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https://hackaday.com/2012/06/19/mini-waterproof-led-lanterns-charge-without-wires/ | Mini Waterproof LED Lanterns Charge Without Wires | Mike Nathan | [
"LED Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"charging",
"induction",
"inductive",
"led",
"PVC",
"waterproof",
"wireless"
] | If you’re in search of a flashlight that can stand up to the elements, or simply looking for an easy way to spruce up your pool for those hot summer nights, check out these
rechargeable PVC LED lights.
Inspired by a post in Make: Magazine featuring
Indestructible LED Lanterns
, [John Duffy] decided to take the project one step further.
While he liked Make’s iteration of the waterproof lantern, he thought it would be best to permanently seal the lights for maximum durability. Not satisfied with a one-use light, he equipped the PVC lanterns with a single rechargeable AA battery, step-up circuitry to drive the LED, and an inductive charging coil.
His floating, waterproof lights sport a slightly bigger footprint than their predecessors to house the extra electronics, but we think that’s more than a fair trade off considering they can be charged wirelessly.
Place your Digikey/Mouser/Jameco orders now and check out [John’s] how-to video – you just might get some of these built in time for the weekend!
[via
HackedGadgets
]
[brightcove vid=1678050992001&exp3=991410168001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=1568176135&pk=AQ~~,AAAAAETaO0s~,cVbOypIs9tHUVW57d5nJxZGxNa9O_LLK&w=470&h=412] | 23 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "684067",
"author": "This Guy",
"timestamp": "2012-06-19T14:02:56",
"content": "oh my god, it’s an LED flashlight",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "684074",
"author": "heatgap",
"timestamp": "2012-06-19T14:13:34",... | 1,760,376,835.574226 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/19/stm32-demo-code-carries-extra-hidden-copyrights/ | STM32 Demo Code Carries Extra (hidden?) Copyrights | Mike Szczys | [
"Rants"
] | [
"atollic",
"copyright",
"stm",
"stm32f0-discovery"
] | Recently I started a repository that houses
a template which may be used to compile STM32F0 projects
with a GCC toolchain. There are two code packages from STM that I used when putting this together, the firmware for the Discovery board itself, and the Standard Peripheral Library for the chip family. I read the license agreements in the root of both packages and I think they’re quite fair. Basically the agreement is you can use them for any purposes as long as the code is only being used on STM hardware. Fair enough.
You can image I was quite upset so see
a comment from a reader
stating that I have a copyright violation with one of the files in the repo. It seems the linker script that is given as an example for Atollic’s TrueSTUDIO has it’s own
extremely
strict copyright:
** (c)Copyright Atollic AB.
** You may use this file as-is or modify it according to the needs of your
** project. Distribution of this file (unmodified or modified) is not
** permitted. Atollic AB permit registered Atollic TrueSTUDIO(R) users the
** rights to distribute the assembled, compiled & linked contents of this
** file as part of an application binary file, provided that it is built
** using the Atollic TrueSTUDIO(R) toolchain.
First off, I’m in violation just for posting the file in a repository. But read a bit deeper. Any code that is compiled with this using a GCC toolchain also breaks the copyright unless it’s Atollic’s toolchain.
My beef here is that STM is distributing this. Why? Why put something so restrictive into a software library with such an otherwise reasonable license? Surely there are many engineers at STM capable of writing a linker script that they could release under their own license which would work with TrueSTUDIO. And, it would have the added benefit of allowing other GCC-based toolchains a convenient (and legal) method of linking code.
So I’ve completely removed the file from the repository. If you were one of the ten people watching it on github, this had the unintended consequence of dumping your watch request. In the mean time I’m trying to learn how to write my own linker.
This guide regarding Cortex-M3 linkers
has been a great help. If you have the skills to contribute a working linker script, please issue a pull request or raise an issue
over at github
. | 31 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "684034",
"author": "codemonkey",
"timestamp": "2012-06-19T13:07:23",
"content": "ST probably provides linker files for each of their parts. If I were you I would look around wherever you found the peripheral driver library. Also look at any examples that came with the driver libra... | 1,760,376,835.803277 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/19/multi-channel-analog-input-module-is-a-good-jumping-off-point-for-many-projects/ | Multi-channel Analog Input Module Is A Good Jumping-off Point For Many Projects | Mike Szczys | [
"Medical Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"analog",
"atmega48",
"ftdi cable",
"graph",
"graphing",
"python",
"usb"
] | [Scott Harden] has already produced some projects which measure analog inputs. But he’s got plans for more and wanted
a base system for graphing analog signals
. You can see the small board next to his laptop which offers the ability to sample up to six signals and push them to a PC via USB.
The ATmega48 and a few supporting components are all you’ll find on that board. The USB connection is taken care of by an FTDI cable. He went that route because the cables are relatively cheap, easy to come by, and already have driver support on all the major operating systems. If you look at the screen you can see a window graphing one analog input in real-time. He wrote this in Python (which is once again a cross-platform tool) and it has no problem graphing all six inputs at once.
This is immediately useful as an upgrade to [Scott’s]
ECG machine
. His future plans include a Pulse Oximeter, EEG, and EEG. | 12 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "684018",
"author": "Alex Rossie",
"timestamp": "2012-06-19T12:31:08",
"content": "Great little device, will definitely speed up protoing.Why such deep Q waves in his ECG? I don’t think he had the pads in the correct places.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,376,835.358309 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/19/using-solar-cells-to-track-the-sun-for-your-solar-cells-dawg/ | Using Solar Cells To Track The Sun For Your Solar Cells (dawg) | Mike Szczys | [
"green hacks"
] | [
"landscaping lights",
"solar panel",
"solar tracking"
] | This
solar panel tracks the sun using solar cells
. It’s a pretty interesting technique, and can be done on the cheap.
The rectangular panels are doing the actual energy harvesting. The circular modules seen below are solar cells from some landscaping lights. They’re being used as sensors to help judge if the device is aimed directly at the sun. We’ve already seen this type of thing
done with a quartet of light dependent resistors
. In this case, if the negative leads for both landscaping lights are connected, a voltage may be read from the positive lead of each panel. If you measure that voltage, and use a rotating stand to adjust the position until the readings balance, you can be assured that your array is getting the optimal amount of sunlight.
[Gtoal] had been trying to drive motors directly from the output lines of these panels without success. We’re sure there’s a simple analog comparator circuit which would facilitate this. Grabbing a small microcontroller is another option (and some chips have an analog comparator built in). | 13 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "683997",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2012-06-19T11:53:47",
"content": "Exactly like the circuit I posted last time here when someone was using a duino to do it.I got mine from the R. Simms book that was published in 1968.This stuff has been around for decades, I strongly su... | 1,760,376,835.307107 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/driving-a-psp-screen-with-an-fpga/ | Driving A PSP Screen With An FPGA | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers",
"PSP Hacks"
] | [
"fpga",
"lcd",
"psp"
] | Here’s [FlorianH’s] setup for
driving a PlayStation Portable screen with an FPGA
. He’s using the DE0-Nano board to do this, and the first order of business was to establish a way to connect the two. He did a great job of etching his own breakout board, which has some traces that are less than 10 mils thick. Soldering the connectors for the screen was a bit of a challenge, and he shared several pictures of the process for your enjoyment.
With everything hooked up he fired it up with just a couple of lines of code to draw a test pattern. From there it was on to
building a more intensive driver
. [FlorianH] mentioned to us that he’s just starting to learn about FPGAs after having worked extensively with 8-bit microcontrollers. He’s been documenting his work on his site, and finds himself frequently referencing his own material so remember how he did things. Our vicarious enjoyment is an unintended (but welcomed) consequence of that habit. | 12 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "683756",
"author": "Joe",
"timestamp": "2012-06-19T00:36:11",
"content": "I was going to do a project like this, but then I realized I can drive it from a pic. Good job for getting it up and running.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id... | 1,760,376,835.248176 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/shake-phone-to-start-scooter/ | Shake Phone To Start Scooter | Mike Szczys | [
"Android Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"remote starter",
"scooter",
"solenoid",
"wireless"
] | This scooter
starts right up with a shake of your Android device
. This shake must be done from front-to-back, because a side-to-side shake is reserved for unlocking the saddle ([Brad] stores his helmet within).
Connectivity is facilitated over Bluetooth, with a rocker switch near the left handle bar to disable the receiver so that you don’t run down the battery. You can see the locking panel hanging open on the front portion of the scooter. Inside he installed the driver board which patches into the ignition system and drives a solenoid for the seat latch. It sounds like the latching mechanism used a bowden cable whose handle was inside that locking panel. By adding a solenoid and generously lubricating the cable he managed to get it functioning from the driver board.
Check out the video after the break for a proper demonstration. The phone is running a Python script via SL4A, which takes care of the user interface. | 14 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "683733",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T23:32:26",
"content": "remote start on a scooter or motorcycle is the dumbest thing in the world. it would be far easier and smarter to put RFID on it and then it will only start when he is sitting on it.",
"parent_id": nu... | 1,760,376,835.669613 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/motion-sprinkler-chases-away-defecating-dogs/ | Motion Sprinkler Chases Away Defecating Dogs | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ip camera",
"lawn sprinkler",
"poop",
"solenoid",
"webcam"
] | Don’t want dogs pooping on the front lawn? You could put up a sign, your could chase them away like a crotchety old miser, or you could
build a motion detecting sprinkler system
. It’s pretty hard to line up for a doody when you’re getting sprayed in the face (or worse) with cold water.
The setup is pretty simple. The bump-in image above shows the view from a webcam. The server monitoring the video is running software that detects motion between one frame and the next. When it sees something in the right position it signals an Arduino to trigger the solenoid which has been holding back the water. Check out the movie after the break which shows [Phil Tucker] tramping across the grass to trigger the trap.
Sprinkler hacks are always a lot of fun.
This variable-range sprinkler
is still one of our favorites. | 36 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "683679",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T22:05:56",
"content": "Mom used a .22, but this probably makes people complain less. Also in the tags I think you mean ‘webcam’.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "683791",
... | 1,760,376,835.425706 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/toaster-over-reflow-project-goes-way-overboard/ | Toaster Oven Reflow Project Goes Way Overboard | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"reflow"
] | This project may take the cake on high-end reflow retrofits. It’s a HUGE project which
uses a toaster oven to reflow surface mount circuit boards
. And the fact that it bursts with features makes us giddy.
So what parts have we come to expect on these devices? Obviously a heat source which usually comes from a reused toaster oven. Then you need a way to switch the heating elements on and off based on feedback. Since solder profiles have precise timings and temperatures a clock is usually involved. All of this
can be done with a temperature probe on a multimeter and a smartphone
as the timer. But what we have here is full-automation and then about a thousand more features.
The driver above has a full user interface. It’s got its own PID routines which help to ensure proper holding temperatures and accurate ramping when going from one temperature to the next. The cable exiting the controller below the red buttons is providing feedback via a thermocoupler. So program in your solder profile and let it go. But wait, don’t you want to record and graph what actually happened during this reflow run? Well that’s what the serial connection is for. In fact, you can even load new profiles and control all aspects of the device from a PC interface.
Switching for the toaster oven is done in a different way as well. Instead of just switching mains power, the circulation fan and the heating elements have been electrically separated. This way the fan can run whether the elements are on or not. | 29 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "683668",
"author": "dext3r",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T21:44:03",
"content": "Super sick project. Great job!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "683676",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T22:02:47",
"content": "... | 1,760,376,835.735922 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/new-and-improved-potentar/ | New And Improved Potentar | Mike Szczys | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"atmega328",
"guitar",
"potentar",
"potentiometer"
] | We like what we’re seeing and hearing with [Dorian Damon’s] newest version of the Potentar. This is revision 2.0 of
the instrument we saw in a December links post
. He calls it the Potentar, since it uses a linear potentiometer in a way similar to how the frets on a guitar work (Potentiometer + Guitar = Potentar).
The first thing you should notice is the case upgrade. The original used what looked like unfinished scrap wood, but finished wood of this case really makes the thing look like a traditional instrument. With this design he loses the Arduino in favor of a standalone ATmega328 chip. You’ll notice knobs and a switch on the face of the body. This allows for selecting a couple different kinds of scales and turning the power off. The linear potentiometer and sewing machine button are the same as before. After the break you can catch his description and a quick performance thanks to the audio jack for patching it into an amp. | 12 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "683647",
"author": "M4CGYV3R",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T20:52:06",
"content": "Dear HAD and all Web Publishers,Please stop using Vimeo. It just plain sucks.Sincerely,Lots of People",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "683652",
... | 1,760,376,835.622335 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/building-a-bug-zapping-lightsaber/ | Building A Bug-zapping Lightsaber | Caleb Kraft | [
"Toy Hacks",
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [
"high voltage",
"light saber",
"star wars"
] | [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0a34ivs0xo]
I have heard the joke
several times
that a light saber would make a
great bug zapper
. However, when [Ricky Sumbody] requested it on Facebook, I thought “why not?”. [Ricky] made a common mistake, he thought the bulb was the part that actually zaps the bugs. A quick google search revealed that many people had the same thought. I decide that, even though building a functional bug zapping light saber might not look as cool, I was going to do it anyway.
If you’re going to follow these instructions, be aware that this is a device that is literally designed to
shock things to death
. It is dangerous.
I happened to have a retractible light saber lying around, so all I needed was a portable bug zapper. They’re easy to find and pretty cheap too. These portable bug zappers are shaped like a tennis racquet and function by having the bug short between two screens. To build my light saber, all I needed to do was to adapt the screens to my toy.
I tore apart the zapper, cut the fine or “inside” mesh in half and wrapped it. I overlapped the two parts so there was no need to solder them. I then cut some pieces of electrical cord to use as a spacer and mounted the larger “external” screen. After inspecting to make sure that there were no bits touching, I finally wired it to the controller and duct taped it all together.
It works surprisingly well for such a fast hack. The whole thing took maybe 20 minutes to create.
If I were to do this again with a goal of making it nicer, I would do the following.
-use a higher quality light saber that actually lights up. sound effects wouldn’t hurt either.
-stuff the circuit into the light saber handle. It would look so much nicer.
-find some new screen material instead of re-using the material from the racquet. | 25 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "683591",
"author": "Arutan",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T18:27:25",
"content": "Why the original bug zapper module is not recessed inside the light saber handle ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "683705",
"author": "sarcom... | 1,760,376,835.862878 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/a-game-of-skill-for-the-north-carolina-maker-faire/ | A Game Of Skill For The North Carolina Maker Faire | Brian Benchoff | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"arcade game",
"fpga",
"led"
] | The North Carolina Maker Fare was last weekend, and over the course of the festivities [Dave] was asked for the documentation for
the arcade game he built
. It’s a neat build, so we’re very glad he chose to share it with us.
Anyone who has been to an arcade in the last 15 years has seen the game [Dave] was inspired by. The object of the game is to hit a button when the sequentially illuminated lights are in a particular position. [Dave] built his own version out of 90 LEDs and a very tiny
FPGA dev board
.
The 90 LEDs are controlled by the FPGA using charlieplexing, and are illuminated in sequence when the game starts. A heavy-duty emergency switch button modified into a momentary push button takes a hit whenever the player thinks the LED will land in the ‘jackpot zone.’ If the player wins, a buzzer sounds and much excitement is had by all.
Seeing as how the arcade version of this game is a complete rip off and is impossible to win, we really like [Dave]’s version. You can check out his demo video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0gGeJx_YCM&w=470] | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "683649",
"author": "berryza",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T20:56:43",
"content": "this is look cool, this is the first time i see it",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "683748",
"author": "Stu",
"timestamp": "2012-06-19T00:01:02... | 1,760,376,835.906076 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/a-lego-turing-machine-for-alans-centennial/ | A LEGO Turing Machine For [Alan]’s Centennial | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"lego",
"Turing machine"
] | 2012 is the 100-year anniversary of [Alan Turing]’s birth, and to celebrate the centennial, [Jeroen] and [Davy] over at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in The Netherlands
built a Turing machine out of LEGO
.
A Turing machine is an extremely simple device, but is still able to compute everything your desktop can. The machine is generally described as an infinite paper tape with a read/write head. On this paper tape, the numbers ‘1’ and ‘0’ are written. By precisely defining what the Turing machine should do when it comes across a ‘1’ or ‘0’, its able to do the same calculations as a laptop, albeit at a much slower rate.
The LEGO Turing machine has a series of pins signifying each bit. These pins are moved underneath a read/write head containing a light sensor and robotic arm. When a pin is down, the camera sees a dark spot signifying one state. When the pin is up, light reflects off a white LEGO piece signifying another state.
[Jeroen] and [Davy] built an IDE for their Turing machine, so if you’ve got a few LEGO NTX bricks lying around you can
grab the Git
and build your own. Check out the mini documentary after the break. | 12 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "683565",
"author": "raidscsi",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T17:18:34",
"content": "Is this video on Youtube? Viemo is garbage.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "683570",
"author": "M4CGYV3R",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18... | 1,760,376,835.999562 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/fast-and-easy-solder-paste-stencils/ | Fast And Easy Solder Paste Stencils | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"solder paste",
"stencil"
] | If you’re making your own boards with SMD parts, you might want to get a solder paste stencil. Usually made of laser-cut mylar or extremely thin steel, these stencils allow you to squeegee solder paste onto your board’s pads and make assembly a whole lot easier. [Rochey] needed a stencil for a board he was working on, and lacking a laser cutter he
turned to what he had available
– a few bits of plastic and a CNC machine.
[Rochey] began making his stencils out of laminating pouches and an xacto knife. This worked well, but it was time-consuming, and a bit fiddly when cutting 1 mm square holes. To speed up the process, [Rochey] put one of these laminating pouches on his CNC machine, exported the ‘Top Cream’ layer in Eagle to the CNC software of his choice, and had his machine attack the plastic with a 1 mm drill bit.
To [Rochey]’s surprise, everything went as planned; in five minutes, he had a stencil with perfectly accurate holes that masked off everything but the SMD pads.
Thanks [Fabien] for sending this one in. | 12 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "683507",
"author": "Gil",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T15:09:42",
"content": "I wonder if the same technique can be used to 3d print a thin layer of ABS to use as a stencil.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "683515",
"author": "Fa... | 1,760,376,836.574036 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/putting-scores-of-arduinos-on-the-internet-with-one-router/ | Putting Scores Of Arduinos On The Internet With One Router | Brian Benchoff | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"jeenode",
"openwrt",
"router"
] | Like many hackers of late, [Rick] has been experimenting with connecting Arduinos to the Internet with a disused WiFi router and an installation of OpenWRT. Unlike his fellow makers, [Rick] thought it would be wasteful to dedicate a single router to one Arduino project, so he used a small, low power wireless module to connect
up to 30 Arduinos to the Internet
.
Just as in a few recent builds (
1
,
2
), [Rick] found an old Fonera router sitting in a box at his local hackerspace. After installing OpenWRT, [Rick] connected a
very small wireless module
to the router’s GPIO pins and patched the firmware to put an SPI bus on the router.
Now, whenever [Rick] wants to connect an Arduino project to the Internet, all he needs is a
$4 radio module
. This radio module connects to the router, and the router handles the networking requirements of up to 30 DIY projects.
If you’re looking to build an Internet-enable sensor network, we honestly can’t think of a better or cheaper way of going about it. Nice job, [Rick]. | 10 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "683481",
"author": "selim ozatici",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T14:29:19",
"content": "it will be good for diy home automation systems",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "683522",
"author": "Chris C.",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T... | 1,760,376,836.67243 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/emulating-mac-system-7-on-an-android-device/ | Emulating Mac System 7 On An Android Device | Brian Benchoff | [
"Android Hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"Nook",
"system 7"
] | Over on the 68kmla forums, a website dedicated to old Macs built before 1994, [zydeco] released
his Android port
of
Mini vMac
, a Macintosh Plus emulator that puts the power of a Motorola MC68000 processor and System 7 on any computer.
Unlike the original Macintosh, or the subsequent revision that bumped the RAM up to 512
kilo
bytes, the Mac Plus was actually useful. With the addition of a SCSI port and support for 4 Megabytes of RAM, it’s not only possible to browse the Internet, but also act as a server. There’s a reason [Sprite_tm] chose to rebuild one of these classic,
all-in-one machines to act as a home server
; they really do epitomize the elegant computers from a more civilized age.
68kmla user [FlyingToaster] even went so far as to
put a Mac Plus in his nook touch
. With this, he’s got a full-blown installation of System 7 running on an e-ink screen, complete with
Lemmings
,
Gauntlet
, and
Tetris.
It should be possible to plug this emulated box into the Internet. Unfortunately, experience tells us it won’t be a very pleasant browsing experience outside
Hackaday’s retro edition
. | 19 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "683427",
"author": "Farkanoid",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T12:23:24",
"content": "Sacrilege!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "683429",
"author": "ewgji",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T12:31:33",
"content": "then why won’t th... | 1,760,376,836.979866 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/18/lucid-dreaming-mask-marries-economy-with-comfort/ | Lucid Dreaming Mask Marries Economy With Comfort | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"lucid dream",
"mask",
"sleep"
] | Here’s an effort to
make a cheap lucid dreaming mask that is also comfortable
. The idea is in response to
the goggles we saw in April
(which would not be too comfortable to sleep in) and
the wildly successful Remee
(which has an $80 target price).
The mask itself is sewn from a child’s fleece blanket. Inside is a piece of foam cut from some recreation mat. You know, those squares made for a play area that connect together like a jigsaw puzzle. You may have already spotted the Arduino in the image above, but the project is designed to run from an AVR chip embedded in the foam. The design only uses three LEDs, which may or may not work for you — we’d guess it depends on how they line up with your eyes. The video after the break does a great job of illustrating each point in the construction.
If you’re looking for something less soothing and more recreational you could always
try out these trippy goggles
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjhaS1avzeU | 14 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "683400",
"author": "Mario",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T11:14:02",
"content": "an arduino to only flash a led :\\",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "683466",
"author": "sneakypoo",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T13:42:49",... | 1,760,376,836.723058 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/17/diy-emg-uses-an-audio-recorder/ | DIY EMG Uses An Audio Recorder | Mike Szczys | [
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"audio recorder",
"emg",
"muscle",
"sensor"
] | [Ericdsc] is looking to
capture the electrical impulses of his muscles by using an EMG
. He went through several prototypes to find the right recipe for sensors to pick up the electrical signal through his skin. Above you can see the version that worked best. Each sensor is made starting with a piece of duct tape and laying out a patch of stripped wire on it. A 5cmx1xm piece of aluminum foil then covers this, and second smaller piece of foil covers the cable’s shielding (not pictured here). This will stick to your skin to hold the sensor in place after applying a dab of sugar syrup to help make a good electrical connection.
In this case, an audio recorder is taking the measurements. [Ericdsc] had been having trouble sleeping and wanted to find out if he’s restless in bed. The audio recorder can log hours of data from the sensors which he can later analyze on the computer. Of course, it wouldn’t be hard to build your own amplifier circuit and process the signals in real-time. Maybe you want to convert
that mind-controlled Pong game
over to use abdominal control. You’ll have a six-pack in no time. | 15 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "683143",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2012-06-17T22:10:47",
"content": "Chuck Norris doesn’t need amplifiers on his muscles.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "683178",
"author": "rue_mohr",
"timestamp": "2012-06-17T23... | 1,760,376,836.621986 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/17/hackaday-links-june-17-2012/ | Hackaday Links: June 17, 2012 | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"cnc",
"ferrari",
"helicopter",
"piezo",
"portal"
] | Portal gag-video
These guys make your own video editing chops look just plain sad. They put together
a video demonstrating the portal gun in real life
.
Unleashing the beast
We have this problem all the time. The noise regulations were preventing [Massimiliano Rivetti] from letting the true voice of his Ferrari be heard. He hacked into the control system and
can now adjust it via iPhone to roar with power
. [Thanks Claudio via
openPicus
]
Music so bad you want to throw something
Here’s a novel way to include the worker bees in music selection around the office. A piezo element was attached to the back of a framed poster and when you throw something at it, the next track is played. We really loved
the demo video for this one
. [Thanks Calum via
DontBelieveTheHype
]
Acrylic frame for a CNC machine
[Jake] wrote in to show off
his progress on a CNC build
. He’s got a frame made of acrylic and some other materials. It’s not up and running yet, but what he’s got so far looks very nice.
Helo built for one
All we can think with
this one-man helicopter
is failure of those propellers. At least with an ultralight plane you can glide to a gentler crash-landing. [Thanks Filespace] | 19 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "683146",
"author": "Loki",
"timestamp": "2012-06-17T22:16:56",
"content": "Uh, you do realize helicopters can auto-rotate to land, right? It can be even safer than a plane, as it doesn’t need a landing strip – it can safely land on any flat surface larger than the diameter of the b... | 1,760,376,837.086773 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/17/ask-hackaday-has-anyone-built-a-radio-telescope/ | Ask Hackaday: Has Anyone Built A Radio Telescope? | Brian Benchoff | [
"Ask Hackaday"
] | [
"Ask Hackaday",
"Radio Telescope"
] | [Michael] sent in a question regarding the latest advances in software defined radios available for $20 on eBay:
I’ve been looking in to SDR lately, mainly for the possibility of using it for incredibly cheap radio astronomy. So far all I’ve found are whispers. I’m 18 and have very little experience, but I figured you might be able to help me find a little more info.
This really brings me back, [Michael]. I saw
Contact
in the theater (surprisingly, a rare case when the book and movie are equals), and in my childish exuberance
went out and listened to lightning on Jupiter
. The financial difficulties of expanding my setup meant the experiments stopped there, but at least I knew amateur radio telescopy was possible.
The latest and greatest advance in software defined radio – namely,
a $20 TV tuner dongle
– brings something new to the table. Instead of the thousands of dollars in gear that was required in 1997 when I last looked into this, it’s possible to set up a passable radio telescope for under $100.
I’ll leave it to the Hackaday commentors to fill [Michael] in on the details, but here’s my suggestion:
Optimize your setup for
1420 MHz
. There are three reasons for this: firstly, very few things in the universe absorb radio waves at a frequency of 1420MHz; there’s a reason it’s so often used in radio astronomy. Secondly, most government agencies around the world ban (or at least don’t look too kindly upon) transmitting on 1420 MHz. This frequency has been somewhat protected for use by astronomers. Thirdly, most of the Realtek TV tuner dongles have a frequency range of 64 – 1700 MHz, so it’s possible to receive 1420 MHz with this minimal setup.
As far as antennas go, your best bet is probably going to be one of those old C-band parabolic antennas from the 80s. That will make your telescope highly directional and give it a
huge
amount of gain. There is the problem of having a 20-foot-wide eyesore in your back yard, however. Alternatively, you could use a smaller DirecTV satellite dish, but I’m not making any promises with that. It’ll work, but it’s too small for an optimal setup.
I’ll concede the floor to anyone who has additional information. If you’ve built a radio telescope,
send it in
and I’ll put it up. | 86 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "683083",
"author": "Gijs Molenaar",
"timestamp": "2012-06-17T19:08:50",
"content": "Well, i didn’t build it myself, but I’m working at the university of Amsterdam on software for LOFAR.too bad the software is not open source (yet).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"repli... | 1,760,376,836.846248 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/17/router-controlling-choo-choos-over-the-can-bus/ | Router Controlling Choo-choos Over The CAN Bus | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"CAN",
"model railroad",
"openwrt",
"router"
] | This setup is used to control a model railroad. Well, not entirely this setup. [Gerhard Bertelsmann] already has a proper railroad controller, and it just happens to offer CAN bus communications. He’s
using OpenWRT and a cheap router to connect the bus to the network
.
Originally he wanted to use a Raspberry Pi board for the project, but the incredible backorder situation with that hardware led him to grab an old router. After loading OpenWRT he started working out how to connect a couple of ICs (MCP2515 and MCP2551) that will take care of the CAN bus communications. The hardware connections end up being pretty simple, with five data lines (and their pull-up resistors) connecting to the router’s serial header. From there it was a matter of mapping the device in software so that the hardware can be controlled over the network.
We like this example since CAN is used is a lot of other applications. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "683194",
"author": "iamalion",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T00:54:12",
"content": "Would a2CANbe easier?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "683413",
"author": "canidsong",
"timestamp": "2012-06-18T11:51:26",
"content": "Not... | 1,760,376,836.527482 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/17/using-the-gpio-pins-on-a-raspberry-pi/ | Using The GPIO Pins On A Raspberry Pi | Brian Benchoff | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"breakout",
"c++",
"gpio",
"python"
] | In addition to being a serviceable single board computer, the Raspberry Pi also has a header full of GPIO pins at your beck and call. [Tedbot] sent in
a great tutorial on using these pins
with Python, Bash, and C.
The GPIO pins on the Raspi are arranged in a 2×13 header. Until Sparkfun manages to manufacture a decent Raspi protoboard, the easiest way to break these pins out is with an old IDE ribbon cable. After plugging the other end into a breadboard, [Tedbot] had an easily accessible set of Raspi pins.
To control these pins, [Tedbot] found two libraries: the first is
WiringPi
that implements a C-style, Arduino-like programming environment on the Raspi. The second is the
RPi.GPIO Python package
. Since the Raspi runs Linux, and
everything in Unix is a file
, [Tedbot]
used a shell script
to blink a LED.
One word of warning if you’re building a board to extend the capabilities of the Raspi: these pins aren’t 5 V tolerant, so you’ll need to throw in a buffer or level converter when building a Raspi circuit.
Edit: Adafruit is releasing a
Pi Plate prototyping board
in a few weeks. Neat, huh? | 17 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "683036",
"author": "imroy264",
"timestamp": "2012-06-17T17:04:50",
"content": "Adafruit already has a prototype board for the Raspberry Pi:http://www.adafruit.com/products/801",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "683038",
"... | 1,760,376,837.15538 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/17/battman-ii-the-charger-your-batteries-deserve/ | BattMan II: The Charger Your Batteries Deserve | Caleb Kraft | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"battery",
"charger"
] | When your radio controlled device batteries are drained, you’ve got no better option than to
call on BattMan II
. This device is packed full of features for cycling and charging various types of batteries. It is computer controlled via your parallel port (yeah, remember those?) and has companion software that allows you all kinds of control and data.
The writeup is rather extensive and includes schematics so you could build your own. There’s also a step by step breakdown of how each section functions as well as an explanation of each different charging method. Great work [Stefan]
if you just want a peak at the lengthy feature list, keep reading.
The hardware feature list:
Works with Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH), Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion), Lithium-Polymer (LiPo), Lithium-Nano-Phosphate (LiNP), and Lead-Acid (Pb-Acid) batteries of 1.2 to 14.7 Volts.†
Discharges batteries to measure capacity at rates of 130mA to 2A.
Charges at rates of 130mA to 1.3A.†
Automatically performs repeated discharge/charge cycles to break in new batteries, or erase NiCd voltage depression in old ones.
Measures internal resistance.
Monitors self-discharge.
Real time graphical display lets you see problems like mismatched cells.
Keeps a log of all operations performed, which can be imported into any spreadsheet program.
Saves graphs of charge, discharge, auto-cycle, and monitor operations.
Connects via parallel port to any PC running Microsoft Windows (95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows 7).††
Operating software, complete with source code, is available to
download
. | 13 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "683013",
"author": "Alexander",
"timestamp": "2012-06-17T15:56:05",
"content": "This is a great device, Especially as devices that measure the capacity of batteries are normally £100-£200!I would pay for something professional like this, although it would need a failsafe!",
"par... | 1,760,376,837.027339 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/17/template-for-building-stm32f0-discovery-project-in-gcc/ | Template For Building STM32F0-Discovery Project In GCC | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arm",
"discovery",
"gcc",
"openocd",
"stm32f0"
] | Yep, that blue light is blinking and I made it happen. I’ve been hard at work since I got my free STM32F0-Discovery board in the mail. Most recently I put together
a starting template for building STM32F05x project on Linux
. You’ll still need to install your own tool chain (I’m using the Code Sourcery G++: Lite Edition), but this makes it a snap to compile your projects with support for STM’s peripheral libraries.
As for programming, you may remember that
I added support for writing to RAM in the stlink project
. I’ve
wasted
spent a ton of time trying to get support for writing to Flash into that project. It’s just less of a hassle to use stlink than it is to work with OpenOCD. But I’ve really hit a wall getting the flash loader code to work. If you want to check out what I’ve done so far in that area I committed
a very messy branch
(see
the commits
for what code changes I’ve made).
In the mean time you can use OpenOCD to write images compiled with the template to your device. I included the ‘make program’ option in the Makefile to do this from command line. If you need help compiling OpenOCD check the readme in the template repository. | 17 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "682977",
"author": "akismet-d4f06bf8cb803502684f1683ad779e95",
"timestamp": "2012-06-17T13:07:38",
"content": "That’s awesome Mike. Projects on the Discovery kit are showing up slowly.Also, I’m trying to build a small ARM community around all the Raspis, Discoveries and Beagleboards... | 1,760,376,837.210187 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/16/finally-a-3d-printer-for-burritos/ | Finally, A 3D Printer For Burritos | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks",
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"burrito"
] | [Marko] created
a robot that prints burritos
. Truly, we’ve reached new heights as a species.
The Burritob0t is based on the
ORD Hadron 3d printer
with a pair of air compressor/syringe-based extruders based on the
Makerbot Frostruder
. All the ingredients – rice, meat, salsa, and molten cheese – will be printed onto the surface of a tortilla heated by a Makerbot
heated build platform
.
[Marko] has some pretty neat plans for his Burritob0t such as
an iPhone app for ordering your burritos
and
some sort of social commentary thing using burritos
. We’re assuming [Marko] hasn’t yet got this Burritob0t up and running for the lack of any action shots or demo videos. That said, there’s a wonderful
Flickr gallery
and an
about page
that covers the artistic statement behind the Burritob0t.
If you want to get your own Burritobot, [Marko] hopes to have a Kickstarter up sometime in July. | 24 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "682671",
"author": "themandiary",
"timestamp": "2012-06-16T22:14:01",
"content": "Good lord…this is incredible, where do i sign up?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "682672",
"author": "pablo",
"timestamp": "2012-06-16T22:... | 1,760,376,837.328348 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/16/recording-off-a-reel-to-reel-with-a-credit-card-reader/ | Recording Off A Reel-to-reel With A Credit Card Reader | Brian Benchoff | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"magnetic tape",
"reel-to-reel",
"tape head"
] | If you’ve got a few reel-to-reel recordings of 1940s radio, how do you transfer those to a digital medium? [Evan Long] and his dad used a credit card reader built for the iPhone to
transfer a vintage [Art Kassel] recording
from magnetic tape to the digital domain of .MP3s.
A few months ago, we saw what goes into these
Square credit card readers
. They’re just a magnetic tape head with a resistor an 1/8″ jack that plugs directly into the headphone jack of any iDevice. Because there’s no hardware limitation of what the Square credit card reader can do, [The Long boys] decided to back up some old reel-to-reel tapes with an iPod Touch.
[Evan] and his father needed to perform a few modifications to the credit card reader; the tape head pressed against the plastic case too tightly to allow feeding 70-year-old tape through the device. After bending a bit of metal the credit card reader was ready to record the dulcet tones of the Big Band era.
It’s a neat build, and anything that reuses proprietary hardware (however limited) is alright in our book. Nice job, guys. | 22 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "682576",
"author": "jordan",
"timestamp": "2012-06-16T19:03:15",
"content": "iPad*and a 1/8″ jack*nice writing :DIt’s an awesome project, though!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "682578",
"author": "griffon",
"timestamp":... | 1,760,376,837.266842 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/16/building-your-own-atari-cartridges/ | Building Your Own Atari Cartridges | Caleb Kraft | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"atari"
] | Have you ever wanted to create your own atari games from scratch? Thanks to the Grand Idea Studio, you can download the files to
make your own cartridge PCBs
. There isn’t a ton of information here, as this is an old project that isn’t being supported anymore. However, you can download the instructions, schematics, and gerber files for carts that work in the 3 main models of the atari 2600. As [Tyler] over at Adafruit points out, you could easily
3d print your own shell as well
. | 9 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "682654",
"author": "d33tah",
"timestamp": "2012-06-16T21:36:35",
"content": "Now, one for NES please! :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "682681",
"author": "Tjoppen",
"timestamp": "2012-06-16T23:05:41",
"content": "A... | 1,760,376,837.955303 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/16/detecting-cosmic-rays-with-18-geiger-tubes/ | Detecting Cosmic Rays With 18 Geiger Tubes | Brian Benchoff | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cosmic ray",
"geiger",
"radiation"
] | What do you do if you have 18 Geiger tubes lying around? [Robert] had an interesting idea to build
a cosmic ray detector and hodoscope
to observe the path cosmic rays take while flying through his lab.
[Robert]’s cosmic ray detector works by detecting the output 9 Geiger tubes on the y-axis and 9 Geiger tubes on the x-axis with a
coincidence circuit
. When a cosmic ray flies through the detector, it should trigger two tubes simultaneously. By graphing which of the two tubes were triggered on an array of 81 LEDs, [Robert] not only knows when a cosmic ray is detected, but where the cosmic ray was.
The detectors do pick up a little background radiation, but thanks to [Robert]’s coincidence circuit, he can be fairly certain that what he’s recording are actually high-energy cosmic rays.
Before building the 9×9 hodoscope, [Robert] built a
similar drift hodoscope
that simply plots the path a cosmic ray takes through an array of Geiger tubes. You can check out videos of both these cosmic ray detectors after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK4WBpnQcN8&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9IAKXOD0M0&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR6eRn6PNvs&w=470] | 21 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "682506",
"author": "ATTEN.EU",
"timestamp": "2012-06-16T15:35:41",
"content": "Hi Brian,Nice job! And we also like the oscilloscope you are using ;-)Greetings,J RijndersATTEN.EU",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "682570",
... | 1,760,376,837.563083 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/16/two-software-defined-radio-hacks-from-our-resident-sdr-guru/ | Two Software Defined Radio Hacks From Our Resident SDR Guru | Brian Benchoff | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"direction finding",
"gnu radio",
"HDSDR",
"realtek",
"software-defined radio"
] | It seem [Balint] is becoming somewhat of a SDR guru around these parts; in the past few months, he’s gotten a USB TV tuner receiver working with GNU Radio, started a software defined radio tutorial YouTube channel, and even used this project to listen in on conversations between airplanes and air traffic control. This time, [Balint] is back
using this cheap USB TV tuner for
radio direction finding
and running HDSDR in
Linux
and
OS X
.
[Balint]’s
radio direction finding presentation
goes over traditional means of direction finding using the doppler effect and mechanically rotated antennas. Because [Balint] is dealing with frequencies around 150MHz (about 2 meter wavelength), building a physical direction finding setup requires spinning antennas at around 40,000 RPM; much to fast for any hardware build. [Balint]’s solution was to attach 4 antennas around the circumference of a circle and electronically switch between them many thousands of times a second. [Balint] put up
a wiki page
going over all the theory and implementation details of his build.
[Balint] also put wrote up
a neat app
to control software defined radios – including the Realtek TV dongle – over a network. Spread over a wide enough geographic area, it could become extremely easy
for anyone to play air traffic controller
. The BorIP Server can also be used to run
HDSDR
in Linux and OS X under Wine; just connect HDSDR to the network loopback on the same machine, and you get around Wine’s distaste for accessing hardware natively.
Awesome work, and we can’t wait to see what comes out of [Balint]’s laboratory next.
Edit: instead of the dongle, [Balnt] is using a ‘real’ software radio board. A lot of people are messaging him asking if the same method of direction finding is possible with the dongle. Here’s what [Balint] has to say:
The trick, as I see it, would be to create some (more or less simple) additional hardware to take the clock signal straight off the dongle’s on-board oscillator and divide it down for use with the antenna switch, i.e. 28 MHz à tens of kHz (this is the bit that’s done in ‘software’ on the FPGA). One problem still remains however: the counter needs to remain calibrated against the known direction the antenna was pointing at the time – otherwise a stop/start of the data stream from the dongle will mean the direction will go out of sync by 90/180/270 degrees each stop/start. Perhaps someone will figure out an elegant solution for this slight hurdle!
So there you go. Up for a challenge? | 13 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "682523",
"author": "horizon",
"timestamp": "2012-06-16T16:20:43",
"content": "“This time, [Balint] is back using this cheap USB TV tuner for radio direction finding”What a nonsense, Brian Benchoff. You really should spend a minute or two to do your research before posting.",
"pa... | 1,760,376,837.664668 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/ardusat-puts-arduino-experiments-in-space/ | ArduSat Puts Arduino Experiments In Space | Brian Benchoff | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Crowd Funding",
"hardware"
] | [
"arduino",
"ArduSat",
"cubesat"
] | CubeSats are nothing new – hundreds have been launched into Earth orbit by schools and universities over the past decade. Like anything cool, an Arduino eventually gets thrown into the mix. That’s what the folks behind ArduSat are doing: they’re
launching an Arduino-laden satellite into orbit
with a bunch of sensors to enable anyone to become a citizen space scientist.
On board the ArduSat is a suite of sensors including a spectrometer, Geiger counter, IR light sensor, electromagnetic wave sensor, a temperature sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, GPS unit, CO2 sensor, and of course a few cameras. The rewards for this Kickstarter are fairly interesting: backers who pledge $500 are able to buy a week’s worth of time using the ArduSat sensors for your own personal experiment.
As for how this Arduino-powered satellite is getting a ride up to Low Earth Orbit, the team plans to send an application into NASA for the
CubeSat Launch Initiative
ride-along program. If NASA selects the ArduSat, it’ll get a ride into space along with other CubeSats on a larger commercial launch. If the ArduSat isn’t selected by NASA, the team behind this satellite has secured funding to piggyback on a commercial launch.
Tip ‘o the hat to [HackTheGibson] for sending this in. | 30 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "682218",
"author": "Short Cipher",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T21:07:42",
"content": "Exactly how useful will cameras that are likely low resolution be in orbit? Things tend to be quite far away. I wonder if the entire space station would register as more than a pixel. The earth vie... | 1,760,376,837.726172 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/multimeter-add-on-lets-you-measure-tiny-resistance-values/ | Multimeter Add-on Lets You Measure Tiny Resistance Values | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"half ohm",
"multimeter",
"resistance"
] | This
multimeter add-on is called the Half Ohm
. It allows you to measure small resistance values, and can be used to track down shorts on a PCB.
The board acts as a pass-through for both probes. When your meter is set to measure voltage and nothing is connected to the probes the display will read out the level of the coin cell that powers the add-on. When you are probing, the value in millivolts is actually showing the resistance in milliohms. This works for any measurement less than one Ohm. Interestingly enough, it will help you zero in on a solder bridge. By probing the two shorted tracks you can find the issue by following the falling resistance values.
[Jaanus] published several posts leading up to the final version of the board. Check out
this category link
for his blog if you’re interested in reading through them. | 15 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "682197",
"author": "Dr. DFTBA",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T20:35:00",
"content": "Why don’t they give a schematic for it? Seems like it goes against the open-source philosophy of HaD.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "682203",
... | 1,760,376,837.615175 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/hdtv-antenna-that-can-hang-in-a-window/ | HDTV Antenna That Can Hang In A Window | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"aluminum foil",
"antenna",
"fractal",
"hdtv"
] | We can’t wait to give this one a try. We’ve got a DIY HDTV antenna hanging out in the attic which was made from some scrap wood and eight metal coat hangers. It works great but it’s pretty ugly and not everyone has an attic to hide it in (not to mention the signal drop caused by the roof shingles). This is
a fractal antenna anchored to some clear plastic
so you can just hang it in the window and start picking up the over-the-air channels without much effort.
The pattern was modeled in SketchUp then printed out on two pieces of paper. One piece had it printed on both sides, which makes it easy to glue on a sheet of aluminum foil, then follow the pattern on the opposite side to cut out the important parts. The other template was used as an aligment guide when gluing the foil to the clear plastic. A coaxial adapter was then attached using nuts and machine screws. If you build it, let us know how it comes out! | 38 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "682143",
"author": "Baz",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T19:11:58",
"content": "I wonder if running it through a plastic pouch hot laminator work just as well as glueing to a sheet of thin plastic?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "5... | 1,760,376,837.799839 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/drop-in-board-for-nes-rom-chip-makes-cartridge-reprogrammable/ | Drop-in Board For NES ROM Chip Makes Cartridge Reprogrammable | Mike Szczys | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"atmega32u4",
"cartridge",
"rom",
"snes",
"usb"
] | Here’s the guts from [Dext0rb’s] Super Nintendo cartridge. It’s easy to pick out the dark-colored board which
lets him reflash SNES ROMs via USB
. We’ve seen this done a number of times, but this is a much cleaner option than hacks that just
add a dead-bug-style memory chip
.
The board he designed has a double-row of pin headers sized to fit the footprint vacated by the original ROM chip. The board has a mini-USB connector which can be accessed through a hole he cut in the side of the cartridge enclosure. This is in the right place so that you cannot plug it in when it’s being used in the SNES (which would cause damage). The ATmega32u4 chip handles USB connectivity and programs the 32 megabit flash chip which stores the ROM. He’s posted a few articles on the blog portion of his site which you’ll find interesting. We suggest starting with
this hardware teaser
. | 21 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "682116",
"author": "Gort",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T18:11:13",
"content": "This is the coolest SNES hack. IT’S LIKE I PLAY MARIO, BUT THEN LATER TONIGHT, I PLAY ….Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shougun Magginesu.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,376,837.910569 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/jamming-gripper-thats-super-easy-to-build/ | Jamming Gripper That’s Super Easy To Build | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"coffee grounds",
"gripper",
"jammer",
"jamming"
] | This is the
simplest version of a jamming gripper
that we’ve seen yet. The only component that might not be readily available is the pump in the upper left, but the rest is all hardware or grocery store stuff. It’s based on
the concept we saw from a research video
where the air in a bladder full of coffee grounds is removed to grip an item. In this case the bladder is a party balloon which is held in place by parts from a cheap shower head. A theaded-to-barbed right angle connector makes it easy to connect the vinyl tubing up to the pump.
The video after the break shows that this works quite well for small items. But we see a lot of downward force is exerted to firmly embed them in the grounds. We’re not sure if this is par for the course, or if it would work a bit better if more air were in the bladder initially. This
other jamming gripper build
uses a servo to release pressure from the system, and we think that might be of help here too.
[Thanks Michael] | 15 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "682094",
"author": "ds2ktj",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T17:17:57",
"content": "Pump is from a food saver vacuum sealer – I’d recognize that sound after owning one.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "682098",
"author": "jordan",
... | 1,760,376,837.852769 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/embedded-linux-meets-arduino-with-the-rascal-micro/ | Embedded Linux Meets Arduino With The Rascal Micro | Mike Szczys | [
"Linux Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arduino",
"Embedded Linux",
"rascal micro",
"web server"
] | Behold
the Rascal Micro
. It’s running embedded Linux and has a dual-row of pin headers which probably seem pretty familiar. The idea here is to bring Arduino hardware (ie: shields) to a party with a powerful web server.
The image above is the beta version of the hardware. What’s being shown off in
a recent Engadget demo
is a version that slides two USB ports in between the barrel jack and the NIC. This makes it easy to jump over to wireless with the use of a USB dongle, or you can figure out what other peripherals you want to include in your project.
The novelty here is that the web server included a built-in editor. So not only can it serve you a webpage to control hardware or display sensor status, but it will let you edit the interface without needing to reflash anything.
The price rings in somewhere around $100-150, and like the popular Raspberry Pi board, you can’t get your hands on it right now. | 20 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "681394",
"author": "nikescar1",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T21:22:50",
"content": "Wouldn’t this be easy to do with a Raspberry Pi and an Arduino Uno? It would be a lot cheaper too. Still a cool device though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"c... | 1,760,376,838.103634 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/mini-maker-faire-in-eugene-or-this-weekend/ | Mini Maker Faire In Eugene, OR This Weekend | Brian Benchoff | [
"News"
] | [
"Eugene",
"maker faire"
] | [Rick Osgood] wrote in to tell us about the
Eugene, OR Mini Maker Faire
going on this weekend. The event is being hosted on the grounds of the
Science Factory
with a lot of help from the
Eugune Makerspace
So far,
Steamworks Cycles
, the
South Eugene Robotics Team
,
Oregon Rocketry
and
Eugene Rocketery
will be at the Maker Faire showing off their skills and wares. It looks like an
excellent
place to spend the day, with events hosted by the Science Factor and the Eugene Makerspace all day long.
Tickets are $4.00 a pop; easy enough on our wallets, but unfortunately the official Hackaday transporter pad won’t be ready in time for this weekend. If anyone would like to write a blog post about the sights and sounds of the Eugene Mini Maker Faire,
send it in
and we’ll put it up. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "681311",
"author": "dsopkin",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T20:06:50",
"content": "FINALLY! Some techno hacking/maker faires in Eugene!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "681388",
"author": "DarkStar",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T2... | 1,760,376,838.144928 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/raspberry-pi-finds-itself-inside-a-trs-80-model-100/ | Raspberry Pi Finds Itself Inside A TRS-80 Model 100 | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"raspberry pi",
"RPi",
"trs-80",
"TRS-80 model 100"
] | This TRS-80
Model 100 is a lot more powerful than you might think
. That’s because [Karl Lunt] is using it as an enclosure for his Raspberry Pi board. Since the ARM-powered device comes sans-enclosure it’s fun to see a retro choice like this one. And having had to go out and buy a USB keyboard to use our own RPi, we appreciate [Karl’s] solution for using the original keyboard as an input device.
Above you can see that he’s using an LCD tv as the display. For now that connection is made using the composite video output, which explains the fuzzy image. To the right of the TRS-80 a standard wall wart connects to the barrel jack to provide power. [Karl] scrapped a USB cellphone charger in order to connect from the barrel jack to the micro-USB jack on the Pi board. The ribbon cable to the left lets him get at the I/O header without opening the case.
In order to use the keyboard he patched into it with a Teensy board. That connects to the USB port on the RPi, sending HID keyboard commands based on what it received from the user. We like this option as it give you the ability to pre-process keystrokes (ie: you can code your own custom macros that the Teensy will listen for). Right now the Model 100’s LCD screen isn’t hooked up but he may add that in the future. | 18 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "681254",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T19:11:41",
"content": "Seeing a perfectly good Model 100 abused this way makes me sad :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "681337",
"author": "chango",
"times... | 1,760,376,838.204932 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/volumetric-display-looks-like-a-davinci-sketch/ | Volumetric Display Looks Like A DaVinci Sketch | Mike Szczys | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"volumetric"
] | This volumetric display
really shows a lot of potential. And it has just the right balance of simplicity and ingenuity. The rig is being developed by [Michel David] and involves a screen shaped like a helix, and a laser which shines through an optical filter disk.
The moving parts of the device are mounted on the same shaft, which is spun by a belt system connected to a Dremel tool. Since the screen and the information disc are mounted on the same shaft, one part of the synchronization process is already taken care of. You can see the separate stand for the projector, which is a laser in this case but is designed to work with other light sources as well. Since the projection surface is moving towards and away from the projector, a laser is preferrable because of focus issues. Unfortunately [Michel] has been having some issues with switching the diode at high enough frequencies. Still, we think the results in the clip after the break are marvelous.
As far as hardware is concerned, this is a lot simpler than
trying to spin a large LED matrix
. | 24 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "681207",
"author": "Jas",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T18:20:55",
"content": "His real problem is that he’s using a green laser. It is not possible to switch Nd based DPSS lasers very fast because of the long upper-state lifetime of Nd. If he switched to a blue or red direct-injection... | 1,760,376,838.263784 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/using-printf-style-output-to-debug-arduino/ | Using Printf-style Output To Debug Arduino | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"debugging",
"printf"
] | First off, if you’re looking at that title and thinking it’s flame-bait, please hold off. What [Ihsan Kehribar] is working with is another way to get some feedback for what’s going on with your Arduino project. Or really any AVR project that uses an ISP connection. He’s
added text output for AVR programs similar to the printf function
used for a lot of non-embedded C development.
So, we’d bet you’re asking yourself why he’s not just using outright debugging? The AVR line supports many different types of it. But that can be complicated, and usually requires a proper programmer. If you just want to watch to see what values are changing, and when functions are being executed, this isn’t a bad solution. He uses the computer to continually poll the chip. Whenever the sketch calls the his print library it answers back with the payload to be displayed in the terminal. The overhead shouldn’t be too high, and if you’re smart about it this can be flagged as a debug option at the top of the program file. | 21 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "681141",
"author": "goinback2sleep",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T17:22:52",
"content": "“if you’re looking at that title and thinking it’s flame-bait, please hold off.”Is this the hackaday equivilent of “INB4”? Why hold off? The summary is exactly what the title suggests.Is there anyon... | 1,760,376,838.323475 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/makerfaire-north-carolina-well-see-you-there/ | MakerFaire North Carolina, We’ll See You There! | Caleb Kraft | [
"cons"
] | [
"makerfaire"
] | This weekend, June 16th, the
North Carolina Maker Faire
will be happening. This is the 3rd year for this event and from what we’ve seen in the past, it should be pretty good.
We realize that every site has its niche of event coverage that they should deliver. Engadget/Gizmodo need to show new phones and got to big apple announcements. Joystiq needs to be at E3. We feel like we should be where people are hacking/building things. In an effort to reach those places, Maker Faire pops into mind pretty quickly. [
Jeremy Cook
] will be at this one walking around and doing interviews as well as having a booth for his personal site
jcopro.net
. If you
see him
, don’t hesitate to go up and say hi, maybe he’ll have a custom cut vinyl hackaday sticker left to give out.
We plan on hitting as many other similar events as we can swing (sorry, looks like no one can make it to
toorcamp
this year). Our writers are located all over the country so if you hear of an event you think we would enjoy, shoot us an email. Maybe we can attend! | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "681421",
"author": "Jeremy Cook",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T21:46:38",
"content": "Caleb, thanks for the intro! Hopefully I’ll get to see some of you guys there!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,376,838.361998 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/mitx-6-002x-wraps-up-heres-a-review-from-one-of-the-students/ | MITx 6.002x Wraps Up; Here’s A Review From One Of The Students | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"6.002x",
"class",
"mitx",
"online"
] | [Jorge] just finished MITx 6.002x with the fine score of 99.1%. Congratulations! We just finished reading through
this review of his experience
(
translate
) with the 14-week class and it sounds like the program is extremely well executed. For those that don’t remember, this is
an intro to circuits and electronics course
offered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Except 6.002x is free to all as an online course (but if you actually want a certificate a fee may be involved).
Above is one of the many screenshots which [Jorge] took of the student web interface. It looks great, and offers pretty much everything you need to complete the class. The textbook, which runs at least $65 for a paper copy, is available through the web interface as part of the course. The labs even include web demos you can use to simulate circuits and probe and measure the resulting signals and wave forms. If you have questions there is access to the teachers, but also a set of forums where you can work with other students.
Perhaps most interesting is [Jorge’s] assessment of the time you will spend working on the class. He thinks that if you’re already familiar with electronics the work can be complete in about one afternoon per week. Scheduling is flexible — tests are available for one week, but once you start taking one it must be completed in 24 hours.
He believes this will be offered again in the fall so keep a look out for registration to begin.
[Thanks Pan] | 28 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "681002",
"author": "asdf",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T15:24:00",
"content": "Unfortunately I failed.failedfailedfailed",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "681003",
"author": "Fritoeata",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T15:25:18",
... | 1,760,376,838.459662 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/the-effect-of-code-on-power-consumption/ | The Effect Of Code On Power Consumption | Brian Benchoff | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Software Development"
] | [
"AVR",
"power consumption",
"power efficiency"
] | Of course putting a microcontroller into sleep mode or changing the clock rate has an effect on the power consumption of the chip, but what about different bits of code? Is multiplying two numbers more efficient than adding them, and does ORing two values consume more power than NOPping? [jcw] wanted to compare the power draw of a microcontroller running different loops, so he threw some code on a JeeNode and
hooked it up to an oscilloscope
.
For his test, [jcw] tested two instructions: multiply and shift left. These loops run 50,000 and 5,000 times, respectively (bit shifting is really slow on ATMegas, apparently) and looked at the oscilloscope as the JeeNode was doing its work.
Surprisingly, there is a difference in power consumption between the multiply and shift loops. The shift loop draws 8.4 mA, while the multiply loop draws 8.8 mA. Not much, but clearly visible and measurable. While you’re probably not going to optimize the power draw of a project by only using low-power instructions, it’s still very interesting to watch a microcontroller do its thing. | 36 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "680861",
"author": "Sheldon",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T13:10:40",
"content": "On the higher-end processors a lot is made about minimising the number of times you update registers, in particular when you change the state of the register i.e. 1->0 or 0->1. If it changes to the same va... | 1,760,376,838.539861 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/hands-on-with-raspbmc/ | Hands On With Raspbmc | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"mpeg2",
"raspberry pi",
"raspbmc",
"xbmc"
] | Have you heard of the Raspberry Pi? Surprisingly enough, they’re starting to trickle into the hands of thousands of hackers, and we were fortunate to get our hands on one (second-hand since we didn’t jump in time for the initial preorder). We’ve longed for a tiny embedded option for running XBMC and this is one of the best opportunities we’ve seen yet.
The Raspbmc project
, created by [Sam Nazarko], is tailored to getting XBMC on the Raspberry Pi just a few minutes after it arrives in the mail. And that’s exactly what we did.
If you’re familiar with writing an image to an SD card (or any device for that matter) this is a simple process. Raspbmc is distributed as a single image file which starts up the RPi hardware, then copies itself to RAM while it downloads and installs the filesystem for the distribution. Once the card is flashed just pop it in, power up, and wait about 20 minutes until XBMC shows up on the screen. After that it’s a quick boot each time.
The good news is that its works. XBMC runs pretty fast, with just a hint of lag when loading some menus. We felt at home using the confluence skin we’re familiar with, and had no trouble setting up our samba shares to the video library. The one problem is that it won’t play any of the video files we have on hand. None of them. So we downloaded the
Big Buck Bunny
trailer. It wouldn’t play that either. This is all a codec issue. Although the chip used on the RPi is capable of hardware decoding MPEG2 video, the foundation didn’t license that ability. So it can’t play that format, period. With the movie trailer we tried the OGG format and that’s not currently supported, but the MOV version did play, in full 1080p without trouble.
So the verdict is, if you’re looking to get an RPi just to run XBMC you should wait. So far the package is promising. But we record ATSC video, all of which is MPEG2. If you use MakeMKV to store your DVDs on a server, that also uses MPEG2. Of course there is the option of transcoding everything. But you’ll want to be careful if you have other XBMC frontends which may not be able to play alternative encodings. | 43 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "680808",
"author": "ejonesss",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T12:19:26",
"content": "couldnt you hack the device to play mpeg2",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "680873",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T13:19... | 1,760,376,838.779056 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/counting-bees/ | Counting Bees | Mike Szczys | [
"green hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"bee",
"beekeeping",
"bees",
"counter",
"reflectance",
"reflective",
"Teensy"
] | This is
the bee counter
which [Hydronics] designed. It’s made to attach to the opening for a hive, and will count the number of bees entering and exiting. We’re not experienced bee keepers ourselves (in fact we’re more of the mind of
getting rid of stinging beasties
) but we understand their important role in agriculture and ecosystem so we’re glad someone’s making a nice home for them.
Most of the apparatus is a circuit board lined with reflective sensors. There is a double-row of pin sockets on the top of the board which accepts the Teensy+ which monitors those sensors. The bees must pass below this PCB every time they enter or leave the hive, thereby tripping a sensor. In the video after the break [Hydronics] shows off the system with a netbook used to monitor the output. But it sounds like he has plans for an integrated display system in future versions of the bee counter. | 20 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "680758",
"author": "Eirinn",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T11:24:35",
"content": "…wont one bee be counted multiple times?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "680761",
"author": "RooTer",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T11:30:... | 1,760,376,838.595896 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/ladyadas-thoughts-on-quick-turn-and-small-run-pcb-houses/ | [Ladyada’s] Thoughts On Quick-turn And Small-run PCB Houses | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"fab",
"ladyada",
"limor fried",
"pcb",
"prototype"
] | So you’ve mastered your PCB layout software, and it’s time to make the board. But if you don’t want to etch your own you’ve got to decided where to have it fabricated. There’s a slew of services out there, most of which you cannot afford, but the short list of those you can is still pretty long. We think
this set of PCB fabrication house reviews
will help you make your choice.
[Ladyada] — aka [Limor Fried] — knows what she’s talking about. She owns Adafruit Industries and has done the lion’s share of designing the many kits and items they sell. If you’re going to charge money for something it better work right, and that involves lots of prototypes. But even if you don’t need a quick turn-around or numerous testing boards the post is helpful as she also covers some of the batch producers we’re already familiar with.
These include DorkBot PDX and BatchPCB
to name a couple.
[via
Reddit
] | 50 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "680396",
"author": "DanJ",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T23:17:31",
"content": "I’ve used a lot of the same companies she lists. I am not associated with this company (just a happy customer) but I also use Accutrace (pcb4u.com) for a lot of protos (and some production). They have a $10... | 1,760,376,838.705761 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/keep-an-eye-on-your-palatial-estate-with-this-solar-powered-wifi-cam/ | Keep An Eye On Your Palatial Estate With This Solar Powered WiFi Cam | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"solar"
] | If you’re expecting the serfs to hop the fence with pitch forks and torches you may want to employ a surveillance system. WiFi cameras are a cheap way of doing this, but you’ll need power. [CheapGuitar] decided not to run extension cords, and instead
added solar power to his wireless camera
. The solar panels are easy to spot in this image, but you’ll have to look close to see the camera.
He already had everything on hand, and this included a cheap WiFi camera which runs on 5V. To weatherproof it he used a plastic sandwich meat container. This is actually one of our favorite project enclosures, we used it for
our door-bell button garage door lock
. [CheapGuitar] painted it black to help keep it hidden after cutting a hole in the lid for the camera lens. Under the solar panels you’ll find a 12V car battery which uses a USB car charger to regulate voltage for the camera. Each of the panels is a 5W trickle charger and they’re designed to top off deep cycle batteries. The entire thing is cleverly hidden behind his existing landscaping.
[via
Reddit
] | 27 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "680360",
"author": "Hope Laplace is Suffering",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T22:24:35",
"content": "I like it!Just the solution for the problem I had !Also, this is my first hackaday comment and Im the first one:)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,376,838.842157 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/traffic-signal-controller-pulls-data-over-wifi/ | Traffic Signal Controller Pulls Data Over WiFi | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"copperhead",
"shield",
"stop light",
"traffic light",
"wifi"
] | [Travis Brown] just published
a post about the traffic light controller he built
. His number one goal was to make the device wireless (except for AC power) and he achieved this by using a WiFi shield for his Arduino. But there is also a separate board that provides a way for the chip to switch the AC lights.
He works for a web hosting company, and the boss wanted a fun way to display the status of the servers among other things. He chose to use the WiServer library which controls the CoperHead WiFi Shield and gives him the ability to serve simple web pages from the Arduino. When power is applied the sketch automatically connects to the AP and starts polling the company’s API for status data. If you’re not within eyesight of the traffic lights you can log into the web server and check that way.
We think [Travis] did a great job of explaining his code, and we applaud him for making proper use of the watchdog timer (something we don’t see in very many projects). This joins the pile of
traffic-light display devices
we’ve seen around here. We still don’t know where people are getting their hands on the things. | 7 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "680350",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T22:13:45",
"content": "Nice job. That looks awesome!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "680352",
"author": "Galane",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T22:15:53",
"content": "A... | 1,760,376,838.886959 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/mantis9-pcb-mill/ | Mantis9 PCB Mill | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"bushings",
"cnc",
"mantis",
"mantis9",
"mill",
"pcb"
] | This is
the Mantis9 PCB mill
. It’s the first time we’ve featured the project, but it’s already well known by some as it keeps popping up in the comments for other CNC mill projects. Yes, it’s made out of wood — which some frown upon — but we’re happy with the build instructions and the especially the price tag (parts as low as $85).
We did feature
an earlier revision of the hardware
back in 2010. Subsequent versions changed the frame to use an open-front design, but it’s the build techniques that saw the biggest evolution. The problem was getting the holes for the parallel rods to align accurately. In the end it’s a simple operation that solves the problem; clamp both boards together and drill the holes at the same time. A drill press is used for all of the fabrication, ensuring that the holes are perpendicular to the surface of the boards. From there the rods are given some bronze bushings and pressed into place. Only then are the platforms secured to the bushings using epoxy. This is to ensure that the bushings don’t bind from poor alignment. We think it should end up having less play in it than other
builds that use drawer slides
.
Check out a PCB milling run in the clip after the break.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlDpZl-QIAA
[Thanks Harvie] | 30 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "680266",
"author": "Jason",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T20:06:41",
"content": "I spent about three months trying to build one of these mills using the instructions provided. This is much, much more difficult than they make it seem. I was never able to get the ways perfectly parallel, a... | 1,760,376,839.073595 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/myhdl-python-programming-option-for-fpga/ | MyHDL Python Programming Option For FPGA | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"fpga",
"hdl",
"myhdl",
"pycpu",
"python",
"vhdl"
] | MyHDL is a Python module that brings FPGA programming into the Python environment. [Christopher Felton] tipped us off about
a simple tutorial he just finished
that gives an overview of how the module is used.
You may remember
hearing about PyCPU
a couple days ago which can run very simple Python code on a FPGA. There was a healthy discussion in the comments section comparing PyCPU and
MyHDL
. Although they may seem similar at first, the two are quite different. PyCPU creates a processor on the FPGA chip which can execute a small range of Python code. MyHDL actually implements Hardware Description Language in the Python environment. Once you’re used HDL to model your hardware choices in a Python script, it is converted to VHDL then fed to the toolchain and pushed to the chip like normal.
This is not an absolute beginner’s experience. But if you’re well-versed in Python it makes the jump to HDL a lot easier because you’ll be working with syntax that is already familiar to you. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "680585",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T06:35:40",
"content": "I read the headline as ‘Monty Python programming option for FPGA’, was a little disappointed to discover my mistake…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "68... | 1,760,376,838.919935 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/making-giant-wooden-balls/ | Making Giant Wooden Balls | Brian Benchoff | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"balls",
"lathe",
"woodworking"
] | One day, we hope, we’ll be as awesome as [Keith Holaman]. He makes
humongous wooden balls
with a chainsaw, crane, and a truck-mounted lathe.
[Keith] got his start making wooden balls on a small lathe at home. For some reason he always wanted to make a bigger wooden ball, but his equipment at the time couldn’t handle this size in [Keith]’s imagination.
To make his gigantic wooden balls, [Keith] skulks around his local forest looking for downed trees and stumps. After getting these huge logs home, he roughs out the sphere with a chainsaw, mounts a chuck on the log with huge bolts, and attached it to a diesel motor.
Because the logs are so huge, he can’t turn the log very fast. to remove a whole lot of wood very quickly, [Keith] spins his tool head at a few thousand RPM.
There aren’t many build details or even an indication of how big these wooden balls are. We’d guess they’re easily over a meter in diameter. If anyone knows where we can see these balls in person, drop a note in the comments. | 37 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "680212",
"author": "speakeasy",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T18:11:08",
"content": "I’m WAAAAAAY to immature to handle watching this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "680250",
"author": "atomsoft",
"timestamp": "201... | 1,760,376,839.189567 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/toorcamp-is-coming/ | Toorcamp Is Coming! | Caleb Kraft | [
"cons"
] | [
"con",
"conference"
] | Hey, I like a good party like anyone else. I’ve been drooling over some of the projects coming out of burning man for years. However, the ratio of “gettin’ crazy” to “build awesome stuff” seems to be slanted in favor of the party experience. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, when I saw this, my eyes welled up with tears of joy.
ToorCamp is Burning Man with less drugs and more hacking. This summer ToorCamp will take place on the northwest corner of the staggeringly beautiful Olympic Peninsula.
Just get yourself out there!
Located at the Hobuck beach resort near Neah Bay WA, Toorcamp is a
4 day event that should pull in roughly 1,000 enthusiastic hackers
. There are four “villages” that you can wander through; the lock picking village, the hardware hackers village, the maker’s village, and the crafting village. All should include bountiful talks and hands on workshops. There’s also a quiet camp if you really really want to avoid the inevitable sporadic parties. | 12 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "680204",
"author": "harviecz",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T17:56:48",
"content": "Burning Man with less drugs and more hacking? No thanks!BTW you can hack as much as you want on burning man :-)Anyway… You are welcome to middle-european burning man alternative with both :-)https://brmla... | 1,760,376,839.119709 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/two-motor-walking-robot-with-a-ti-launchpad/ | Two Motor Walking Robot With A TI Launchpad | Brian Benchoff | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"beam robotics",
"robot",
"ti launchpad"
] | Last month, [Vinod] bought a pair of hobby servos on a whim. These servos sat on the shelf for a while until [Vinod] asked his friend what he should use them for. [Achu] suggested using the servos for a walking robot, so after checking out a few YouTube videos of some servo-powered walkers, [Vinod]
built his own
.
The robot is built around a TI Launchpad housing an MSP430 microcontroller. An extremely simple circuit (just some servos and a cap) power the robot along by alternating the direction the servos turn.
[Vinod]’s two-servo locomotion mechanism is very reminiscent of
BEAM robots
, extremely simple walking (or rolling) robots made out of just a few logic circuits. This TI Launchpad is in some ways even simpler; where [Mark Tilden]’s
Walkman robot
used several 74-series octal buffers, [Vinod]’s project is just a Lanuchpad and a pair of servos.
All the code is available on [Vinod]’s blog. Check out the demo video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZtFp__QuTc&w=470] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "680141",
"author": "Bogdan",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T16:19:48",
"content": "So simple and fun!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "680227",
"author": "PJ Allen",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T18:39:48",
"content": "Highly Ef... | 1,760,376,841.251692 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/turning-an-ibm-selectric-into-a-printer/ | Turning An IBM Selectric Into A Printer. | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"IBM Selectric",
"printer",
"typewriter"
] | In the days when computers took up an entire room, a CRT monitor was a luxury. Most of the time, input and output was handled with a teletype – a typewriter connected directly to the computer. [Josh] wanted his own typewriter terminal, so he
took apart an IBM Selectric II
and got to work.
Instead of an electronic keyboard, the IBM Selectric II uses and electromechanical keyboard to tilt and rotate the Selectric’s typeball. In normal operation, a series of shafts underneath the keyboard are engaged. [Josh]
added parts of an erector
set to those levers and tied each one to one of 16 solenoids.
With a set of solenoids able to print any key with the help of an Arduino, [Josh] had a fully automated typewriter from the early 1970s. [Josh has been printing out a lot of ASCII art lately in preparation for the Kansas City Maker Faire later this month. You can check out the build videos after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36kp861HZGQ&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W375DLfRaTg&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbA3QnohgDI&w=470] | 34 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "680082",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T15:11:05",
"content": "That is awesome. He should cram it back into the case (with the mechanism hanging out the back natch) and label it “Selectric 251”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,376,840.885929 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/scraping-blogs-for-fun-and-profit/ | Scraping Blogs For Fun And Profit | Brian Benchoff | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"python",
"screen scraping",
"wordpress"
] | Sometimes when you’re working on a problem, a solution is thrown right at your face. We found ourselves in this exact situation a few days ago while putting together Hackaday’s new retro edition; a way to select a random Hackaday article was needed and [Alexander van Teijlingen] of
codepanel.net
just handed us the solution.
To grab every Hackaday URL ever, [Alex] wrote a small Python script using the
Beautiful Soup
screen scraping library. The program starts on Hackaday’s main page and grabs every link to a Hackaday post before going to the next page. It’s not a terribly complex build, but we’re gobsmacked a solution to a problem we’re working on would magically show up in our inbox.
Thanks to [Alex], writing a cron job to automatically update our
new retro edition
just got a whole lot easier. If you’d like to check out a list of every Hackaday post ever (or at least through two days ago), you can grab 10,693 line text file
here
. | 23 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "680034",
"author": "RobinJood",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T14:28:28",
"content": "Not to put a downer on this but there’s a tonne of apps out there that do this exact same thing. Many of them open source and/or free.Did you try google?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"rep... | 1,760,376,841.31225 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/13/brute-forcing-the-password-on-a-terribly-insecure-hard-drive/ | Brute Forcing The Password On A Terribly Insecure Hard Drive | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"brute force",
"hard drive",
"password",
"security"
] | While at work one day, [Marco] was approached by a colleague holding a portable USB hard drive. This hard drive – a Freecom ToughDrive – has a built-in security system requiring a password every time the drive is mounted. Somewhat predictably, the password on this hard drive had been lost, so [Marco]
brute forced the password out of this drive
.
The
Freecom ToughDrive
requires a password whenever the drive is plugged in, but only allows 5 attempts before it needs to be power cycled. Entering the passwords was easy to automate, but there was still the issue of unplugging the drive after five failed attempts. [Marco] called upon his friend [Alex] to build a small USB extension cable with a relay inserted into the 5 V line. An easy enough solution after which the only thing needed was the time to crack the password.
The rig successfully guessed the password after 500 attempts, or after cycling the power 100 times. This number is incredibly low for getting a password via brute force, but then again the owner of the hard drive was somewhat predictable as to what passwords they used. | 13 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "679991",
"author": "HackerK",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T13:01:28",
"content": "I have thought of that back in the days with IDE laptop drives, and need to power recycle every 3 fail password.Just not sure if this is any good for the harddrive with constant power up and down.",
"p... | 1,760,376,840.935242 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/open-rail-or-why-didnt-we-think-of-this/ | Open Rail, Or, Why Didn’t We Think Of This? | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks",
"Crowd Funding"
] | [
"aluminum extrusion",
"cnc",
"Maker Slide",
"Open Rail"
] | Hackaday readers familiar with the with the CNC and automated machinery scene will be familiar with
MakerSlide
, the open-source linear bearing system. This linear movement system composed of special aluminum extrusions and mounting plates riding on v-wheels has been used in a lot of awesome builds including the
Quantum ORD Bot 3D printer
and the
Shapeoko CNC router
. If there’s one downside to the MakerSlide, it’s the hard-to-source aluminum extrusion with the requisite v-wheel guides. [Mark] and [Trish] of Phlatboyz have an ingenious solution to this problem:
just have bolt-on v-wheel guides
. It’s an idea so simple we’re kicking ourselves for not thinking of it first.
Open Rail is completely compatible with the MakerSlide linear bearing system. Instead of requiring a special aluminum extrusion, the Open rail system uses regular, plain-jane aluminum extrusions available at any reputable hardware store. Just pop a few t-nut into the Open Rail and attach it to your extrusion. Couldn’t be easier.
Considering how easy it is to find surplus aluminum extrusion, we’ll expect a few gigantic MakerSlide and Open Rail derived CNC projects in the very near future. | 54 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "679476",
"author": "IcHaWk",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T21:09:54",
"content": "First!Can’t wait to finish my Cnc now!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "679484",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T21:26:53",
"co... | 1,760,376,841.395703 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/adding-the-apple-breathing-led-to-a-motorcycle/ | Adding The Apple ‘breathing LED’ To A Motorcycle | Brian Benchoff | [
"LED Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"led",
"motorcycle",
"PIC12F",
"pwm"
] | [spiralbrain] has a beautiful KTM Duke 200 motorcycle, but he’s found the factory configuration is a little bit plain. Wanting to add his own unique touch to his bike, he decided to
add a ‘breathing LED’ to the parking light
that slowly changes its brightness much like the LED on recent Macs.
From the factory, [spiralbrain]’s bike uses extremely inefficient (and somewhat ugly) T10 lamps for the parking light. This was changed over to a 12 Volt white SMD light bulb, but what really makes this build special is the way [spiralbrain] is controlling this lamp.
[spiralbrain] added a very tiny circuit consisting of an 8-pin microcontroller (a PIC12F683) that slowly dims the new SMD light bulb using the built-in PWM module. When the bike is taken out of neutral, the microcontroller stops at the highest PWM setting so the ‘breathing’ LED function is only engaged when not moving.
It’s an interesting mod that’s sure to draw some attention when [spiralbrain] is showing off his bike. As a bonus, the mod is completely reversible, so the bike’s warranty is still good. | 32 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "679448",
"author": "fffrrr",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T20:17:02",
"content": "I need your help. please contact me.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "679703",
"author": "spiralbrain",
"timestamp": "2012-06-13T05:10... | 1,760,376,841.15219 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/hackaday-links-june-12-2012/ | Hackaday Links: June 12, 2012 | Brian Benchoff | [
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"3d rendering",
"arduino",
"atomic clock",
"Parallax Propeller",
"propeller",
"retro",
"sgi",
"Trash-80",
"trs-80"
] | Amazing 3D rendering in
real-time
Ah, the 90s. A much simpler time when the presenters on Bad Influence! were amazed by the 3D rendering capabilities of the
SGI Onyx RealityEngine2
. This
giant machine
cost £250,000 back in the day, an amazing sum but then again we’re getting nostalgic for old SGI hardware.
Well, Mega is taken… let’s call it Grande
[John Park] needed to put something together for last month’s Maker Faire. A
comically large, fully functional Arduino
was the obvious choice. If you didn’t catch the
demo last month
, you can grab all the files
over on Thingiverse
.
Is that an atomic clock in your pocket or… oh, I see.
Here’s the world’s
smallest atomic clock
. It’s made for military hardware, so don’t expect this thing to show up at Sparkfun anytime soon; we can’t even fathom how much this thing actually costs. Still, it’ll be awesome when this technology trickles down to consumers in 10 or 20 years.
Converting a TRS-80 keyboard to USB
[Karl] is working on an awesome project – putting a Raspberry Pi inside an old TRS-80. The first part of the project –
converting a TRS-80 keyboard to USB
– is already complete. We can’t wait to see this build finished.
A DIY Propeller dev board
Last week
we complained
about the dearth of builds using the Parallax Propeller. A few noble tinkerers answered our call and sent in a few awesome builds using this really unique micro. [Stefan]’s
Propeller One
is the latest, and looking at the schematics it should be possible to etch a single-sided board for this project. Awesome work and thanks for giving us a weekend project, [Stefan]. | 25 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "679377",
"author": "Will",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T19:14:30",
"content": "Regarding the CSAC, a Bing search reveals a list price of $1500 “for small quantities,” whatever that means. And it is available in military and commercial versions.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,376,841.08548 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/nah-you-dont-need-an-ethernet-module-for-your-arduino/ | Nah, You Don’t Need An Ethernet Module For Your Arduino | Brian Benchoff | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"openwrt",
"wireless router"
] | [Andy] needed a cheap Internet connection between a data-gathering Arduino and his home server. An Ethernet shield would suffice, but he couldn’t run CAT5 to the Arduino’s location. Wireless shields are hideously expensive, and after looking over the popular Zigbee modules, [Andy] had a few concerns about range and build complexity.
The obvious solution
to this problem was getting a cheap WiFi router, flashing OpenWRT firmware on the device, and piping sensor data through the Arduino’s USB port, through the router, and over a WiFi connection to the server.
[Andy] used a TP-Link TL-WR703N wireless ‘travel router’ available on eBay £15 (~$30 USD when we checked). After flashing the router with
OpenWRT
, [Andy] had a wireless connection from a remote data-collecting Arduino directly to his server.
Attentive Hack a Day readers will note this is the third ‘wireless router + OpenWRT as a dev board’ build this week (
first one
,
second one
) . No, we don’t know what’s going on, or why the collective unconscious of makers around the globe decided to latch onto this type of build so suddenly. OpenWRT is available for
hundreds of different routers
, and anything that keeps disused routers out of the landfill (with the bonus of doing something useful) is alright in our book, so if you have another similar build,
send it in
and we’ll get around to it sometime. | 21 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "679350",
"author": "aquascummm",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T18:17:12",
"content": "what no writeup? Build log? Pics?Anything?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "679360",
"author": "Brian Benchoff",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,376,840.815785 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/introducing-hack-a-day-the-retro-edition/ | Introducing Hack A Day: The Retro Edition | Brian Benchoff | [
"News"
] | [
"retro edition"
] | Hack a Day hasn’t change its format since 2004. Even though
MAKE
has gone Web 2.0 with buttons using mouseover, and
Instructables
has fancy drop-down menus, Hack a Day has been a constant black background, green text child of the web circa 2004. A while ago, we decided it was time for an update to our layout. Today we’re pleased to announce an open beta test for our upcoming update –
Hack a Day: the retro edition
.
In case you’re wondering,
yes, this is a joke
, and
no, we’re not going all Web 0.1a on you
.
The retro edition is a little side project to
our upcoming update
where we’ll be rolling out a new template for Hack a Day. We’re going to fix a lot of the problems with the current template – searching, and an admittedly terrible commenting system design – and generally ‘cleaning up’ the design. We already have
the store up and running
, so progress on the update is slowly being made.
As far as the retro edition goes, we’re keeping that. We’ve had a few nerd-offs trying to load Hack a Day on the oldest computer possible, so a version of Hack a Day built for computers from 1983 seemed like a worthwhile goal. Think of it as a challenge: if you can send in a picture of your Commodore PET loading up the retro edition, we’ll add you to the
retro successes page
.
There’s a bit more we’d like to do with the retro edition, namely guides to getting your old computers up on the Internet. As a little bonus (and in keeping with the retro theme), we’re putting up a few classic Hack a Day posts from the days of yore.
So, there you go. We’ve tested the retro edition on a Mac PowerBook 170 and a Quadra 700, but feel free to dig out your old hardware and give this a spin.
EDIT: As far as the ‘retro competition’ goes, [Jaromir] wrote in and brought up an interesting point: Loading that .GIF logo would be really hard on computers with kilobytes of ram, so I’m changing that to a .BMP. Just so we’re all clear, there are no official rules, you’re competing against yourself, and if you can get a picture of an old computer loading this site, you’re going to be listed on the ‘successes’ page. | 52 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "679286",
"author": "oldbitcollector",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T17:05:57",
"content": "Yes, but will it run on a Commodore 64? :)http://pdf.textfiles.com/technical/c64online.pdfIf I had more time I’d toss together a demo. Perhaps one of the CBM’ers will jump on this.",
"parent_i... | 1,760,376,841.020862 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/bending-laser-cut-wood-without-steam-or-forms/ | Bending Laser Cut Wood Without Steam Or Forms | Brian Benchoff | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"kerf bending",
"laser cut",
"laser cutter",
"plywood"
] | If you want to pretty up your project boxes, we can’t imagine anything better than [Shaun]’s
walnut plywood, laser-cut, kerf bent
Arduino case. Instead of the slot-and-tab construction of traditional laser-cut enclosures, [Shaun] used a technique to bend plywood without steaming, heating, and eventually scorching his somewhat expensive plywood.
This isn’t
the first time
we’ve seen this accordian style laser-cut kerf bend. By alternating laser cuts along the desired radius, the plywood can be bent by hand. The technique is called
kerf bending
and is perfect for putting an organic touch on the usual 90° angle project boxes we see.
[Shaun] has
an Instructable
for the smaller boxes that are part of his Arduino powered wireless sensor network. This Instructable goes over the pattern of laser cuts required to get a nice, smooth kerf bend, and also shows off how beautiful a laser-cut project box can be when cut out of aromatic cedar. | 16 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "679368",
"author": "Trav",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T18:47:25",
"content": "This looks like an excellent enclosure for retro style projects. Reminds me of an old radio.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "679378",
"author": "Chal... | 1,760,376,841.201838 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/building-a-foundry-in-your-backyard/ | Building A Foundry In Your Backyard | Brian Benchoff | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"aluminum casting",
"foundry",
"smelting"
] | [th3BadWolf] has been wanting to build a foundry for some time now. Done right, it’s a very neat tool; it’s fairly easy to do aluminum castings, and if you’re clever enough a foundry can lead to building large machine tools such as a lathe or a mill. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing, so [BadWolf] is
designing his foundry
to melt 150 pounds of aluminum every 45 minutes.
The build began with a humble oil barrel. [th3BadWolf] cut the top off of the barrel and began lining the inside of the barrel with a ceramic blanket and refractory bricks. To hold this somewhat precarious assemblage of blanket and brick together, [BadWolf] is holding everything together with 3000° F cement.
The body of the furnace is nearly complete, but [BadWolf] still has to drill a few holes for the burner system. He’s going to start each burn with Propane, then move over to engine oil when the furnace gets hot enough. Truly an awesome project, and we can’t wait to see the results. | 25 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "679179",
"author": "dougie",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T14:43:28",
"content": "“Truly an awesome project, and we can’t wait to see the results.” Addendum: So long as said results don’t include an incinerated dwelling.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,376,841.633162 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/stiltwalker-beat-audio-recaptcha/ | Stiltwalker Beat Audio ReCAPTCHA | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"audio",
"captcha",
"layerone",
"machine learning",
"recaptcha",
"stiltwalker"
] | This talk from the 2012 LayerOne conference outlines how the team build Stiltwalker,
a package that could beat audio reCAPTCHA
. We’re all familiar with the obscured images of words that need to be typed in order to confirm that you’re human (in fact, there’s a cat and mouse game to
crack that visual version
). But you may not have noticed the option to have words read to you. That secondary option is where the toils of Stiltwalker were aimed, and at the time the team achieved 99% accurracy. We’d like to remind readers that audio is important as visual-only confirmations are a bane of visually impaired users.
This is all past-tense. In fact, about an hour before the talk (embedded after the break) Google upgraded the system, making it much more complex and breaking what these guys had accomplished. But it’s still really fun to hear about their exploit. There were only 58 words used in the system. The team found out that there’s a way to exploit the entry of those word, misspelling them just enough so that they would validate as any of up to three different words. Machine learning was used to improve the accuracy when parsing the audio, but it still required tens of thousands of human verifications before it was reliably running on its own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfgGNsPPAfU
[via
Reddit
] | 13 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "682065",
"author": "kajer",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T16:14:41",
"content": "This was an excellent talk, but if anyone has tried to use the *NEW* audio recaptcha, there is much more work to be done.The interesting part is, Google’s *NEW* audio captcha is almost too hard to listen to ... | 1,760,376,841.681981 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/12-gauge-shotgun-bow-real-or-fake/ | 12 Gauge Shotgun Bow: Real Or Fake? | Mike Szczys | [
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [
"12 gauge",
"bow",
"real or fake",
"shotgun"
] | It’s time once again for everyone’s favorite comments section game: Real or Fake? This week we’re looking into
this 12 gauge shotgun bow
. Why use arrows when you can fire shells? This gentleman has apparently removed the stock of a 12 gauge shotgun and positioned the barrel as if it were an arrow. When he releases the bowstring the gun fires.
Take a look a the quick clip after the break and let us know what you think. We’ve fired a 12 gauge and the kick is surprising. Although the sound matches in this video, we think he’s got arms of steel if he can control the weapon that well with one outstretched arm. But then again, perhaps our arms are just too wimpy from all that intricate surface mount soldering we do.
If you’ve missed out on this game in the past be sure to
look back
on the
last couple features
. | 81 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "681985",
"author": "afex",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T14:28:50",
"content": "real – anyone savvy enough to doctor video would not be the type of person to also shoot video vertically.…unless thats what he WANTS me to think!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,376,841.864108 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/redbulls-new-creation-contest-comes-to-your-workshop/ | Redbull’s New Creation Contest Comes To Your Workshop | Caleb Kraft | [
"contests"
] | [
"contest",
"redbull"
] | We get bombarded with press releases daily. Our inbox overflows with brand new iPhone cases and cheap LED manufacturers in china. We generally have no interest in sharing obvious product advertisement with you. However, some people understand what we’re interested in. Redbull gets it. They’re embracing hackers and running contests that promote DIY/hacking. Last year,
we saw some cool results from their contest
.
So, we’re happy to announce that this year,
they are doing it again
! Only this time, the contest will come to the location of the entrants! If you qualify to be one of the final teams involved, they’ll set up to stream live from your home workshop/hackerspace for the contest. You might be thinking, “aren’t you just advertising for red bull?”, we feel that as long as they’re promoting hacking, they’re advertising for us!
You can catch the details after the break.
DREAM BIG, CREATE BIGGER, SHARE WITH THE WORLD
In it’s Second Year, Build Competition Red Bull Creation, Brings the Innovation Home
NEW YORK – June 15, 2012
– Calling all hackers, builders and inventors in between! Red Bull Creation, the 72-hour themed innovation competition, is returning for its second year with a new digital format, upgraded technology and higher stakes. Last year’s marathon brought the best groups of four to Brooklyn to create side-by-side. This year, the competition goes
TO
the top makers, individually or in teams across the country…taking place in their own domain, using their own tools. The possibilities are endless.
QUALIFY
Red Bull Creation will predominately live online starting with any interested possible competitors registering after June 15 and receiving a “Bullduino”, our version of an Arduino—an open-sourced single board wiring platform. Show us your skills by making something using the Bullduino and upload a video by July 3. No specific topic this round, just a maker and his or her thoughts. Twelve teams or individuals will be selected by a panel of experts by July 5 to participate in the 72-hour live build.
THEME,BUILD,REPEAT
The real action takes place while the dozen “chosen ones” work simultaneously around the country in their own workshops, hackerspaces or homes to innovate around a common theme. That theme will be announced at the beginning of the 72-hour build set to begin on July 19 – 22.
LIVE IT
What fun is making something if you can’t share it with all your friends…and their friends…and a few other hundred thousand interested strangers? Follow and interact with Red Bull Creation from the qualifying stage to live-streaming of the build competition online by checking in on our hacker, mobile and tablet ready website:
www.redbullusa.com/creation
. Explore the facts, see past teams and innovations, learn what’s being built and talk to current competitors live— who knows? Maybe you’ll even contribute a great idea.
WIN IT
The Red Bull Creation builders will build, the makers will make and the public will vote online. High scoring teams will take their creations to the ultimate stage— the Maker Faire in NYC 2012. Home to over 40,000 visitors across two days, the Maker Faire is a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness. Beyond the opportunity to show, share and learn with like-minded tech enthusiasts, engineers, artists, etc…Winners will take home $10,000 for equipment to further encourage their creativity. | 18 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "674665",
"author": "anon301",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T17:26:05",
"content": "ubject to the rights and license you grant herein, you retain all right, title and interest in your User Content. We do not guarantee any confidentiality with respect to User Content even if it is not publ... | 1,760,376,841.739456 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/adding-wireless-to-the-raspberry-pi/ | Adding Wireless To The Raspberry Pi | Brian Benchoff | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"linux",
"raspberry pi",
"wifi"
] | For those of us who haven’t received their Raspberry Pis yet, it may come as a bit of a shock to realize the RasPi doesn’t have an on board WiFi adapter. While the Model B RasPi has an RJ45 Ethernet plug, but the Model A must rely on USB-bound networking dongles. [Mike] over at Mitch Tech put up a great guide to using a
Realtek WiFi dongle with his Raspberry Pi
.
Stock, the standard Debian install
recommended by the folks at Raspberry Pi
has the drivers for the Realtek WiFi adapter, but no firmware. [Mike] goes over how to get the firmware for this series of WiFi adapters to keep the kernel from complaining. Interestingly, [Mike]’s instructions also work for a slew of Realtek-based wireless dongles, so the installation instructions should work for a bunch of adapters available from DealExtreme or eBay.
[Mike] also has a guide for
installing Quake 3 on a RasPi
. Combine these two builds and you’ve got the perfect setup for a Raspberry Pi LAN party. Anyone want to host? | 19 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "681913",
"author": "Alex Rossie",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T12:42:01",
"content": "Don’t think his URL is right, I done this last week for my tv card.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "682158",
"author": "stephenjosephbis... | 1,760,376,842.010966 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/15/putting-an-atari-pokey-in-your-pocket/ | Putting An Atari POKEY In Your Pocket | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"atari",
"Atari POKEY",
"chiptune",
"pic32"
] | The Atari POKEY served as the main I/O chip on the venerable Atari 400/800 and XL/XE 8-bit computers. While a chip designed to get voltages from game paddles and scanning a matrix of keyboard switches wouldn’t normally be remembered 30 years later, the POKEY had another function: generating very, very distinctive music and sound effects for those old Atari games. [Markus Gritsch] wanted a portable version of the POKEY, so he
emulated one on a modern microcontroller
. Now he’s able to take those old Atari chiptunes where ever he goes.
The build uses the
Another Slight Atari Player
by emulating a 6502 and POKEY chip inside [Markus]’ PIC32MX-based microcontroller. There’s not much physical hardware [Markus] had to deal with – the board is built on a QFP proto board [Markus] picked up with a few buttons and a jack added for some simple I/O.
This isn’t [Markus]’s first attempt at portabalizing chiptunes – last year, we saw a truly awesome
portable SID player
that used the same PIC32 microcontroller and an emulated 6502. Between the
Atari SAP Music Archive
and the
High Voltage SID Collection
, [Markus] has more than enough chiptunes for days of listening pleasure. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "681961",
"author": "Josh Malone",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T14:10:36",
"content": "Yay for more portable chiptune players. From the headline, I was hoping it actually used a pokey chip, but I would imagine that pokey emulation is generally pretty decent on an MCU (unlike SID).",
... | 1,760,376,841.903964 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/nook-touch-becomes-a-desktop-computer/ | Nook Touch Becomes A Desktop Computer | Mike Szczys | [
"Tablet Hacks"
] | [
"charger",
"host mode",
"Nook",
"nook touch",
"tripod",
"usb"
] | It looks like [Renate] has been pounding out hack after hack on her Nook touch. It stands on its own now
thanks to a tripod bracket hack
which is the most recent work she’s done. But there are bunch of other modifications, all of which are linked after the break.
We believe that this is meant for displaying lyrics as she sings and plays along. To that end there’s a foot pedal attachment that lets her control the device. It connects to the Nook via a USB hub that allows her to interface multiple devices at once. This in itself is also a hack, as host mode isn’t an out-of-the-box feature for the device. In order to avoid having to disconnect everything in order to top off the battery, she also manged to get the thing to charge from the USB hub. In fact, with all this in one package she’s basically got herself a desktop computer.
Tripod-style-mount:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=26880178#post26880178
USB host mode:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1457971
Powering hub:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=22956658#postst22956658
Foot pedal:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27391128#post27391128
[via
XDA Developers
] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "681533",
"author": "dext0rb",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T00:22:58",
"content": "looks pro; kudos.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "681568",
"author": "Rick",
"timestamp": "2012-06-15T01:24:01",
"content": "Instant Telep... | 1,760,376,842.107567 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/14/penny-auction-hacking-put-on-your-statisticians-hat/ | Penny Auction Hacking; Put On Your Statistician’s Hat | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"auction",
"auctions",
"penny auctions",
"statistics"
] | Penny auctions are where you must pay a fee each time you bid. Certainly this alters the behavior of the bidders, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of info about exactly how. In preparation for an analytics degree, [Jay]
decided to study penny auctions
and see if he can win a contest based on his findings. Now he’s not necessarily looking to make a living by gaming the auction system. But we were interested to see how he went about getting information, and what he has to say about the results.
Since there really isn’t a large body of data available, he scraped it himself. You’ll want to page through his posts on the topic, but
basically he’s using Python on a fast machine
. This is made quite a bit easier through the use of
Selenium RC
, but it also means he’s got a lot of instances of Firefox running to track multiple auctions. Scraped data is stored in CSV files, and posted to his front page daily.
From what he’s captured so far [Jay] suggests that time of day, type of auction, and several other factors dictate when you should bid to attain the best deals. | 11 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "681456",
"author": "Girrrrrrr2",
"timestamp": "2012-06-14T22:38:06",
"content": "Interesting I was thinking of doing something like this, but I currently dont know any language enough to pull it off, good on him for starting this project.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,376,842.155092 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/how-do-atomic-clocks-work/ | How Do Atomic Clocks Work? | Caleb Kraft | [
"clock hacks",
"gps hacks"
] | [
"atomic clock"
] | [Bill Hammack] aka [Engineerguy] is back again with another fantastic informational video. This time around he’s describing exactly
how an atomic clock does what it does
. He starts off with a great analogy of jello jiggling when poked. He explains how this is similar to the quartz crystal inside the clock oscillating due to the electrical “poke” we give it. He goes on to explain how GPS satellites rely on this accuracy when determining physical locations on the ground.
As usual, [Bill] does a fantastic job of delivering the information quickly and packed full of detail, while still keeping it simple enough that even those unfamiliar with the technology can follow along. | 23 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "679133",
"author": "vic",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T13:19:09",
"content": "What amazes me most is the miniaturization and commoditization we have achieved with such a complex device. You can buy a rubidium standard (I think that GPS satellite use that now instead of cesium standards)... | 1,760,376,842.216513 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/a-simple-rf-signal-strength-meter/ | A Simple RF Signal Strength Meter | Jeremy Cook | [
"LED Hacks",
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"PICAXE",
"rf meter"
] | [Scott] wrote in to us with his simple, but well done
RF signal strength meter
. As he points out in his post, sometimes an Arduino is overkill, so a Picaxe 08M was used instead. Apparently this was a refresh of a high school project that he did. Certainly many of us would have liked to go to that high school!
An interesting part of this project is how he used a laser cutter to produce his PCB traces. This was done by applying black paint to the copper on his board and cutting everywhere he didn’t want copper traces. The results were quite good, and should work well when this project is finalized in an enclosure
Check out the video after the break to see this circuit in action. He explains the build in it, but if you just want to see the signal strength lights come on, fast forward to around 2:25.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxyGhsdG6bk&w=470&h=315%5D | 18 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "679024",
"author": "nxpguy",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T11:08:43",
"content": "There is a mistake in the first schematic, +5V should be taken before the 200R !",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "679259",
"author": "Andr0id"... | 1,760,376,842.065446 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/swumanoid-a-swimming-humanoid-robot/ | Swumanoid: A Swimming Humanoid Robot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"humanoid",
"swimming"
] | If you just happen to find yourself at the Fifth International Symposium on Aero Aqua Bio-Mechanisms this August in Taipei, you might get a chance to see this half sized swimming humanoid.
Swumanoid was created by researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology
by doing a 3d scan of a human, then simplifying the shapes and breaking them up to 3d printable parts. Waterproof motors are needed… since it is a swimming bot. The articulation is pretty incredible, the Sumanoid can do the crawl, like you see in the video below as well as breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and even doggy paddle.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Gp5h14KG4&feature=player_embedded] | 15 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "678390",
"author": "giacomo",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T19:16:10",
"content": "Interesting. The source article has a broken source link (sourception). The correct link is:http://www.mech.titech.ac.jp/~dycon2/motomu/index2.htmlThat aside, this thing is RIGHT in the dark depths of the ... | 1,760,376,842.334634 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/calculating-with-3d-printed-gears/ | Calculating With 3D Printed Gears | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"computer",
"electromechanica"
] | Here’s a
3D printed electromechanical computer
built by [Chris Fenton] over at NYCResistor. It uses plastic registers printed on a Makerbot, a bunch of pogo pins, and business-card sized punch cards capable of storing 32 bits of instructions and data.
In case you’re wondering, this
isn’t the first time
we’ve seen [Chris]’ FIBIAC. Since the last update, [Chris] managed to get a program that walks through the first three digits of the Fibonacci sequence. There’s really no limit to what the FIBIAC can
theoretically
do, but with only three registers he’s limited to calculating the first three digits of pi.
With more registers, [Chris]’ computer could be expanded, but each register takes about 8 hours to print. We’re sure [Chris] would gladly accept any donations of additional 3D-printed registers, so if you’d like to make a few of these gear registers you can get the files
on Thingiverse
.
As a proof of concept, [Chris]’ FIBIAC is amazing, but it doesn’t live up to its intended design. The punch card format [Chris] created is capable of storing 8 registers, and the registers themselves can be expanded far beyond their current 3-digit width. Still, it’s an incredible build and has the bonus of being easily expandable thanks to a very clever design.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S-a28CQqps&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9cM6TL6xA&w=470] | 5 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "678662",
"author": "mindbleach",
"timestamp": "2012-06-12T00:38:15",
"content": "Sounds like he needs a new form of memory, like a long rod with decimal wheels hanging off of it. It could slide back and forth over a reader while still providing a full display of the linear RAM.",
... | 1,760,376,842.527437 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/adding-a-router-and-wireless-camera-to-a-remote-controlled-helicopter/ | Adding A Router And Wireless Camera To A Remote Controlled Helicopter | Brian Benchoff | [
"Toy Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"openwrt",
"remote control",
"router"
] | Last Christmas, [bonafide] received a WiFi enabled remote control helicopter from his employer. The heli is an interesting bit of kit, able to be controlled with an Android or iDevice. Being the good tinkerer he is, [bonafide] took a screwdriver to his Wi-Fli Bladerunner Helicopter and reengineered the toy to
use an off-the-shelf wireless router
.
The protocol used by the Wi-Fli helicopter is closed source, but a few people have had their hand at
reverse engineering this cool toy
. Instead of simply controlling the helicopter over WiFi, [bonafide] wanted to add a few unsupported features like sending images from a webcam. This isn’t supported in the toy’s firmware, so after a valiant attempt at
flashing new firmware
, [bonafide] decided to replace the electronics with a WiFi router.
In the stock configuration, the helicopter receives commands from an RT5350F-based WiFi module. This module communicates to the servos and motors with a serial connection. [bonafide] replaced the WiFi module with a
very small router
capable of running OpenWRT. The new router was easily configured to send commands to the motors, and allowed [bonafide] to add a small keychain webcam to stream video back to his desktop.
Interestingly, the makers of the WiFli helicopter, Interactive Toy Concepts, are putting out a streaming-video version of this toy next fall. The current version of the WiFli helicopter may hit the Toys ‘r Us clearance bin before that, so if you’d like your own unmanned aerial drone [bonafide]’s may be worth looking over.
Special thanks to [MS3FGX] for sending this one in. Also, the non-coral cache version of [bonafide]’s site is
here
, but try not to turn his server into a pile of molten slag. | 12 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "678293",
"author": "Imbroglio",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T17:16:07",
"content": "We knew this was coming. :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "678297",
"author": "Colecoman1982",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T17:22:14",
"co... | 1,760,376,842.284418 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/balint-is-starting-a-software-defined-radio-tutorial-series/ | [Balint] Is Starting A Software-defined Radio Tutorial Series | Brian Benchoff | [
"how-to",
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"RTL-SDR",
"software-defined radio",
"tutorial",
"tv tuner"
] | A few months ago, we saw a hack where a $20 USB TV tuner was transformed into a software-defined radio capable of reading GPS signals, listening to radio transmissions between aircraft and a control tower, and even a simple FM radio. This project is a perfect introduction to the RTL-SDR and Ham radio scene, but getting these projects up and running can be a bit overwhelming for anyone who hasn’t played around with this before. [Balint] is
tackling this problem head on
with a series of YouTube tutorials to get SDR noobs up and running with GNU Radio and the Realtec USB TV tuner.
To demonstrate the power of software-defined radio, [Balint] is using
GNU Radio
and the USB TV tuner that started it all, the Ezcap EZTV668 (conveniently back in stock
at DealExtreme
, but
other options exist
). Because software-defined radio is a touch confusing for a beginner to wrap their head around, [Balint] is beginning his tutorial series by explaining
radio sources, sinks, and the GNU Radio interface
.
Already, [Balint] has put up 5 tutorials and made the flowgraph files available in
his gr-baz project
. He’s doing a wonderful job opening up the software-defined radio scene to beginners, but he’s still looking for some feedback. If you have a suggestion on what [Balint] should cover next, leave a note in the YouTube comments and we’re sure [Balint] will get around to that eventually. | 26 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "678193",
"author": "Imbroglio",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T16:07:19",
"content": "Outstanding! I have some devices I can test on.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "678199",
"author": "regulatre",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T16:... | 1,760,376,842.408691 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/talking-resistor-calculator-speaks-component-values/ | Talking Resistor Calculator Speaks Component Values | Brian Benchoff | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"Parallax Propeller",
"propeller",
"resistor calculator",
"speech synthesizer",
"text to speech"
] | If there’s one thing that will surely blind us, its reading resistor color bands. It doesn’t help that red looks exactly like orange, brown and black are indistinguishable, and different component manufacturers – for some reason – don’t use identical paints for coding their resistors. [Jeff] over at Gadget Gangster has been having the same problem, so he built a
talking resistor calculator
to speak resistor values to him.
The electronics part of the build is extremely simple with just an MCP3208 ADC providing 12 bits of resolution. The software side is where this project really shines. [Jeff] used a
Gadget Gangster QuickStart board
housing a Parallax Propeller. With 8 cores running in parallel the Propeller is more than enough to run [Phil Pilgrim]’s
software speech synthesizer
. When a resistor is connected to the two alligator leads, the Propeller goes through a lookup table and finds a resistor value matching the number coming from the ADC. From there, it’s just sending a string of phonetic text to the speech synthesizer object.
Even though text-to-speech chips have been around for decades now, [Jeff] chose to build his speech synthesis tool with software. It may just be a testament to the power in the Propeller microcontroller, but anything that keeps us from squinting at resistor color bands is alright by us. | 21 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "678142",
"author": "sneakypoo",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T15:27:51",
"content": "To be frank I’m not sure if this is an improvement over hard to read colour bands… It might be because English isn’t my first language but I’m having a hard time hearing what the values actually are.And ... | 1,760,376,842.489588 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/programming-fpgas-with-python/ | Programming FPGAs With Python | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware",
"Software Development"
] | [
"fpga",
"python",
"verilog",
"vhdl"
] | If you’ve ever wanted to jump into the world of FPGAs but don’t want to learn yet another language, you can now program an
FPGA with Python
. PyCPU converts very, very simple Python code into either VHDL or Verilog. From this, a hardware description can be uploaded to an FPGA.
The portion of the Python language supported by PyCPU is
extremely
minimal
, with only
int
s being the only built-in data type supported. Of course
if
s and
while
s are still included along with all the assignments and operators. A new addition is a way to get digital IO access with Python, and obvious requirement if you’re going to be programming Silicon.
PyCPU surely won’t replace VHDL or Verilog anytime soon, but if you’re looking to get into FPGAs and the ‘telling a chip what to
be’
paradigm it offers, it’s certainly a tool worth looking into.
Hats off to [hardsoftlucid] for sending this in. Our wonderful (we mean that, really) noticed a few mistakes when this was first posted. Those mistakes have been corrected. | 22 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "678071",
"author": "Jay",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T14:25:37",
"content": "This seems pretty cool, but I recently got the hang of Verilog and found it easier to learn than Python. There’s so little to it, at least the synthesizable portions of the language.This appears to compile you... | 1,760,376,842.688529 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/adding-a-backlight-to-the-ol-game-boy-brick/ | Adding A Backlight To The ‘ol Game Boy Brick | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"backlight",
"game boy",
"game boy classic"
] | For being more than 20 years old, [Max]’s old brick-sized Game boy still has a lot of life left in it. Even though his Game Boy was still in good condition, there were a few vertical lines in the display, making it a
perfect candidate for a restoration
. While he had his DMG-01 open on his work bench, [Max] also decided to put in a back light.
After researching the blank vertical lines in his Game Boy’s display, [Max] learned the problem was probably a loose solder connection. [Max] whipped out his tri-wing screwdriver, disassembled his classic plastic friend, took a soldering iron to the LCD’s flex connector, and fixed the problem easily.
Since his Game Boy was already taken apart, he decided to add a 3rd party backlight. The installation was a snap – [Max] only removed the reflective LCD backing and shoved an edge-lit backlight panel into the Game Boy.
If you’re wondering why anyone would still be interested in a 20+ year-old Game Boy, the DMG-01 is highly regarded in the chiptune scene when paired with
Little Sound DJ
, in part because of the noisy amplifiers and unique sound. Anything that keeps these wonderful machines out of the garbage is alright in our book, so we’ve got to hand it to [Max] for putting together this wonderful tutorial. | 19 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "678056",
"author": "insapio",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T14:11:38",
"content": "I could be wrong, but it looks like a repaint. How’d he re-do the lettering? Hand paint, vinyl cut lettering, screen print or blue ink on clear media?Looks sharp.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,376,842.744772 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/making-a-light-orb-thingy/ | Making A Light Orb Thingy | Caleb Kraft | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"light painting"
] | The “light orb” has become a staple of light painting projects. If you’ve ever looked through someone’s gallery of light painting, you’ve probably seen a few. There are multiple ways to make them, this project focuses on
swinging a light, or multiple lights at the end of a rope while you slowly turn in a circle
.
The addition of addressable RGB LEDs and a micro controller make this rig capable of generating patterns and possibly even simple images in the sphere itself. His results are quite impressive. His spheres actually look even more precisely shaped than the
automated sphere rig we shared with you before
! | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,376,842.7803 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/11/kinetic-space-software-for-your-kinect-projects/ | Kinetic Space: Software For Your Kinect Projects | Caleb Kraft | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"Kinect",
"microsoft",
"motion",
"xbox"
] | For all of you that found yourselves wanting to use Kinect to control something but had no idea what to do with it, or how to get the data from it, you’re in luck.
Kineticspace is a tool available for Linux/mac/windows
that gives you the tools necessary to set up gesture controls quickly and easily. As you can see in the video below, it is fairly simple to set up. You do you action, set the amount of influence from each body part (basically telling it what to ignore), and save the gesture. This system has already been used for tons of projects and has now hit version 2.0.
[Matthias Wölfel], the creator, tipped us of. His highlights of the new features include:
can be easily trained
: the user can simply train the system by recording the movement/gesture to be detected without having to write a single line of code
are person independent
: the system can be trained by one person and used by others
are orientation independent
: the system can recognize gestures even if the trained and tested gesture does not have the same orientations
are speed independent
: the system is able to recognize the gesture also if it is performed faster or slower compared to the training and is able to provide this information
can be adjusted
: the gesture configuration can be fully controlled by a graphical interface (version 2.0)
can be analyzed
: the current input data can be compared with a particular gesture; feedback of the similarity between the gestures is given for every body part | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "677915",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2012-06-11T11:32:21",
"content": "Perfect application for Neural Networks instead of forcing users to teach it per person.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "684222",
"author": "Martin E... | 1,760,376,842.827468 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/10/using-a-router-as-a-wireless-embedded-platform/ | Using A Router As A Wireless Embedded Platform | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware"
] | [
"router",
"wireless"
] | If you’re going to make your next project wireless, you don’t need an XBee, WiFi shield, or even a Bluetooth module. Turning old hardware into a dev board
is extremely easy
, as [Taikson] shows us by adding an I2C bus to a Fonera router. (Spanish, here’s the
Google translation
)
To add an I2C bus, [Taikson] took two pins that originally went to a router status pin and soldered on a pair of wires. [Taikson]’s router is running OpenWrt, so adding support for I2C devices is just a matter of changing a few kernel settings.
As for what you can do with a router development platform, the sky’s the limit. Last year, [Taikson] controlled a quadcopter
from within a web browser
with a similarly modified I2C-enabled router. It’s a clever hack, and with a little bit of work it should be possible to add a few sensors or even a camera to his quadcopter. | 9 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "677399",
"author": "Nomad",
"timestamp": "2012-06-10T21:20:30",
"content": "And the shackspace hackerspace in Stuttgart is all like: BT;DThttp://shackspace.de/wiki/doku.php?id=project:white_boxWe’re opening our entrance door with a fonera AP.Though the wireless stack on the firmware... | 1,760,376,842.878599 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/10/the-first-step-to-running-iphone-apps-in-linux/ | The First Step To Running IPhone Apps In Linux | Brian Benchoff | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"arm",
"darwin",
"ios",
"linux"
] | [Christina] has been working on a project
she calls Magenta
to put Darwin/BSD on top of Linux. What does that mean? Well, hopefully it’s the first step towards running iPhone/iPad apps on a Linux machine.
Before you get too excited, there are a few caveats; Magenta only works on ARMv7 platforms, none of the fancy iOS frameworks are included, and it’s currently impossible to run iOS apps with this build. Think of this project as a very, very early version of Wine. If you’d like to take Magenta for a spin, [Christina] put the source up
here
.
Although [Christina]’s project is entirely useless for anyone wanting Siri on their Android phone, it’s possible to add all those fancy iOS frameworks to Magenta and create an open source OS able to run iPhone apps.
We really have to admire [Christina]’s work on this. It’s an amazingly impressive project, and her final goal of recreating the iOS stack would be a boon to the jailbreaking scene. Cue the sound of millions of iPhone clones marching out of China…
via [OleRazzleDazzle] on
the reddits | 33 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "677165",
"author": "Kemp",
"timestamp": "2012-06-10T17:12:48",
"content": "Requires an ARM Linux machine you say? *cough*RaspberryPi*cough*",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "677203",
"author": "genericname",
"tim... | 1,760,376,842.945416 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/10/pingbot-adorable-and-fully-documented/ | Pingbot: Adorable And Fully Documented | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"PICAXE",
"PingPong"
] | After building many functional but somewhat unfinished looking bots, [Tomdf] really wanted to produce something that felt “complete”.
Pingbot is the result
and here’s how [Tomdf] describes it:
Pingbot is a very small (38mm diameter), usb rechargeable, programmable, musical, remote control robot designed for maximum fun and danceability.
Though I wasn’t inclined to dance I did find myself smiling watching the video. Pingbot does look finished and has quite a bit of personality too. The brains
inside the Pingbot are a Picaxe 08m2
. With a 110mAh Li-Po battery, Pingbot can dance happily for a quite a while too. When juice is running low, just plug into your USB port for a recharge. You can find all the info and schematics on the instructible as well as the files to print your own Pingbot shell. | 24 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "677028",
"author": "DJCalarco",
"timestamp": "2012-06-10T15:11:22",
"content": "HolyCrap! Its a Fix-It from “Batteries Not Included”!Oh dang, now Im showing my age.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "677039",
"author": "... | 1,760,376,843.007136 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/an-appeal-to-microsoft-to-consider-the-hackers/ | An Appeal To Microsoft To Consider The Hackers | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cdc",
"drivers",
"phillip torrone",
"usb"
] | [PT] is climbing up on his soapbox again to make an appeal to Microsoft. We think his editorial is well-aimed;
appealing for better support for hobby electronics in Windows 8
.
This is of course not strictly a hobby electronics feature request, but deals with how a lot of USB devices are treated by the upcoming operating system. Specifically the Communications Device Class, which is a protocol used by most hobby projects (and boards like the Arduino) that take advantage of the Universal Serial Bus. The way communications are handled by OSX and Linux makes this a snap, but not with Windows 7. [Phil] post specifics about how the former two operating systems handle these communications, and how Windows 8 could be tweaked to fall in line with them.
It means not installing drivers. Drivers…. for a USB device. Think about that for a while and then ask yourself which decade Windows 8 is being developed in. Thanks for pointing this out [PT]. We often get spoiled using a Linux box and don’t realize the hassles sometimes found on other systems. | 105 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "673309",
"author": "atxinventor",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T22:11:17",
"content": "what for? isn’t everybody better served if M$ makes it so obviously clear, crystal, that using their stuff, even for free, is not really a good idea?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"repli... | 1,760,376,843.147042 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/hackerspace-intro-hacker-consortium-in-nashville-tn/ | Hackerspace Intro: Hacker Consortium In Nashville TN | Caleb Kraft | [
"Hackerspaces"
] | [
"hacker consortium",
"hackerspace",
"nashville",
"skydog",
"southeast tour"
] | The last stop on my trip this summer was
the Hacker Consortium in Nashville TN
. The Hacker Consortium has been around since late 2007 after acquiring a building that had been abandoned for several years. They had quite the task ahead of them, since parts of the roof had caved in and the building was in a general state of disrepair. The price was right though, so they set out to make it habitable. They did a great job too. We found the space to be pretty cool. They’ve got tools for wood working, metal working, collaboration, etc. They also have a nice little kitchen area, a classroom, and a laser cutter. Unlike the other spaces we visited where anyone willing to pay the monthly fee can be a member, these guys tend to be a little more concerned with how you can contribute to the group. You don’t necessarily have to bring a new skill to the table, but you have to be an active part of the team somehow.
The members that were there were very hospitable and were happy to show us around. They even took my kids outside and made a shadow box for viewing the sun with them! If you would like to check out the space, you’ll have to
contact [skydog] directly
. There were some really cool projects going on there and I wouldn’t be surprised if we were sharing some of them with you very soon. | 10 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "673559",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T01:32:17",
"content": "All these introductions are making me rather envious. Though spaces ‘abound’ in the SF Bay Area, here in Sacramento the best we have is a group called ‘Open Shop’ that doesn’t actually… have a shop. :p Th... | 1,760,376,843.195668 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/incredible-home-made-low-cost-co2-laser/ | Incredible Home Made Low Cost CO2 Laser | Jesse Congdon | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"co2",
"DIY laser",
"laser",
"make co2 laser"
] | [LokisMischief] wrote in to the tip line to let us know about this incredible
home made CO2 laser
. This thing is a complete DIY beauty, from the PVC cooling jacket to the toolbox based controller. The whole thing is essentially built from DIY parts, hand blown glass for the laser tube, plumbing store mirror mounts, a PVC cooling jacket with a caulked glass viewing window, and a neon sign transformer with a variac to control output. Even the optics are completely DIY, a hand drilled gold mirror and a NaCL window made from a polished chunk of icecream salt! [ThunderSqueak] says the control box only cost 60 bucks, and the rest of the parts don’t look too terribly expensive.
We could only find one video of the setup in the
variac section
of the site, and it was just a test the amp meter in the controller (no lasing anything at all). [ThunderSqueak] does make a note on the to do list about doing a good laser-y demonstration video, which we are looking forward to.
If you want more DIY CO2 laser action check out this
other one
or some
plans for one
. | 26 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "673193",
"author": "ThunderSqueak",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T20:38:11",
"content": "O.ONow I have to be sure to get that laser in action video upThanks :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "673425",
"author": "Jesse Congd... | 1,760,376,843.255209 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/shakerbot-leverages-inertial-for-locomotion/ | Shakerbot Leverages Inertial For Locomotion | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"fly wheel",
"locomotion",
"snakeboard"
] | This robot uses the concept of a snakeboard for getting around. [Sevag Babikian] built the project, and
has gone out of his way to explain how it works
.
We’d recommend skimming over his explanation, but it was the video after the break that made all things clear to us. There is a large fly-wheel at the center. This is not continuously rotating, but oscillates a few inches in either direction. This inertial change shifts the center of gravity for the entire frame, causing motion. By oscillating the front and rear axles at the appropriate time the beast can move forward in a surprisingly straight line.
It’s doing this with just three motors. [Sevag] speculates that with further testing and refinement this could be a very efficient way to move the bot around. We have our doubts about that, but we are mesmerized by the undulations and how well they really do propel the thing along. | 15 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "673082",
"author": "Austin",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T19:22:02",
"content": "Hmm, the first advantageous application that comes to mind is an ice-skating bot. (no fans)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "673091",
"author": "and... | 1,760,376,843.309096 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/adding-remote-control-to-klipsch-surround-system/ | Adding Remote Control To Klipsch Surround System | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ir",
"Klipsch",
"remote control",
"surround sound",
"volume"
] | The speaker system [Zurcher] bought was made by Klipsch. It is a surround sound unit but it’s intended to be used with a computer so there’s no wireless remote for it. Instead, a wired unit sits on the desk and lets you select between the speakers or headphones, and has a volume adjustment knob. The thing is he uses them for his home theater system and
had to add his own remote control hardware
to adjust them from across the room.
He started with some web searches that helped a lot. It seems others have mapped out the hardware in the past and he was able to use that information to find the volume chip inside the controller. A bit of signal sniffing let him work out the control commands coming in over the i2c bus. This was the information he needed to build his own controller. He grabbed his Arduino board, and IR receiver to take commands from just about any remote, and a four-digit 7-segment display to provide settings feedback. You can seen him showing off the final build in the clip after the break. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,376,843.34968 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/where-is-my-ing-virtual-reality-display/ | Where Is My *%$#! Virtual Reality Display? | Caleb Kraft | [
"Rants"
] | [
"virtual reality",
"vr"
] | For years I’ve been asking, loudly and frequently, where’s my F*&#$%ing virtual reality? I realize that many of us, depending on what influenced our dreams of VR will have different definitions, so let me elaborate. When I was a kid, I played
Dactyl Nightmare
at the Union station in St. Louis. You stepped inside this “stage”, donned a massive clunky headache inducing HMD, and brandished a floating joystick of doom to challenge other players and a flying Pterodactyl. I was awe struck. My 12 year old brain decided that this was the future.
Fast forward 20 years and the thought of VR is relegated to niche builds in peoples homes. Graphics hardware has progressed considerably, with games that look absolutely breathtaking becoming the norm. When you sit down to play an FPS style game at a PC and move the mouse around, it seems that it would only be a tiny step to replace that with some nice head tracking. I’ve actually seen people just tape gyro mice to their head to achieve their goal. I’ve seen people
strap entire monitors
to their head too! I’ve always wondered why there isn’t a better commercial solution though. Are there really so few of us that want this?
Now, with 3d movies seeming to take hold, and 3d televisions appearing in peoples homes, I am reminded again of the grandeur that a proper hmd
could
supply. My brother has a 3d television and tossed in some boxing game for the PS3 that is 3d. It was amusing, but not really
immersive
. Don’t get me started on the inaccuracy of those stupid motion controllers I had to use either. The Kinect is a big move forward in terms of how to track body movements,
I’ve seen that added to the mix in peoples homes as well
. Frankly, I’d settle for a decent HMD.
As it turns out, [John Carmack] is also on the quest for VR. He was at E3, talking about a new headset kit being
built by PalmerTech called Oculus Rift
that blows anything else out there away in terms of resolution, response, and cost. This kit will be DIY style and supposedly cost around $500, though you still have to add tracking. The kit looks pretty cool, but what is cooler is that he describes what is really holding most progress back. Apparently, it is the latency involved with the entire loop of motion->computer->display.
Are you listening to this [Jeri Ellsworth]? You paying attention [Jeff Keyser]? Valve needs to make me an HMD, even if I’m the only one on the planet that will enjoy it. Just think of it as a hat. | 75 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "672886",
"author": "ferm",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T17:08:50",
"content": "also, a decent but not fully immersive start:http://www.siliconmicrodisplay.com/st1080.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "672945",
"author": ... | 1,760,376,843.62495 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/simplest-of-sl4a-microbridge-examples/ | Simplest Of SL4A Microbridge Examples | Mike Szczys | [
"Android Hacks",
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"microbridge",
"python",
"sl4a"
] | We’re familiar with the daunting task of sifting through mountains of code in hopes you can learn how something works. So when
a simple example like this SL4A LED toggle
comes along we’re thankful for the trimmed fat. If you’re looking to use an Android device to control your Arduino hardware this will be huge shove in the right direction.
The microbridge
is used to get the Arduino talking with the Android phone. It involves a USB host shield that lets you connect the two devices via a USB cable. With the USB debugging enabled on the phone, you can use
Scripting Layer for Android
as a user interface. In this case, a set of Python scripts builds the button and readout seen on the screen above. They also handle sending and receiving commands based on user input. This means you don’t really need to know anything about Android development. We think it would be a great way to get your project through the development stages, and you could
learn to write a traditional App
later on. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,376,843.386977 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/08/pocketwatch-retrofit-takes-input-from-accelerometer/ | Pocketwatch Retrofit Takes Input From Accelerometer | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"accelerometer",
"densitron",
"MEMS",
"pocketwatch",
"tap"
] | A friend of [CNLohr’s] used the mechanism from an old pocket watch in an art piece, but left him with the enclosure. It’s an interesting looking object that feels great in your hand so
he decided to fill it with his own electronics
, thereby giving it a new life. He’s showing off an early version of the hardware in the video, but plans to send off another version of the board soon to add a few features.
You can see that the round PCB is small enough to fit in the space vacated by the original hardware. The ribbon cable is used to connect to the programmer and we think it’s also the power source for this demonstration. There’s a small Densitron display that’s reading out hex values from the accelerometer. Many of these mems chip (you can
learn how they work from this post
) include a hardware tap detector. This meant you can tap your finger on the device and the chip will signal an input to whatever chip is attached to it. That’s a great option for user input, and it’s what [CNLohr] chose as the select button here. He tilts the watch to one side, then taps to turn on the LED. That’s all for now, but we like the promise it shows and can’t wait for updates! | 6 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "674836",
"author": "Indyaner",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T19:30:54",
"content": "I really wished round OLED-Displays were commercially available in low quantity… for him and me.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "674879",
"author... | 1,760,376,843.433862 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/08/building-a-1980s-microcomputer-with-a-parallax-propeller/ | Building A 1980s Microcomputer With A Parallax Propeller | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"Parallax Propeller",
"propeller",
"retrocomputer"
] | The folks over at Gadget Gangster put up
an Instructable
to build a retro 80s 8-bit microcomputer. Even though they’re using modern components, it still hearkens back to a time when 10 year olds learned 6502 assembly, PEEKing and POKEing was the best way to program, and using a mouse was a novelty.
The build uses a
Parallax Propeller
dev board to provide an amazing amount of horsepower for a simple microcontroller. After hooking the Propeller up to a TV via an RCA jack and adding an infrared keyboard, Gadget Gangster had a simple computer that can load programs off an SD card.
Because a microcomputer is useless if you can’t program it, Gadget Ganster
ported BASIC
to the Propeller. With VGA and sound output, along with the ability to add a PS/2 keyboard and Wii controller, this modern take on a classic paradigm is more powerful than dozens of Commodore 64s.
As a small aside, we don’t see nearly enough builds using a Propeller. A parallel processing microcontroller having 10 times the computational ability of a low-end ARM processor is interesting to say the least; we’re honestly puzzled by the dearth of Propeller projects. If you’ve got a Propeller project, send it into
the tip line
. | 40 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "674586",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T16:20:11",
"content": "I guess Propellers aren’t that popular, because the development tools are not open and also the chips are a bit odd – very powerful execution model, but ridiculously tiny amounts of memory – 512 words/cog and ... | 1,760,376,843.708719 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/08/555-business-card/ | 555 Business Card | Brian Benchoff | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"555",
"business card"
] | After checking out a few beautiful business cards while working at his engineering co-op, [Cody] realized he would soon need his own. Instead of a card with subtle off-white coloring, a tasteful thickness to it, and even a watermark, [Cody] decided to make a
555 timer business card
.
[Cody] started his business card project by going through a few design iterations while figuring out what he wanted his business card to do. There were a few designs not chosen – one with a microcontroller, a few with just LEDs, and some with no circuitry at all. After checking out a few project from the
EEV blog 555 contest
, [Cody] decided to go with a simple 555 timer circuit.
Being a business card, [Cody] kept the circuit very simple; it’s just a 555, phototransistor, and a few SMD LEDs. When a 9 Volt battery is placed on the contact points of the card, the 555 lights up the LEDs. When a laser is shone on the phototransistor, the LEDs start blinking. A very neat and sufficiently interactive circuit that is perfect for keeping component costs down.
After the break you can check out [Cody]’s business card in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0VcRjP2W8U&w=470] | 34 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "674511",
"author": "Jester",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T15:16:34",
"content": "Mine’s better. Its Bone, and the lettering is something called silian rail.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "675163",
"author": "zuul",
... | 1,760,376,843.774929 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/08/wisp-adds-wifi-to-the-internet-of-things/ | WISP Adds Wifi To The Internet Of Things | Brian Benchoff | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"wifi",
"wisp"
] | The guys over at embdSocial sent in a project they’ve been working on for a while. It’s a
small wifi module
for an Arduino or other microcontroller called Wisp. Unlike the many, many other wifi breakout boards we’ve seen, the Wisp has a truly incredible amount of potential. With an API that allows an Arduino to post to Twitter, sending text messages, and even has remote admin capabilities, the embedSocial team came up with something really cool.
We’ve seen our fair share of projects that use wifi, but the Wisp is amazingly clever as to how projects can be controlled. Each Wisp is administered through the Internet. Once a Wisp is registered to your online embdSocial account you can upload new code without ever physically connecting a microcontroller to your computer.
To demonstrate the remote administration capabilities of the Wisp, the embdSocial guys put an Arduino and Wisp
inside an electrical junction box
. With their setup, the guys have the simplest and smallest Internet connected power outlet we’ve ever seen.
After the break, you can see a demo of a Wisp opening a garage door and a remotely operated, web enabled airsoft turret. We’re loving that the turret sends video from the gun to any device on the Internet, and it’s impressive that [Chris] and [Art] whipped up both these projects in a single weekend. There’s also a
Kickstarter
for the Wisp, so here’s to hoping we can pick one of these up soon.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP-BQ5EfxQA&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in71Qd8M7kE&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVlo0ul41B8&w=470] | 40 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "674478",
"author": "Scuffles",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T14:49:06",
"content": "Hmm site seems to be down at the moment but their kickstarter seems to imply that the price of the unit and shield is going to be somewhere around $89. Can’t really tell what the final price is going to b... | 1,760,376,843.856595 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/08/kmoddl-a-mechanism-makers-dream-site/ | KMODDL: A Mechanism Maker’s Dream Site. | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cornell",
"kinematics",
"kmoddl",
"mechanism",
"ratchet",
"resource"
] | Computers are relatively new still, but we’ve had mechanics for a very long time.
KMODDL keeps us from reinventing the wheel.
It contains
collections
of mechanisms with descriptions, pictures, and even videos. We were working on a arbalest design not too long ago, and we were having trouble coming up with a clever ratchet design for one of the parts. We spent a few moments in KMODDL looking through the
ratchet section of the Reuleaux
collection, and soon after we had the basic building blocks of our design. Sure there are
books
you could buy that do a similar thing, but KMODDL is completely free, very in depth, and easier to search. Plus, with a useful tool like this you might not even have to take apart all your appliances anymore to see how they work. My first sewing machine might have lived a longer life had I seen
this
first. Anyone know of more resources like this? | 20 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "674382",
"author": "Plantagenet",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T13:18:52",
"content": "I’ve loved KMODDL for years, especially the pics of antique models. I hope y’all enjoy, too, but please don’t slashdot my beloved site. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}... | 1,760,376,843.910295 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/08/android-cnc-controller/ | Android CNC Controller | Mike Szczys | [
"Android Hacks",
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"android",
"cnc",
"controller",
"tablet",
"tinyg",
"usb"
] | [Matt] is the proud owner of a JGRO-based CNC router and he’s been working on a way to control it without a computer. What he came up with is
a way to drive the CNC machine using this Android tablet
.
A big part of the hack is the CNC controller that he’s using. The
TinyG
is a board that can take commands via USB and convert them to instructions for up to six axes. In the video after the break [Matt] shows off a direct USB connection as the control method. This is the most interesting part to us, but the system can also be run through the network with the assistance of a computer feeding commands to the TinyG. This second method means the Android controller would be wireless.
A
trio of repositories
host the code [Matt] is using. From the demo it looks like the Android app has no shortage of features.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym3K71dbbVw | 17 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "674370",
"author": "deathventure",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T13:11:03",
"content": "Last time I checked, even tablets are computers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "674408",
"author": "monopole",
"timestamp": "2... | 1,760,376,843.968014 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/08/smartphone-controlled-rgb-lamp/ | Smartphone Controlled RGB Lamp | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"arduino",
"lamp"
] | We keep seeing a lot of RGB lamps, but they’re also constantly increasing in size and complexity. Take this rendition, which
uses a lot of RGB LEDs and has smartphone control
(
translated
).
The lamp itself uses 31 RGB LEDs arranged in a sphere that organizes them into three vertical rings. They’re all ganged together (not individually addressable) with one transistor per color. An Arduino board is responsible for control, and the build includes a Bluetooth module for incoming commands.
As you can see above, the Android app driving the device is really quite good. In addition to sliders for color mixing there is a separate window with a color picker. [Remick] included options like favorite color combos, color scrolling, and a timer that will shut the lamp off. We couldn’t embed it here, but you’ll find some demo video at the link above. | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "674295",
"author": "bigredtkkrlab",
"timestamp": "2012-06-08T11:45:06",
"content": "You must be logged in to download files :-)I don’t like making accounts all around the world specially when the terms and conditions are in A language I can’t read.Real great project, maybe you can h... | 1,760,376,844.009495 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/getting-your-stuff-built-how-to-shop-conduct-business-stay-alive-and-eat-your-way-through-shenzhen/ | Getting Your Stuff Built: How To Shop, Conduct Business, Stay Alive, And Eat Your Way Through Shenzhen | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"bob baddeley",
"manufacturing",
"shenzhen"
] | This is [Bob Baddeley]. He’s an EE with an idea that started as a fun project until someone said “hey, that’s cool”. He started thinking about what it would take to launch it commercially and before he knew it he was involved in a startup accelerator to help him assemble what he needs to make his idea into a business. He
spent several weeks in China learning about manufacturing
and posted copiously about it.
We’ve seen
other engineering trips to Asia
, but [Bob’s] experience living there provides a different perspective than a quick trip would. He posted about the thing’s you’d expect, like
touring a short-run prototyping facility
. But he also talks about the rigors of being a pedestrian in a place where legged transport is marginalized by the gas and pedal powered vehicles that are crammed into every square-inch of the city. In the image above he’s walking on the highway (for some inexplicable reason; deathwish?).
He also got to do a lot of fun stuff. He met a ton of folks, like [Bunnie Huang], [Ian Lesnet], and the team over at Seeed Studios. He even
took his protoype to the local Maker Faire
. It’s a scoreboard which can be controlled from your smart phone. [Bob] tells us that he didn’t get much interest showing the face of the device as seen in that post. But when he turned it around to show off the point-to-point wire porn he was mobbed by interested hackers. Guts! | 29 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "672750",
"author": "HAD",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T15:28:35",
"content": "If you read through the archives of this blog,http://www.dreamloverlabs.com/blog.php, you can read all about the difficulties of working/living in China trying to manufacture an idea. It’s almost comical at ti... | 1,760,376,844.127349 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/putting-every-chiptune-ever-in-an-fpga/ | Putting Every Chiptune Ever In An FPGA | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"Crowd Funding"
] | [
"Amiga MOD",
"c64",
"chiptune",
"fpga",
"retrocade",
"sid",
"ym2149"
] | Finally one device combines the power of the Commodore 64 SID, Atari ST YM2149, and Amiga MOD audio
into one awesome box
. It’s called the RetroCade Synth, and there’s
a Kickstarter
that is perfect for starting your chiptune composing journey.
[Jack]’s RetroCade synth is connects directly to the Papilio One 500k FPGA. All the classic chiptune ICs can be emulated in this FPGA including the Commodore 64 SID chip, and an Amiga MOD player. Being a follow-up to [Jack]’s previous FPGA YM2149 project, he also threw that chip into the project for good measure. While the RetroCade doesn’t ship with
every
old chiptune IC – there isn’t support for NES, Atari, GameBoy, or SN76489-based chiptunes yet – that is something [Jack] will add once the Kickstarter is completed.
After the break you can see [Jack] jamming out on his RetroCade project playing a YM2149, SID, and Amiga MOD sounds simultaneously. For $100, it’s comparable to the venerable
MIDIbox SID
, but also allows anyone to play whatever genre of chiptunes they desire.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dge_dUZQlFY&w=470] | 21 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "672675",
"author": "alvieboy",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T14:36:25",
"content": "Just to let you know that at the heart of the system is a ZPUino 32-bit core, running @96Mhz (http://www.alvie.com/zpuino/).Alvie",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"c... | 1,760,376,844.064761 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/laser-cutting-in-3d/ | Laser Cutting In 3D | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks",
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"laser cut",
"laser cutter"
] | Everyone in the world suffers from some degree of functional fixedness, a proclivity to use tools only how they were meant to be use. A laser cutter, for example, is usually used to make flat, two-dimensional parts. [Seeker] broke out of this cognitive lock when he decided to
create an illuminated 3D object
with a laser cutter and a dozen acrylic sheets.
[Seeker]’s project is inspired by acrylic edge-lit LED signs. In these signs, a pattern is engraved on an acrylic sheet and a LED illuminates the panel from the side. When the light from the LED hits the engraving, it’s refracted and produces a wonderful colorful pattern.
To make a 3D version of an edge lit display, [Seeker] subtracted a 3D model of a virus from a cube in Sketchup. This resulted in a hollow cavity that would refract light. After slicing up the model of the 3D cube, [Seeker] sent the files over to the laser cutter to produce a few dozen custom panels. [Seeker] glued them together, put the entire assemblage in front of a LED light, and admired the beauty of his new laser cut 3D virus. | 11 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "672612",
"author": "0xfred",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T13:43:29",
"content": "Nice. I wonder if this idea could be extended by cutting out positives and negatives of the same design in different colours and assembling the layer before stacking them? e.g a red virus inside a clear fra... | 1,760,376,844.287204 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/06/07/controlling-a-mouse-with-your-voice/ | Controlling A Mouse With Your Voice | Brian Benchoff | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cursor",
"mouse",
"voice control",
"voice recognition"
] | It’s entirely possible to use a computer without the aid of a mouse or trackpad. Shift and arrow keys will get you very far, but that is entirely too taxing. [Stephen] came up with a really neat way to control a
mouse with your voice
, a project that is sure to find its way onto the desktops of those with mobility issues very quickly
The voice controlled mouse works in conjunction with the voice recognition built into OS X, a little AppleScript, and a touch of Python. When the user says, ‘show grid’ a 10 by 10 grid numbered 1 to 100 is displayed on the screen. By saying ‘thirty five,’ the cursor moves to the 35th cell in the grid. From there, the mouse can be controlled by speaking cardinal directions such as South and Northwest.
[Stephen] put up a very clever demo of his Voice Mouse project available after the break. Even though he did have a little difficulty with his mac recognizing a few of his spoken commands its light years ahead of trying to navigate the web with just shift and arrow keys.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvX57ubQHiE&w=470] | 25 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "672556",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2012-06-07T12:25:16",
"content": "I was just thinking about that idea a couple of days ago. What a boon for quadriplegics or other (temporarily) incapacitated/bedridden people by allowing them to communicate via computer with people or roboti... | 1,760,376,844.352326 |
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