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https://hackaday.com/2012/05/10/your-guide-to-building-a-homebrew-6502-computer/ | Your Guide To Building A Homebrew 6502 Computer | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"how-to"
] | [
"6502",
"homebrew"
] | If you’ve ever thought about getting down to bare metal and building a homebrew computer from scratch [Garth Wilson] put up a great
primer to the 6502
, the same CPU found in Apple ][ computers, BBC Micros, Vic-20s, and the venerable Commodore 64 (a 6510 in the C64, but it’s close enough).
In his guide to building a 6502 computer, [Garth] goes over all the basics – what you want the computer to do, how to decode addresses, and other important technical requirements for getting a homebrew project running.
If that’s not enough, [Garth] directs his readers to the fabulous
6502.org forums
where just about every topic is discussed. The guys on the forum have a
standardized I2C pinout
for the 6502, allowing noobs to easily connect pre-designed keyboards, displays, and storage devices to their projects. There are a
ton of tutorials
on the 6502.org site, more than enough to get a homebrew project off the ground.
If you’d like to see what you can
do
with a homebrew 6502, check out the
homebrew projects page
featuring a
6502 Nixie clock
and CLPD-based
65816 single board computer
. There’s a treasure trove of information here, just waiting to be pulled from the vine. | 22 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "648550",
"author": "Jim",
"timestamp": "2012-05-10T15:17:07",
"content": "Don’t forget the Atari 800!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "648551",
"author": "sbrk",
"timestamp": "2012-05-10T15:19:09",
"content": "That’s ... | 1,760,376,878.346207 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/10/cruncher-a-robotic-toy-dinosaur-dissection/ | Cruncher: A Robotic Toy Dinosaur Dissection | Caleb Kraft | [
"HackIt",
"Teardown",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"cruncher",
"teardown"
] | When my children got these interesting and very obnoxious toy dinosaurs last year, I could barely contain my excitement. I knew that one day, they would be on my work bench giving up their secrets. Cruncher is a fairly recent addition to the robotic animal trend that we’ve been seeing the past few years. Imbued with a personality that is a mixture of T-Rex, beagle, and loudmouth jerk, he’s every kids idea of a perfect pet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2fy83zujlo
A quick review:
As the commercial above shows, he has several abilities such as responding to physical stimulus, detecting obstacles, responding to audio stimulus, and repeating a series of actions that he is put through. While those features might technically be possible, my boys found that most of them worked too poorly to really be used. He didn’t do much following, the “guard dog” setting was completely un-predictable, he did not “come when called”, he certainly did not play catch, but the kids found him hilarious. You could “program” him to do different actions by posing him in different ways for up to 30 different actions. In our house, however, it usually just turned into a string of 30 farts (the action he does if you lift his tail).
I didn’t purchase this, so I’m not sure what the actual cost was.
They’re currently $60 on amazon
. It was a fairly amusing toy though and the kids
and dogs
enjoyed it thoroughly.
The dissection:
One of the crunchers was sacrificed to the dogs earlier this year. It wasn’t really mourned, as it was the older of my sons and he had been dying to see the insides anyway. The younger son, however, was very protective of his and I only recently managed to talk him into letting me document the innards. He will be happy to know that cruncher is completely re-assembled and working.
Here you can see the full shot of the insides. Toward the top rear are the motor drivers and the control board. Up front we see the front facing sensors, steering servo, drive system, and neck turning motor.
Cruncher’s neck is a soft flexible material. It is glued to both halves of the body as well as the back of the head, preventing disassembly. Since this cruncher needed to be re-assembled when I was finished I had to pull the “skin” away while carefully cutting at the glued edge. When I was finished and he was all back together, I simply glued it back in place.
Here’s a somewhat closer look at the internal layout. At the base of the neck you can see the board that has the position sensor for the neck. Below that, on his chest are a pair of sensors. I’m not sure what they are, I’m guessing something for obstacle avoidance. I did not remove them for inspection.
Here’s another view of those sensors in cruncher’s chest. Could they be ultrasonic?
Here you can see the motor drivers and control board. They aren’t fastened to anything, just relying on the mass of wires to hold them in place.
Control board. Black blobs on front and back, no surprises there.
I suspect this is the motor driver. Looks like it is all there. You should, in theory, be able to replace the control board and still use this motor driver board.
If you look real close, you can see the tail switch, a.k.a. the fart switch.
A better view of one of the body halves. You can see the assembly that moves the arms and legs as well as a speaker and microphone. The arms and legs are purely aesthetic. They have no sensors and don’t really aide cruncher in any way.
The keypad on his collar. Here’s where you set the mode he’s in. For an 8 year old, this ended up not being very intuitive. If you hold the button, it toggles between two modes, however there’s really no way to know which mode he’s in at any given time. Since there are 8 possibilities, you just have to wait and see what he starts to do.
http://youtu.be/o5hya75oaEI
Here’s the neck assembly. It uses a single motor to extend the neck and, using a small lever that catches on the jaw, open/close the mouth. They really use this well as you can see in the commercials, this motion is what makes him talk, roar, and chomp. Upon closer inspection, I found that there is only a single item in his nostril that looks like an IR LED. I’m not sure how they’re utilizing it. He also has a button on the top of his head and a button on his bottom lip.
I’m hoping, one day, to get a chance to gut this guy and use him as the platform to learn more about some robotics. As I’ve said many times before, I’m not as capable as many of the other writers and most of our readers. I won’t be reverse engineering anything here. I would probably just start with my own micro controller to drive the motors and use the sensors. I will, however, have to wait till my 6 year old gives the OK. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "648751",
"author": "CrossDraw",
"timestamp": "2012-05-10T19:56:52",
"content": "my guess on the 2 chest sensors would be for some sort of line following mode, either way looks like a fun lil toy :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,376,877.992984 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/10/going-from-idea-to-schematic-to-printed-pcb/ | Going From Idea To Schematic To Printed PCB | Brian Benchoff | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"copper board",
"etching",
"fritzing",
"pcb",
"pcb manufacturing"
] | Building a circuit on a bread board makes life much easier, but eventually you’re going to want a PCB for one of your circuits. Luckily, [Will] from Revolt Lab put up a trio of posts that will take you idea and turn it into a schematic and PCB.
First up is
an awesome tutorial
on the circuit design program
Fritzing
. While you won’t find Fritzing on the computer of anyone making a living doing circuit design work – those people usually go for
Eagle
or
KiCad
– Fritzing is very easy to use but still has a ton of features. Using Fritzing isn’t very hard, either. [Will]’s tutorial goes over copying your breadboarded circuit into Fritzing, creating a schematic from the bread board layout, and finally converting that to PCB artwork.
Once you have board artwork for your circuit, you’re probably going to want a real-life PCB. [Will]’s
board etching tutorial
goes over the toner transfer method of PCB creation. Basically, print your circuit onto glossy photo paper with a laser printer, put it face down on a copper board, then take a clothes iron to it. If you’re lucky, the laser printer toner will have transferred to the copper making a nice etch resist. To get rid of all that superfluous copper, [Will] used ferric chloride but a Hydrochloric Acid/Hydrogen Peroxide mix will work just as well.
Before you etch your boards, you might want to thing about building an etch tank that keeps all your slightly dangerous chemicals in one container.
[Will]’s etch tank
uses a large water container and a few pieces of LEGO to suspend the board in the etch solution. It etches boards a lot faster than laying them face down in a tray, allowing you to go from idea to finished piece a lot quicker. | 25 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "648500",
"author": "steve",
"timestamp": "2012-05-10T13:40:21",
"content": "The imae used for the article is characteristic for the results the described methods will have.Just saying…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "648516",
... | 1,760,376,877.854876 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/10/and-so-the-deluge-of-resin-based-3d-printers-begins/ | And So The Deluge Of Resin-based 3D Printers Begins | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"B9Creator",
"DLP projector",
"stereolithography"
] | It looks like 2012 is shaping up to be the year of the resin-based 3D printer. The latest comes from [Michael Joyce] and is called the
B9Creator
. Like other resin printers, [Michael] used a DLP projector to cure the print one layer at a time. The layer height is on the order of 100 microns – crazy for a kit-based printer.
There is a
Kickstarter
for the B9Creator where kits are available for $2400 USD. Everything is included in this kit, including the DLP projector and a kilogram of resin. $2400 is much more expensive than even the fanciest melted-plastic 3D printer such as a Makerbot or RepRap, but that’s the price you pay for high-quality prints.
Of course this project comes a month after an earlier, similar, and shadier project called the
Veloso 3D printer
. The B9Creator promises to be open source once all the Kickstarter machines are shipped out, and [Michael] is very open about his designs and his resin formula – an admirable quality in a maker.
You can check out a load of videos of the B9Creater we found after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_82ET_otsQ&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc0rAQHNtD0&w=470] | 71 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "648457",
"author": "svofski",
"timestamp": "2012-05-10T12:09:54",
"content": "Hmm i missed quite a bit about these printers I guess. Why the result is upside down and how the projector exposes the resin if the model is in the way?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replie... | 1,760,376,878.288711 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/10/are-your-pcbs-being-tested-as-claimed/ | Are Your PCBs Being Tested As Claimed? | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"pcb"
] | Florin ordered some PCBs from Iteadstudio, a pcb prototyping service. As part of their service, they claim that all PCBs are tested before they are delivered. However, many have been bringing this claim into question. [Florin]
found a complete lack of any markings
indicating actual probes had been used on his boards. Though they claim that 100% of the boards are e-tested, they replied to his inquiry somewhat cryptically.
All of the pcb’s have a stripe on the edge,it does not mean they have all been electrically tested ,it is the same as outline .
People on the
Dangerous Prototypes Forum have been finding similar results
. The company has commented,
on this page
, that that they will be responding to this soon (back in February) | 45 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "648378",
"author": "John U",
"timestamp": "2012-05-10T11:26:49",
"content": "He’s not heard of pogo pins then ;)The “cryptic” response sounds like a standard sort of line from someone for whom English is not their first language – translation: “The black mark is not related to testi... | 1,760,376,878.137018 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/unojoy-makes-your-arduino-play-well-with-xbox-360-or-ps3/ | UnoJoy Makes Your Arduino Play Well With Xbox 360 Or PS3 | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"playstation3",
"power pad",
"ps3",
"unojoy",
"xbox 360"
] | We’ve seen Arduino-based game controllers before, but the UnoJoy project wants to make it easy for you to
plug them into a gaming console
.
The project is targeted at the Arduino UNO. Why only that hardware… isn’t Arduino universal? Well yes, but in this case the bootloader needs to be overwritten so that the Arduino will enumerate as an approved controller on your game system. Here the device is being put into DFU mode in preparation for flashing.
Once that part’s done it’s time to get to work on your own hardware interface. The UnoJoy library provides all of the hooks you need to push controller data to the game console, it’s up to you to use the Arduino IDE to decide when these events happen. This would be a great opportunity to make
the Pinball Stop controllers
work with the Xbox Live Arcade games. Or take a look after the break to see [Alan Chatham] using the library to control Gran Turismo as if it were an NES Power Pad game. | 16 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "648138",
"author": "DanAdamKOF",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T22:04:11",
"content": "You have to be wrong about this, it doesn’t look like it supports 360. There’s an authentication chip that it looks for before it will talk to a controller. The Chinese have cloned it (such as in the ... | 1,760,376,878.043558 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/hackerspace-intros-egmakerspace-in-east-gippsland-australia/ | Hackerspace Intros: EgMakerSpace In East Gippsland Australia | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackerspaces"
] | [
"hackerspace",
"introduction",
"makerspace",
"tour"
] | [Scott Lambshed] took some time to shoot
a video tour of egMakerSpace’s new digs
. This hackerspace is located in East Gippsland Australia, which is to the East from Melbourne. We know the banner image we chose isn’t all that descriptive, but just look at all of that space! They’ve got a bounty of rooms to use for everything from crafts, to machine/wood shop, to retro computing. There’s even a nice outdoor patio area which was a bit overgrown to start with but cleanup has already begun.
The group is just getting moved into what must have been an old hospital or school. Aside from some network infrastructure, a room full of couches, and a few tools, there’s not a lot in place yet. But one thing that is already looking quite good is their horde of electronics components. The latter half of the video shows boxes, bins, trays, and tackle boxes full of goodies just waiting to make it onto the next protoboard project.
[Scott] is hoping to get the word out in the area about egMakerSpace, and that’s exactly what these introductions are for. So grab you favorite video capture device and
send us your own local hackerspace tour
. | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "648171",
"author": "Eventhorizon",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T23:10:28",
"content": "their first build should be a ghost detector, just to see if there are lost souls left if it were an old hospital.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,376,878.185053 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/one-wire-reads-the-keypad-from-the-aprs-radio-mic/ | One Wire Reads The Keypad From The APRS Radio Mic | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"4017",
"APRS",
"arduino",
"AVR",
"decade counter",
"keypad",
"pulse"
] | [Shane Burrell] decided to spend some time learning how the keypad on the his Kenwood TM-710A APRS radio mic works. It uses a different technique than you might think. Normally a grid of buttons is scanned as a matrix to detect keypresses, but this hardware actually
counts pulses on a serial wire to take each reading
.
The stock radio sends a steady digital pulse to the handset and with each pulse the mic pulls the line low. It then uses a 4017 decade counter to see what comes back. If the edge count matches it means nothing is pressed, but a change in the number of pulses returning to the base unit can be used to extrapolate which button has been pressed.
[Shane] went on to implement this control technique using an AVR chip in place of the radio base unit. He used the data gained from measuring the pulse behavior using an oscilloscope to write the firmware for the project. He filmed a bit of a demo after the break which shows his findings.
We’re not quite sure how this would translate into your own home-brew projects, but the thought of scanning a keypad with two pins of a uC is quite desirable. Sure there is
the 555-timer frequency technique
, but we’re always down with new ideas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAOK225UKWk | 3 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "648021",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T20:35:57",
"content": "Hmm… If only there were such a two-wire bus that was easy to interface to micros, that talked to a large set of peripherals including port expanders…I Too See that the world needs such a thing.(Kenwood, goo... | 1,760,376,877.793252 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/3d-sphere-display-and-controller/ | 3D Sphere Display And Controller | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware",
"Portable Video Hacks"
] | [
"pico projector",
"Showwx",
"sphere display"
] | [Nirav] has been working on a spherical display for about a year now, and he just came up with a great way of interacting with this screen:
an adjacent reality tracker
that rotates the display to match the current orientation of the controller.
Earlier, [Nirav] built an 8-inch sphere display using a few 3D printed parts and a
Showwx laser pico projector.
The display looked great, but [Nirav] had no way to interact with it. To solve that problem, he put an inertial measurement unit inside a 3d printed model of the globe. The IMU communicates with a computer to read the rotation and orientation of [Nirav]’s controller and adjust the spherical display accordingly.
It’s a very nice build that gets very close to futuristic sci-fi displays. At least now, [Nirav] can interact with the
awesome satellite tracking app
and continental drift simulation he created.
There’s a bunch of videos [Nirav] put up demoing what his display can do. You can check those out after the break.
via
MAKE
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWdxOBrcRs8&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzvNLp8-dW8&w=470] | 8 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "647994",
"author": "Alex ~",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T19:25:31",
"content": "Douglas Coupland – jPodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPodSomething similar is mentioned towards the end.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "648116",
"a... | 1,760,376,877.949447 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/flying-microscope-build-seems-way-too-nice-for-a-home-lab/ | Flying Microscope Build Seems Way Too Nice For A Home Lab | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"microscope",
"track"
] | This flying microscope
is a tool which [Darrell Taylor] can be very proud of. He wanted to have an inspection microscope for working with surface mount projects. He got his hands on a binocular version for a song and dance because it came without a stand. Initially he built a simple rig but if it wasn’t in the right place it was hard on the body, and the upright section was getting in the way of larger projects.
This time around he used a hanging track system instead of a stand. He had some aluminum track on hand which was originally meant for use with a sliding glass door. He fabricated a trolley to interface with the track, and added a vertical rod to support the microscope. This makes it easy to slide the unit to the side when not in use, and provides for some height adjustment as well. To add to the functionality he included a light on the opposite side of the scope. This keeps the project illuminated without shadows being cast by his hands or the scope itself. | 15 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "647944",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T18:14:35",
"content": "I’m tempted to say I’d put it on a sturdy arm like one of those Pixar articulated desk lamps, but this seems to suit nicely. Very cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,376,877.906992 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/level-conversion-with-plenty-of-options/ | Level Conversion With Plenty Of Options | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"ldo",
"level converter"
] | [Andy Brown] wanted one level converter to rule them all, so he set out to
build his own which included plenty of options
.
The chip at the top and center is a pretty neat little device. It’s an NXP 74ALVC164245DL. In addition to having an incredibly long and seemingly meaningless part number, it contains a pair of bi-directional octal ports. It runs very fast (about 333 MHz) and supports voltages up to 5V on one side, and up to 3.3V on the other. As long as you stay below those maximums you can choose your own target voltages. To do so, he included a couple of adjustable voltage LDOs which are set using jumpers.
But wait, [Andy’s] not finished quite yet. If the jumpers don’t offer the target voltage you’re looking for he also included breakout pins so that you may inject the voltage using an external source. He even included the option to use the LDOs on their own, without the level converter. How do you keep all of these configurations straight? He build a little web form that lets you set your desired parameters and it tells you which jumper should be connected. | 12 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "647916",
"author": "HAD",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T17:10:56",
"content": "Can it handle PWM to true analog conversion as well?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "647918",
"author": "HAD",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T17:15:27",... | 1,760,376,878.448098 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/tilt-sensor-toy-is-simple-and-mesmerizing/ | Tilt Sensor Toy Is Simple And Mesmerizing | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"accellerometer"
] | [Eiki] found himself in need of a project for his “simple machines” class. Another project had brought him in contact with some relatively cheap MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes.
He had the idea to create a simple tilt sensor based circuit that would light whatever LED was at the bottom
.
He’s using an Analog Devices ADXL202E accelerometer chip to sense tilt and an LM3914 bar-graph driver to light the displays. He’s taking the voltage-proportional-to-accelleration output of the accelerometer, filtering it through a capacitor, then feeding it to the bar-graph driver. It may not be the most technically difficult project, but the result is mesmerizing and elegant. | 10 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "647418",
"author": "Wouter",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T22:42:47",
"content": "Beautiful trinket :D. I keep asking myself what will happen if the thing is turned upside down. Which led will light? I guess the LM3914 will just go out of range?Would be nice and mesmerizing to use this e... | 1,760,376,878.728367 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/an-excellent-introduction-to-transmission-lines/ | An Excellent Introduction To Transmission Lines | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"cables",
"grounding",
"transmission lines"
] | [Bertho] sent in a great tutorial on
terminating transmission lines
. If you’ve ever tried to send a high frequency signal a long way down a wire, you know the problems that can crop up due to electronic strangeness. Luckily [Bertho]’s tutorial explains just about everything, from where and when to terminate a cable and why signals get screwed up in long wires.
[Bertho] begins his lesson by taking two oscilloscopes and 20 m of CAT5 cable with the twisted pairs wired in series to make an 80 meter long transmission line. A ~100kHz square wave was sent down the cable after being displayed on the first oscilloscope, and picked up on the other end by the second oscilloscope. It’s a great way to show the changes in a signal over a long cable run, and how small changes in the circuit (just adding a simple resistor) can affect the signal coming out of a cable.
It’s a great post that demystifies the strange electrical gremlins that pop up when you’re running a length of wire. Great job, [Bertho]. | 10 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "647390",
"author": "qwerty",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T21:47:01",
"content": "Great information. Check also on his site the excellent tutorial on the use of decoupling capacitors, it will save you a lot of time, and the page about the Instructables site TOS which basically explains w... | 1,760,376,878.935042 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/metal-detection-using-an-inductor-instead-of-a-clock-crystal/ | Metal Detection Using An Inductor Instead Of A Clock Crystal. | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"12f683",
"inductor",
"metal detector",
"pic"
] | This project from a few years back is
an interesting take on a metal detector
. Instead of building a detection circuit, [Bruno Gavand] replaced the external clock crystal with an inductor. Here you can see the inductor coil next to the PIC 12F683. You can see two components jumping from one breadboard to the other. These are smoothing capacitors on the inductor lines.
The watchdog timer for the chip is run by the internal RC oscillator. When the external crystal receives a pulse due to metal inducing a current in the coil, the value of the watchdog timer is compared to it. This data is filtered and if the proper parameters are present the green LED blinks. This is bicolor LED. If the inductor circuit is functioning properly it will blink red at power up. [Bruno] says that results will vary based on that inductor so you may need to try a few to get the calibration light to blink.
We’re thinking this would make a simple stud finder (by detecting where the nails/screws are in the wall). Check out the demo after the break, then let us know what you would use this for by leaving a comment.
[Thanks Abend] | 13 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "647378",
"author": "truskava",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T20:44:29",
"content": "oh man thats old ;D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "647380",
"author": "Addidis",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T20:48:11",
"content": "The sto... | 1,760,376,878.820164 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/light-programming-for-a-clock/ | Light Programming For A Clock | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"clock",
"ldr",
"light programmer",
"manchester encoding",
"photoresistor"
] | +
So at first glance we were thinking there wasn’t much special about this clock. It’s based on an Arduino and displays the time using a character LCD screen. But then we realized that there’s no battery-backed RTC and no buttons. How the heck do you set the time on this thing? [Mossblaser] is using
a light programmer to set the time using a computer screen
.
We’ve tried nearly the same data transfer technique before, using a white and black flashing computer screen to
push Manchester encoding to a light dependent resistor
. We were met with limited success, but you can see that [Mossblaser’s] rig is much more reliable and we think there’s a few reasons behind this. First, he’s only sending five bits per seconds, a very slow speed when it comes to digital transmissions. This helps to make up for slow LCD screen refresh. Also, the LDR is surrounded by material on the back of the case that will help to block out ambient light. And finally, he’s using a smaller part of the screen instead of flashing the whole thing. This may result in more accurate timing. You’ve got to admit, this is pretty slick! | 24 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "647341",
"author": "Morgen",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T19:26:12",
"content": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timex_DatalinkI used to have a Timex Ironman Triathlon Datalink watch that did the same thing. You could download names and phone numbers to the phone for pseudo-PDA utility. ... | 1,760,376,878.996736 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/theres-more-than-meets-the-eye-to-this-robot-car/ | There’s More Than Meets The Eye To This Robot Car | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"car",
"rc",
"servo",
"transformer"
] | This is a robot that any Transformers enthusiast will love. Sure, the car looks just a bit boxy, but you’ll forget all about that
when you see it unfold into a bipedal robot
(
translated
). [Zak Sawa] is responsible for the creation. He pull off the build using 22 servo motors which let the car transform, and provide the somewhat awkward ability to walk. Fold it back up again and the car can drive away. In other words, here’s the Transformers toy that you always wanted; radio controled and it actually works!
This is the result of about four years of work. Apparently it’s the eighth iteration, and a note on the video after the break teases a ninth version on the way. It’s not just the robot that looks great, check out the carrying case that houses it for storage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaOlWhCXvNg | 26 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "647297",
"author": "TheCapt",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T18:08:32",
"content": "Just needs to have the Transformer sound!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "647298",
"author": "Philippe",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T18:12:11",
... | 1,760,376,878.886266 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/rc-car-controller-and-receiver-replacement/ | RC Car Controller And Receiver Replacement | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"bluetooth",
"bluetooth bee",
"car",
"freeduino",
"rc"
] | This
radio controlled car controller replacement
is a great project to try some new things with that fancy hardware you’ve got sitting around. The hack comes in two parts, the receiver and the transmitter. They’re communicating via Bluetooth so if you only want to build one side of the hardware you should be able to make most Bluetooth devices work as the other. For instance, build the receiver for the car and control it with a Wii remote. Or use the controller to play emulator games on an Android phone.
Both pieces are Arduino based. The controller makes use of a Freeduino with a Bluetooth shield as well as a pair of analog stick breakout boards. The car side of things uses a Bluetooth Bee (a Bluetooth module that is pin compatible with an Xbee socket) and an Arduino pro. Once the hardware bits are assembled, it takes very little code to get the system up and running. Join us after the break for a quick clip of the car in action. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "647348",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T19:29:46",
"content": "Is it just me, or does it look to have quite a bit of latency between him hitting the control sticks and the car reacting?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,376,878.769206 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/wristwatch-measures-your-perception-of-time-also-tells-time/ | Wristwatch Measures Your Perception Of Time; Also Tells Time | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"3d printed",
"led",
"meter",
"perception",
"rtc",
"time",
"wristwatch"
] | This wristwatch is hiding a lot of features in its hardware and its software. It’s called the TicTocTrac and it’s a Senior project for a pair of students at Cornell University. Judging from
the sheer volume and quality of the project documentation
we wonder if someone has a science writing career ahead of them? Be we digress… It’s a clock and we love it!
First off, this does more than just tell the time. In fact, that’s almost an ancillary function in this case. The wristwatch is more of a metering device to record your own time-based behaviors. Find yourself checking your watch frequently as the lunch break approaches? This watch records that activity and you can later graph the data. This allows you to analyze how you
percieve
the passage of time. The more often you check the time, the slower you feel time progressing. The documentation does a much better job of describing this than we have time for, so check it out.
On the hardware side of things we’re quite impressed. The housing is 3D printed. It hides two half-circle PCBs below the full-circle PCB face plate. The half-boards leave space for a tiny rechargeable battery, and host a vibrating motor and RTC chip. Instead of using buttons, there’s a piezo sensor which detects when you tap on the top of the watch. | 15 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "647238",
"author": "kajer",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T16:27:54",
"content": "+1 on single page write-ups!!!Love the project too!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "647240",
"author": "atomsoft",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T16:3... | 1,760,376,879.051566 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/directly-interfacing-a-joystick-with-an-xbee/ | Directly Interfacing A Joystick With An Xbee | Mike Szczys | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"Joystick",
"xbee"
] | We see a pretty steady stream of projects that use Xbee modules. They’re one of the more reliable and popular ways to add a wireless aspect to your project. But we don’t often see them used to their full potential. Since there’s a microcontroller onboard, many simple tasks can be accomplished without the need for an addition microcontroller. [Stephen’s] showing how this can be done, by
reading the stick and button data from a game controller using only an Xbee module
.
His test setup uses an Arduino to drive servo motors on the receiving end of the hardware. You can’t do everything with Xbee, but the sender is where this concept comes into play. [Stephen] grabbed an older gamepad which is meant for use with a PC game port. The joystick uses potentiometers to measure position data, and the buttons simply complete a circuit.
He altered the joystick
by adding voltage dividers to the pots, and pull-up resistors to the buttons. From there he just wired it up to the Xbee and
set up the module’s firmware
to package and transmit the data. It’s a nice way to do more with less.
We had a little discussion here at Hackaday about Xbee modules which seem to be in short supply. Some of us think it’s due to the flooding in Thailand. If you’ve got some info on the situation, or just want to share your own conspiracy theory, let us know in the comments. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "647932",
"author": "bio",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T17:47:32",
"content": "people seam to be forgetting allot that the xbee has io pins XPi have seen the use of an arduino on all the xbees to control just one thing XD",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,376,879.137211 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/electromagnetic-harp-with-home-made-ebows/ | Electromagnetic Harp With Home Made Ebows | Brian Benchoff | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"ebow",
"electromagnetic harp",
"harp"
] | Fresh from the Arduino subreddit comes [dataplex]’s
26 string electromagnetic harp
. It’s a very cool, ambient instrument that sounds simply phenomenal through the Space Echo and Fender Twin rig [dataplex] has.
There’s not much in the way of build details, but judging from
this post
[dataplex] made several months ago the instrument works on the same principles as
an Ebow
. There’s a great
prototype video
showing the hardware and software. One small voice coil reads each string. A tiny op-amp sends this to another voice coil and back into the string. There’s tons of feedback, but it’s great for an ethereal ambiance.
The prototype is controlled by an Arduino via a computer, but for the final build [dataplex] moved on to a copper/zinc touch interface on the front of the harp.
It’s a very, very cool instrument and we’re waiting patiently for the build details to be released. You can check out the videos of [dataplex]’s work after the break.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8g_9wN4-DU&w=470] | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "647992",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T19:20:38",
"content": "There was a hundred years ago something like this. A piano with the strings energized by a Hammond style generator. It was considered as a way of making electrical music when speakers and tubes (valves) ... | 1,760,376,879.089193 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/music-visualization-generator-with-a-propeller/ | Music Visualization Generator With A Propeller | Brian Benchoff | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"music",
"Parallax Propeller",
"propeller",
"visualization"
] | The folks over at Gadget Gangster have been working on
a music visualization system
using a Parallax Propeller. The visualizations are awesome in their early-90s demoscene way, and of course we love anything using the oft under-appreciated Propeller.
The project is called Video Beats and it generates music visualizations in the style of a blocky but very complex Atari 2600 game. There’s really not much to the build – just two RCA jacks for the audio input and video output along with a couple of resistors – but we do appreciate how nicely this project would fit in at a chiptunes show.
The Gadget Gangster team says the input isn’t limited to just audio – a potentiometer, accelerometer, or even a light sensor can be added to the build for a more dynamic output. After the break, you can see the demo of Video Beats, and a [Family Sohn] music video that used an early version of this circuit.
http://vimeo.com/10540153 | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "647876",
"author": "MrX",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T15:39:03",
"content": "Geezzz! Is that a man or a woman?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "647882",
"author": "Caleb Kraft",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T15:50:54",
... | 1,760,376,879.181431 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/robotic-light-painting-in-3d/ | Robotic Light Painting In 3D | Brian Benchoff | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"led",
"light painting",
"light plot"
] | For the last few months, [Ben] has been building a
3D light painting robot
. Instead of a couple Arduino-controlled LEDs that a person moves around the Lightplot, as [Ben] calls it, uses a robotic arm to move a LED in 3D space.
The build started with [Ben] testing his idea by putting a laser pointer on an altitude and azimuth mount made out of LEGO. Eventually [Ben] decided to build a 3D plotter rig for a more impressive show. The 3D plotter sits in on a tripod with three axes of motion – up and down, clockwise and counterclockwise, and ‘in’ and ‘out’. A small RGB LED at the end of the robotic arm is controlled along with the servos and motors, making it possible to plot vector lines in 3D space.
There are a whole bunch of demo videos after the break. They look fantastic, but we’d really like to see the Lightplot be used outside on a dark, starry night. | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "647803",
"author": "dtag",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T13:36:34",
"content": "should use kinetix as a source for the wire frame, real time dancing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,376,879.277118 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/hackaday-links-may-9th-2012/ | Hackaday Links May 9th 2012 | Jeremy Cook | [
"classic hacks",
"cnc hacks",
"digital audio hacks",
"digital cameras hacks",
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"3d printer",
"audio",
"cnc",
"Curta",
"mechanical calculator",
"receiver",
"tilt-shift"
] | Homecut – CNC Cutting Directory
So you have a CNC machine that you use as a hobby, but would like to do some actual work on the side? Or maybe you have an idea you’d like made.
Homecut
is a map directory where you can maybe hook up with the right person.
The Curta Mechanical Calculator
As [leehart] mentioned in
our comments section
, the Curta mechanical calculator is a truly ingenious piece of engineering. A quick Google search should find all kinds of information on it, but
this article
could be a good place to start for some mechanical hacking inspiration!
Luxman Amplifier DAC
Upgrade
[R. Barrios] wasn’t happy with using the sound card for his HTPC setup, so decided to
add a DAC module onto his reciever
. The resulting audio quality was very good, and the build came out quite clean. Check it out if you’re thinking of a hack-upgrade to your stereo equipment.
3D Printable Tilt-Shift Adapter
A tilt-shift lens a neat piece of equipment that is used to make a large scene look like they were miniatures. It’s a cool effect, but professional lenses to do this can cost thousands of dollars.
This Instructable
tells you how to go about printing your own. For more info on the technique itself, check out this
Wikipedia article
.
New 3D Printer on the Block
If you would like to take the plunge into 3D printing, but are looking for somewhere to get a parts kit, the [ORD Bot Hadron 3D Printer]
may be worth a look
. The build quality looks great, and the price for the mechanical components is quite reasonable at $399. You’ll need to provide the electronics and extruder. Thanks [comptechgeek]! | 18 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "647756",
"author": "Andy",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T12:19:52",
"content": "The link for “ORD Bot Hadron 3D Printer” is dead.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "647786",
"author": "Caleb Kraft",
"timestamp": "2012-... | 1,760,376,879.636981 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/09/phil-torrone-interviews-bunnie-huang-about-chumby-and-more/ | [Phil Torrone] Interviews [Bunnie Huang] About Chumby And More | Caleb Kraft | [
"Interviews"
] | [
"bunnie",
"chumby",
"open source"
] | Over at Make, [Phil Torrone] has
done an interview with [Bunnie Huang]
. [Bunnie] has been a
major contributor to the pages of Hackaday
as far back as we can remember. He started in 2002 hacking X-boxes and sharing his findings with the world. It is this sharing that makes [Bunnie] stand out. He has always shared all his findings and pushed for open source wherever it would fit. We recently discussed how Chumby, a project to which [Bunnie] contributed is coming to an end. In this interview, he talks about what the future holds for himself and how he plans to spend his time. Most interestingly, he plans on spending a year just building things he’s wanted to see built. Be sure to check out the interview to see what he’s already accomplished. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "647836",
"author": "spiralbrain",
"timestamp": "2012-05-09T14:45:17",
"content": "Amazing!Bunnie the godOne of my favorite bunnie hack of all times is his code protection removal from a PIC18F1320 microcontroller. I’ve shown it to tons of people who have don’t want to believe.",
... | 1,760,376,879.537294 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/making-laser-adjustments-with-an-snes-gamepad/ | Making Laser Adjustments With An SNES Gamepad | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"laser",
"snes"
] | Gaming has infiltrated everything around us. It seems that any time a control interface is needed, the first thought to many current hacker’s minds are the familiar controls from the video games we grew up with. In this example, [eljaywasi] needed a way to control the wavelength of light coming out of a laser. We don’t know exactly how he’s actually changing the wavelength, but we do know
he’s using an SNES gamepad as his interface
. You can see a red and a blue LED located on the front of the pad, so it may be that two buttons would have sufficed. We don’t care, we like the SNES pad better. | 21 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "647445",
"author": "MrX",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T23:19:58",
"content": "He is probably just switching between lasers with different wavelengths. Unless he is using a acoustic-optic modulator which is really expensive. It is also possible to use passive optics to shift the frequenc... | 1,760,376,879.696786 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/six-digit-vfd-alarm-clock/ | Six-digit VFD Alarm Clock | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"ATmega168",
"MAX6921",
"rtc",
"vfd"
] | [Haris Andrianakis] just finished
building this very clean-looking vacuum fluorescent display clock
. It shows six digits using IV-11 tubes, and also has a half-dozen RGB LEDs to spice things up (check out the video after the break for an example). An ATmega168 drives the device, controlling the display and serving as a battery-backed real-time clock.
As with any tube-based clock there’s a fair amount of work that goes into driving the display. Each tube has a filament which requires 1.2V, and the segments themselves need 60 volts to light up. The microcontroller is not hard to protect; this is done with a series of transistor-based circuits used for switching. But the need for three voltages (to power microcontroller, filament, and segments) means a more complex PSU design. [Haris] chose to use a MAX6921 to simplify the process.
If you’re considering building something like this, we’d recommend looking for some 12-segment tubes. As we’ve seen before,
they can display letters as well as numbers
in case you wish to repurpose the device in the future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNwm_BL8msI | 6 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "646698",
"author": "snurfel",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T20:16:53",
"content": "every time a nixie or vfd clock lights up a led, god kills a kitten.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "646728",
"author": "RebelHell",
... | 1,760,376,879.579601 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/sandbox-topographical-play-gets-a-big-resolution-boost/ | Sandbox Topographical Play Gets A Big Resolution Boost | Mike Szczys | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"Kinect",
"projector",
"sandbox",
"topography"
] | Here’s another virtual sandbox meets real sandbox project. A team at UC Davis is behind
this depth-mapped and digitally projected sandbox environment
. The physical sandbox uses fine-grained sand which serves nicely as a projection surface as well as a building medium. It includes a Kinect depth camera over head, and an offset digital projector to add the virtual layer. As you dig or build elevation in parts of the box, the depth camera changes the projected view to match in real-time. As you can see after the break, this starts with topographical data, but can also include enhancements like the water feature seen above.
It’s a big step forward in resolution compared to
the project from which the team took inspiration
. We have already seen
this concept used as an interactive game
. But we wonder about the potential of using this to quickly generate natural environments for digital gameplay. Just build up your topography in sand, jump into the video game and make sure it’s got the attributes you want, then start adding in trees and structures.
Don’t miss the video demo embedded after the break.
[Thanks Jake] | 21 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "646665",
"author": "Angus",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T19:23:36",
"content": "I love this. It’s honestly the first hack that’s got me seriously thinking about buying a Kinect.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "646703",
"author":... | 1,760,376,879.747095 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/16fusb-its-like-v-usb-for-the-pic-16f628/ | 16FUSB — It’s Like V-USB For The PIC 16F628 | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"16F628",
"16fusb",
"pic",
"usb"
] | If you have an idea for a fairly simple USB device but don’t want to invest in the more expensive microcontrollers, this library will be of interest to you. It’s a software implementation of the
low-speed USB protocol for PIC 16F628
. You can pick these up for around $2, and it just takes a few other components to complete the circuit. And hey, you don’t even need a proper PIC programmer to flash the code. This is the same chip for which
we just saw an Arduino act as the programmer
.
The circuit design looks exactly the same as
the V-USB stack
, which provides USB functionality to lower-end AVR microcontrollers. In addition to the chip you need a crystal oscillator, a couple of 3.6V zener diodes, and a handful of passive components. There are a couple of LEDs in the design, but we assume these are for feedback and are not crucial to the functionality of the circuit.
There’s no shortage of data included in the project post so you may want to bookmark this one for later reference. | 29 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "646640",
"author": "Austin",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T18:41:01",
"content": "Or for less than the 16f with the extra components you can get a 18f13k50:http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/Devices.aspx?dDocName=en533925",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,376,879.994248 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/fancy-telemetry-control-display-for-a-quadcopter/ | Fancy Telemetry Control Display For A Quadcopter | Mike Szczys | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"carambola",
"quadcopter",
"telemetry",
"wifi"
] | Most of the quadcopter projects that we’ve seen use a joystick-based control system. This lets you fly the thing around like any RC vehicle. But [Saulius] is augmenting his control system by
pulling and displaying telemetry data
. It doesn’t really change the way the vehicle is controller, but it lets the craft roam much further away because the operator can watch the computer screen and forego the need for the quadcopter to be within sight.
A Carambola board (also
used in this weather station project
) is used to provide connectivity. This is WiFi based, which helps us understand the range it can travel. The quadcopter carries a camera, which is shown in the lower right box of the image above. There is also an artificial horizon, and feedback dials which display the telemetry data.
It looks like there’s a satellite view in between those two dashboard widgets. We don’t see anything coming up right now, but it’s possible this is meant to overlay a virtual marker for the aircraft’s position based on GPS data. That last part is really just conjecture though. Catch the 80-second test flight after the jump. | 12 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "646585",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T17:21:50",
"content": "Sure it’s possible to overlay GPS position on a map, many quadcopter users already use remote telemetry using XBee units (some of which have up to 3km/2mile range). We use the QGroundControl Software and the... | 1,760,376,879.927716 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/building-main-street-usa-in-a-coffee-table/ | Building Main Street, USA In A Coffee Table | Brian Benchoff | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"disney",
"led",
"parade"
] | [Alex George] has been collecting miniatures of Main Street, USA in Disney Land hand crafted by artist [Robert Olszewski]. These models are incredibly accurate, but sadly static. [Alex] has some of the floats from the Main Street Electrical Parade that light up with the help of a few LEDs. One day, [Alex] found himself wishing he could watch a miniature parade circling around his diorama and did what any of us would do:
make a tiny electrical parade move around
his miniature town.
[Alex] began his build by designing a system of chains and sprockets underneath his miniature Main Street. When not on display, the parade floats are hidden underneath the town. At night, though, the parade ascends to the surface to put on a show.
It’s not an electrical parade if there aren’t any lights, so [Alex] grabbed a couple
Blinkms
to attach to the underside of each float. These are small programmable RGB LEDs that can repeat the same sequence of lights for the entire time the parade is visible. A very excellent job and a masterwork of craftsmanship for both [Alex] and [Robert Olszewski].
[Alex]’s ‘making of’ video and a full demo of the float are available after the break.
via
boingboing
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZUFWQtqjXE&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kf3ZSLptxU&w=470] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "646574",
"author": "Rudager",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T16:56:51",
"content": "I see more than a “couple” of Blinkms on that chain. At $15 a piece I see around $700 worth. Wow",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "646577",
"author"... | 1,760,376,879.793706 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/beautiful-wooden-case-for-a-portable-nes/ | Beautiful Wooden Case For A Portable NES | Caleb Kraft | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"nes",
"portable"
] | After building a few portable gaming systems, [Parker] wanted to try something a little different than the usual sleek plastic builds. He
decided to go with a nice wooden classic NES
. He started by gutting a NOAC or Nintendo On A Chip. The NOAC has already done most of the miniaturization for him, so he was mainly focusing on the portability. While this wasn’t the most extreme mod, it wasn’t just a case swap either. He took great pictures of the process of modifying the screen to work and putting everything together. The final product is fantastic looking.
The first comment we thought was, why is the game facing backward? Due to the shape of the NOAC board, he would have had to either add more depth to the case, or extended and flipped the actual cartridge plug to make the game face forward, so we can understand why he left it alone. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "646522",
"author": "andygoth",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T15:29:04",
"content": "I’m a little curious why the same kind of jack appears to have been used for both sound and power. This seems dangerous. I would have used a standard barrel plug for power.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,376,880.035241 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/two-saxophone-synthesizer-builds-for-the-price-of-one/ | Two Saxophone Synthesizer Builds For The Price Of One | Brian Benchoff | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"atmega644",
"saxophone",
"synthesis",
"synthesizer"
] | [Bruce Land] has been sending in student projects from the electronic design course he taught at Cornell last semester. By a curious coincidence, two groups build saxophone synthesizers with the same key arrangement as a real sax.
First up is [Brian Wang]’s
digital sax
. There’s a small microphone in the mouthpiece and a series of buttons down the body of the sax telling the ATMega664 what note to play. The data for the saxophone synthesis was created by looking at a frequency plot of a sax, bassoon, harp, and pipe organ. [Brian] has the synthesis part down pat; there’s definitely a baritone sax in that little microcontroller.
Next up is [Suryansh] and [Chris]’s
PVC pipe saxophone
. It’s the same general principle as [Brian]’s project – the musician blows into the sax (we really like the kazoo mouthpiece) and a small mic picks up the sound of the wind. If the microphone output is above a certain threshold, the buttons are read and a note come out of the sax. We’re picking up a whiff of alto sax here; shame there wasn’t a duet with the two teams.
After the break you can see both saxophone projects in all their glory.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZnfQ-P-qF4&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRAIhaU3pz4&w=470] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "646670",
"author": "echodelta",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T19:41:29",
"content": "Hide those wires don’t use tape. The label from plumbing store is still on side. We were graded on neatness as well content.Bundle up or use multi-conductor wire. Extreme ugly. Exposed chip awaits stati... | 1,760,376,880.076882 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/you-might-be-a-geeky-dad-if-your-kids-practice-spelling-in-morse-code/ | You Might Be A Geeky Dad If: Your Kids Practice Spelling In Morse Code | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"morse code",
"solder"
] | Kids learn better if they’re engaged in the topic at hand. [Todd] found something that has his son just begging to practice his spelling words each night. He converts them all to Morse code and taps each out on
the Morse code practice station they built together
. To start off Todd connected the keyer to his Fluke 87 meter, using the continuity tester to sound a beep each time the key is depressed. But this is just a temporary setup until [Todd] could help guide his young one through some circuit design and assembly.
The replacement is based on a 555 timer. They grabbed an electronics project book and found the schematic along with a Morse code primer. With parts in hand [Todd] films as his son hones his soldering skills with each connection. The finished project uses the timer chip to produce the audio frequency heard from the on-board speaker. If you’ve never had the joy of teaching a kid how to solder, you’re going to love seeing the video. | 11 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "647212",
"author": "DrLuke",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T15:30:29",
"content": "That poor kid seems like he’s being forced to do all this",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "647225",
"author": "Mike Szczys",
"timestam... | 1,760,376,880.123326 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/replicating-the-fancy-touch-sensor-that-uses-anything/ | Replicating The Fancy Touch Sensor That Uses Anything | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"capacitive",
"multitouch",
"touch"
] | [Sprite_tm], a name many of you will recognize from these pages, has wasted no time in replicating the latest cool thing in a much simpler fashion.
En Garde
is a touch sensor that can detect up to 32 different points of contact on… whatever you use as the surface. He couldn’t sit idly by and let the
Disney funded one from yesterday
keep the spot light. As you can see in the video, it works pretty well. If he didn’t tell you that his can only detect up to 32 points as opposed to the 200 of the other, you probably wouldn’t even notice the difference. Of course, [Sprite_tm] also shares how you could easily beef his up to be even more precise. You can also download his source code an schematics from his site and give it a try yourself.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9VPMiHnHFo] | 22 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "647167",
"author": "andygoth",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T13:59:40",
"content": "I spy a Model M. ♥",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "647256",
"author": "zibri",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T17:00:28",
"content... | 1,760,376,880.35649 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/a-bit-about-the-diode/ | A Bit About The Diode | Adam Munich | [
"Ask Hackaday"
] | [
"basics",
"diode"
] | Most of you already know what a diode is, but how much do you really know about the device?
The diode is a component which allows current to pass in only one direction. Originally they were made by placing a positively charged anode plate within view of a tungsten cathode in a high vacuum. By heating the cathode to several hundred degrees, the metal’s work function is reduced enough that electrons with may leave into the vacuum using only a few volts. These electrons would then be attracted to the cold, positive anode and would flow into it and out of the tube. As the cold plate’s work function was several magnitudes higher than the cathode’s, there was a greater probability that current would flow in only one direction.
While this thermionic process works very well and very fast, the heater requirement ends up making the diode quite inefficient. As a result thermionic diodes are only used when frequencies of several hundred megahertz must be rectified at very high powers; they’ve largely been antiquated by the semiconductor diode in most applications.
Semiconductors are neat little elements. When pure, they are very good insulators and will not conduct. It’s possible though, to coax these materials to either conduct electrons or holes, simply by adding some impurities to the crystal lattice. By throwing a few atoms with more than 5 valence electrons into the lattice the semiconductor will be able to conduct electrons, creating an N-Type semiconductor. Likewise, by throwing in a few electron-few atoms it’s possible to conduct holes, creating a P-Type material. By sandwiching these two types together we can form a PN junction; a diode.
With the P-Semiconductor biased positively and the N biased negatively, electrons easily can flow into the diode, jump across the small 0.7V depletion region and leave to continue on their merry way. If the diode is biased incorrectly though, holes and electrons migrate away from the junction and a very big depletion region is formed. In fact, the junction turns into a few-picofarad capacitor, and in
some cases may even be used as such.
As great as they may be, PN junctions are lossy little things. Though they do a really good job of blocking reverse current their 0.7 (now, 0.5) volt depletion region will readily burn 14 watts if 20 amps are to be rectified. Not only that, but it takes significant time for the diode to ‘recover’ after a reverse-bias, thereby limiting the speed at which it may rectify. 1N series diodes are usually no good for anything more than 400Hz! UF series diodes are much faster and may operate at 100kHz smoothly, but anything more than 500kHz is a bit much to ask for. I suppose we can’t complain though, since they sure beat the hell out of
coherers!
I hope you all liked this article; in the future we’ll take a look at specialty diodes! | 28 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "647098",
"author": "qiron",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T12:07:23",
"content": "Thank you !",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "647105",
"author": "Sheldon",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T12:23:24",
"content": "The 0.7v/0.5v thin... | 1,760,376,880.421364 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/08/a-clockwork-useless-machine-prototype/ | A Clockwork Useless Machine Prototype | Jeremy Cook | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"clockwork",
"mechanical useless machine",
"useless machine"
] | Most of us have seen the [Useless Machine] where a switch is flipped and a finger comes out to turn it off, retreating into it’s box again. Most of those are electrical, but why not a [Useless Machine]
made only of mechanical clockwork
? Apparently this has
been done before
, but why not one more?
After some rough, sketches, and almost no research, I finally “came up with” a way to do this mechanically. A small wheel acts as the driver for the assembly, which is weighed down by a T-handle attached to a string wrapped around it. When released, this smaller wheel fully rotates causing the larger wheel to rotate up around ninety degrees then come down again. In reality, the flipped switch doesn’t reverse the motion of the finger at all, it instead stops it from cycling over and over. The video after the break may explain it a bit better.
This machine currently is a prototype. Although it works well without a lid on at simply reversing the switch, it’s much too fast and isn’t capable of lifting any sort of weight. Like a lid to come out of, for instance. This whole assembly was made possible with my
CNC router
and inexpensive/easily machineable
MDF
.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl5981koX6c%5D | 7 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "647087",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T11:43:29",
"content": "Someone needs to learn about governors to slow the speed of the attack spike.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "647088",
"author": "Dax",
... | 1,760,376,880.253501 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/pinball-stomp-part-2/ | Pinball Stomp: Part 2 | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"computer hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"pinball"
] | This is the 2nd and final part of this project. If you haven’t seen part 1 yet,
jump back and check it out
.
Now that we have the controller box made and ready to go, we just have to build some simple stomp sensors. As I said before, I doubt this will hold anyones attention longer than a night or two. With that in mind, I wanted to make this as cheaply and simply as possible.
To make these, you need the following:
Foam board or thick cardboard
aluminum tape
wire
duct tape
That’s it… no really, that’s it. Check out the video after the break to see how it all went, and what the kids thought of it.
As you can see in the video, I’ve cut foam board pieces and made a makeshift hinge with duct tape. I placed a small bit of sponge at the tip to hold the two pieces apart, however you could use an additional piece of the foam board for the same effect. In order to make it function, I needed to contacts to meet when someone stomped on it. The easiest way I could think of was to just use aluminum tape on both sides of the stomp pad.
When someone stomps on the pad, it flexes allowing the two sections of aluminum tape to meet in the middle, closing the circuit. It is extremely simple and effective. I also made some smaller, easier to press buttons to add quarters, begin the game, and pull the plunger.
After a quick test to verify that everything worked, the only thing left to do was to have the kids try it out.
Their verdict: The got really excited when I kicked on the sound and turned on the projector. Pinball is noisy and flashy and has that effect. They stomped on the pads happily for about 5 minutes. “Can we turn on the Xbox now Dad?”
My wife thought it was pretty cool though and I could easily see this being fun as a casual amusement at a small gathering.
Thoughts after completion: I’m glad I did it so quick and cheap. I probably would have been frustrated rather than amused when the kids wanted to move on, had I spent days constructing industrial strength stomp pads or coding something fancy. Also, if I were to make these again, I would route the wires differently on the pads. I didn’t consider their placement well and the kids kept stepping on them. Were I to do it again, the wires would exit the pad at the part away from their feet instead of coming toward their feet. | 3 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "646830",
"author": "ryoku",
"timestamp": "2012-05-08T00:24:26",
"content": "at least you tried. I wonder if you would have had more luck giving them buttons from an actual cabinet and an acceleromiter for the nudge/tilt feature. I’m sure you could pry one out of an airbag sensor =P"... | 1,760,376,880.294751 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/firefly-cap-has-no-battery-and-is-meant-for-indoor-light-harvesting/ | Firefly Cap Has No Battery And Is Meant For Indoor Light Harvesting | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"firefly",
"mason jar",
"msp430",
"photovoltaic",
"solar"
] | [Michael Ossman] wrote in to show off his newest project.
He calls it the Firefly cap
, which we think is something of a play on words. You can see that it serves as the cap of a Mason jar, but it also uses a supercap instead of a rechargeable battery.
Posts about firelfly jars
go way back. And [Michael] mentions that a similar firefly project was his first embedded project. The concept uses LEDs suspended in a jar. When a light detector senses the target level of darkness, the lights inside begin to twinkle like their insect namesakes.
We like this design for two reasons. It’s aimed at collecting light in an indoor environment so you don’t have to worry about placing it in the sun. And it uses a super capacitor instead of a battery so this should truly keep going and going without wearing out the energy storage components. We also like the fact that although
this is a Kickstarter project
, everything you need to build your own is already available at
the Github repository
. | 25 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "646771",
"author": "Jay",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T22:29:15",
"content": "The first link is wrong.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "646774",
"author": "metrazol",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T22:32:46",
"content": "Link i... | 1,760,376,880.738326 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/program-your-arduino-via-ir-using-the-arduino-ide/ | Program Your Arduino Via IR Using The Arduino IDE | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"bootloader",
"ide",
"infrared",
"ir",
"programmer",
"superduplex"
] | Here’s a way to
program an Arduino wirelessly while still using the stock IDE
. It uses an alternative bootloader called SuperDuplex along with an IR receiver like the ones used for TV remotes.
As you can see, this does take two parts. There is the target device which has the IR receiver, as well as the transmitting unit which connects to the computer via USB. You can see a demonstration of the programming process after the break. It might be a bit slow, but nothing outrageous.
With hobby electronics we always thing that “what does it do?/what is it for?” is the wrong question. But in this case we there’s a very apparent use for it. If you’ve built a gadget for use in a harsh environment and want to keep the number of openings in the enclosure to a minimum (like for an underwater ROV) this is perfect. Just make sure there’s a window for the IR receiver and you’ll be able to program as much as you want. Of course it still looks like you need a method to manually reset the target chip, but you’ll think of something. | 13 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "646738",
"author": "tz2026",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T21:23:58",
"content": "There is a bluetooth version, and although I think it is a neat hack, ‘wireless’ ovet BT serial modulds has been done, but I plan to try shortly on my setup",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"rep... | 1,760,376,880.614995 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/turning-anything-into-a-touch-sensor/ | Turning Anything Into A Touch Sensor | Brian Benchoff | [
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"capacitive touch",
"multitouch",
"touch sensor"
] | This year at the CHI conference in Austin, [Munehiko Sato], [Ivan Poupyrev], and [Chris Harrison] out of the Disney research lab in Pittsburgh demonstrated their way to make
touch sensors out of anything
. Not only to they suggest using the surface of your skin to control cell phones and MP3 players, they’re also able to recognize touch gestures, like poking or grasping an object. That sounds a little heady, so check out
the video
of the Touché tech in action.
Like the capacitive touch sensors in our phones and tablets, Touché measures the rise and fall of a capacitor’s charge over time. Unlike other touch sensors, Touché scans the capacitor at different rates, allowing for a ‘capacitive profile’ that is used to recognized touch gestures.
The applications for this tech are nearly innumerable; the team demonstrated scolding someone for eating cereal with chopsticks (yeah, we know…), an on-body music player interface, and gestures for an office doorknob that notifies passersby if you’ve stepped out for a minute or are gone for the day.
It’s a very interesting build, and we give it two weeks until someone replicates this build. We’ll be sure to post it then.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4tYpXVTjxA&w=470] | 25 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "646436",
"author": "cryogen",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T13:32:44",
"content": "Cool!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "646468",
"author": "ace42588",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T13:52:40",
"content": "I wonder what the mi... | 1,760,376,880.678573 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/build-an-8-bit-ttl-computer/ | Build An 8-bit TTL Computer | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"8 bit",
"computer",
"ttl"
] | Very rarely do we see an Instructable so complete, and so informative, that it’s a paragon of tutorials that all Instructables should aspire to. [8 Bit Spaghetti]’s
How to Build an 8-bit computer
is one of those tutorials.
[8 Bit Spaghetti]’s build began
on his blog
. He originally planned to build
a 4-bit computer
but decided a computer that could only count to 15 would be too limiting. The build continued by
programming an NVRAM
as the ROM on a breadboard and finally
testing his bundle of wires
.
What really makes [8 Bit Spaghetti]’s special is the Instructable – he covers just about all the background information like the definition of a Turing machine, a brief introduction to electronics and logic chips, and binary numbers. Even though he’s doing some fairly complicated work, [8 Bit Spaghetti]’s tutorial makes everything very clear.
The computer isn’t quite done yet – there’s still a
few nixie tubes to add
– but we couldn’t imagine a better project for the budding electronic hacker. | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "646414",
"author": "Stok",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T12:41:20",
"content": "I’d love to do this sometime, it would be awesome.Maybe when I have a little spare time I’ll get started…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "646420",
"a... | 1,760,376,880.786203 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/07/building-giant-temperature-displays-from-gottlieb-display-wheels/ | Building Giant Temperature Displays From Gottlieb Display Wheels | Caleb Kraft | [
"hardware"
] | [
"pinball"
] | On Saturday, we found a cool article where pinball machine display wheels were being used as a display. In that article, one of the listed inspirations was this
giant Gottlieb wheel being used to display the water temperature of a pool
. Before we go further, we’d like to mention that this project is hosted on a magazine’s website that requires you to register to get 1 free download. We did, and no financial information was required.
[Ludovic], they author of the project, was looking for an efficient and highly visible way to display the temperature in his pool. He wanted something he could see from 30 yards away, that had minimal power usage. These pinball reels were perfect, being easy to read and having virtually zero power draw when not updating.
Keep reading for a video and some more information.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wb8-KjaeI6Q]
The brains inside this project are an ATTin2313. The whole thing is powered up every 20 minutes to check the temperature. If the temperature has not changed, it powers back down. If it has, it updates the display. A 1farad capacitor is enough to keep the ATTiny alive between jobs so it can run the process again.
The downloadable PDF goes into extreme depth, explaining the theory, construction and running of the project and includes the full schematic as well as some helpful resources. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "646663",
"author": "wysi",
"timestamp": "2012-05-07T19:21:08",
"content": "Yeah!!! Elektor.com Projekts. Elektor has very much interessting electronic projekts. But it’s not free :-(.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "646685",
... | 1,760,376,880.886272 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/06/automatic-cat-feeder-made-with-recycled-laminator-parts/ | Automatic Cat Feeder Made With Recycled Laminator Parts | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"automatic",
"cat feeder"
] | When [Antoine] and his family leave home for a few days, they usually have to find a neighbor who is willing to care for their cats while they are away. Instead of bothering the people who live next door, he decided it would be best to
build an automatic cat feeder
(
Translation
) instead.
[Antoine] originally tried building an auger to distribute the food, but it didn’t work as well as he had hoped. He opted to build a dispenser out of wood instead, driving the feeding wheel with an old microwave platter motor. The motor did not have enough torque to do the job, so he dismantled an old laminator, which had a more suitable motor inside.
He
built a large hopper
(
Translation
) out of wood and left over acrylic sheeting, which stores the cat food and houses all of the electronics used in the feeder. He controls the amount of food and feeding intervals using a pair of buttons and a small LCD display, all of which are controlled by an Arduino Nano.
While [Antoine] has not yet shared the source code that drives the feeder, he does have a demo video which you can watch below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B8Jxw-xC9Vg&w=470] | 24 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "646061",
"author": "Uky",
"timestamp": "2012-05-06T23:22:09",
"content": "Dejavu… Two cat feeder builds with very similar clear designs, both starting with microwave motors.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "646383",
"au... | 1,760,376,880.848485 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/06/using-arduino-shields-with-the-raspberry-pi/ | Using Arduino Shields With The Raspberry Pi | Brian Benchoff | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"arduino",
"arduino shield",
"Ponte",
"raspberry pi"
] | Since the Arduino was launched years ago, many ‘shields’ or add-on boards providing additional functionality have been released. There are hundreds of different shields, from video capture shields to touch screen shields. Now that the Raspberry Pi is out in the wild, it was only a matter of time before a
RasPi to Arduino shield bridge
was created.
[Omer] calls his bridge ‘Ponte’ and it allows Arduino shields to be used with the incredible horsepower of an embedded Linux system. While [Omer] originally expected to write the RasPi to Arduino software converter himself, but found
WiringPi
halfway through the build. Of course this build comes just a day after we saw a tutorial on
controlling the GPIO pins on the RasPi
, and we expect to see similar GPIO-hacking builds in the future.
Right now, the Ponte only supports Arduino Uno-sized shield, so the possibility of an all-in-one RepRap controller using the
RAMPS
motor driver is impossible for now. We expect that to change
very
quickly as more people get their RasPis delivered. | 30 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "645952",
"author": "Zee",
"timestamp": "2012-05-06T19:10:20",
"content": "Hopefully. At least the Pi is a fully featured computer.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "645968",
"author": "Hackerspacer",
"timestamp":... | 1,760,376,880.951384 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/06/monitoring-the-status-of-a-unisex-bathroom/ | Monitoring The Status Of A Unisex Bathroom | Brian Benchoff | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"xbee"
] | Years ago, someone at [Chuck]’s job came up with the brilliant solution of an indicator to display if the unisex bathroom is currently vacant, a men’s bathroom, or a women’s bathroom. The old system worked well, but [Chuck] thought it would be a great idea to display the
current status of the bathroom
on the large TV in the office, saving his coworkers from getting up only to wait in line until the bathroom became vacant.
Like the
previous paper sign
, [Chuck]’s build has three statuses: a men’s room, a women’s room, and vacant with a manual dial that is turned whenever someone is entering or leaving. The new build vastly improves on the paper-based indicator by using a laser cut indicator on a rotary switch.
The electronics are dead simple; just an XBee and a
Explorer USB
board. Whenever the switch state is changed, the XBee sends a bit of data off to a mac mini and displays the status on the office TV. It may be funny to our immature sense of humor, but it’s still a very nice project. | 53 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "645888",
"author": "Philip",
"timestamp": "2012-05-06T17:10:34",
"content": "Even though there’s a fancy sign to keep out the other sex, I believe the primary problem still remains unsolved. When you flip the sign to “Women”, there’s still piss all over the seats, walls, floors, and... | 1,760,376,881.121991 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/06/simple-mod-to-keep-your-downstairs-neighbors-from-hearing-you-pound-the-keys/ | Simple Mod To Keep Your Downstairs Neighbors From Hearing You Pound The Keys | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"keyboard",
"viscount"
] | [Mesoiam] managed to pick up a Viscount hammer weighted keyboard for pretty cheap. For those who are unfamiliar, Viscount makes keyboards that feel like you’re playing a piano, hammers and all. The only problem with this, as [Mesoiam] discovered, is that even when he’s jamming with headphones in, his friends down stairs can still hear the keyboard banging due to the vibration going through the stand to the floor. His resolution to this problem was to
build some custom dampers to reduce the vibration
. He built two brackets that fit over the stand and suspend the keyboard on two strips of flexible rubber. Quite a simple solution to a possibly annoying problem. | 16 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "645846",
"author": "Jeff L. Richtman",
"timestamp": "2012-05-06T16:02:37",
"content": "not bad, I can see where this would give height to a low desk too. But wouldn’t adding some padding under the desk legs have been a bit easier?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replie... | 1,760,376,881.178599 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/06/converting-a-manual-camera-lens-to-use-motorized-zoom-and-focus/ | Converting A Manual Camera Lens To Use Motorized Zoom And Focus | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"gear",
"servo",
"timing belt",
"wii",
"wii classic controller"
] | [Guy] wrote in to share
this motorized camera lens project
he recently finished. He really loved the zoom lens, but since both zoom and focus are manually controlled, he sometimes had trouble getting both set to the right place in time to take the shot. With modern DSLR cameras which allow video capture, he also wants to have the option of a smooth zoom that is always in focus. The solution was to add motors to the rings and control them with a Wii classic controller.
This hack really shines when it comes to the add-on hardware. He has some beautifully made rings which wrap around the focus and zoom rings on the lens. They are then held in place by a timing belt. These belts have teeth which key into the gears on a pair of servo motors. From there it’s a snap to drive the motors with an Arduino, connecting to the Wii controller with a breakout connector. You can see [Guy] showing off the build in the clip after the break. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "645773",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2012-05-06T14:01:54",
"content": "so practical! :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "645870",
"author": "Punkguyta",
"timestamp": "2012-05-06T16:53:27",
"content": "I’ve seen mo... | 1,760,376,881.734499 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/05/controlling-raspberry-pi-expansion-pins-with-a-web-interface/ | Controlling Raspberry Pi Expansion Pins With A Web Interface | Brian Benchoff | [
"Raspberry Pi"
] | [
"gpio",
"i2c",
"raspberry pi",
"uart"
] | For the lucky few who have a Raspberry Pi board in their hands, you can now
use the GPIO pins
as a web interface (German,
google translation
). [Chris] is turning this magical board is turning a small device that can
play 1080p video
into something that can blink LEDs via the web.
The build started with an example of
driving GPIO pins
under Linux. [Chris] cobbled together a bit of PHP and Javascript on the Raspberry pi. Whenever he goes to the website hosted on the Pi, he’s greeted with the status and direction of a couple of expansion IO pins.
On a semi-related note, [Tony] is building a
GPIO MIDI interface
for his Pi. Yes, he
could
just get a USB to MIDI adapter and call it a day, but this is a far more professional looking solution to all the MIDI goodness the RasPi will deliver. If you’ve got any info on
other
RasPi breakout boards you’ve seen, send them in on the
tip line
. | 61 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "645429",
"author": "jimbob",
"timestamp": "2012-05-05T22:58:12",
"content": "who the fuck cares about this device ? it’ll be at least another 6 months to a year, if EVER, that anyone actually gets theirs delivered.Moderator’s edit:Because enough HaD commenters hit the ‘report’ butto... | 1,760,376,881.280327 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/05/building-a-prosthetic-leg-from-scratch/ | Building A Prosthetic Leg From Scratch | Brian Benchoff | [
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"bionic",
"prosthetic",
"prosthetics"
] | [Radek] from Poland sent in a
neat video
of a bionic prosthetic leg he made for one of his patients. Even though [Radek] says it’s a ‘prototype of a prototype,’ we’d have to agree with him that it’s a very neat build that could provide inexpensive motorized prosthetic legs to amputees in the future.
[Radek] has been working on his project for about two years now, after building the motor and electronics
by hand
. The leg is powered by 1.5 kilogram battery pack – no details on the chemistry of the batteries, but [Radek] says it will last 12 hours on one charge. There are also small vibration sensors in the leg for a bit of feedback, and a few switches so the knee joint can be operated by the stump.
If you’re wondering where [Radek] got the proper tools and materials to make a carbon fiber prosthesis, he works for
Carbon Prosthetics
where builds simple prosthetic devices. His bionic leg creation looks really cool, and he says the final product will be much less expensive than the very high-end bionic prosthetic legs.
[Radek] was kind enough to share some more videos and a few pictures of his robotic prosthetic leg; you can check those out after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vBIXGto-Eo&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSDCfG_L1ac&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLT-ll-lHrQ&w=470]
[slideshow] | 18 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "645325",
"author": "Zee",
"timestamp": "2012-05-05T19:41:21",
"content": "Very cool. I was hoping he was building it for himself.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "645382",
"author": "zgembo",
"timestamp": "2012-... | 1,760,376,881.631585 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/05/teaching-correct-hand-movements-with-a-kinect/ | Teaching Correct Hand Movements With A Kinect | Brian Benchoff | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"fine motor skills",
"Kinect",
"visual feedback"
] | If you’re learning how to play a musical instrument, shoot hoops, or even learning exactly how hard making a golf ball fly really is, here’s one for you. It’s a
projected visualization for hand movement guidance
.
[Rajinder], [Hrvoje], and [Andrew] at UIUC and Microsoft Research figured out a great way to improve the fine motor skills required of sports and musical instruments. Basically, they took a Kinect and tracked a user’s hand in 3D space. Small visual cues like an arrow and colored pixels are projected onto the hand to provide visual feedback. The guys wrote a
great paper
on their work, and from the results test subjects’ hand movements greatly improved after a bit of training.
While the uses for this hack is obvious for playing a cello or weight training, there’s no mention of using this project for physical therapy. We could certainly see the benefits of this project being used for rehabilitation.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNaw9GpuVLQ&w=470] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "645347",
"author": "Drake",
"timestamp": "2012-05-05T20:19:53",
"content": "Ohh qood idea, Same thing but for teaching people sign language.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "645882",
"author": "Punkguyta",
"timestamp": "2... | 1,760,376,881.324607 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/05/using-pinball-score-reels-as-wireless-displays/ | Using Pinball Score Reels As Wireless Displays | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"pinball"
] | [Scott] put together a system where he can
use pinball score reels as a wireless display
. As you can see in the video below, the result is really neat. The sound alone makes this shoot pretty high on our “things that are cool” radar. The display required 24V AC to operate the solenoids that actually let the display rotate, but he found that an 18V DC supply would allow him to fire a single solenoid. No problem, he just staggered their operation. This is barely perceptible due to how long it takes for the mechanical part of the spinning to occur.
You can download his Arduino sketch and see more on his site. He has big plans too, he just got 4 more of these to add once they are cleaned up.
[via
Adafruit
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJIdhNJaoeo&feature=player_embedded] | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "645275",
"author": "The Timmy",
"timestamp": "2012-05-05T16:59:54",
"content": "neat",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,376,883.620894 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/05/playing-the-song-still-alive-on-hacked-exercise-equipment/ | Playing The Song “Still Alive” On Hacked Exercise Equipment | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"portal",
"treadmill"
] | Back in 2009, [Evi1wombat] pulled of this interesting hack, and it has slowly made its way through the internet to find us today. He obtained the computer from a recently deceased treadmill and decided to hack into it. Finding himself unable to flash the existing chip, he yanked it out and replaced it with something he was more familiar with, a dsPIC30F4011. Unfortunately we don’t have any pics of the inside, but he says that he had some fun with wire because the pin mapping wasn’t exactly the same. [Evi1wombat] also gained some respect for the original designer judging by this quote from the
source code
:
* Damn, the dude who designed that board pulled
* some pretty nifty tricks… took a while to
* get all the drivers working.
Of course, once you have control over some nifty new hardware, the first logical thing to do on it is
play “Still Alive” from the game Portal
.
Enjoy the video after the break. | 7 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "645160",
"author": "Alex Rossie",
"timestamp": "2012-05-05T12:40:48",
"content": "Nice, I love when you look at a design and rather than being some lazy work it turns out that the engineer had some fun.Really humanises them, same with little in game easter eggs etc.This is my fav so... | 1,760,376,883.581776 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/jaimies-giant-hexapod-project/ | [Jaimie’s] Giant Hexapod Project | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"hexapod",
"rideable"
] | Warning, this may be a duplicate post. We all agree we’ve seen this before, but can’t find it in our archive. If it is, sorry. If it isn’t enjoy one of the most awesome projects we’ve seen in a long time.
Meet [Jaimie Mantzel] an eccentric, and very hyper, individual. He’s done many projects, but this one in particular stands out as being quite ambitious. [Jaimie] is building a
giant hexapodal walker that he can ride in
. Dubbed simply “Giant Robot”, the 12 foot tall and 18 foot wide robot began construction in 2007. This individual is so full of energy, you’ll get tired just watching his videos. We’ve included, below, his introduction video as well as the video where his giant robot takes its first steps. Note that there are 67 videos of the build process. Unfortunately, as of the last video in January 2011, the robot is unfinished.
Don’t worry though, we know [Jaimie] is still alive. We saw him recently
coming up with cool toy ideas
.
If this has left you with an insatiable craving for a video of a fully functional giant walking
hexapod
octopod, don’t forget about
mondo spider
.
[Thanks Kamil]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Krv3gE-c4]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVhr8FrtmOo] | 44 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "644785",
"author": "rue_mohr",
"timestamp": "2012-05-05T00:30:45",
"content": "oh good, looks like he made mroe progress since… ages ago…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "644823",
"author": "Wilcorp70",
"timesta... | 1,760,376,883.903928 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/an-attiny13-makes-may-13th-brighter/ | An ATTiny13 Makes May 13th Brighter | Caleb Kraft | [
"Holiday Hacks"
] | [
"mother's day",
"valentines"
] | When the time comes to go to the store and pick up those chocolates you always get your mother for
valentines
mother’s day, why not spice them up a little with some LEDs? [Dmitry] shows how you can
easily add some flashing lights to the packaging
without really modifying it. He’s using an ATtiny13 which only has 5 I/O pins, so he had to charlieplex the LEDs to get all 10 functional. The result is fairly quick and might just show Mom that you really do care.
[via
HackedGadgets
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "643938",
"author": "Haku",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T22:47:13",
"content": "I like the idea of using the space under the uC and inbetween the DIP socket pins to put components in, dead bug soldering can produce some neat results but this way you can easily recover the uC when the nov... | 1,760,376,883.435526 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/a-3d-printed-electromechanical-computer/ | A 3D Printed, Electromechanical Computer | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware"
] | [
"electromechanical",
"electromechanical computer",
"punch card"
] | If you had a machine that could print complex mechanical parts in an hour or so, what would you do? [Chris] is doing the coolest thing we can imagine and is
building an electromechanical computer
from 3D printed parts.
You may remember [Chris] from his efforts to getting
his tiny, 1/10th scale Cray-1
supercomputer
up and running
. Even though he has the OS on a disk, actually
booting
the machine is a bit of a problem; much the same as his electromechanical computer project. Late last year we saw [Chris]
building a few gears
for his computer, but now he’s got a punch card reader that looks very much like a Jacquard loom.
Even though the computer doesn’t actually
do
anything yet, it’s amazing to think that [Chris] is building out of plastic that will run computer programs. You can check out the video of [Chris]’ video of his punch card reader after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9cM6TL6xA&w=470] | 6 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "644032",
"author": "Galane",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T00:32:04",
"content": "How about a 3D printed CURTA?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "644055",
"author": "Fred",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T01:35:28",
... | 1,760,376,883.708506 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/watch-a-shop-tour-through-the-screen-of-an-oscilloscope/ | Watch A Shop Tour Through The Screen Of An Oscilloscope | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"composite",
"lm1881",
"oscilloscope",
"ramp voltage"
] | [Alan] posted a video tour of his electronics shop, but you’ll be viewing it through the green screen of an oscilloscope. The image above is a video camera filming a scope screen which displays the image of…. an oscilloscope (insert your own Yo Dawg meme here). But first he shares
the technique he uses to display composite video on an oscilloscope screen
.
The first three minutes of the video after the break are devoted to the video display hack. He starts with a glimpse of the breadboard circuit which takes the composite video signal and provides the necessary X, Y, and Z input signals to the scope to perform like this. He then walks through each portion of the schematic, which is based on an LM1881 video sync separator chip. The horizontal and vertical sync signals are separated by this chip, then filtered to produce ramp voltages for each to drive X and Y. The Z-axis is fed through a simple inverter circuit; Bob’s your uncle and your oscilloscope is now a TV monitor.
Of course this is not the first time
this has been done
. But we loved [Alan’s] presentation, and thought the shop tour was a fun way to finish off the video. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "643825",
"author": "Havel",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T19:09:04",
"content": "Yo Dawg! I heard you liked oscilloscopes so… lolBut, memes aside. This is awesome. As with many of the things that shows up on this page, I can only speculate as to why one would do this. lol",
"parent_i... | 1,760,376,883.539546 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/machine-learning-lets-micro-decode-your-handwriting/ | Machine Learning Lets Micro Decode Your Handwriting | Mike Szczys | [
"News"
] | [
"handwriting",
"touch screen",
"TouchPad"
] | This rig will take the letters you write on the touchpad using a stylus and
turn them into digital characters
. The system is very fast and displays near-perfect recognition. This is all thanks to a large data set that was gathered through machine learning.
The ATmega644 that powers the system just doesn’t have the speed and horsepower necessary to reliably recognize handwriting on its own. But provide it with a dataset to compare against and you’re in business. [Justin] and [Stephen] designed a neural network algorithm that took a large volume of character handwriting samples, and boiled them down into a set of correlations that can be referenced when encountering a new entry. This set is about 88 kilobytes, too much to store in the microprocessor, but easy to reference from an external flash memory device.
There’s plenty of gritty details in the write up linked above, but you may want to start with the video overview found after the break. | 10 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "643815",
"author": "Willrandship",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T18:46:01",
"content": "So, homebrew scribblenauts? Awesome.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643830",
"author": "Victor Aprea",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T19:24:22... | 1,760,376,883.493127 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/ti-launchpad-as-avr-isp-programmer/ | TI Launchpad As AVR ISP Programmer | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"AVR",
"avrdude",
"launchpad",
"msp430",
"msp430g2211",
"ti"
] | [Minifloat] is using his
TI Launchpad development board as an In-System Programmer for AVR chips
(
translated
). There are a ton of homebrew AVR programmers out there, and using an Arduino for ISP is quite popular. But recently we searched for a way to use the Launchpad as a programmer and didn’t find one. We’d venture to say this is the first.
There is one hardware modification that must be made. An external clock crystal (32.768 kHz) must be populated on the board. But since it was designed with the feature in mind that’s a pretty quick process. [Minifloat] followed Atmel’s ISP app note, and extended some of the code written for a different programmer to get things up and running. At first the device wouldn’t communicate with AVRdude, but that turns out to be a problem with the initialization conversation. AVRdude polls the connected programmer to see if it supports block mode, and the firmware on the MSP430G2211 wasn’t expecting this query. The problem was fixed and it now works.
It sounds like there are a couple of bugs left in the system. The first time AVRdude accesses the programmer after it has been plugged into the USB port it will fail. Subsequent attempts will succeed until the MSP430 chip is reset, or the USB connection is replugged. But if you’re just getting into the AVR line, this will let you figure out if you want to invest in a proper programmer. | 8 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "643780",
"author": "John U",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T17:27:17",
"content": "The MSP430 launchpad comes with that crystal.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643784",
"author": "NeXTWay",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T17:33:16",... | 1,760,376,883.663411 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/basic-for-some-beefy-avrchips/ | BASIC For Some Beefy AVR chips | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"68HC11",
"AVR",
"basic",
"interpreter"
] | klBASIC is
a BASIC interpreter written in C for AVR
microcontrollers. [Karl Lunt] developed the project based on an assembly language BASIC interpreter for 68HC11 chips written by [Gordon Doughman]. The transition from assembly to C bulked up the code, so you’ll need a beefy AVR chip in order to store all of it.
The idea is that one AVR chip can run BASIC with just a serial monitor. But like
this Arduino BASIC interpreter build
, it would be a snap to run this with a keyboard and small LCD screen. We see binaries available for several different AVR devices including ATmega128, ATmega1284, and Xmega128. They range from 1.5k to 16k of program memory. We didn’t find a link to the source code (just these precompiled files) so we inquired with [Karl] to see if that is available. He’s reluctant to release the code because it’s “pretty much a mess” and doesn’t live up to his normal standards. If he codes for a living we can see how that may be embarrassing. If you’d like to lend a hand cleaning up the code, let him know by leaving a comment here and maybe he’ll release it for that purpose.
We find this interesting, but it’s tough to get excited about building one of our own. If this has inspired you, we’d love to hear some of your plans in the comments after the break. Perhaps we’d be prodded into another programming adventure based on your enthusiasm. | 10 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "643760",
"author": "gnomad",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T16:55:17",
"content": "Is there any source code available for this?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643769",
"author": "Leandro Pereira",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T17:... | 1,760,376,883.756564 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/controlling-a-propeller-wirelessly-with-bluetooth/ | Controlling A Propeller Wirelessly With Bluetooth | Brian Benchoff | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"Parallax Propeller",
"propeller"
] | [Jeff] from Gadget Gangster sent in a great tutorial on
connecting a cheap Bluetooth module
to a Parallax microcontroller. In addition to getting a terminal to the Propeller up and running from his computer, [Jeff] was able to toggle IO pins and even control servos and Android devices – perfect for your next wireless robot.
Connecting the Bluetooth module to the
Propeller dev board
was easy enough – just two wires for power and two for transmitting and receiving. The computer side of the setup was easy as well; just entering a Bluetooth passcode. Once that was done, the Propeller could talk to the computer and vice versa.
Of course, without the ability to control pins on the microcontroller wirelessly the build was for naught. [Jeff] wrote a simple blinking LED demo. After that, a servo was connected and the build finished off by connecting to an Android terminal.
Although it’s a relatively simple build, we’ve noticed the Propeller doesn’t get much love around the Internet. While it may not have won the microcontroller holy war, it’s nice to see an underrated mcu getting some attention. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "643775",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T17:17:00",
"content": "The prop is a great chip if you need to true multitasking. Plus the primary languages of Spin or Assembley make it a little blah.I hope the Prop2 does better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"rep... | 1,760,376,883.39383 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/hackerspace-intros-null-space-labs-in-los-angeles-california/ | Hackerspace Intros: Null Space Labs In Los Angeles California | Caleb Kraft | [
"Hackerspaces"
] | [
"hackerspace",
"los angeles",
"nullspace"
] | [Charlie] from
Null Space Labs in Los Angeles, California
sent in this fun little video as an introduction to their hackerspace. Going a bit askew from the traditional “walk through” method of a tour, they decide to first attempt semi-successfully to fly a quadcopter, film some police commotion, then show off some projects in progress. Don’t worry, you do get to see a fair bit of the space and the copious piles of parts as well.
You may recall seeing some of the previous projects coming from this hackerspace such as the time
red bull sent them a mystery object
and how they
salvaged a pick and place machine
.
Remember, we want to promote all the hackerspaces we can! We don’t care if you’re just 3 hackers in a basement with a single project, a multimillion dollar facility, or anything in between. Send us those video tours! | 9 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "643693",
"author": "Destate9",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T15:42:21",
"content": "These hackerspace videos are sweet! Hackaday should hold a contest for hackerspaces! Each hackerspace could send in a 5 minute clip of a tour of their hackerspace, then the winner could get some compone... | 1,760,376,884.011544 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/reverse-engineering-a-plasma-dot-matrix-display/ | Reverse Engineering A Plasma Dot Matrix Display | Brian Benchoff | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"dot matrix",
"dot matrix display",
"plasma display"
] | A while back, [DragonMinded] picked up a bunch of old arcade and pinball parts from a guy on Craigslist. These parts sat around for a while until a really neat plasma dot matrix display was found in the corner of a box in his garage. Doing the only reasonable thing, [DragonMinded] figured out how to
interface this ancient display with a microcontroller
.
After extensive Internet research on his display, [DragonMinded] could only find a
one page datasheet
for his APD-128G064A-1 display. Luckily, this datasheet had voltage requirements, and since the display only had six input pins he could probe the circuit to see what goes where.
After generating a crude schematic, [DragonMinded] prototyped a driver circuit with an Arduino. When the function of each pin was discovered, the Arduino libraries were discarded and replaced with raw register access.
It was a fair amount of work, but [DragonMinded] eventually got to the point where he could draw anything he wanted on the screen. Next on the to-do list is turning it into a terminal or Twitter machine, as with all good display hacks. | 9 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "643671",
"author": "Mark",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T15:04:59",
"content": "That is a cool lizard!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "643701",
"author": "DragonMinded",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T15:53:10",
"... | 1,760,376,884.060079 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/turning-a-light-off-over-the-internet/ | Turning A Light Off Over The Internet | Brian Benchoff | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"internet controlled",
"php",
"relay"
] | Because reaching over a few feet to turn off a switch is too much to bear for [Bruce], he
connected his desk lamp to the Internet
. It’s a pretty cool build that’s the perfect tutorial for connecting just about anything to the internet.
For his build, [Bruce] used an Arduino with a relay attached to an output pin. When the Arduino receives a signal on its serial port, a tiny voltage is applied to the relay, turning on the light.
This could have been done with an Arduino Ethernet, but the PHP script [Bruce] went with is a little more versatile. Whenever someone pulls up
this digital light switch web page
, they can turn [Bruce]’s desk lamp on and off.
For an introduction to connecting bare bones projects to the Internet, we’re really liking [Bruce]’s build. Just try no to go crazy with that link and leave the failure testing to the professionals. You can check out the demo video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULmMASScJvo&w=470] | 23 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "643611",
"author": "Neoxy",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T13:19:33",
"content": "Have to try this with my setup. Great tuturial. Thanks",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643615",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T13:24... | 1,760,376,884.792857 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/meet-stompy-your-new-robotic-overlord/ | Meet Stompy, Your New Robotic Overlord | Brian Benchoff | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"hexapod",
"robot",
"Stompy"
] | In case you weren’t already depressed about not starting a summer project already, a couple of guys are
building a gigantic rideable hexapod
they call Stompy.
The project leaders, [Gui Cavalcanti], [Dan Cody], and [James Whong] have worked on a few crazy robotics projects before like
PETMAN
and
BigDog
. Stompy won’t be a military-backed project like the others (we sincerely hope), so they’re enlisting the help of fellow makers at
Artisan’s Asylum
to complete a 15-foot diameter, 1-2 ton rideable hexapod before the end of August.
Right now, the team is still in the planning and preliminary testing stages. So far, they’ve built a 1/2 scale model of one leg to figure out the
control systems
, and getting the repurposed forklift motor up and running. It may not look like much now, but we’re sure the team is going to have a very fun time building Stompy.
You can check out the updates and progress of Stompy on the
Project Hexapod blog | 20 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "643596",
"author": "Marvin",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T12:34:28",
"content": "I’m no grammar nazi, but this depresses me:“6 legs are required for a staticgate“",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "643602",
"author": "fightcu... | 1,760,376,885.003743 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/a-fantastic-acrylic-light-display/ | A Fantastic Acrylic Light Display | Brian Benchoff | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"acrylic",
"light display"
] | As a retired industrial designer, [Dave] has a lot of time to do what we’d all like to do: sit around in a workshop and make stuff. His latest project,
an acrylic light display of an Indian motorcycle
looks fantastic and betrays his designer heritage.
The base of the light display is made up of a laminate of a few 1/4″ pieces of Poplar carved on
[Dave]’s CNC machine
. These pieces were glued together with a slot routed into the top for the arcylic panel. Instead of going with a few LEDs for the light source, [Dave] used a small cold cathode fluorescent lamp with the requisite inverter tucked away inside the base. This is the same setup he used
in an earlier project
, and judging from that the Indian motorcycle display looks great on the inside.
After giving the wooden base a few coats of lacquer, [Dave] milled a piece of acrylic with an Indian motorcycle motif he created himself. It’s a great piece of work, sure to brighten up his very awesome workshop. | 5 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "643755",
"author": "Zeron",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T16:49:45",
"content": "The burnt edges of the wood cut on the VNV machine indicate too low of a chip load. He needs to either increase his movement speed, or decrease the spped that the bit is spinning. Too low a chip load will... | 1,760,376,884.551747 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/using-an-nes-controller-with-an-atari-2600/ | Using An NES Controller With An Atari 2600 | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"atari",
"nes"
] | Instructibles user [Danjovic] managed to get his hands on an Atari 2600, but all the joysticks were damaged beyond repair. Instead of building an atari joystick from scratch, he looked to a slightly newer generation of gaming and
decided to us an NES controller instead
. This was done fairly easily with the aide of an Arduino.
This seems like a nice easy mod that could breathe a little new life into some old games, but we just can’t imagine playing without that original joystick! | 17 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "643214",
"author": "Metheos",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T23:10:31",
"content": "I did this a few years ago. No microcontroller needed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643218",
"author": "Ravyne",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T2... | 1,760,376,884.683001 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/arduino-can-program-pic-too/ | Arduino Can Program PIC Too! | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arduino",
"c++",
"pic",
"programmer"
] | This is a wiring diagram that [Soranne] put together when developing a method of
programming PIC microcontrollers using an Arduino board
. You can see that he takes care of the 12V issue by connecting the Master Clear (MCLR) pin to an external source. This comes with one warning that the Arduino should always be reset just before making that connection.
He’s tested this with a 16F628 and is happy to report that he can successfully flash the program memory, but hasn’t implemented a way to write to the EEPROM as of yet. This should work for any of the 16F family of chips, but we’d bet this will be extended if some knowledgeable folks decide to lend a hand.
On the PC side of things [Soraane] has been working on a program to push code to the Arduino via the USB connection. He’s developing it in C# and even has a GUI worked up for the project. You can get your hands on the software in the second post of the thread linked above but you’ll have to be logged into the Arduino forum to see the download link.
We think the 12V issue is why we don’t see more roll-your-own programmers for PIC. But there are a few solutions out there like
this ATmega8 version
. | 22 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "643169",
"author": "Drake",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T22:12:15",
"content": "Why no transistor to turn on 12v to pic?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643176",
"author": "Douglas Bouttell",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T22:33:0... | 1,760,376,884.736693 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/upgrading-a-digital-multimeter-to-tell-the-temperature/ | Upgrading A Digital Multimeter To Tell The Temperature | Caleb Kraft | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"multimeter",
"temperature"
] | [Rajendra] tipped us off to this really
slick hack he’s done to allow his multimeter to tell the ambient temperature
. He’s basically measuring the output of an LM35 temp sensor that he has mounted in the case. The circuit is extremely simple and only requires the sensor, a couple resistors, and a switch so that you can return to normal function. When finished, you’ll have a multimeter that will display the ambient temperature when set to to the correct range (0-200 mV in his case). The switch is there so that you can return your multimeter to normal function afterwards. While [Rajendra] chose to display ambient temperature, you could just as easily create an external probe for measuring other things. | 16 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "644759",
"author": "tricorder",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T23:48:28",
"content": "I like the simple idea behind this – adding more features to inexpensive DMMs.I’ve been thinking about “smart” test harness design quite a bit lately.The DMM gives you a good case, power, nice display, r... | 1,760,376,884.846004 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/arduino-uno-bios-flasher/ | Arduino Uno BIOS Flasher | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"bios",
"coreboot",
"flash",
"flashrom"
] | We’ve seen the Arduino used to flash BIOS chips several times now. But these hacks are almost always the result of a bad flash. This time around [GNUtoo] is interested in putting a tool in your hands which can be used to flash Coreboot to your motherboard.
His offering uses the Arduino Uno
, but there are several other hardware options covered as well.
The firmware makes use of
the serprog-duino library
which was crafted at writing to flash memory chips. On the computer side of things
the flashrom package
pushes the BIOS image to the Arduino. The nice thing is the flashrom is a common packge in Linux repositories so it’s probably just an apt-get away.
The process isn’t fast, taking about ten minutes to program a 1 Mb chip. But if you’re just interested in
loading an open source BIOS alternative
this is easy to set up. | 39 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "644749",
"author": "GNUtoo",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T23:14:34",
"content": "hi,before it took 10 minutes to program a flash chip of 1M, I’ve improved the code and it now takes about 3 minutes.However I forgot to remove the sentence where I tell that it takes 10 minutes on the wiki ... | 1,760,376,884.627429 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/sign-and-speak-glove/ | Sign And Speak Glove | Mike Szczys | [
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"american sign language",
"flex sensor",
"glove",
"sign language"
] | This wire covered
glove is capable of turning your hand gestures to speech
, and it does so wirelessly. The wide range of sensors include nine flex sensors, four contact sensors, and an accelerometer. The flex sensors do most of the work, monitoring the alignment of the wearer’s finger joints. The contact sensors augment the flex sensor data, helping to differentiate between letters that have similar finger positions. The accelerometer is responsible for decoding movements that go along with the hand positions. They combine to detect all of the letters in the American Sign Language alphabet.
An ATmega644 monitors all of the sensors, and pushes data out through a wireless transmitter. MATLAB is responsible for collecting the data which is coming in over the wireless link. It saves it for later analysis using a Java program. Once the motions have been decoded into letters, they are assembled into sentences and fed into a text-to-speech program.
You’ve probably already guess that there’s a demo video after the break. | 10 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "644714",
"author": "ChalkBored",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T21:40:43",
"content": "Now you just need a gorilla that knows sign language, and you can go looking for diamonds in the Congo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "644718",
... | 1,760,376,884.503549 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/chocolate-extrusion-printer-is-halfway-to-making-smores/ | Chocolate Extrusion Printer Is Halfway To Making S’mores | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"chocolate",
"extruder",
"extrusion"
] | Chocolate has got to be one of the worst choices as a printing medium. It’s extremely fussy when it comes to melting point, and even in the right state the flow of the material is not going to play nicely with high-resolution designs. With this in mind, we applaud the progress the student team from Carnegie Mellon University has made with
WonkaBot, their chocolate extrusion printer
.
Unlike the syringe-based
paste extruder from last month
, this offering uses an auger to push chocolate through a heated printer head. They’re using it to print designs on graham crackers. We love the UI they came up with for the task. It uses a virtual graham cracker as a canvas on your laptop and allows you to use the touchpad or mouse to draw your design. That input is then converted to g-code and sent to the CNC machine for printing. See it in action after the break. | 15 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "644670",
"author": "Bob Thing",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T20:10:34",
"content": "What about this one that was printing last year?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIFi8but3Vwhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14030720Or this one?http://hannahnapier.co.uk/2011/12/3d-printed-chocolate-a... | 1,760,376,884.900401 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/huge-water-and-light-vu-meter-plus-more/ | Huge Water And Light VU Meter Plus More | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"Kinect",
"led",
"processing",
"rgb",
"Teensy"
] | This is the senior design project for a group at the University of Vermont. It’s
a wet, bubbly, blinky, interactive thing
. Each column is a clear tube filled with water, with a string of fully addressable RGB LEDs suspended in the center. In idle mode, the lights scroll through a series of interesting patterns while the water is filled with bubbles to add some depth to the presentation. There is also a VU meter function, as seen here and during the Portal theme song that ends the video demo after the break.
A Teensy++ board is used to address the display. It’s set up to receive serial commands from a Processing script which is responsible for generating the animations. At the top of the frame you can see there’s a Kinect sensor. By standing in the standard post (we think it should be called the Kinect mug shot) the installation will automatically switch over to body control. We could see this thing making its way into a long airplane terminal hallway, following the travelers along their trek from one terminal to the next.
[via
Reddit
] | 19 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "644638",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T19:25:02",
"content": "Man, that would make some wicked bongs!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "644649",
"author": "BLuRry",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T19:39:21",
... | 1,760,376,884.951537 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/automatic-airplane-tracking-what-radar-systems-engineers-do-for-kicks/ | Automatic Airplane Tracking; What Radar-systems Engineers Do For Kicks | Mike Szczys | [
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"airplane",
"arduino",
"radar",
"tracking",
"video experimenter"
] | [G. Eric Rogers] is a radar-systems engineer who just happens to live within sight of the aircraft approach path for the local airport. We wonder if that was one of the criteria when looking for a home? Naturally, he wanted his own home-based system for tracking the airplanes. He ended up
repurposing a motorized telescope for this purpose
.
The system does not actually use Radar for tracking. Instead, the camera strapped to the telescope is feeding
a video experimenter shield
. A tracking algorithm analyzes the video and extrapolates vector data. From there, the base unit can be controlled by the Arduino via an RS232 interface.
There are some bugs in the system right now. The Arduino has something of an ADHD problem, losing interesting and going to sleep in the middle of the tracking process. [Eric’s] workaround uses the RS232 board to periodically reset the Arduino, but he hopes to squash this bug soon. | 15 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "644602",
"author": "Techartisan",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T18:11:23",
"content": "title mistake….”Automatic airplane tracking; what radar-systems engineers do for kicks”..should read…”Surefire method for meeting homeland security agents”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,376,885.076822 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/diwire-bender-makes-nearly-any-shape-imaginable/ | DIWire Bender Makes Nearly Any Shape Imaginable | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"wire",
"wire bender"
] | The people over at Pensa posted an
awesome CNC wire bender
on their blog. Robotic wire benders are common industrial machine that are
very fun to watch
. These machines can turn out custom wire-bent parts or sculptures in a matter of seconds. The Pensa team’s “DIWire Bender” might not be as fast as the big boys, but it works just the same.
From their
Tumblr blog
, we see that there are motors to draw the wire off a spool and into a hollow shaft. At the business end of the machine, there’s a small gear-driven bender that can form wire in just about any shape. There’s an awesome video of the DIWire Bender in action after the break if your mind is still trying comprehend how
wire top hats
and
glasses
can be made.
The Pensa team says they built this to fill a void in DIY fabrication machines – 3D printers are great and all, but some things can be done more easily by bending some wire. | 26 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "644571",
"author": "parkerlreed",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T17:14:37",
"content": "Neat",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "644573",
"author": "snowdruid",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T17:16:51",
"content": "this look like a ... | 1,760,376,885.351984 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/reaching-out-to-a-touch-screen-with-a-microcontroller/ | Reaching Out To A Touch Screen With A Microcontroller | Mike Szczys | [
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"capacitive",
"tin foil",
"touch screen"
] | We love capacitive touch screens. They’re much more robust than resistive touch screens and if the UI is programmed well they produce a great user experience. But getting your electronics project to interact with one is a bit tough. [RobB] has been experimenting in that area, and managed to
build a simple touchscreen actuator for microcontroller use
.
In the video after the break you can see his proof of concept. He’s using an Arduino to enter the number 2 on an
Android
iOS calculator app once every second. It doesn’t take much to pull off this trick, [RopB] just taped a piece of tin foil to the screen and connected it to the Arduino with a jumper wire. The pin is left floating until a screen tap is needed, at which point it is pulled to ground.
A custom app operating at slow speeds could use this as an input technique. Two pieces of foil (one acting as clock, the other data) would provide a rudimentary serial transfer system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDgDMBquBw0 | 20 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "644544",
"author": "onaclov2000",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T16:15:47",
"content": "I sent in a project that uses bluetooth to communicate to the phone but that controls the phone rather then the other way around (I.E. the arduino device can control music volume). If anyone is interes... | 1,760,376,885.232213 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/creating-a-multimedia-elevator-ride/ | Creating A Multimedia Elevator Ride | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"accelerometer",
"elevator",
"reflectance",
"video"
] | [Ben Peoples] works in theatrical electronics. Sounds like fun, and here’s an example of the kind of stuff he does. We’re not sure what event this installation was used for, but if the elevator ride needed something flashy just think of what the party room must have looked like. These HDTV screens on the ceiling of the elevator
play different clips when the elevator is moving up or down
. The challenge for [Ben] was to find a way to make it work without tapping into the elevator electronics or requiring any button presses.
The first attempt at sensing the elevator’s travel was done with an accelerometer. The problem with this approach is that an accelerometer only senses change in acceleration and this method proved to be fairly error prone. [Ben] switched over to a reflective sensor which performed quite well. Since most of these sensors will only work within about an eighth of an inch he ended up building his own with a LDR and a couple of amber LEDs.
[via
Reddit
] | 5 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "644553",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T16:36:08",
"content": "Now I want to see an elevator with a ceiling that displays a moving view of the elevator shaft as though there were no ceiling. :p",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"c... | 1,760,376,885.485152 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/retrotechtacular-the-blit-has-given-me-access-to-the-power-of-multiprogramming/ | Retrotechtacular: The Blit Has Given Me Access To The Power Of Multiprogramming! | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"blit",
"graphics",
"mouse",
"retrotechtacular",
"unix"
] | We normally try to be descriptive with our titles. But when that statement pops out of the narration with notable excitement it made us chuckle. This installment of Retrotechtacular is
a promotional video for the Blit
. It’s a graphics-based hardware terminal for Unix systems. It’s biggest boast is the ability to run (and display on screen) several different programs at once — an activity called multiprogramming. But there is also the “digitizing mouse”. On board is a 68000 microcprocessor 256k of RAM (they call it a quarter meg), and connects via RS232. The screen is 800 by 1024; that’s right, it’s a portrait orientation.
Notable in this episode are some classic eyeglass frames, and rad synthesizer sounds for scene transitions. Whatever happened to videography technique that uses a dimwitted companion to ask that all-knowing narrator stupid questions?
[Thanks John] | 16 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "644483",
"author": "plfx",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T14:32:30",
"content": "Quote of the day:“I’ve always been able to think about several things at once, but the terminal stood in the way. Through the combination of Graphics and Unix, the Blit has given me access to the power of Mul... | 1,760,376,885.541291 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/printing-point-to-point-circuits-on-a-3d-printer/ | Printing Point-to-point Circuits On A 3D Printer | Brian Benchoff | [
"3d Printer hacks",
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"electronics",
"makerbot",
"Manhattan Style",
"point to point",
"reprap",
"wirewrap"
] | [CarryTheWhat] put up an Instructable on his endeavours in
printing circuit boards for solder free electronics
. He managed to print a flashlight where the only non-printed parts are a pair of batteries and a couple of LEDs.
The circuit is a weird mix of
point to point
and
Manhattan style
circuit construction; after modeling a printed plastic plate, [CarryTheWhat] added a few custom component holders to hold LEDs, batteries, and other tiny electronic bits.
To deliver power to each electronic bit, the components are tied off on blue pegs. These pegs are attached to each other by
conductive thread
much like wirewrap circuit construction.
Right now, the circuits are extremely simple, but they really remind us of a few
vintage ham radio rigs
. While this method is most likely too complex to print 3D printer electronics (a much desired and elusive goal), it’s very possible to replicate some of the simpler projects we see on Hackaday.
[CarryTheWhat] put the models and files
up on GitHub
if you’d like to try out a build of your own. | 8 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "644481",
"author": "Daid",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T14:31:17",
"content": "http://blog.reprap.org/2012/04/some-more-printed-circuitry.htmlI was just reading about actual printed circuits the other day. Which is a way bigger hack then this ;-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,... | 1,760,376,885.59055 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/the-gas-cap-senses-your-flatulence-and-displays-it-on-your-forehead/ | The Gas Cap Senses Your Flatulence And Displays It On Your Forehead | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"fart",
"flatulence",
"gas"
] | If you’ve ever found yourself wondering if there’s any possible way to let those with deficient olfactory senses know just how flatulent you are, wonder no more. The
Gas Cap is here to fulfill that very need
. A bar graph of sorts, located on the front of a hat that will light up to reflect the amount of methane sensed near your, uh, exhaust port. This project cost around $100, though a good portion of that went to the Xbee modules so that the detector could be separated from the hat, allowing for remote fart notifications.
This seems to be a project that is not as uncommon as one might assume. We’ve seen
fart intensity detectors
as well as
tweeting chairs that alert the world when you pass gas
.
[via
Adafruit
] | 13 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "644415",
"author": "bio",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T12:06:14",
"content": "so THIS is what NASA has been up to",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "644417",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T12:13:33",
"content":... | 1,760,376,885.642428 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/04/arduino-pic-programmer-writes-to-18f-family/ | Arduino PIC Programmer Writes To 18F Family | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arduino",
"pic"
] | [Kirill] wrote in to share
his Arduino-based PIC programmer
. It is capable of writing to the 18F family of chips, including 18F2XXX and 18F4XXX. We think that’s pretty exciting because this line of chips has USB functionality and there are bootloaders out there that let you program them via USB. So if you wanted to build your own PIC dev-board (
like this one
) you can use your Arduino to flash the bootloader.
This post comes hot on the heels of
the Arduino being used as a PIC 16F programmer
. That hack has a rudimentary programming GUI, something that [Kirill] admits his lacks but has no plans to implement himself. Perhaps someone will do a little porting work to merge the projects, adding to the range of chips supported by this programming technique. | 10 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "644440",
"author": "middlerun",
"timestamp": "2012-05-04T12:49:32",
"content": "When I saw the title of this post I thought that someone who programs Arduinos and PICS wrote a letter to a family of 18 year old females.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,376,885.69353 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/03/fairly-simple-hack-makes-samsung-tvs-reboot-forever/ | Fairly Simple Hack Makes Samsung TVs Reboot Forever | Caleb Kraft | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"blu-ray",
"samsung",
"tv"
] | [Luigi Auriemma] almost rendered his brother’s TV useless attempting to play a simple practical joke. In the process,
he uncovered a bug
that could potentially upset a lot of people. His idea was to connect a computer to the system via WiFi, masquerading as a remote control. [Luigi] found that by altering the packet being sent to the TV by adding a line feed and some other characters to the name, it would begin an endless reboot loop.
He also discovered that he could easily crash the devices by setting the MAC address string too long. We’re not sure if he’s modifying the remote, or the television on this one though.
These bugs affect the Samsung TVs and Blu Ray players that utilize the same chip. The crazy part is that despite his attempts, he has been unable to contact anyone at Samsung to let them know!
[via
BoingBoing
] | 64 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "643933",
"author": "Dave",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T22:37:23",
"content": "I can see wardriving turning into drive-by brickings in the not so distant future.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "644727",
"author": "GS",
... | 1,760,376,885.859476 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/hackerspace-intro-heatsync-labs-in-mesa-arizona/ | Hackerspace Intro: HeatSync Labs In Mesa Arizona | Caleb Kraft | [
"Hackerspaces"
] | [
"arizona",
"hackerspace intro"
] | Following along with our request for hackerspace tours [Will] sent in this fantastic tour of
HeatSync Labs in Mesa Arizona
. This is exactly what we love to see. A quick tour, showing us who you are, where you are, what is going on, and what people have done. This place looks like a really well run hackerspace too. Lots of equipment ranging from soldering stations to wood shop, welding booth, laser cutter, 3d printing, 3d scanning, and hopefully (eventually) a fully functional electron microscope! Great job folks, if we’re ever in the area, we’ll be sure to stop by and see what you’ve got going on.
Check out the video tour after the break.
[youtube =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMRXXNs1DPU] | 15 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "642900",
"author": "Destate9",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T14:06:48",
"content": "Awesome name!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "642902",
"author": "rue_mohr",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T14:15:32",
"content": "whats critic... | 1,760,376,885.74443 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/giant-pink-hexacopter-is-slightly-safer-than-the-rest/ | Giant Pink Hexacopter Is Slightly Safer Than The Rest | Caleb Kraft | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"hexacopter",
"quadcopter"
] | Check out this
giant pink hexacopter
. We see tons of quad copters here, but their bigger brothers/sisters the hexacopters don’t visit very often. When they do though, they get all dressed up as you can see in the picture above. This prototype frame is meant to protect both the props, and the innocent bystanders as you inevitably veer into something you shouldn’t. The frame is constructed mainly from carbon fiber and adds a total of about 1 Kg of weight to the copter. While it does fly, [AirvewLive] is looking for guidance on what prop/motor combo would yield more endurance. Anyone have some recommendations?
We know some of you will notice pretty quickly that he refers to this as a “ducted fan”. We realize it isn’t and we’ll forgive him this once because his build is so cool.
[thanks for the tip Mike] | 11 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "642961",
"author": "zokier",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T15:33:38",
"content": "I wonder if adding meshes on top/bottom of propellers would reduce lift too much. At least it would prevent fingers/branches from entering them. Quick google revealed that some random hex mesh had 80% open ... | 1,760,376,886.45566 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/atiny-powered-kinect-fire-cannons-for-dance-fx/ | ATiny Powered Kinect Fire Cannons For Dance Fx | Jesse Congdon | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"fire cannon",
"Kinect"
] | [Paul] is at it again with some
kinect controlled fire poofers
. You may remember [Paul’s] previous shenanigans with the
gigantic hand made hydraulic flame-sailed pirate ship
. This time he is building a small flame poofer (possibly a series of poofers) for SOAK, a regional (unaffiliated) Burning Man style festival in Oregon.
Any one who remembers the build will recognize the brains of the new cannons, they are just the pirate ship’s custom ATiny board unceremoniously torn from their previous home and recycled for the new controller. This time though they have Kinect! The build seems to function much like the
evil genius simulator
by simply using a height threshold to activate each cannon, but [Paul] has plans for the new system. This hardware test uses the closed source OpenNI but will meet its full potential when it is reborn in
SkelTrack,
which was just released a few weeks ago. The cannons are going to go around a small single person dance floor, presumably with the Kinect nearby.
Check out the brief test video after the jump.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n90rMzVo8jw&w=470] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "642842",
"author": "kaaaaaaang",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T12:05:55",
"content": "This is dangerously awesome.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "642859",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T12:42:04",
"content": ... | 1,760,376,885.90193 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/01/dragon_fire/ | 7 Foot Long Flying Dragon Breathes Fire | Caleb Kraft | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"radio control",
"rc",
"skyrim"
] | What do you have to do to win best of show at an R/C event in Toledo? Build a
7 foot long fire breathing radio controlled dragon
of course! [Rick Hamel] stuffed his electronics, a turbine engine, a kerosene tank, and a stun gun into a home built body shaped like a dragon. You can see a few construction pics that show how he is able to steer. It looks like it flies just like any r/c airplane. This one, however could burn down a village and keep going. Check out the videos after the break to see it flying and testing out its fire breathing mechanism.
[youtube =http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lDSuc82pczM]
[youtube =http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SzP5X9Y58JE] | 22 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "642272",
"author": "xeracy",
"timestamp": "2012-05-01T23:41:21",
"content": "will it set its own face on fire if used mid-flight? I would hope he’s a tad fireproof…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "642319",
"author": "m... | 1,760,376,885.98845 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/01/build-a-rig-to-make-orbs-in-your-light-paintings/ | Build A Rig To Make Orbs In Your Light Paintings | Caleb Kraft | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"art",
"light painting"
] | We’ve covered plenty of light painting projects here. People are always finding new ways to create interesting things in this fairly new medium. This project covers a method of creating orbs or spheres in your light paintings. The author points out that many people do this currently by putting the light source at the end of a string, swinging it in front of them like a propeller, and turning slowly in a circle. He wanted to automate the process a bit, so he
combined his motorized telescope tripod, a power drill
, a strip of RGB LEDs, and a few scraps of wood. He now has an automated system to make perfect orbs. Some of the examples he shows are quite stunning. | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "642238",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2012-05-01T23:00:00",
"content": "Reminds me of the results of one of my favorite LogoWriter tricks from elementary school. I forget the syntax in logo, but it was essentiallyLoopForward 1Right Turn 1Random ColorIt made these fun multicolo... | 1,760,376,886.089041 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/01/playing-pong-with-your-mind/ | Playing Pong With Your Mind | Brian Benchoff | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"atmega644",
"eeg",
"pong"
] | It seems [Charles Moyes] and [Mengxiang Jiang] won’t suffer from the sore wrists and thumbs from an Atari controller any longer. They built a version of Pong
played by concentrating and relaxing
while wearing an EEG headset.
Right now, there’s only enough hardware for one player; when the player operating the red paddle concentrates the paddle moves up – relax, it goes down.
The hardware portion of the build is fairly tricky business. [Chuck] and [Mengxiang] built a circuit to amplify the tiny voltages between their ears into something a microcontroller can read. The circuit is loosely based on
this Arduino EEG build
, but highly refined as the elegance of an ATMega644 requires.
The EEG amplifier has a cutoff of under 50 Hz, perfect for reading the Alpha waves correlated with concentration. The oscillations from the skull-cap are sent through the ATMega to MATLAB where after a pass through an FFT the brain waves are converted to mouse scroll wheel output.
There’s a demo video available where you can see spectators screaming at the poor test subject telling him to relax and concentrate on command. You can check that out after the break.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYQfdA2tXbc&w=470]
[Charles Moyes] and [Mengxiang Jiang] sent in their | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "642326",
"author": "Cyril",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T00:52:15",
"content": "“as the elegance of an ATMega644 requires”Please explain?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643620",
"author": "HomelyPoet",
"timestamp": "2012-05... | 1,760,376,886.14974 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/01/arduino-basic-interpreter-using-lcd-keyboard-and-sd/ | Arduino BASIC Interpreter Using LCD, Keyboard, And SD | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"basic",
"basic interpreter",
"character lcd",
"lcd",
"sd"
] | This
Arduino BASIC interpreter
will make a really fun one-day project if you’ve already got the parts on hand. [Usmar A. Padow] put together an Arduino Uno, SD card, four line character LCD, and PS/2 keyboard. but he’s also included alternative options to go without an LCD screen by using a computer terminal, or without the SD card by using only the Uno’s RAM. As you can see in his demo after the break, this simple input/output is all you need to experiment with some ancient computing.
It’s hard for us to watch this and not think back to an orange or green monochrome display. Just like decades past, this implementation of BASIC has you start each line of code with a line number, and doesn’t allow for character editing once the line has been input. The example programs that [Usmar] shows off are simple to understand but cover enough to get you started if you’ve never worked with BASIC before.
Last August we saw another hack which
ported Tiny BASIC to the Arduino
. You may want to take a gander at that one as well. | 10 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "642221",
"author": "Pilotgeek",
"timestamp": "2012-05-01T22:39:17",
"content": "No line editing? Psh, even my old VTech Precomputer 2000 had line editing =3",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "653715",
"author": "Duality",... | 1,760,376,886.57269 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/fiber-optic-chandelier-with-wireless-controls/ | Fiber Optic Chandelier With Wireless Controls | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"fiber optics",
"led",
"lighting"
] | After seeing a cool fiberoptic chandelier on Ebay for over $1,000, [Apex Logic]
figured he could build one himself
that would not only be cheaper, but have more features. Some of the features he was after were for it to be wirelessly controlled, have the ability for full RGB control, and of course to have a custom look. He pulled it off quite nicely as you can see in the video below. He has a wireless controller with 3 sliders representing RGB that you can catch a glimpse of in the second video below.
His page with the build details and the code seems to have suffered some ill fate this morning.
Here it is
, for when it returns.
[via
Adafruit
] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "643681",
"author": "MattQ",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T15:22:54",
"content": "Very cool! The computer fan power supply seems like over kill, a power brick probably would have done the job, but if it was just hanging around, then no problem there. It looks like 9 high power LEDs are ru... | 1,760,376,886.409798 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/sun-powered-stirling-engine-with-automatic-tracking/ | Sun-powered Stirling Engine With Automatic Tracking | Mike Szczys | [
"green hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ldr",
"photoresistor",
"solar",
"stirling engine",
"sun",
"tracking"
] | Check out
this solar-powered Stirling engine
(
translated
). The build is part of a high school class and they packed in some really nice features. The first is the parabolic mirror which focuses the sun’s rays on the chamber of the engine. The heat is what makes it go, and the video after the breaks shows it doing just that.
But the concept behind the mirror makes for an interesting challenge. The light energy is focused at a narrow point. When the sun moves in the sky that point will no longer be at an efficient position to power the engine. This issue is solved by a pair of stepper motors which can reposition the dish. It’s done automatically by an Arduino Uno which makes readings from four LDR (photoresistors) in that cardboard tube mounted at the top of the dish. If the light intensity is the same for all four, then the tube is pointed at the sun. If not, the motors are tweaked to get the best angle possible.
[Thanks Lionel] | 32 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "643098",
"author": "Zak",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T20:10:34",
"content": "Now they just need to put a generator on the engine and power the steppers/control hardware with the stirling engine.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "64... | 1,760,376,886.525831 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/surround-sound-system-controller-replacement-includes-home-automation/ | Surround Sound System Controller Replacement Includes Home Automation | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"5.1",
"amp",
"amplifier",
"arduino",
"atmega328",
"home automation",
"surround sound"
] | [Neoxy] always wanted surround sound for his computer, and one day he managed to get a hold of a dead 5.1 system. Why buy one when you can repair someone’s rubbish, right? That turned out to be easier said than done, but after several false-starts
he managed to resurrect the audio system by replacing the microcontroller
.
We find his trouble-shooting technique interesting. The amp would power up without a hitch but no sound would come out of it. So he took a headphone cable and used the L and R conductors as probes. That cable was fed from an MP3 player, and by touching the probes to the audio inputs for the pre-amp and amplifier circuits he could get great sound out of the speakers. Reasonably certain that those boards were working fine he narrowed down the troubles to three chips that mix, select inputs, and control the system.
A lot of prototyping with an ATmega328 and an Arduino led him to the functionality you see in the video after the break. Not only did he get the system working, but he’s using the Arduino to add Internet control for the device. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "643688",
"author": "Mojoe",
"timestamp": "2012-05-03T15:32:37",
"content": "I can’t believe there are no comments on this awesome hack! Great job! This is the sort of thing I like to see on here. I find myself needing more inputs on everything. Awesome write up with many details as ... | 1,760,376,886.613086 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/simple-trick-for-replacing-game-boy-cart-batteries-while-retaining-game-saves/ | Simple Trick For Replacing Game Boy Cart Batteries While Retaining Game Saves | Mike Szczys | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"battery",
"battery backup",
"cartridge",
"game boy",
"replace",
"sram"
] | [Adr990] wants to make sure his Game Boy game saves aren’t lost to aging batteries. They’re stored in SRAM with a small coin cell inside the cartridge to keep the memory energized when the game is not being played. But if you pull out the battery in order to replace it the data will be lost in the process. It turns out that
you can hot-swap the battery without too much effort
. As shown in the video after the break, he disassembled the case of the cartridge, then replaced the battery while the Game Boy is switched on. The edge connector feeds power which will keep the SRAM active while the backup battery is removed. We’re sure this could be done with a bench supply as well, but you’ll need to do your own testing before risking those prized game saves.
The other option is to backup your SRAM before replacing the batteries. We’ve seen
an AVR-based cartridge dumper
, and also
one that uses an Arduino
. Both should be able to read and write SRAM data. | 22 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "643043",
"author": "DanAdamKOF",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T18:07:53",
"content": "This is common with arcade repairs, look up replacing a “suicide battery”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "644322",
"author": "kevin",
... | 1,760,376,886.752228 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/retrotechtacular-introducing-the-brand-new-acorn-risc-machine/ | Retrotechtacular: Introducing The Brand New Acorn Risc Machine | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"retrotechtacular",
"risc"
] | Get ready to be swept off your feet by
this Acorn Risc Machine promotional video
from the Mid-1980’s (also embedded after the jump). We’re sure most have put it together by now, but for those slower readers, this is the introduction of ARM processors.
The video has a bit of everything. There’s a deadpan narration with just a bit of British accent around the edges. But that’s spiced up considerably by the up-beat synthesizer track playing in the background. You’ll see plenty of programmers in short-sleeve dress shirts, and we challenge you to count the number of mustaches that make it on camera. But jest aside, it’s fun to think of how the advent of this chip affected the world.
This post is just the second installment of our Retrotechtacular series (
here’s the inaugural post
). We haven’t seen any old movies come in from readers yet. What are you waiting for? Digitize that footage because
we want to see it
! Of course it doesn’t have to be your own movies, so anything you come across that covers decades-old tech is fair game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrj-EEnsacQ
[via
Adafruit
] | 17 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "643028",
"author": "sureshotstudio",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T17:38:39",
"content": "more please! love it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643056",
"author": "Dued",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T18:36:40",
"content": "lo... | 1,760,376,886.80653 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/led-matrix-shield-starts-with-a-very-loud-snap/ | LED Matrix Shield Starts With A Very Loud Snap | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"clapper",
"decade counter",
"led matrix",
"shift register",
"sound control"
] | We see a lot of LED matrix projects. They’re fun, and you can learn a lot of basic lessons during the build. But this one is out of the ordinary. [Rtty21]
built an oddly sized, and sound controlled matrix shield
for his Arduino. That’s it right there, the shield is the large chunk of protoboard but you can just see the Arduino peeking up over the top of it.
Now we say oddly sized because a 9×9 matrix doesn’t make much sense with an 8-bit micro controller. There’s no schematic but in the clip after the break he mentions that the columns and rows are driven by a decade counter and shift register and that’s what makes it possible to drive nine bits easily. Also of note on the board is that washer above and to the right of the matrix. It’s a touch-sensitive reset button. But the main control mechanism is a Clapper clone circuit. Just snap your fingers and it turns the project on or off. [Rtty21] based the design on
this step-by-step sound input build
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb3sMFERdmk | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "643035",
"author": "plfx",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T17:53:29",
"content": "Is that a piezobuzzer for the touch reset?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "643084",
"author": "Galane",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T19:32:39",
"... | 1,760,376,886.905119 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/02/using-incandescent-bulbs-to-compensate-for-a-slow-start-cfl/ | Using Incandescent Bulbs To Compensate For A Slow Start Cfl | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"cfl",
"diming"
] | [Dick], like most of us, likes some pretty strong light in his workshop. He’s using CFL flood lamps to save a little energy. Unfortunately, he found that they gradually become brighter instead of that instant light he was accustomed to with his previous incandescent bulbs.
Not wanting to wait around for the lights to reach full power, but still wanting to save electricity, he devised a plan . He would install an incandescent bulb along side the others and fade it out slowly as the others became brighter. He acknowledges that he could have just put a 5 minute timer on it, but the transition would be abrupt and unpleasant. Instead, he
built a circuit to get the exact result he wanted
.
Just so you don’t miss it, the actual build is available to download at a link toward the bottom of the page.
[via
HackedGadgets
] | 20 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "642965",
"author": "elektrophreak",
"timestamp": "2012-05-02T15:40:07",
"content": "I also have CFL lamps in my room, but I don’t notice them starting dimmed… that’s strange.anyway, nice project!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,376,886.864593 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/05/01/rca-capacitive-electronic-disk/ | RCA Capacitive Electronic Disk | Jeremy Cook | [
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"Capacitive Electronic Disk",
"CED",
"RCA"
] | Although not a hack in the sense that it was made by a large corporation, check out this capacitive electronic disk that [danielbpm] wrote in about. Here’s a
Wikipedia article
about it, as well as
a video
(which didn’t embed correctly) about how it was made. The disks look like a typical audio record, and it was conceived of in 1964. A prototype was manufactured in 1972.
Unlike the more well-known Laserdisk format, the [Capacitive Electronic disk], or [CED] used an actual stylus to read the disks. Because of this, the [Wikipedia] article astutely points out that both systems were mutually incompatible. Somewhere there might have been a scratched Laserdisk next to the VCR with a sandwich stuffed in it. The computer with a broken coffee holder wouldn’t come for another few years.
Although it may have been a good format in it’s own right, like Betamax or HD-DVD, this system wasn’t destined to become the Blu-Ray player of it’s time. | 25 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "641601",
"author": "Ryan7777",
"timestamp": "2012-05-01T12:23:47",
"content": "Ha! I knew someone that had one of these players and a few disks. One of those disks was an, ahem, “soft adult film” to boot.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comme... | 1,760,376,886.96707 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/04/30/electronic-table-top-catapult/ | Electronic Table Top Catapult | Caleb Kraft | [
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"catapult"
] | [Unusualtravis] came up with this
fairly slick electronic catapult
. This easy to construct and moderately cheap rig has an arduino as the brains and controls for 3 servos. One is the release, another controls tension, and the third controls the angle. Both the circuit and the construction are very simple making this a perfect weekend project. He would have preferred it to be a bit smaller, so shoot him your design if you manage to shrink it.
We’ve always been rather fond of
catapults of whatever complexity
, so feel free to send in any variations you’ve worked on.
[youtube =http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8D8ZZJyCLA] | 14 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "641316",
"author": "crenn",
"timestamp": "2012-04-30T23:36:34",
"content": "That is pretty awesome!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "641331",
"author": "Leithoa",
"timestamp": "2012-05-01T00:07:26",
"content": "I want... | 1,760,376,887.0606 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/04/30/6-camera-face-scanning-rig/ | 6 Camera Face Scanning Rig | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"3d scanning"
] | [Ajeromin] was asked to build something cool for a museum exhibit. He took the challenge, and with his
facial capture device
, we feel he delivered. The writeup is very short, most of the story is in the annotated images. After deciding he was going to do facial capture and convert it to 3d, he had to start planning. There are many ways to do this, but usually the person having their face captured isn’t an excited child at a museum. The presented some unique challenges in that he knew he would have to capture all the images at once, and quickly too. To do this, he lit the entire rig very well to reduce the amount of noise in the pictures and wired all 6 cameras up to snap at the same moment. He even encapsulated the circuit in a glass jar just so the kids could see more of the parts.
The next logical step would be to attach this to a 3d printer and let people buy 3d printed models of their face. The quality is certainly good enough as he shows in one of the final images.
Great job [Ajeromin] | 6 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "641269",
"author": "naturetm",
"timestamp": "2012-04-30T22:10:39",
"content": "Neat. Anybody know if there’s an OSS library that can be used to do this kind of reconstruction? I looked awhile ago and everything I found seemed to need user interaction.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,376,887.101887 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/04/30/tindie-an-etsy-for-electronics/ | Tindie: An Etsy For Electronics | Brian Benchoff | [
"News"
] | [
"Crowd Funding",
"Tindie"
] | If you have a finished project you’re now bored with, here’s
Tindie
. It’s a one-man operation headed b [emile] that hopes to connect makers with people who think DIY projects are really cool and have money.
There are already a few websites that cater to the builder who wants to sell projects: Kickstarter for one, but this is based on the concept of campaigns. Tindie aims to be a techie etsy, according to [emile]’s
market research post on reddit
; a places for makers with a soldering iron to sell stuff, but who are baffled by the concept of knitting.
Right now there’s nothing to buy on Tindie – [emile] is looking for hackers to sell their projects so the store doesn’t launch with an empty stockroom. If you’ve got an old project sitting on your shelf that you’d like to sell, put it up. [emile] is only taking 5% of the sales – just enough to pay for the hosting. Hopefully it will be popular enough for the eventual
Tindie/regretsy
blog. | 39 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "641242",
"author": "Colecago",
"timestamp": "2012-04-30T21:26:00",
"content": "I’ll give it a go. Sounds like a neat way to offload those well meaning projects that never find a home :-(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "641246... | 1,760,376,887.597879 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2012/04/30/quick-and-easy-wildlife-camera/ | Quick And Easy Wildlife Camera | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"camera",
"ping",
"servo",
"ultrasonic",
"wildlife"
] | This wildlife camera is really easy to put together
. You should keep it in mind if you’re ever tying to figure out what’s eating the heads off of all of your tulips. [Revoltlab] put it together, and although there’s one fatal flaw in this particular system, the concept is quite sound.
The build uses a camera, paired with an ultrasonic range finder. When something passes within the pre-set distance for the sensor, a servo motor clicks the shutter button on the camera. It’s all driven by an Arduino and powered from a 9V battery.
If you watch the video after the break you’ll discover the flaw we mentioned. This is a disposable film camera and requires winding between pictures. That hasn’t been implemented yet. But we’ve got an old digital camera with a broken LCD screen which would be perfect for the job. We’d have to do a bit more work to turn the camera on before taking the picture though.
There are a couple of possible upgrades to the idea. [Revoltlab] mentions removing the IR filter from the camera and adding an infrared flash for night-vision shots. But we would also recommend ditching the servo motor for
a simple remote shutter solution
as a way to avoid scaring the wildlife with the motor noise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLN5hrGIB9I | 9 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "641239",
"author": "squishyrobot",
"timestamp": "2012-04-30T21:17:28",
"content": "The ultrasonic range finder might scare off a few critters as well.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "641250",
"author": "PI",
"timestamp":... | 1,760,376,887.298719 |
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