guide
. | 22 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "935918",
"author": "ben",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T21:17:53",
"content": "A Raspberry Pi for a simple call to a web service ? a bit of an overkill…The casing is real nice, though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "935934",
... | 1,760,376,641.451315 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/star-wars-themed-mame-cabinet-is-perfect-in-this-basement-bar/ | Star Wars Themed MAME Cabinet Is Perfect In This Basement Bar | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"arcade button",
"cabinet",
"emulator",
"mame",
"star wars"
] | Fans of the Star Wars series will immediately recognize these illuminated vertical bars as a piece of the style from the original movie. They decorate
the MAME cabinet recently installed in this home bar
. You’ve got to admit, it looks amazing. But we’re always on the prowl for the build log and
this annotated 46 image set
has no shortage of goodies.
The project started off as a very ordinary looking plywood frame. But it takes shape quickly as the rounded-over grills were added to the box. Holes were cut behind them to accept the acrylic that serves as a diffuser and to allow the LEDs to shine through from the inside. There are several shelves which will be used to store additional gaming systems in the future. For now all that’s inside is a pretty beefy computer that runs the emulators, allowing games to be played via the arcade buttons or using wireless Xbox controllers.
Make sure you get all the way to the end of the build images. We were delighted by the custom icons in the arcade buttons. Instead of the common player one and player two images there are silhouettes of Star Wars characters and objects. This attention to detail really makes the build something special!
[Thanks Jason] | 9 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "935919",
"author": "Rob",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T21:20:30",
"content": "They made the wiring look so clean, and so well done, but yet their are wires all over for the finished product. Come on, hide those wires!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,376,641.648079 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/satellite-dish-solar-cooker-bakes-potatoes-and-more/ | Satellite Dish Solar Cooker Bakes Potatoes And More | Mike Szczys | [
"cooking hacks",
"green hacks"
] | [
"foil tape",
"potato",
"satellite dish",
"solar cooker"
] | Hone your survival skills by harnessing the sun’s rays to cook your meals. [Robert] and his daughter
turned an old satellite dish into a solar cooker
. The image above shows them baking some potatoes, but the temperatures inside the cast iron vessel are high enough to let you cook most foods.
The dish was originally used for satellite television but has been collecting dust in the shed for quite some time. When [Robert] came across a roll of foil tape in his workshop he decided to give the project a whirl. His daughter helped out by peeling away the tape backing (this can be much harder than it sounds) while he applied the reflective material trying to keep it free of wrinkles. After a close call [Robert] donned a pair of welding goggles when positioning the dish. If the light intensity can get the pot up as high as 428 degree Fahrenheit we’re sure it can cause
flash blindness
.
Unlike
other dish cookers we’ve seen
, [Robert] didn’t use the original mount for holding the dish in place. He just set it on three bricks and directed it by hand. To keep the intensity focused on the kettle he had to reposition it every 15 minutes.
We wonder if the heat is too much for building
a sun tracking solar power harvester
? | 16 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "935883",
"author": "Mystick",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T19:56:24",
"content": "I did this as a project in middle school… takes a long time, even with the proper parabolic positioning…. and you have to keep repositioning it. I would imagine we could fix that with an Arduino…",
"pa... | 1,760,376,641.390355 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/a-blinky-fedora-to-ring-in-the-new-year/ | A Blinky Fedora To Ring In The New Year | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"fedora",
"hat",
"led strips",
"ws2811"
] | [Garrett Mace] decided to dress festive for New Year’s Eve. What he came up with is
a fedora ringed in LEDs that react to music
. The hardware uses 5050 LEDs on strips. Three of them encircle the head-gear providing a total of 114 RGB pixels. Each is a WS2811 module —
a part which we’re seeing more and more of lately
.
The video clip after the break starts off with a few minutes of demonstration. [Garrett] managed to code all kinds of animations for the hardware including several different styles of color sweeps and fades. You may start to think that the three bands always display the same patterns but keep watching and you’ll see a sparkle pattern that proves each dot can be addressed individually.
About 2:20 seconds into the video [Garrett] explains how he pulled it off and shows off the driver hardware. The strips are glued to a band of webbing that slides over the hat. The wires that drive the lights were fed through the center of some paracord and connect to an Arduino housed in a 3D printed case. Power is provided by a portable USB battery with a ShiftBrite shield and an MSGEQ7 chip complete the parts list.
[via
Reddit
] | 14 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "935827",
"author": "AnonymousCoward",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T18:18:19",
"content": "Just a correctio, this is a boonie hathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boonie_hatnot a fedora.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "935859",
... | 1,760,376,641.697453 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/a-wifi-controlled-rc-car-with-an-ip-camera/ | A WiFi Controlled RC Car With An IP Camera | Jeremy Cook | [
"Toy Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"ip camera",
"R/C car",
"remote control"
] | Controlling your car over WiFi is good, but mounting a webcam on it so you can actually see where you’re going is even better. [Michael] goes over
how he made his wifi car
with some great videos in the post about it.
The car used is a seemingly standard RC unit, which came with a speed controller that was recycled for network use. [Michael] removed the standard radio, but having this controller available kept him from having to engineer an H-bridge circuit. The radio was then replaced with a
WiFi module from Sparkfun
.
There were a few problems with the IP camera to begin with, as the lag was originally unbearable. After some tricks that would qualify as a good hack in itself, the camera was eventually able to perform on an acceptable level and output data to the
FLTK
app he used to control everything. Check out one of his videos below of this car in action.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ctIrHmqE8?rel=0%5D
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H58xGySylSY?rel=0%5D
If that wasn’t enough RC fun for you, check out how to
control your tiny RC car
with a computer. | 11 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "935815",
"author": "Kris Lee",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T17:48:06",
"content": "Well, this brings me to the idea that there are probably some WiFi cameras that run Linux and do have some GPIO pins available…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"c... | 1,760,376,641.498622 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/turning-a-tiny-router-into-a-webradio/ | Turning A Tiny Router Into A Webradio | Brian Benchoff | [
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"router",
"TPlink",
"TPlink703n",
"web radio"
] | While the hacking zeitgeist is focused nearly entirely on all those new ARM dev boards that include the Raspberry Pi, some people out there are still doing it old school by modifying existing electronics to suit their needs. [Peter] picked up one of those very inexpensive TP-Link 703n wireless routers we’ve seen before and
modified it into a standalone web radio
, complete with volume and tuner knobs.
The
TP-Link 703n
is a wireless router smaller than a credit card available from the usual Chinese resellers for about $20. Able to run OpenWRT, this very inexpensive piece of hardware can be transformed into a device comparable to the Raspberry Pi; a complete Linux system with a few GPIO pins.
[Peter] took his 703n router and added an ATtiny85 connected to two pots and the internal UART. This, along with a script to read the values from the pots, tells the router what station to tune into and what volume to play it. The audio is handled by a USB soundcard with an internal speaker, making [Peter]’s build one of the smallest purpose-built Internet radios we’ve seen.
You can see [Peter]’s radio in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7XYYqrOnz&w=570] | 17 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "935413",
"author": "H3ll0_w0rld",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T14:26:57",
"content": "Link appears to be broken.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "935532",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T14:41:34",
"content": "... | 1,760,376,641.753772 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/08/giving-the-hexbug-spider-a-set-of-eyes/ | Giving The Hexbug Spider A Set Of Eyes | Brian Benchoff | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"hexbug",
"hexbug spider",
"opencv"
] | The Hexbug Spider is a neat little robot toy available at just about any Target or Walmart for about $20. With a few extra parts, though, it can become a vastly more powerful robotics platform, as [eric] shows us
with his experiments with a Hexbug and OpenCV
.
Previously, we’ve seen [eric] turn a Hexbug spider
into a line following robot
with a pair of IR LEDs and a drop-in replacement motor driver. This time, instead of a few LEDs, [eric] turned to an Android smartphone running an OpenCV-based app.
The smartphone app detects a user-selectable hue – in this case a little Android toy robot – and sends commands to the MSP430-powered motor control board over the headphone jack to move the legs. It’s a neat build, and surprisingly nimble for a $20 plastic hexapod robot.
You can see the OpenCV-controlled Hexbug in action after the break, along with a video build log with [eric] showing everyone how to tear apart one of these robot toys.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3bWyM-DLRM&w=470] | 9 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "935143",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T13:54:33",
"content": "“user selectable hue”, does “hue” mean program/driver/sketch? Or does it mean the robot will target/respond to a literal hue or color?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,376,641.801553 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/04/touchscreen-control-for-a-reprap/ | Touchscreen Control For A Reprap | Brian Benchoff | [
"3d Printer hacks"
] | [
"reprap",
"reprap controller",
"standalone",
"touchscreen"
] | After you’ve got your Reprap running smoothly with acceptable resolution and good quality prints, the next order of business for any 3D printer hobbyist is headless printing. While the greatest and newest 3D printers come with controls to allow jogging, homing, temperature control, and printing from an SD card, the home-built versions will require an add-on attached to the electronics board. [Marco] has been spending his time improving the character LCD control panel projects we’ve seen for Repraps
with an awesome graphical version
that emulates the control interface found in the Pronterface control software.
The biggest problem with adding a control interface to a Reprap is the number of pins available on the electronics board. While an electronics board like
RAMPS
has enough spare I/O pins to drive a display, other boards such as the
Sanguinololu
and the
Melzi
are extremely limited in their expansibility. To get around this limitation, [Marco] used a
4D Systems serial touchscreen display
.
This display only requires two pins to fully interact with a printer running the Marlin firmware; the graphical processing, communication, and SD card access is handled by the on-board PICASO micocontroller, leaving the ATMega on the electronics board free for important things like printing stuff out of plastic.
[Marco] has a git full of
modified Marlin firmware
and firmware for the
4D Systems display
. There’s also a
neat printed case for the display
, making a very professional-looking standalone controller a weekend project instead of a months-long ordeal.
Thanks [Antonio] for sending this one in. | 13 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "913233",
"author": "bWare",
"timestamp": "2013-01-04T15:08:10",
"content": "Cool, but a cheep and simple solution is just to use an Android tablet. This has the added benefit of being able to slice (and do basic modelling), ensuring you have a completely stand along solution.",
... | 1,760,376,641.913661 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/04/turning-a-raspberry-pi-into-an-snes/ | Turning A Raspberry Pi Into An SNES | Brian Benchoff | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"Raspi",
"snes"
] | Back at the turn of the century, shoving MiniITX motherboards into just about everything was all the rage with the technologist crowd. [waterbury] had the idea of making a computer out of an SNES, but with the added ability of reading SNES cartridges. This idea had been floating around in [waterbury]’s head for years now, and with a Raspberry Pi
he can finally make his project a reality
.
After desoldering a cartridge connector from an original SNES, [waterbury] plugged it in to a piece of perf board and started to figure out how to actually read the cartridge. An SNES cartridge need 16 address pins, 8 data pins, 8 bank control pins and 4 other control pins to be read; a total of 36 pins that [waterbury] accessed with the help of
a neat I/O expander
and a whole bunch of level converters.
[waterbury] accessed these data, address, and control lines via the
Raspberry Pi’s I2C interface
, a non-trivial task that took 70 minutes to read
Donkey Kong Country
before he found a way to speed up the Raspi by a factor of two. You can check out [waterbury]’s complete project – able to read cartridges and play roms with
EmulationStation
after the break. Also, the code for the cart reader is available
on [waterbury]’s git
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEJuDdjkVSc&w=580] | 18 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "913198",
"author": "digitalman2112",
"timestamp": "2013-01-04T13:37:18",
"content": "Love the use of original controllers and cartridges with emulation – all on a Raspberry Pi. Keep up the awesome projects waterbury!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,376,641.97072 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/03/arduino-using-a-straight-key-for-morse-code-assistance/ | Arduino Using A Straight Key For Morse Code Assistance | Mike Szczys | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"cq",
"keyer",
"morse code",
"servo",
"straight key"
] | For those unfamiliar with Ham Radio, there are lots of fancy tools these days to make it easier for the radio operator. But enthusiasts still like to get back to basics, and one way to do this is to participate in Straight Key Night. This is when you pull out your traditional Morse code keyer and have a chat with others around the world. The most recent event was on New Year’s Eve. The only drag is that it sometimes takes a while to find another Ham who’s listening, and this can mean repetitively keying the letters QC SKN for long periods of time (QC invites listeners to respond, and SKN is to inform them you’re participating in Straight Key Night). Sure, a programmable keyer will do this for you, but that is against the spirit of the event. [Mike Herr] found a grey area by
mechanically interfacing an Arduino with a straight key
.
You can see the straight key being pressed by a hobby servo in the image above. The servo is driven by the Arduino, which will transmit the series of letters automatically. As you can see in the video after the break, once [Mike] hears back from a fellow operator he switches to a huge wooden straight key for the rest of the conversation.
[thanks William] | 28 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "912982",
"author": "Eirinn",
"timestamp": "2013-01-03T23:12:12",
"content": "Remix pending featuring Mr GRRRRROWL.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "912984",
"author": "brian",
"timestamp": "2013-01-03T23:17:18",
"cont... | 1,760,376,642.035123 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/03/building-a-rather-rudimentary-arduino-tank-bot/ | Building A Rather Rudimentary Arduino Tank Bot | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"motor shield",
"playstation 2",
"ps2",
"robot",
"tamiya",
"tank"
] | The tank robot builds that we see are often quite complex. This lets them do great things, but makes the platform scary for beginners. Here’s a tank build that would be a great first project, especially if you’re more interested in the programming side of robotics than you are in the hardware itself. [Paul Bleisch] combined several different commercially available products to fabricate
this Arduino-powered tank robot base
.
Locomotion is provided by a double geared-motor module. This unit, the plastic wheels and treads, as well as the wooden mounting platform are all made by Tamiya. They cost very little and are already designed to work with one another. To this base he adds the Arduino and a motor shield which makes the connections dead simple. The black case on one end of the chassis holds four AA batteries which provide power for everything.
These components are all that’s really needed to start, but they provide no interactivity. So [Paul] picked up a used wireless PlayStation 2 controller. There’s
a library
(written by regular reader [Bill Porter]) that allows him to connect the receiver to the Arduino in order to pick up commands from the controller. He also plans to add an ultrasonic range finder to the build sometime in the future.
If you’re don’t need to do things the easy way you should consider
fabricating your own tank treads
. | 7 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "912975",
"author": "Tyler",
"timestamp": "2013-01-03T22:45:39",
"content": "Wow this is just what i wanted to make",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "912991",
"author": "Joejoedancer",
"timestamp": "2013-01-03T23:34:50",
... | 1,760,376,642.081031 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/03/ocr-automatically-reads-a-power-meter/ | OCR Automatically Reads A Power Meter | Mike Szczys | [
"green hacks"
] | [
"mathematica",
"ocr",
"power montior"
] | [Chris] tried his hand at
using Optical Character Recognition in his server power monitoring rig
. The image above is what the IP camera used in the setup sees. He’s included a bright light to ensure that the contrast is as great as possible. After applying a threshold filter to the captured still, he is able to process the image to test all seven segments of every digit.
He uses
Mathematica
for the processing. We’re not familiar with the particulars of the language, but it’s easy enough to see the main parts of the program. Line six of his source code applies the image filters and then the program loops through the assigned location of each digit, testing segment combinations to ascertain what number is shown. Things get hairy when it comes to the decimal point. We gather that the meter can show varying degrees of precision based on the total number of digits needed (like a Digital Multimeter). But [Chris’] setup has a difficult time reliably detecting that decimal point because of its size. He uses a shortcut to get around this, knowing that his server never pulls less than 300W so he corrects the output (by multiplying it by ten) if the reading is below that benchmark.
Of course it would be easier to crack open the monitor and glean data electronically (that’s how
the Tweet-A-Watt
does it) but then [Chris] wouldn’t have had the fun of playing with OCR. | 10 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "912958",
"author": "messmaker",
"timestamp": "2013-01-03T22:12:01",
"content": "If you look at the second image on his page ( the one that is used to read ) you can clearly see that he has artifacts in the way of what he is using as the collected data. The sweet spot for the light ... | 1,760,376,642.126269 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/03/tie-tack-sends-morse-code-seasons-greetings/ | Tie Tack Sends Morse Code Seasons Greetings | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"morse code",
"tie",
"tie pin",
"tie tack"
] | For [Davide Gironi] made a holiday tie tack this year. It’s not made to look like Santa Claus, Frosty, or a Christmas tree. He simply wishes you a Merry Christmas (‘Buon Natale’ in Italian) by
flashing the message in Morse code
.
Two LEDs have been added to a plain tie tack. It is tethered to the logic circuitry that provides power and drives the red and blue lights accordingly. As you can see in the video after the break, red signifies the end of a letter, and long or short blue flashes correspond to dashes or dots. This doesn’t require much horsepower so he’s gone with an 8-pin ATtiny13 microcontroller (you might be able to
find one of these in a light bulb
if you look hard enough). The rest of the equipment includes a few resistors, a push button, and a coin cell for power. [Davide] uses a byte-packing technique he learned from a different project to store each letter as an 8-bit packet which means there’s plenty of room to store your message in the chip’s memory. | 6 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "912971",
"author": "simplyAmazed",
"timestamp": "2013-01-03T22:42:19",
"content": "did you just learn how to make that? how did you do it? that’s crazy good.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "913157",
"author": "davidegi... | 1,760,376,642.19737 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/03/web-based-ti-graphing-calculator-emulator/ | Web-based TI Graphing Calculator Emulator | Mike Szczys | [
"Software Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"emulator",
"graphing calculator",
"html5",
"javascript",
"rom",
"ti"
] | You can leave the TI graphing calculator at home thanks to this
web-based TI-83 and TI-84 emulator
. As with pretty much all emulators, this depends on a ROM image from the actual hardware to work. But if you have one of the supported calculators (TI-83+, TI-83+ SE, TI-84+, or TI-84+SE) you can dump the image yourself and this should work like a charm.
[Christopher Mitchell] calls the project jsTIfied because he wrote it in JavaScript and HTML5 (that’s where the js comes from) and it’s based on the Texas Instruments line of hardware (hence the capital TI). After agreeing that you’re not getting any ROMs from his site you can choose the file to load on your browser. The image of the calculator has working buttons and will show the boot screen just like the real thing. You can use it like normal but you can load load up programs for the environment. See this demonstrated after the break.
We’ve seen some arguments online about the price of the TI line over the years. Prices haven’t dropped much over the decades even though they’re making pretty much the same hardware. It’s cool to see someone figure out how to emulate the hardware — and on a web interface to boot! But we’re left wondering why TI isn’t selling an equivalent app for iOS and Android or at least leveraging what must be millions in each production run for a lower retail price? | 39 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "912888",
"author": "neojames13",
"timestamp": "2013-01-03T19:06:36",
"content": "For those that are interested, there ate quite a few android apps for emulating ti calculators. Just search TI emulator in Google play!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,376,642.271627 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/07/adding-an-lcd-screen-terminal-for-tp-link-routers/ | Adding An LCD Screen Terminal For TP-Link Routers | Mike Szczys | [
"Linux Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"lcd",
"SCUMMVM",
"stm32",
"tp-link"
] | Routers running embedded Linux offer quite a bit of power depending on what you need to do. To extend the usefulness of his TP-Link router [Roman] built a rig that adds an LCD screen to display the terminal. But it ended up being quite a bit more powerful than that.
The first portion of the project was to build a USB video card for the display. [Roman] went with an
STM32 development board which resolves the USB device end with the QVGA screen driver
(
translated
). This seems like it would be the lion’s share of the project, but he still needed a driver on the router to interface with the device. This thrust him into
the world of USB-class drivers
(
translated
). It even included building graphics support into the kernel of OpenWRT. The final piece of the puzzle was to
write a frame buffer
(
translated
) that would help regulate the output to the screen. The result works so well he is even able to play games using ScummVM. See for yourself in the clip after the break. | 20 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "929857",
"author": "Tyler Cox",
"timestamp": "2013-01-08T00:58:47",
"content": "Woah that’s ridiculous… i am messing with a TFT display as we speak.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "932792",
"author": "crenn",
"... | 1,760,376,642.324664 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/07/home-built-stun-baton-turns-you-into-a-cop-from-demolition-man/ | Home Built Stun Baton Turns You Into A Cop From Demolition Man | Mike Szczys | [
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [
"baton",
"cattle prod",
"high voltage",
"stun"
] | It seems much like a cattle prod, but [Pode Coet] definitely had people in mind when
he built this stun baton
. It’s not for the faint of heart — especially since a wrong move could stop your ticker cold. But the design and fabrication are top-notch, and he didn’t hold back when it comes to build images and details.
The enclosure is a hunk of PCV pipe with a cap on each end. The business end includes two electrodes separated by a 10mm air gap. The spark has no trouble jumping across that gap, and if you get it close enough to the victim it’ll use their body as a path of least resistance. The butt end of the baton features the charging port which takes 5VDC power and a pair of LEDs for feedback. This power port feeds a charger stored within to top off the Lithium cell which itself only puts out about 3.8V. This potential is fed into a boost circuit to ramp up to 16V before feeding a Royer circuit which jumps it up to 900V. That is connected to the final stage which gets it to the target of 10kV!
You can see and hear a demonstration of the baton in the clip after the break. To bad [Caleb] wasn’t around
to take the thing for a proper test drive
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy6C64i1pN0 | 50 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "929165",
"author": "asheets",
"timestamp": "2013-01-07T23:25:45",
"content": "A modern take on an old design. When I was a kid, we used to build similar “tools” out of old buzzers, door bell transformers, and flybacks from B&W TVs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"repl... | 1,760,376,642.405957 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2013/01/07/reverse-engineering-st-linkv2-firmware/ | Reverse Engineering ST-Link/V2 Firmware | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"firmware",
"reverse engineering",
"sniffing",
"stlink",
"stm32",
"stm32f3discovery",
"usb"
] | The chip seen just above the center of this image is an ARM Cortex-M3. It provides the ability to interface and program the main chip on the STM32F3 Discovery board. The protocol used is the ST-Link/V2 which has become the standard for ST Microelectronics development boards. The thing is, that big ARM chip near the bottom of the image has multiple UARTs and bridging a couple of solder points will connect it to the ST-Link hardware. [Taylor Killian] wanted to figure out if there is built-in firmware support to make this a USB-to-serial converter and his path to the solution involved
reverse engineering the ST-Link/V2 firmware
.
The first part of the challenge was to get his hands on a firmware image. When you download the firmware update package the image is not included as a discrete file. Instead he had to sniff the USB traffic during a firmware update. He managed to isolate the file and chase down the encryption technique which is being used. It’s a fun read to see how he did this, and we’re looking forward to learning what he can accomplish now that’s got the goods he was after. | 39 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "928422",
"author": "Brad Snow",
"timestamp": "2013-01-07T21:31:56",
"content": "Hi Mike, quite an informative blog you have. I was wondering if you’d be open to being interviewed, either through audio or video (your choice) regarding your knowledge on making an EMF detector with an ... | 1,760,376,642.497629 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.