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https://hackaday.com/2011/11/26/arm-programming-primer-getting-the-usart-running/ | ARM Programming Primer; Getting The USART Running | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arm",
"discovery board",
"stm32",
"usart"
] | We find it interesting that PIC and AVR programming is very common in hobby electronics but ARM doesn’t have nearly the same foothold. This is partly because there’s a knowledge barrier involved with making the transition (the other part is probably the lack of DIP packaged chips). But if you’ve worked with 8-bit microcontrollers you can certainly make the jump into the 32-bit realm. Here’s a great opportunity to get your feet wet. This guide will show you how to
get the USART on an STM32 Discovery Board working
, which makes it easy to get feedback about what’s going on in your program.
One difference you’ll notice when moving to ARM microcontrollers is that there is almost always a library bundle available from the manufacturer which includes all of the functions you need for hardware control (USART, USB, Ethernet, ADC, etc.). That’s the case here, so simply including the USART library makes it a snap to finish the rest of the program. Once you hook up your communications hardware (an FTDI cable in this case) just use the library initialization functions, followed by the send and receive commands and you’ll be pushing messages to a computer terminal in no time.
If you’re trying to use the STM32 Discovery Board with a Linux box here’s
a shove in the right direction
. | 13 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "520044",
"author": "exuvo",
"timestamp": "2011-11-27T04:33:36",
"content": "I have recently started programming for an ARM Cortex-M3 (LPC1768). It is great to have the added processing power and peripherals, no more time spent wondering if it’s possible to cram that extra function i... | 1,760,377,019.128995 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/25/beer-dispenser-talks-to-customers-announces-office-parties-via-twitter/ | Beer Dispenser Talks To Customers, Announces Office Parties Via Twitter | Mike Nathan | [
"Beer Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"Arnie",
"beer",
"vending machine"
] | Just about the only thing better than beer
is free beer.
Staff at the Arnold Worldwide ad agency are free to imbibe in the office’s lounge area, but a few employees thought that it would be pretty awesome to have their beer stash offered up by a vending machine. Using a grant that the company sets aside for “creative projects”, they built [Arnie], the interactive beer dispensing machine.
The machine was stocked with company-branded brews, and each employee carries an RFID key fob pre-loaded with beer credits. When the urge hits, staff members swipe their fob in front of the machine and select their preferred drink from the large, front-mounted touch screen. [Arnie] speaks with his customers and also uses Twitter to announce parties in the making, when a handful of bottles have been vended over a short period of time.
The project was a great use of money if you ask us, and we think that every office should have one of these babies in-house.
Continue reading to see a short video of how [Arnie] came to be.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/32343283 w=470] | 15 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "518841",
"author": "Godi",
"timestamp": "2011-11-25T20:09:20",
"content": "We need more beer hacks",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "518851",
"author": "Matt",
"timestamp": "2011-11-25T20:24:18",
"content": "And more f... | 1,760,377,019.312144 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/25/a-trojan-horse-full-of-music/ | A Trojan Horse Full Of Music | Brian Benchoff | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"contact microphone",
"midi",
"pinata"
] | With a Sound + Vision exhibition coming up, the folks over at Seaweed Factory decided they needed something
big.
Somehow they landed on building a giant pinata that responds to being walloped with a stick by playing
MIDI notes
. The end result is called the Trojan Chorus. Instead of Greek soldiers, though, the pinata is filled with electronics and candy.
The pinata was constructed out of cardboard and more colored tissue paper than we care to imagine. The horse stands seven feet tall and was built with a little more structural integrity than a normal pinata. Check out the ‘making of’ video for the pinata
here
.
From what we can tell, the electronics are 24 contact microphones implanted all over the inside of the pinata. Impacts on these contact mics are recorded by a small dev board, transcribed to serial data, and sent to a computer. You can check out the electronics in action
right here
. A horse neighing MIDI notes may sound fairly weird, but similar setup could be added to make the Trojan Chorus cry out in pain.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=YTbI_i0AZ_U&w=470] | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "519611",
"author": "Jay",
"timestamp": "2011-11-26T15:24:03",
"content": "This seems overly complicated. You could have just sat a small kid in there with his finger on a remote. :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,019.168091 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/25/making-a-privacy-monitor-from-an-old-lcd/ | Making A Privacy Monitor From An Old LCD | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"lcd",
"monitor",
"polarizing flm",
"privacy"
] | [dimovi] had a spare LCD monitor sitting around and thought it would be great to convert it into
a “privacy” monitor.
The process is simple enough for anyone comfortable with disassembling electronics. He took apart the monitor’s plastic frame, cutting out the polarized film with a utility knife. Once the film was removed, he spent some time removing the film adhesive from the glass panel using a combination of Oops cleaner and paint thinner.
He reassembled the monitor, which now shines a bright white regardless of what is actually being displayed on the screen. He removed the lenses from a pair of theater 3D glasses, replacing the plastic with the film he removed from the monitor.
Now, [dimovi] is the only one who can see what’s he is doing on his computer, which is just the way he likes it.
While there’s not a lot of magic going on behind the process, we think it’s a neat way to reuse an old monitor. | 94 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "518665",
"author": "Andrew Smith",
"timestamp": "2011-11-25T16:02:31",
"content": "haha that is awesome!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "518666",
"author": "Dave",
"timestamp": "2011-11-25T16:14:14",
"content": "Did ... | 1,760,377,019.43511 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/24/uberfridge-helps-keep-beer-production-going-through-the-dog-days-of-summer/ | UberFridge Helps Keep Beer Production Going Through The Dog Days Of Summer | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Beer Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"beer",
"fermentation",
"kitchen",
"pid"
] | [Elco Jacobs] used to let his beer ferment in the kitchen, but when things got too hot over the summer, he had to suspend his ale making for a few months. Not wanting to have to put production on hiatus again, he modified an old refrigerator into an awesome fermentation unit he calls
the UberFridge.
The refrigerator features two temperature sensors, one that sits in the fermenting beer, and one that measures the temperature of the fridge. This dual probe setup offers him the ability to closely monitor the fermentation process, which he does via a sharp-looking web interface.
An Arduino serves as the PID controller, talking to a wireless router via a serial connection. The Arduino logs and relays data to the router where it can be viewed via a web browser. Not only can he keep tabs on what’s going on inside the fridge, he can reprogram the Arduino via the web interface as well.
Keep reading to see [Elco] explain the ins and outs of his UberFridge – we’re pretty sure you’ll want to build your own after you do.
[via
BuildLounge
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxxIpv2lsyw&w=470] | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "518346",
"author": "Rog",
"timestamp": "2011-11-25T03:16:20",
"content": "Useful project, great write-up, minimal cost, energy efficient.What’s not to like?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "518508",
"author": "Scorp-D",
"... | 1,760,377,019.47839 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/24/toaster-oven-reflow-control-without-modifying-the-oven/ | Toaster Oven Reflow Control Without Modifying The Oven | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"attiny45",
"pid",
"reflow",
"solder",
"thermistor",
"toaster oven"
] | [Eberhard] wanted his own reflow oven but didn’t really want to mess around with the internals that control the heating element. He put his microcontroller programming experience to work and came up with an
add-on module that controls the oven
by switching the mains power.
The image above shows a board in the midst of the reflow process. If you’re not familiar, solder paste usually comes with a recommended heat curve for properly melting the slurry. [Eberhard] managed to fit three of these temperature profiles into his firmware.
The ATtiny45 which makes up the controller samples oven temperature via the thermistor seen next to the board. A PID algorithm is used to calculate when to switch mains power on and off via a relay. One button and one LED make up the controller’s user interface for scrolling through the three preprogrammed temperature profiles.
It looks like it works great, see for yourself in the clip after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvRv777KpxY&w=470] | 34 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "518157",
"author": "Marcus",
"timestamp": "2011-11-24T20:23:59",
"content": "I made something similar to this to make a sous vide machine once but the clicking of the relay made me go crazy. I’ll switch it to a solid state FET or something similar.",
"parent_id": null,
"dept... | 1,760,377,019.642599 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/24/internet-controlled-robotic-arm-2/ | Internet Controlled Robotic Arm | Brian Benchoff | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"internet controlled",
"kinematic",
"robot arm"
] | The guys over at Rusty Nail Workshop have put up an
Internet controlled robotic arm
for your amusement. While you’re waiting for the turkey to be done (or, you know, working), try your hand at moving some LEGO pieces around with a remote-controlled robotic arm.
The build log
goes through the parts needed for the build. The arm itself is a
Lynxmotion AL-5D
, a heavy-duty device that’s far more capable and looks a lot better than our old
Armatron
.
The arm is controlled by an Arduino Uno. The Arduino is connected to the arm’s servo controller. Movement commands are received by an Ethernet shield and translated into servo commands. The entire build runs independently of a computer just like this project’s inspiration, the
Orbduino
.
Of course you can imagine the mayhem that would ensue if multiple people tried to take control of the robot simultaneously. A bit of code on the project’s website makes sure only one person has control of the robot at any given time. Check out what
somebody else is building
out of LEGO blocks with a Waldo. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to knock that work down. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "518127",
"author": "Icarus",
"timestamp": "2011-11-24T19:38:21",
"content": "actually tilt is for up/down (or vertical) motionrotate would be the correct word in this casenice build",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "518148",
"... | 1,760,377,019.262506 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/24/hackaday-links-november-24-2011/ | Hackaday Links: November 24, 2011 | Brian Benchoff | [
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"arduino",
"beat box",
"Experiments",
"googly eyes",
"heat sink",
"lego",
"mpc",
"painting",
"remote control",
"servos"
] | Finally an Arduino shield that does nothing
The folks at Evil Mad Scientist labs have finally created the
Googly Eye Shield
for Arduinos. With it’s pass-through .100 headers, it adds googly eyes to your Arduino projects. Of course,
instead of
in addition to the googly eyes you could add a breadboard, making it somewhat useful. A million fake internet points goes to the first person to implement Xeyes on this thing.
Phat beats from kids toys
[Ville] couldn’t afford an Akai MPC for laying down some beats. Wanting a real tactile interface, he
hacked this kid’s toy
. It’s just an RCA cable attached to the tiny chip inside the toy. The new line out goes to his mixers where he does some pretty impressive stuff.
Mona Lisa is Vigo the Carpathian
What did we just say about real-life Xeyes? [Geert] just made a print of the Mona Lisa follow you around the room
with her eyes
(Dutch,
translation
). The build is a pair of servos and a DIY motion capture app running on a laptop. Now we need to find a print of Vigo…
Quantifying heat sink efficiencies
[Mike] is an experimenter at heart. He was wondering about the efficiency of small, clip-on heat sinks versus the ones we use to defrost frozen food.
The results
are exactly as you would expect, but he did find something interesting – his experimental technique didn’t find much of a difference between thermal paste/grease/pads and no thermally conductive material.
Mini-fig sized R/C LEGO car
The guys at Brickmodder.net took a car from a LEGO set and
made it remote control
. The drive train and steering both use servos controlled by the smallest 3-channel receiver they could find. | 9 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "517979",
"author": "Dax",
"timestamp": "2011-11-24T16:09:28",
"content": "For low power densities, the thermal paste doesn’t make any noticeable difference as long as both surfaces actually touch for the most part.It’s common knowledge among any who has overclocked a computer. Unles... | 1,760,377,019.217578 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/name-these-parts-verifone-payment-module-tear-down/ | Name These Parts: Verifone Payment Module Tear Down | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"handheld",
"payment",
"verifone",
"vx570"
] | [Jerzmacow] got his hands on this Verifone Vx570 handheld payment terminal at a flea market. It’s got a thermal printer, a magnetic card reader, and then there’s the big LCD screen and buttons. In other words, lots of parts for his hacking amusement. But first, he decided to
take a look at the parts that went into the design
. He carefully disassembled the device, documenting what he found along the way. He mentions that there’s a switch pressing against the underside of the LCD which disables the hardware when disassembled. So it sounds like he won’t be able to get it to work again (there’s a Lithium battery inside which we’d guess powers some type of hardware kill switch circuit).
He posted an HD video of the tear down which we’ve embedded after the break. We find some of the design to be quite peculiar. Normally we have [Dave Jones] to walk us through design choices in his EEVblog hardware reviews. Since [Jerzmacow] wasn’t able to provide that level of insight, we’d love to hear what you think each piece of hardware is for. Leave your comments, along with time-stamps from the video. Specifically, what’s up with that strange board shown at 1:51?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQEw0_73Q0M&w=470] | 39 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "517396",
"author": "Per Jensen",
"timestamp": "2011-11-24T00:22:06",
"content": "I’ve seen a similiar board to that shown at 1:51 – it’s a high security board, that sits between the motherboard and the back of the case. It is multi layer, and tracks all over the place. The chip on t... | 1,760,377,019.715322 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/fixing-that-broken-laptop-power-jack/ | Fixing That Broken Laptop Power Jack | Mike Szczys | [
"laptops hacks",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"laptop",
"power jack",
"satellite",
"Toshiba"
] | It seems that there’s a whole range of Toshiba Satellite laptop computers that suffer from a power jack design that is prone to breaking. We see some good and some bad in this. The jack is not mounted to the circuit board, so if it gets jammed into the body like the one above it doesn’t hose the electronics. But what has happened here is the plastic brackets inside the case responsible for keeping the jack in place have failed. You won’t be able to plug in the power adapter unless you figure out
a way to fix it
.
We’d wager the hardest part of this repair is getting the case open. Once inside, just cut away all of the mangled support tabs to make room for the replacement jack. The one used here has a threaded cuff that makes it a snap to mount the new part to the case. Clip off the old jack and solder the wires (mind the polarity!) and you’re in business.
Anyone know why we don’t see more of the magnetic connectors (MagSafe) that the Apple laptops have? Is it a patent issue?
[Thanks Dan] | 74 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "517331",
"author": "brncomputer",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T23:05:07",
"content": "rather than all that you could just glue it back in place… e6000 the technicians duck tape. -http://goo.gl/qkLKb",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "... | 1,760,377,019.810137 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/seeing-with-another-persons-eyes/ | Seeing With Another Person’s Eyes | Brian Benchoff | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"hardware"
] | [
"augmented reality",
"eyeSwap",
"team-building",
"viewfinders"
] | We suppose they could just trade shoes, but that wouldn’t be a hack. [Timothy] wanted to design a team-building exercise at work, and he figured the best way to get some empathy would be to
have people swap eyes
. He calls his project eyeSwap and it is supposed to, “put the eye back in team.”
[Tim] found a few CRT viewfinders in a junk box attached small video cameras to each one. During the ‘training phase’ of his team-building exercises, both people playing the game complete a few hand-eye coordination tasks to get a feel for the rig. After the training phase, the inputs are swapped; Alice’s cameras are sent to Bob’s viewfinders and vice versa. The participants then complete the same tasks they did during the training phase.
The tasks aren’t that hard – putting balls into holes, for example – but it does require a huge amount of communication and coordination. eyeSwap reportedly builds trust and empathy towards others, and looks like a lot more fun than a ‘trust fall.’
Check out the video of two people playing eyeSwap after the break.
[vimeo=32489393] | 9 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "517374",
"author": "Wouter",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T23:43:15",
"content": "Almost the ‘point of view gun’ out of the HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy movie. Brilliant idea :D. You could start a team building firm with a few sets of these.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,019.85785 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/sparkfun-announces-free-day-2012/ | Sparkfun Announces Free Day 2012 | Mike Szczys | [
"News"
] | [
"free day",
"sparkfun"
] | We got word that it was coming, and now SparkFun has just announced that
Free Day 2012 will take place on January 11th
. This is the third time around for the purveyor of goodies for electronic enthusiasts. Each year the offer is a little different, but like in the past you stand to get $100 of free stuff!
The first Free Day back in 2010
saw a lot of hammering which left the SparkFun servers a steaming pile of slag. In 2011 they bolstered their bandwidth handling and
tried a quiz-based system
for the giveaway. This time around they’re not asking questions but leaving the awards up to chance. Each person has the opportunity to win a $100 credit during the contest window (not specifically announced yet, but definitely starting at 9AM MST on 1/11/2012). There will be some type of bot monitoring, but other than that you can try to claim your credit as many times as you want, with the awards being randomly assigned to a pool of entrants. We recommend you keep an eye on their announcements for more details, but we’ll try to keep this thread updated as we hear more.
Not wanting to wait that long for your components? Don’t miss some of the
sales that are going on over this Holiday weekend
.
[via
Reddit
] | 22 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "517213",
"author": "Jeff S.",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T20:21:20",
"content": "Hmmm, maybe I’ll get lucky this time around. The first two years were insane.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "517368",
"author": "Danny",
... | 1,760,377,019.961688 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/reading-inputs-from-shift-registers-using-just-one-single-pin/ | Reading Inputs From Shift Registers Using Just One Single Pin | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"74hc165",
"input",
"rc",
"shift register"
] | Here’s an interesting article about
reading data from shift registers using less than three pins
. 74HC165 shift registers are a popular choice for adding inputs to a microcontroller. They have a parallel input register which can be read using the latch, then shifted into a microcontroller via the data and clock pins. For those counting, that’s the three pins normally associated with driving these devices.
This hack first does away with the latch pin. The addition of a carefully trimmed RC circuit (capacitor is charged by the clock pin, then the resistor lets that cap slowly discharge) means that the device will not latch until after the clock stops toggling. This technique drops the control down to just two pins (data and clock). You can still use hardware SPI to read the data using this method. It’s the same as
using SPI to drive 595 shift registers
except the microcontroller reads data instead of writing it.
But wait, there’s more! The diagram above actually shows a way of reading this shift register with just one pin. Notice that the clock and data pins are now connected to just one of the microcontroller pins. The data pin has an added resistor, which keeps the current low enough that it will not compete with the clock signal coming from the microcontroller. In between clock pulses, the microcontroller switches from output to input to read the data pin on each cycle. Give it a try, it’s a fun experiment! | 11 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "517226",
"author": "Darkknight512",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T20:38:05",
"content": "That’s pretty nifty and useful, gotta keep this in mind when I am short on pins.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "517268",
"author": "The Lon... | 1,760,377,020.053483 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/gif-player-does-it-using-paper-medium/ | Gif Player Does It Using Paper Medium | Mike Szczys | [
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"animated",
"animation",
"GIF",
"strobe",
"stroboscope"
] | Ditch that fancy wide-format LCD monitor and go back to the days when animation was made up of moving frames played back by a specialized device. [Pieterjan Grandry]
built this gif player
which does just that. The frames of the animation are printed on a paper disk. When spun and viewed through a looking hole the same size as one frame an animated image is formed.
If you know a thing or two about how movie projectors work you might have a raised eyebrow right now. To make the animation smooth you need a way to hide the changing of the frames. With a projector there’s usually a spinning shutter (like a fan) that covers the transition between frames. In this case, [Pieterjan] has mounted the case of the gif player far enough in front of the paper disk that the image is in shadow, making it hard to see. A microcontroller responsible for the speed of the spinning disk flashes some white LEDs with precise timing which gives light to each frame at just the right time.
This is really a 2D equivalent to
the 3D stroboscope
we saw a few days ago.
[Thanks Agtrier] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "517197",
"author": "gizmoguyar",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T19:47:30",
"content": "Nice, I’ve always liked those type of animation devices. Zoetropes and such…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "517200",
"author": "nyan",
"ti... | 1,760,377,019.897123 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/adventures-in-resurrecting-a-no-name-ip-webcam/ | Adventures In Resurrecting A No-name IP Webcam | Mike Nathan | [
"News",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"ip",
"repair",
"webcam"
] | As many of us do, [Steaky] serves as a kind of on-call help desk for his family. His father in law recently contacted him because
his pan and tilt webcam died
, and he wanted to see if it could be fixed. Never turning down a challenge, [Steaky] decided to give it a shot.
He ended up having to disassemble it since the camera was completely unresponsive, and what he found inside piqued his interest. The no-name camera sported an ARM microprocessor at its core, and it seems that some of its pins were damaged due to a poorly designed case. He figured resoldering the pins would do the trick, but that wasn’t the end of his adventures.
As he dug deeper into the device, he found that the camera essentially killed itself, reading and writing data to the wrong places due to the damaged pins on the processor. After plenty of searching around, he was able to find a somewhat compatible firmware image, though not everything worked properly.
His father in law was so impressed with his work that he asked for the camera back, even though [Steaky] hadn’t fully repaired it yet. While he bid the camera goodbye, we’re pretty sure he’d be more than happy to reclaim it for a few days if any of our readers had some additional insight or resources that might help him finish the job. | 7 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "517146",
"author": "AllThatJazz",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T18:04:39",
"content": "Woulda been nice if the link above actually led to the FIRST of the articles, instead of the last. For those interested, the article starts at:http://www.steaky.co.uk/?p=39",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,020.008433 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/26/pushing-chest-strap-heart-rate-to-a-stock-exerciser-display/ | Pushing Chest Strap Heart Rate To A Stock Exerciser Display | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"chest strap",
"exercise bike",
"heart rate",
"polar",
"schwinn"
] | This hack came out so well that [Levent] wishes he had tried it years ago. When exercising he wears a Polar heart rate monitor which sends data from a chest strap to his wristwatch. But his exercise bike also has a heart rate readout that depends on your hands touching metal contacts on the handlebars. He set out to see if he could
patch the chest strap data into the exercise bike LCD display
.
The first part of the hack is really simple. As we’ve seen several times before, you can buy
a receiver module which grabs data from the chest strap
. Now it was a matter of patching the data from this receiver into the Schwinn 213 recumbent exercise bike. [Levent] pulled out the PCB and located the small daughterboard that is responsible for the hand grip heart rate. With careful study he was able to identify the pinout. There are two data lines. One is responsible for the heart rate detected signal, the other pushes the actual heart rate data. On a hunch he hooked a signal generator up to the latter and discovered that all it takes is a square wave.
The rest is pretty straight forward. Check out the proof in his video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjfmNU5yVbk&w=470] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "519893",
"author": "OverFlow636",
"timestamp": "2011-11-26T23:33:44",
"content": "anyone know where to find a standalone RMCM01 chip. the sparkfun breakout is kind of expensive and i dont need the usb or features it offers",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,020.47801 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/26/replacing-solder-tab-batteries/ | Replacing Solder Tab Batteries | Mike Szczys | [
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"battery",
"solder tab"
] | There’s a ton of devices out there that have batteries in them but most people never think about it. That’s because they use rechargeables that are sealed inside and topped off with external chargers. [Todd Harrison] has a couple of them, including a cordless shaver and a Christmas light timer. He’s had these for years and the batteries have gone south. They’re not meant to be consumer-replaceable, but that did stop him from
cracking them open and swapping out the solder-tab batteries
himself.
The batteries themselves won’t be all that hard to source. The shaver just takes a NiMH AA cell. But since they’re not meant to be replaced [Todd] needed to do some soldering. Here you can see he’s using a solder gun to make the connection between the new battery and one of the solder tabs. He uses the gun instead of an iron because he needs to heat the joint quickly, and must avoid heating the rest of the cell which could rupture. As a safety precaution he’s wearing gloves and a full face-shield.
Check out the video after the break to see this, as well as the coin cell replacement in the lighting controller.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVS4U-LZBiY&w=470] | 40 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "519773",
"author": "ironring",
"timestamp": "2011-11-26T19:44:57",
"content": "I’ve done this, but the results are stochastic; even with a soldering gun you can ruin a fair number of batteries. If you check on EBay, there are a lot of outfits (like “Just Batteries” in Montreal) tha... | 1,760,377,020.385469 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/26/this-dongle-makes-any-screen-an-android-device/ | This Dongle Makes Any Screen An Android Device | Mike Szczys | [
"Android Hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"bluetooth",
"cotton candy",
"dongle",
"hdmi",
"wifi"
] | Want that 70″ LCD television in your living room to be an Android device? This little guy can make it happen. With an HDMI port on one end, and a USB plug on the other for power, just plug in
FXI Technologies’ Cotton Candy dongle to create a 1080p Android
television.
The price isn’t set for the device, but it’s expected to be available at less than $200. Considering what’s inside that’s pretty reasonable. There’s a dual-core 1.2 GHz ARM processor, 1 gig of RAM, 64 gigs of storage, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a microSD card slot. Wow!
So is it hackable? Absolutely. Well, kind of? The company doesn’t intend to bring Cotton Candy to the retail market. Instead, they will sell the device to developers who may do what they wish. From there, said developers have the option to license the technology for their own products. This begs the question, will the development kit come in under $200? Hard to say.
Check out the video after the break to hear an interview with the company’s CEO. It certainly sounds fascinating, and like
the Chumby NeTV
, we can’t wait to see what comes of this.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsMNbGZOYvk]
[Thanks Adam via
RootzWiki
] | 37 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "519736",
"author": "1000100 1000001 1010110 1000101",
"timestamp": "2011-11-26T18:49:46",
"content": "Ok, this is a whole new level of want.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "519749",
"author": "TWNB",
"timestamp": "2011-1... | 1,760,377,020.552905 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/26/full-featured-security-lock-demonstration/ | Full Featured Security Lock Demonstration | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"character lcd",
"keypad",
"lock",
"stepper"
] | [Arshad Pathan] let us know about his latest project,
a modular code lock that can be adapted to many different situations
.
The user interface is made up of a character LCD screen and a 3×4 keypad. For this example [Arshad] is using a stepper motor as the locking mechanism. When the board is first powered up it runs the stepper in one direction until receiving input from a limiting switch. In this way, the microcontroller calibrates itself to ensure the lock is in a known position. From there it waits for user input. An unlocked door can be locked at any time by pressing the * key. Unlocking requires entry of the correct password. And a password can be changed by entering 9999 (followed by the old password when prompted).
In the video after the break [Arshad] does a great job of demonstrating the various modes which he has programmed. This stands on its own, but we always love to have more details so we’ve asked if [Arshad] is willing to share a schematic and the source code. We’ll update this post if we hear back from him.
Update:
[Arshad] sent in a couple of schematics which can be found after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYyQfFyrrY8&w=470]
Schematics: | 14 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "519702",
"author": "pittom",
"timestamp": "2011-11-26T17:58:58",
"content": "WOW you have 3 hands!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "519703",
"author": "lolhands",
"timestamp": "2011-11-26T17:59:18",
"content": "WOW! h... | 1,760,377,020.439395 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/26/rebuilding-a-mac-se-as-a-server-again/ | Rebuilding A Mac SE As A Server Again | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"Macintosh SE",
"PCIe",
"sata",
"server",
"sprite_tm"
] | Around this time last year, [Sprite_TM] took a 1980’s-era Macintosh SE and rebuilt it as a home file server. He used a Seagate Dockstar as the new motherboard, but over the past year he’s been annoyed with the fact that the Dockstar doesn’t have real SATA ports. Using USB to SATA converters on a server is a slow way of doing things, so [Sprite_TM]
rebuilt his SE
using an HP thin client. To do this, he had to break out the onboard SATA and PCIE; not an easy task, but that’s why [Sprite_TM] is around.
The first order of business was installing a pair of SATA ports. The stock thin client had two NAND-flash chips serving as the drive, both connected to a SATA controller. All [Sprite_tm] had to do was desolder the flash chips and wire up the new SATA connections. Easy enough.
Because the HP thin client only had 100Mbps Ethernet, [Sprite_tm] wasn’t looking forward to the order of magnitude difference between his expected rsync speeds and what he would get with a 1Gbps connection. The only problem is the thin client didn’t have a spare PCIE connection for an Ethernet card. That’s really no problem for [Sprite_tm], though: just desolder the GPU and run a few wires.
Just like
last year’s work
on his SE, [Sprite_tm] ended up with a functional and very cool home server. The old-school System 7 is still there, and of course he can still play
Beyond Dark Castle
. Awesome work, in our humble opinion. | 12 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "519681",
"author": "512kdog",
"timestamp": "2011-11-26T17:09:15",
"content": "Man, that is the most coolest project i have seen on here! I am attached to the Vintage Mac projects here!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "519682",
... | 1,760,377,020.640143 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/26/weekly-roundup-112611/ | Weekly Roundup 11/26/11 | Jack Buffington | [
"Weekly Roundup"
] | [
"weekly roundup"
] | In case you missed them the first time, here are our most popular posts from the past week:
In first place is a post about
[Yves Rossy’s] flight suit
that he built that literally allows him to jump out of an airplane and really fly instead of falling with style.
Coming in at second place is one that brings our plans of blowing up the Death Star just a little closer. It is
a true 3D display that uses lasers to ionize the air
at just the right places to produce 3D images.
In third place is one that we might build ourselves one day. [dimovi] figured out that he could take apart a computer monitor and remove its polarization filter to make
a display that looks like just a white screen to everyone who isn’t wearing polarizing sunglasses
.
Next up is a post about
a LED wall
that was hand built by [Martin].
Finally we have
a teardown of a Verifone payment module
that [Jerzmacow] kindly put online. This device has all sorts of useful parts inside. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,020.591556 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/25/etching-your-own-pcbs/ | Etching Your Own PCBs | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"direct etch",
"etch",
"ferric chloride",
"pcb",
"toner transfer"
] | When [Adr1an] wrote in to share
a link to his PCB etching tutorial
he mentioned that he knew we had already covered a ton of these guides. He’s absolutely right, not only have we featured a great number of them, but
we also wrote our own
quite a while ago. But that doesn’t mean we ignore them when they come in on the tips line. In fact, we read all of them that have something to offer and are pleased to feature the ones that are well presented… like this one!
[Adr1an] went all out with his writeup. He not only covers all of the elements that go into this, but discusses where to purchase them and his thoughts on how he arrived at the choice. He’s using the toner transfer method and prefers Brother branded toner for its coverage and resistance to over-etching. He prints on HP Everday Photopaper, then uses a laminator to transfer to the copper clad board. For this guide he used 2oz copper but prefers 1oz copper as it etches faster. His etchant of choice is Ferric Chloride, which can be ordered as a dry powder. He uses the direct etch method of loading etchant into a sponge an applying that to the board.
The board he makes in the guide looks great, and it only took him 28 minutes! | 34 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "518963",
"author": "DeKay",
"timestamp": "2011-11-25T22:30:27",
"content": "Great detail in this writeup.I’m thinking of getting into PCB fab at home but taking the inkjet route with this kit that was featured on HaD a couple years ago. Anybody have any experience with it?http://ww... | 1,760,377,020.71343 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/kitchen-hacks-home-made-meat-smoker/ | Kitchen Hacks: Home Made Meat Smoker | Brian Benchoff | [
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"kitchen hacks",
"meat smoker",
"PID controller",
"smoker"
] | [Matt] noticed an overabundance of sous vide builds in the past week, so he decided to throw his
Home made meat smoker
into the ring. There’s not many things more delicious than a nice cut of smoked meat, and the fact that it’s very similar to the sous vide hacks we’ve seen is an added bonus.
[Matt] decided to build a ceramic smoker like a
Big Green Egg
. He took a cue from
[Alton Brown]
and used two terracotta planters and a hot plate for the smoker. For controlling the hot plate, the cheap $35 PID controller we’ve seen in a few sous vide builds was used. The PID can’t control the 7 amps of AC that the hot plate needs, so [Matt] used a solid-state relay he had lying around.
A stainless steel mixing bowl was placed on the hot plate for wood chips. So far, [Matt] has run his smoker for more than 12 consecutive hours, and the results are really promising – there wasn’t much change in temperature between the chill of the morning and the heat of afternoon. [Matt]’s build is great and perfect for venison jerky now that deer season is coming up. | 21 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "517032",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T16:05:23",
"content": "Link is borked!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "517034",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T16:07:26",
"content": "Link is broken!",... | 1,760,377,020.975086 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/23/oh-boy-do-we-want-to-ride-a-giant-inflatable-robot/ | Oh Boy Do We Want To Ride A Giant Inflatable Robot | Brian Benchoff | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"biomechanics",
"inflatable robot",
"pneumatic robot",
"robots"
] | We’ve seen videos of people attaching chairs to gigantic welding robots and riding them around the shop, and while that would be fun for a little bit, the joy would be fleeting. Flight simulators built on a Stewart Platform are becoming old hat. Now there’s a
new robot we want to ride
.
[Saul Griffith] from Otherlab has been working on pneumatic robots for some time now, and he just wrapped up his Ant-Roach build seen above. It’s a 15-foot-long cross between an anteater and a cockroach that’s completely inflatable and can actually walk with the help of an air compressor.
The ‘muscles’ of the ant-roach are fabric actuators that contract when inflated. Of course this makes the mechanics look like something out a biology book, but the robot is still a neat piece of engineering. The ant-roach weighs in at 70 pounds but could probably support a half-ton of riders.
From the videos after the break, we can see that the ant-roach looks a little clumsy when walking. [Travis Deyle] sent in
his contribution
that details an amazing
inflatable robotic arm
that can beat any human in an arm wrestling match. Now we can’t wait for a giant anthropomorphized bouncy castle to start lumbering to a children’s carnival.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F7DfuALmptw&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vPKLe0yyOME&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=dY8gCMbZw10&w=470] | 11 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "516980",
"author": "Eirinn",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T15:02:36",
"content": "It’s not “walking” it’s boogying. Listen to those drum beats!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "516985",
"author": "Azurus Nova",
"timestamp": "2... | 1,760,377,020.920509 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/22/auto-focus-assist-hack-keeps-improving/ | Auto-Focus Assist Hack Keeps Improving | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"550ex",
"auto focus",
"canon"
] | [Adrian Onsen] keeps making
improvements on his auto-focus assist hack
for DSLR cameras. The module seen above is version 3.0, which makes a few changes to the previous hardware and also presents a much more finished look.
With
version 2
[Adrian] was using a defocused laser to illuminate dark subjects so the DSLR auto-focus could be used. It worked, but wasn’t really ideal. This time around he’s swapped out the laser diode for an autofocus assist lamp salvaged from a Canon 550EX he picked up ‘as is’ on eBay. It is mounted on the front of his project enclosure, using two alkaline batteries for power. It sounds like [Adrian] is struggling a bit with his circuit design. He want’s to make it work with either alkaline or rechargeable AA batteries (just two, down the from four AAAs used in version 2) but so far the rechargeable are a no-go. They power the circuit, but must not put out enough light for the sensor to work.
Future plans include getting rid of the external cords by adding a hot shoe connector. | 15 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "516482",
"author": "critic",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T23:19:51",
"content": "“Want’s” – really?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "516520",
"author": "biozz",
"timestamp": "2011-11-23T00:17:10",
"content": "my built in ... | 1,760,377,020.870954 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/22/simple-low-toner-workaround-squeezes-out-a-few-extra-pages-when-your-printer-refuses/ | Simple Low Toner Workaround Squeezes Out A Few Extra Pages When Your Printer Refuses | Mike Nathan | [
"Linux Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"linux",
"low toner",
"postscript",
"printer"
] | [Andrew] was getting ready to print out an assignment when
his Samsung printer suddenly started blinking
a red error light at him. Unable to find any documentation explaining the issue, he called Samsung directly and found that it was indicating the toner cartridge was nearly empty.
He held down the button that prints a test page, which came out just fine despite the printer’s insistence that there was not enough toner left. Annoyed at the fact that he felt Samsung was trying to strong arm him into buying another pricey toner cartridge, he looked for a way around the restriction.
He discovered that his printer’s software allowed him to specify a custom test page document, though it required that the document be in PostScript format. After a few shell commands, he had his document converted and was on to bigger and better things.
While a bit time consuming, his workaround should let him get by on this toner cartridge at least for a little while longer. We imagine that since he’s using Linux, the process could probably be scripted to save time, though we’re not sure if the same can be said for Windows-based PCs. | 88 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "516341",
"author": "Griffin",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T20:25:57",
"content": "At our home we have gotten around this with a shared printer by having a computer with the bare version of the driver do the printing. The basic driver is often unaware of the ink levels.",
"parent_id"... | 1,760,377,021.283515 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/22/a-doorbell-pleasing-to-both-the-ears-and-eyes/ | A Doorbell Pleasing To Both The Ears And Eyes | Mike Nathan | [
"home hacks",
"Musical Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"Campanello",
"doorbell",
"resonator bell",
"xylophone"
] | When [David] moved into his new house, one of the things he noticed was that
his doorbell was pretty lame.
Coming from a home equipped with a solenoid and chime bell, his new wireless solid state doorbell sounded terrible to him.
Crummy sound aside, the doorbell hardly ever worked properly, but alas, other projects cropped up and years went by before [David] addressed his doorbell problem. Like many things that take a long time to come to fruition, we think his resonator bell based solution was well worth the wait.
One of his main goals was to make a nice sounding doorbell that also looked great. He mounted a kid’s resonator bell toy on a sheet of wood, creating his own wooden mallets for the job. He initially had a tough time locating actuators for his doorbell, but found a solution in geared pager motors as featured in another xylophone hack on Make. With the hardware taken care of he focused on the electronics, which consist of a pair of Arduino clones – one on the display and one in his basement.
Stick around to see [David’s] Campanello doorbell in action, and be sure to check out his site for more details if this sounds like something you would like to have in your home.
[via
Make
]
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/23187397 w=470] | 15 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "516290",
"author": "elektrophreak",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T19:18:37",
"content": "that’s pretty cool!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "516311",
"author": "NeXTWay",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T19:43:47",
"content": "Gr... | 1,760,377,021.405212 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/22/c-bit-field-structures-for-microcontroller-multitasking/ | C Bit Field Structures For Microcontroller Multitasking | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"bit field",
"C language",
"c++",
"multitasking"
] | So you’re getting better at programming microcontrollers and now you want to do several things at once? You know better than that, microcontrollers are only capable of processing one thing at a time. But if you’re clever with your coding you can achieve something that behaves as if several things are going on at once. The most common way to do this is to set a flag using an interrupt, then use the main loop to check for that flag. [S1axter] posted a tutorial on this topic where
he uses bit field structures to help simplify
time sensitive events.
We think [S1axter] did a fantastic job of explaining this moderately difficult topic clearly and quickly. In the video after the break he begins by explaining
what a bit field is
and how it is defined. Basically you’re using a C structure to track a flag using just one bit of storage. This way the flag is either set or not. We suggest you pay careful attention to how he declares the structures as volatile, so you don’t have unexpected behavior when you try it yourself.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Voqg4Mx2Sg8&w=470] | 27 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "516146",
"author": "redneckJoe",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T17:03:10",
"content": "Booooo, me cannot see!!It says private video!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "516155",
"author": "Brad",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T17:14:38... | 1,760,377,021.578344 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/22/kitchen-hacks-sous-vide-builds-dont-need-to-cost-an-arm-and-a-leg/ | Kitchen Hacks: Sous Vide Builds Don’t Need To Cost An Arm And A Leg | Mike Szczys | [
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"crock pot",
"freecycle",
"pid",
"sous-vide",
"styrofoam"
] | It’s not that we haven’t seen inexpensive Sous Vide builds. It’s just that we enjoy the fact that [Kelvin’s]
Sous Vide machine gives new life to unused things
. The cooking vessel is a crock pot which he acquired for just $3. He housed it in a large Styrofoam box which he got for free through his local freecycle program. The circulation pump is a $0.99 fish tank part that pushes about ten gallons per hour.
He even hunted around to find the best prices on the control circuitry. The PID controller is obviously the most important part, as it will regulate the cooking temperature. He found a greatly discounted module that set him back just over $30. It even has a self-learning feature that sounds like it’s handy (not sure if all of these have that though).
Check out the video after the break. We like the use of his old RAM heat sinks to help dissipate heat from the solid state relay that drives the heating element. Since that SSR is inside of the foam box we could see heat becoming an issue. This way it’s dissipated, but not wasted.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3OphbcSaKs&w=470] | 30 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "516095",
"author": "hojo",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T16:05:02",
"content": "What’s a “cock pot”? :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "516118",
"author": "Aeva",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T16:25:25",
"conte... | 1,760,377,021.643803 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/power-strip-hack-reduces-standby-electricity-consumption/ | Power Strip Hack Reduces Standby Electricity Consumption | Mike Nathan | [
"computer hacks",
"home hacks",
"News"
] | [
"pc",
"power saving",
"standby",
"wake on lan",
"WOL"
] | For years, [Rasmus] has left his computer connected directly to the mains power so that he can turn it on via Wake on Lan. While powered down, it would still continuously consume about 6W of electricity, but now that he didn’t need it to be on standby so often,
he wanted to make it more energy efficient.
In Denmark, where he lives, many people use power strips that have an onboard USB cable. These strips are meant to reduce the standby power consumption of PC peripherals such as monitors by powering on the mains sockets only when the computer is active. He decided the easiest way to cut his standby energy consumption to 0W would be to power his computer via this strip as well.
While it sounds great in theory, it presented a sort of chicken/egg problem. If the computer needs to be turned on for the power strip to recognize it, then how could he also supply power to the computer from the same strip? His solution was a small circuit that would charge up while the computer was running, and still hold enough juice to kickstart the PC’s boot process, thus turning on the power strip.
It really is an ingenious way to go about things, nice job! | 31 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "515060",
"author": "Av",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T20:38:54",
"content": "Neat hack, but I must point out… the cost of electricity in Denmark is about 45 cents (US) per kilowatt-hour. With his computer consuming 6W when switched off, that means each day it consumes $0.0027 dollars. ... | 1,760,377,021.352705 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/simple-touch-sensors-with-the-arduino-capsense-library/ | Simple Touch Sensors With The Arduino CapSense Library | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"capsense",
"Teensy",
"touch sensor"
] | Ever thought of using touch sensors on your projects but didn’t because it would be too much work? [Paul Stoffregen] proves that
it can be pretty easy if you use the CapSense library
for Arduino. Here he’s created three touch sensors, connecting them to the Teensy microcontroller with two resistors each. The larger resistor (looks like 4.7 megaohms here) sends a signal through the copper pad which is read by the secondary pin. Here that pin is protected from electrostatic discharge with the 1k resistors. The microcontroller takes a reading by measuring how long it takes the voltage to change on the input pin.
Since the CapSense library takes care of the timing involved in these readings, all you have to do is decide how your program will react to the numbers that are coming in. In the video after the break [Paul] is echoing the timing figures back through the serial monitor to get an idea of what the data looks like. He experiments with touching the copper directly, and touching it through a piece of clear tape.
We’ve seen
the CapSense library
at work before in
this interactive exhibit piece
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHQPqQ_5ulc&w=470] | 10 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "515085",
"author": "BrainSlugs83",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T21:35:14",
"content": "That’s really cool! It seems like this kind of thing could be done with a regular AVR and some clever interrupt coding.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comm... | 1,760,377,021.511483 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/siri-proxy-adds-tons-of-functionality-doesnt-require-a-jailbreak/ | Siri Proxy Adds Tons Of Functionality, Doesn’t Require A Jailbreak | Mike Nathan | [
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"dns",
"home automation",
"iPhone 4s",
"proxy",
"siri",
"ssl"
] | [Pete] has an iPhone 4s and loves Siri, but he wishes
she had some more baked-in capabilities.
While the application is technically still in beta and will likely be updated in the near future, [Pete] wanted more functionality now.
Since Apple isn’t known for their open architecture, he had to get creative. Knowing how Siri’s commands are relayed to Apple thanks to
the folks at Applidium
, he put together a proxy server that allows him to intercept and work with the data.
The hack is pretty slick, and doesn’t even require a jailbreak. A bit of DNS and SSL trickery is used to direct Siri’s WiFi traffic through his server, which then relays the commands to Apple’s servers for processing. On the return trip, his server interprets the data, looking for custom commands he has defined.
In the video below, he gives a brief overview of the system, then spends some time showing how he can use Siri to control his WiFi enabled thermostat. While the process only works while Siri is connected to his home network via WiFi, it’s still pretty awesome.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN6wy0keQqo&w=470] | 24 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "514963",
"author": "9a3eedi",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T18:06:46",
"content": "This is pretty awesome.. too bad it requires having to have it running under a proxy rather than just editing an XML file or something.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,021.465841 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/black-friday-deals-and-contest-giveaways/ | Black Friday Deals And Contest Giveaways | Mike Szczys | [
"News"
] | [
"black friday",
"laser cutter"
] | Winter is coming, and it’s a great time to start accumulating parts and tools to keep you occupied with projects during the dark and cold days ahead.
Black Friday
We got a tip from Pololu about their planned Black Friday deals, and thought we’d check with some of the other parts suppliers that cater to the hobby market too. Here’s what we found:
Adafruit Industries Black Friday
– Get 10% off of your purchases made any time on Friday if you use the code ‘BLACK’ (12:00am-11:59pm — we’d guess this is Eastern Time) –
UPDATE:
Get 10% of Monday 11/28 with the code ‘CYBER’.
Pololu Black Friday
– many items are available at a great discount plus extra savings using their Black Friday coupons. Sales run midnight on Thursday morning through 11:59pm on Monday night (Pacific Time, 11/24 through 11/28)
UPDATE:
Sugru
– we just got an email about a special offer for this moldable material. Now through December 19th you can get your fourth pack for free using the coupon code: YAYCHRISTMAS
We did hear back from SparkFun. They don’t have a Black Friday deal planned, but
they are planning on Free Day 2012
happening some time early in the year! We’ll keep our eyes open for details, but if you hear about it before we do
send us a tip
.
Make also got back to us. No specific details about Black Friday, but we’re told they have some type of deals in the works.
Digikey and Mouser didn’t get back to us in time for this post.
Laser Cutter Giveaways
Do you want a laser cutter to call your own? Yeah, so do we. If you come up with a really cool project perhaps you can win one. It looks like there’s
two contests
a contest going on right now that is giving one away to the grand prize winner.
Build Lounge
is giving away a 40W CO2 Deluxe Hobby Laser Cutter to the best project based on light (community votes).
Instructables
– Oops…. we waited too long to post about this one as the contest closed on the 14th, sorry. But chances are good this will come around again. For now, you’ll have to be satisfied at
viewing the entries that made the finals
. | 7 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "515037",
"author": "jethomson",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T19:54:40",
"content": "Hurray for Free Day!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "515112",
"author": "Dehole",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T21:57:48",
"content": "Free D... | 1,760,377,021.757972 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/stroboscope-project-uses-optical-drive-motor-and-arduino/ | Stroboscope Project Uses Optical Drive Motor And Arduino | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"brushless motor",
"optical drive",
"strobe",
"stroboscope"
] | In the quest for a diy laser cutter made from DVD burner parts (that hack’s still in the works) this guy ended up with a junk box full of optical-drive leftovers. He put some of that surplus to good use by
building this stroboscope
. As the media spins, the white LED just out of focus in the foreground strobes to freeze the little black figure in the same place. The effect, as seen in the video after the break, is a dancing figure created by the optical illusion.
This is the same concept as
that amazing 3D rowing skeleton build
, but scaled down greatly. Each of the silhouettes seen above are slightly different, showing one pose that makes up a frame of the overall animation. They’re laser cut, but some careful paper-craft could probably accomplish the same thing. Assuming you could keep them from warping when spinning at high speeds.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHGHCx4TX5Q&w=470]
[via
Hacked Gadgets
] | 11 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "514863",
"author": "Rocz",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T16:06:12",
"content": "outstanding :P",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "514867",
"author": "YT2095",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T16:10:01",
"content": "neat idea, my dau... | 1,760,377,021.807465 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/experimenting-with-an-air-muscle-and-sensor-feedback/ | Experimenting With An Air Muscle And Sensor Feedback | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"air muscle",
"ATmega32",
"potentiometer"
] | Check out this setup
that [Ruenahcmohr] is using in his air muscle experiments. The orange mesh contains an air bladder that is connected to a hose on the right side. The bladder can be filled, or emptied with two solenoid valves not seen here (but you can get a good look in the video after the break). The muscle attached to chain on the other end and is kept under constant tension by a spring. The chain bends 180 degrees around a gear which is connected to a potentiometer. This gives feedback to the ATmega32 which controlling the whole thing. This way, the slider seen above can be used to control the apparatus.
We don’t know if [Ruenahcmohr] has a use in mind for this setup, but it certainly looks promising! We’ve seen these
air muscles used for haptic feedback
before, but right now we’re drawing a blank when it comes to ideas. What would you use it for?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2xWgEdiTwc&w=470]
[Thanks Zhanx] | 29 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "514828",
"author": "kobilica",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T15:08:47",
"content": "Many of those could build some sort of very luxury stool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "514830",
"author": "nah!",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21... | 1,760,377,021.709443 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/ti-launchpad-adds-computer-control-to-a-robot-arm/ | TI Launchpad Adds Computer Control To A Robot Arm | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"fan8200",
"launchpad",
"MSP430G2553",
"robot arm",
"robotsee",
"ti",
"usb"
] | [Eric Gregori] had an OWI535 toy robotic arm. Although cheap (coming it at around $30) the arm is only set up to be used via a wired control box. [Eric] knew he could do better by
adding computer control via a TI Launchpad and motor driver peripheral
.
The arm has shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints, a rotating base, and a gripper. All of these are actuated by 3V DC motors and have just two control wires. [Eric’s] motor driver add-on for the Launchpad works great in this case. It’s got three FAN8200 dual motor driver chips on board so it can control up to six motors. Once he made the hardware connections it’s just a matter of sending the commands to the Launchpad via its USB interface, but you will also need to use a larger microcontroller than comes with the Launchpad. Here he’s chosen an MSP430G2553.
In order to make things a little bit more fun he also wrote a GUI for controlling the arm from the computer. He used RobotSee, a programming language that lets you use an image of the hardware, and overlay the controls on top of it. Now he just needs to make this into a web interface and he can have a smartphone controlled
crane game
.
Don’t forget to check out the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRHseQalxdY&w=470] | 17 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "514785",
"author": "Will",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T14:23:59",
"content": "Cool. I was planning to do something similar!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "514809",
"author": "jean",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T14:37:25",
... | 1,760,377,021.95904 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/20/a-real-laser-based-3d-display/ | A Real, Laser-based 3D Display | Brian Benchoff | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"3d display",
"laser",
"plasma"
] | 3D display technology is fairly limited. Most 3D displays out there rely on either prisms refracting light from a normal flat-panel display, or shooting lasers into some sort of space-filling device. A few researchers in Japan
went with a more unconventional method
of making a 3D display that actually lives up to the promises of the displays seen in
Star Wars
.
From
the coverage
of this display we’ve found, the green laser demonstration is a scaled-down version that uses water as the display medium. There’s a
short clip
that shows a red, green, and blue laser projecting a few white voxels into mid-air. The video of both these demonstrations is a bit jumpy, but that’s probably because of the difference in frame rate between the display and camera.
We’re not really sure how the “plasma excitations of air molecules with focused beams” actually work, or even how to control 50,000 of these dots at 15 frames per second. If you’ve got any idea how to build one of these guys, leave a note in the comments.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EndNwMBEiVU&w=470] | 43 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "514257",
"author": "J. Peterson",
"timestamp": "2011-11-20T22:44:48",
"content": "A version of this appeared at SIGGRAPH a few years ago. Definite contender for the whacko mad scientist award. Bright blue sparks floating in mid air, really LOUD arc-welder style buzz, the guys show... | 1,760,377,022.205699 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/20/an-exercise-in-servo-voice-control-with-android/ | An Exercise In Servo Voice Control With Android | Mike Nathan | [
"Android Hacks",
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"arduino",
"python",
"servo"
] | [Shazin] had some free time on his hands, so he settled in to do something he had been meaning to for a while –
learn Android programming.
He went an indirect route, and ended up using the Scripting Layer for Android (SL4A), which gave him a head start on the process. Sitting in between the Android API and scripting languages such as Python, SL4A allowed him the ability to apply something he was already familiar with to the Android environment.
He thought it would be cool to try building a door entry system which relied on voice commands to lock and unlock. Using the Google Voice API for Android and an Arduino, he built a small Python application that allows him to toggle a servo simply by talking into his phone.
The application on his phone communicates with an Arduino over WiFi, once Google Voice has decoded the command [Shazin] is giving. The Arduino controls a servo, which in theory could control the locking mechanism on a door.
After a bit of tweaking and some added security, his proof of concept could definitely come in handy.
Check out the short video below to see [Shazin’s] voice-controlled servo in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYG2_Dgq-OA&feature=player_embedded&w=470] | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "514246",
"author": "someboy",
"timestamp": "2011-11-20T22:14:07",
"content": "it would be cool if such things could be added to speaktoit app",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "514673",
"author": "leftthehypnotistearly",
"t... | 1,760,377,022.069443 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/20/this-giant-hand-made-led-matrix-must-be-ours/ | This Giant Hand Made LED Matrix Must Be Ours! | Mike Nathan | [
"LED Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"led",
"matrix",
"PLCC6",
"WS2801"
] | [Martin] wrote in to share a project his company has been working on for some time, a gigantic 1470 pixel LED wall. The group provides lighting for clubs, parties, etc, and their hand-built LED matrix is always certain to be the hit of the show.
The amazing matrix was designed from the ground up and built by hand in [Martin’s] living room. They designed small 32x32mm “pixel” boards, each of which features 6 PLCC6 RGB LEDs driven by a single WS2801 LED controller. The PCBs were populated by hand and each one was reflowed in a small pizza oven that [Martin] owns. After the pixels were completed, they were attached to aluminum bar and combined to build thirty 70x70cm frames which are connected together to form a giant matrix.
As you can see in the collection of videos below, the display is very impressive. We just hope that they will be compelled to release the schematics for their boards so that we can build one of these in the office.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrdvFy05Tdg&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWWXF2-wJII&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dj24dXLCZo&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhqpj-Pp578&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5hJmRaaKnA&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qrvVyCgJgo&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I3MqnNIKs4&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGxosU7IRzM&w=470] | 16 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "514199",
"author": "Fernando",
"timestamp": "2011-11-20T20:33:55",
"content": "Two things:1. Cost is not mentioned in the article text.2. I´m not following how the pizza oven fits into this.ThanksI´ll watch the vids now.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,377,022.127938 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/20/gridrunner-a-custom-part-for-measuring-in-eagle-cad/ | Gridrunner: A Custom Part For Measuring In Eagle CAD | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"eagle",
"mearsure",
"pcb",
"ruler"
] | [Koogar] came up with a useful tool for checking the measurements of your layouts in Eagle CAD. He calls it the Gridrunner;
a custom part that adds a 200mm ruler to your design
. Tick marks are in 1/10th of a millimeter increments for great accuracy when used with the zoom feature of Eagle. Once you’ve got the layout just right, delete the ruler from your design and export it for fabrication. [Koogar] does mention that
the beta version of Eagle 6
has a new measuring tool, but he still thinks the Gridrunner offers some things that the built-in tool doesn’t. See just how handy it is in the video after the break. The measuring starts about 1:40 into it.
We found it interesting that [Koogar] is using Eagle for quite a bit more than PCB design. We’ve used it for laying out a drilling template for face plates before, but he’s going far beyond that. He uses the library editor to recreate the parts of his CNC machine which he says are then really easy to align. From there, he exports the CAM files for mounting brackets. Do you use Eagle for something other than PCB design? Let us know about it by leaving a comment.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyM7w1vkevs&w=470]
[Thanks Rupert] | 21 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "514132",
"author": "Ian Daniher",
"timestamp": "2011-11-20T19:14:48",
"content": "I’ve had very good luck using EAGLE with the CAM processor to build simple parts for laser cutting. The 2D drawing functionality seems ideally well suited for case / mounting bracket design and the abi... | 1,760,377,022.263994 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/20/experimenting-with-bridge-rectifers-for-ac-to-dc-power-conversion/ | Experimenting With Bridge Rectifers For AC To DC Power Conversion | Mike Szczys | [
"how-to"
] | [
"ac",
"bridge rectifier",
"converter",
"dc",
"diode",
"rectifier"
] | The folks over at Toymaker Television have put together another episode. This time
they’re looking at bridge rectifiers
and how they’re used in AC to DC converters.
This is a simple concept which is worth taking the time to study for those unfamiliar with it. Since Alternating Current is made up of cycles of positive and negative signals it must be converted before use in Direct Current circuits; a process called rectification. This is done using a series of 1-way gates (diodes) in a layout called a bridge rectifier. That’s the diamond shape seen in the diagram above.
This episode, which is embedded after the break, takes a good long look at the concept. One of the things we like best about the presentation is that the hosts of the show talk about actual electron flow. This is always a quagmire with those new to electronics, as schematics portray flow from positive to negative, but electron theory suggests that actual electron flow is the exact opposite.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixthQcMcguo&w=470] | 28 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "514068",
"author": "Renee",
"timestamp": "2011-11-20T17:48:19",
"content": "Yeah, I fully admit that the flow of electrons confuses me.I’ve heard that it actually goes from – to + when looking at a circuit BUT I’ve also heard that it’s a misinterpretation of what’s really going on.T... | 1,760,377,022.475295 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/19/pushing-fpga-config-files-via-serial-using-cat/ | Pushing FPGA Config Files Via Serial Using ‘cat’ | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arm",
"AVR",
"cat",
"serial",
"xilinx"
] | [Andrew] is trying to buckle down and hammer out his PhD project but was surprised by the sorry state of the configuration options for his FPGA/ARM dev board. Using JTAG was painfully slow, so he studied the datasheet to see if there was another way. It turns out the Xilinx FPGA he’s using does have a slave serial mode so he came up with a way to
push configuration from the ARM to the FPGA serially
.
Four of the connects he needed were already mapped to PortC pins on the AT91SAM9260 ARM System on a Chip. He ended up using the EN_GSM pin on the FPGA, since there is no GSM module on this board; connecting it to the microcontroller with a piece of wire. Now he can SSH into the ARM processor, grabbing information on the FPGA from /dev/fpga0. When it comes time to program, it’s as easy as using the cat command on the binary file and redirecting the output to the same hook. | 20 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "513571",
"author": "marc",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T23:34:38",
"content": "Error establishing a database connection",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "513582",
"author": "jc",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T23:59:01",
"conten... | 1,760,377,022.321216 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/19/nuclear-taco-helmet-measures-reaction-to-spicy-food/ | Nuclear Taco Helmet Measures Reaction To Spicy Food | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"altLab",
"beer helmet",
"spicy",
"tacos"
] | Apparently there was a Nuclear Taco eating contest at the 2010 Codebits Conference. The team from altLab, a Hackerspace in Lisbon, didn’t partake but the discomfort of those that did was burned into their memory. This year, the
altLab members decided to build a spciy taco monitoring helmet
as part of the conference’s 48 hour hacking competition.
The helmet was inspired by those beer helmets that let you suck down two head-mounted cold ones through a forking straw. In this case, the beer has been replaced by bottles of milk to help quench your burning piehole. But if you do take a sip, observers will know because a flow sensor measures how much you suck down. There’s also a humidity sensor which monitors the sweat building up on your forehead. The Arduino that runs it all tracks this info and uses it to set the discomfort meter on top of the helmet, all while the audience gets a closeup from the camera projecting beyond the helmet’s brim.
We’re happy to say they won 1st place for the creation. Check out their 90-second presentation after the break.
[vimeo
http://vimeo.com/32030833 w=470%5D | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "513551",
"author": "Hitek146",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T22:43:23",
"content": "Very clever idea! I don’t understand why they couldn’t print out the graph and label, instead of scribbling them like a child’s school art project, though…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,377,022.362488 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/22/the-picture-post-observe-your-world-in-extreme-slow-motion/ | The Picture Post – Observe Your World In Extreme Slow Motion | Jeremy Cook | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"photography",
"picture post",
"time-lapse"
] | The
“Picture Post”
, a tool for a program going on through the University of New Hampshire, is a method of taking what amounts to extreme time-lapse photography. The purpose of this project is to observe the world around you with a 360 degree view taken at a regular interval.
The
setup
is quite simple consisting of a 9 inch diameter post, and an octagon to set your camera against. Just place your camera one edge, take the picture and repeat around the octagon until done. You can register on their site to make your post official and contribute to society’s general knowledge about the environment and seasonal changes.
Although interesting in itself, this concept could be applied to many situations that one would want to record in this manner. For instance, a “hacker post” could be set up in a hackerspace for members to record their projects on or even the progress of the building itself. For another much less developed way to take photos, check out this
trigger device
using air freshener parts!
via
[Make Magazine] | 9 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "516028",
"author": "tidux",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T15:13:22",
"content": "Well, that’s pretty awesome. I’m a UNH student and I’d never heard about this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "516288",
"author": "jgunn",
... | 1,760,377,022.409804 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/22/musical-greeting-card-with-minimal-parts/ | Musical Greeting Card With Minimal Parts | Brian Benchoff | [
"ATtiny Hacks",
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"attiny85",
"greeting card",
"Musical"
] | We’re all familiar with those musical greeting cards. Give the Hallmark store $10, and you have a card with a microcontroller inside that plays one of several songs available. [Jarv] was playing around with translating MIDI tracks to square wave songs with an Arduino earlier, so he decided to see how cheaply he could reproduce these musical cards.
The resulting build
allows him to put any song he wants in his card and costs less than the Hallmark offering.
The circuit is
extremely
minimal – just an ATtiny 85, a battery holder, and two piezo speakers for two-voice harmony. After soldering up the battery and speakers, [Jarv] needed a way to get music on his chip. For this, he used
MuseScore
, a music notation program that allows [Jarv] to merge multiple voices together.
Once the sheet music was cleaned up, [Jarv] used his
XML2H Python script
that takes MIDI data and spits out frequencies and delays. In the end, [Jarv] spent less than $5 on his greeting card – almost cheap enough to start thinking about musical throwies to complement the batteries, LEDs and magnets on our window flashing.
Check out the video after the break to hear [Jarv]’s circuit play the theme from
Toy Story
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gntKQZFomi8&w=470] | 26 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "515961",
"author": "third",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T14:04:45",
"content": "Front page post with minimal text.Also: ATTiny hacks ftw",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "515968",
"author": "Ren",
"timestamp": "2011-... | 1,760,377,022.538875 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/human-flight-at-190-mph-with-no-steering/ | Human Flight At 190 MPH With No Steering | Mike Szczys | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"jet engine",
"jet turbine",
"jetman",
"kerosene",
"parachute",
"ted",
"wing"
] | It’s been a while since we looked in on a TED talk but this one is fantastic. [Yves Rossy] is
interviewed about his jet-powered flight wing
at the TED conference. He designed the unit as a form of personal flight. He straps it on, jumps out of a plane, then flies across the sky until he runs out of fuel. There’s no steering mechanism; it’s more of a fixed-wing hang glider plus jet turbine engines. But the pilot can affect the direction of the wing by moving his body.
We’ve embedded the video after the break. The first five minutes are all flight footage (which you’re going to want to watch… we specifically kept the banner image vague so as not to spoil it for you). After that, you’ll enjoy the interview where details about the hardware and its operation are shared.
The wing itself is about 2 meters across, hosting four kerosene-powered turbine engines. There’s about eight minutes worth of fuel on board, which [Yves] monitors with a clock while also keeping an eye on the altimeter. Landings are courtesy of a parachute, with a second on board as a backup. If things go badly–and they have as you’ll hear in the interview–an emergency release frees the pilot from the machine.
Want to build your own? Maybe
this will get you started
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2sT9KoII_M&w=470]
[Thanks László] | 48 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "515248",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T00:49:21",
"content": "“Yeah, I can Fly!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "515262",
"author": "DainBramage1991",
"timestamp": "2011-11-22T01:23:48",
"content": "A... | 1,760,377,022.614997 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/ill-see-your-launchpad-controlled-arm-and-raise-you-arduino-controlled-autonomy/ | I’ll See Your Launchpad Controlled Arm And Raise You Arduino Controlled Autonomy | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"motor shield",
"position sensor",
"potentiometer",
"robot arm"
] | This OWI robot arm has been
hacked to add position sensors and Arduino control
. [Chris Anderson] took one look at
the Launchpad controlled OWI
from earlier today and said “wait a minute, I’ve already posted my own version of that project”. Well, that will teach him not to
tip us off
about his hacks!
The position control is a really nice addition. Potentiometers added to each of the joints (shoulder, elbow, and wrist) can be read by the ADC pins on the Arduino. Just a bit of calibration will let the microcontroller board know the position of the arm at any given time. The control technique is the same as the Launchpad hack, with one glaring drawback. [Chris] is using the Adafruit motor driver shield. It uses L293D H-bridge chips, but it only has four channels. There are five motors on this arm, so the video after the break shows it moving around without any outside instruction, but you won’t see it grab onto anything since the Arduino can’t move the gripper!
Still, the position feedback makes the case for this version. Just remember to order an extra chip if you want full control.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agbrwfRiRNY&w=470] | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "515210",
"author": "Myke",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T23:28:20",
"content": "raiseyouArduinocontrolled autonomyThats interesting. In my book, raising means something better, not worse.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "516298",
... | 1,760,377,022.655908 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/tracking-satellites-with-an-arduino/ | Tracking Satellites With An Arduino | Brian Benchoff | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"gameduino",
"satellite"
] | The guys over at brainwagon just finished up ANGST, the
Arduino n’ Gameduinio Satellite Tracker
, a build that displays 160 different satellites in Earth orbit on any SVGA monitor.
The build is of course based off an Arduino and
Gameduino
shield. A real-time clock is always needed for a satellite tracker, so a DS1307 RTC is thrown into the mix. The satellite data is stored on a 128KB EEPROM that is big enough to hold 750 different satellites and orbits.
The software side of things is a bit trickier. The guys at brainwagon used [James Miller]’s very popular and very old-school
PLAN-13
sat tracking software. This orbit calculation program was published in 1983 and has since been ported from BBC Basic to just about every system imaginable.
Once the ANGST is hooked up and powered on, it reads the real-time clock and calculates the position of a satellite. This is done in real-time and updated every three minutes. On the screen, the last orbit (and a little more) is displayed along with the sun and the location of the ANGST. You might not find something like ANGST at the Space Command at NORAD, but we can’t think of a better way to keep track of the
cubesats
and
spy sats
above our heads.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgfEjxYKYZw&w=470] | 13 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "515132",
"author": "hpux735",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T22:20:06",
"content": "That is awesome, but it needs a few things to be truly useful:1. Able to get recent ephemeris data on its own. Any more than week-old data becomes unreliable.2. Updates more than once every 3 minutes. A ... | 1,760,377,022.881013 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/junkyard-tube-amp-gold/ | Junkyard Tube-amp Gold! | Mike Szczys | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"guitar amp",
"turntable",
"vacuum tube"
] | Why, oh why, oh why do people toss out awesome retro hardware?? Luckily, [Dino] visited the junk depot himself at just the right time. Even though you’re not supposed to take things others have dropped off he poached the retro portable turntable that was just sitting there. He cracked it open and figured out
how to turn it into this great tube guitar amp
without going to all that much trouble.
The original turntable used to be where the front grates are in the image above. The guitar amp version sits the case on end, which works perfectly since the carrying handle is now on the top. This orientation would have put the amplifier hardware upside down, so [Dino] pulled it out and flipped it around. The speakers for the turntable were made to sit separately and be connected with wires. But they also doubled as a lid for the unit. This makes them the perfect size to fit side-by-side in the void left by the turn table.
[Dino] records his own music for the build video after the break using his new hardware. Sounds great, looks great, and it was saved from being needlessly buried in the ground. Fantastic!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvBX_tq5VPs&w=470] | 20 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "515208",
"author": "Nick",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T23:27:36",
"content": "What’s a junk depot? Like one of those old-fashioned junkyards where people bring garbage to before there was garbage trucks/collection? Do those even exist any more?Maybe it’s just something I haven’t seen s... | 1,760,377,022.935629 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/21/think-you-can-take-kinect-to-the-next-level-check-out-kinect-accelerator/ | Think You Can Take Kinect To The Next Level? Check Out Kinect Accelerator | Mike Nathan | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"Kinect",
"microsoft"
] | If you’ve got a crazy ingenious idea for Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral, but don’t have the means to make your dream a reality,
the Kinect Accelerator
just might be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
Microsoft, having performed a complete 180-degree turnaround from their initial stance on Kinect hacking, is embracing developers more than ever with this new program. They are offering a $20,000 along with development space to ten startup companies, in hopes of turning out some incredible Kinect applications. At the end of the three month program, each group will have the opportunity to present their creations to a group of angel investors, which is a fantastic opportunity.
Obviously competition to gain entry into the program will be pretty fierce, but if you think you have what it takes, get your application in now. Judging by the Kinect Accelerator FAQ section, this looks to be something geared towards small tech startups rather than individuals, but it never hurts to give it a shot. | 16 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "515082",
"author": "Zee",
"timestamp": "2011-11-21T21:26:40",
"content": "20k seems kind of low for a whole team of people.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "515155",
"author": "sneakypoo",
"timestamp": "2011-11-... | 1,760,377,022.830761 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/19/getting-useful-data-from-a-dirt-cheap-rfid-reader/ | Getting Useful Data From A Dirt Cheap RFID Reader | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"reverse engineering",
"rfid"
] | [Aaron] was looking for
a cheap RFID reader
that had some easy to follow documentation and a standardized interface. Most everything he saw was pretty expensive, so he decided to buy a cheap $10 reader from eBay to see how easy it would be to work with.
The reader came with very little documentation, but [Aaron] did know that the device identifies itself as a USB keyboard, outputting scan tag data into a text editor. That functionality wasn’t incredibly useful, so he took it apart to see if he could interface with it in some other manner. Exposing the PCB revealed an unknown IC for which he could find no documentation, but the board did include some breakout pins, so [Aaron] started by probing those for data.
He tried reading the data in both a terminal program and with a logic analyzer, but nothing seemed to make a whole lot of sense. He turned the sampling rate of the sniffer down, and things started looking a little better. After comparing the data from the sniffer with known tag codes, he noticed that each digit had an offset of 39 applied, so he whipped up a bit of code to correct the numbers.
[Aaron] did a good amount of legwork to get usable data from the reader, but at a cost of $10 it can’t be beat. We certainly know what we’re going to be hunting for on eBay this afternoon… | 21 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "513520",
"author": "Deven",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T21:54:13",
"content": "WOW, we didn’t expect this much traffic, please hold on for a bit (should be an hour or two) while we upgrade the server that currently hosts thetransistor.comThanks",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,025.208089 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/19/strap-yourself-in-and-let-this-robot-arm-shake-the-bejesus-out-of-you/ | Strap Yourself In And Let This Robot Arm Shake The Bejesus Out Of You | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"fighter",
"flight simulator",
"pilot"
] | This man is strapped onto the business end of a huge robotic arm. If you’ve seen videos of industrial robots on automobile assembly lines and the like, you know how fast and strong these machines are. But this isn’t headed for the factory floor, it’s
a new flight simulator built do train Australian fighter pilots
.
Researchers at Deakin University were looking for a way to give a fighter pilot a more realistic simulator experience. What they ended up with is an apparatus that can spin continuously on two axes. This lets the pilot feel what it might be like to stall and have the aircraft spinning out of control.
The video after the break is not to be missed. You’ll see the test pilot (read: guinea pig) flung this way and that to the point that we almost decided this should be
a “Real or Fake” post
. But we’re confident that this actually exists. We expect that future renditions will include the front portion of the aircraft and be completely enclosed in a projection dome, just
like the Lexus driving simulator
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkjEOO1rM9A&w=470] | 35 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "513388",
"author": "ferdie",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T19:32:41",
"content": "i have see a thing like that in the gadget showits the ultimet simulator to play inyou can do all kind of thing whit it i beleve you can play whit one in germany",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,024.988434 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/19/python-powered-sprinkler-system-wastes-no-water/ | Python Powered Sprinkler System Wastes No Water | Mike Nathan | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"automation",
"home",
"python",
"rain gauge",
"sprinklers"
] | One thing that annoyed [Jashua] to no end was
hearing his automated sprinkler system kick on
in the middle of the night, when it had rained earlier in the day. He wished that his sprinklers were a bit smarter, so he decided to give the system an upgrade.
Rather than pay hundreds of dollars for a more sophisticated automation system, he spent about $45 on supplies and scrounged together some items he had sitting around the house to make a rain-sensing module of his own.
The resulting project, Pysprinklers, uses Python along with a handful of components to better manage his water usage. He got his hands on a cheap rain gauge, and modified it with a game controller and a set of magnetic surface contacts. If there has been a significant amount of rain in the last 24 hours, his system will prevent the sprinklers from turning on. Additionally, if there is rain in the forecast, the sprinklers will be delayed a bit to see if rain makes its way into the area.
We’re all for saving money (and water), so we think [Jashua’s] system looks great, especially because he ended up using a handful of things he already had on hand. | 31 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "513323",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T18:01:02",
"content": "In my old home town, there was actually an ordinance against watering in the middle of the day, and watering the sidewalks. The local groundwater table was very low and the local farmers were on drought w... | 1,760,377,024.717582 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/19/weekly-roundup-111911/ | Weekly Roundup 11/19/11 | Jack Buffington | [
"News"
] | [] | In case you missed them the first time around, here are our most popular posts from the past week.
Our top contender is a post about
a giant snake robot
that is modeled after a snake that we know of through fossil records that was up to 50 feet long. This one is pretty interesting.
Next in line is a post about a special setup where things are being projected onto a nearly invisible mist of water that literally makes the
images float in midair
.
After that we have a post about another creation by [Photonicinduction]. Surprisingly, he isn’t destroying something with this one and it isn’t dangerous. Nevertheless it is still interesting. Check out his
home power backup system
that also (there is some debate going on with this claim) reduces his electricity bills.
In fourth place we have a post about
how to make your own aerogel
. For those of you who haven’t seen this stuff in person, it is the least dense solid that exists. You can literally see through it.
Finally, we conclude with one about
an animatronic Horus Guard mask
. If you are a fan of Stargate, this is one to check out. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,024.610368 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/syneseizure-makes-objects-feel-loud/ | Syneseizure Makes Objects Feel Loud | Brian Benchoff | [
"Android Hacks",
"hardware"
] | [
"arduino",
"processing",
"synesthesia"
] | Synesthesia is a mix-up in the wiring of the brain where sensory inputs are perceived differently than what ‘normal people’ usually experience. People with synesthesia can have visual input mapped to aural perception in the mind, or driving along a highway where there’s a recent skunk roadkill can smell ‘loud.’ It’s an interesting way of perceiving the world that’s usually inaccessible to most of the population, but the
Syneseizure
tries to replicate this way of viewing the world.
There’s a bunch of types of synesthesia (Led Zeppelin feels purple, or apples smelling further away than grapes), but [Greg] and his team needed to choose one subtype to reduce the complexity of their project. They chose mapping visual input to touch sensation. This was accomplished by attaching a dozen speakers to the test subject’s face. A webcam recorded where the subject was looking at and with a Processing sketch, the webcam was reduced to a grayscale 4×3 pixel grid. The intensity of the each pixel corresponded to the strength of buzzing in each speaker. All that was left to do is put a mask over the subject and have them walk around.
The Syneseizure was built for Science Hack Day San Francisco and ended up winning the people’s choice award. There’s
a bunch
of pics and a great write-up on the project website, so be sure to check that out. | 29 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "512711",
"author": "sariel",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T00:41:46",
"content": "kinky…looks like a cyborg gimp mask from hell.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "512943",
"author": "Hackerspacer",
"timestamp": "2011-... | 1,760,377,024.869341 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/fignition-flint-is-a-stripboard-build-of-the-simple-computer/ | FIGnition FLINT Is A Stripboard Build Of The Simple Computer | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"8 bit",
"ATmega168",
"computer",
"fignition",
"strip board"
] | If you want people to really be impressed by your projects it’s often better not to have a fully finished look. In this case, we think hooking the stripboard version of FIGnition up to your TV will raise a lot more eyebrows than the PCB version will.
[Julian] put together
a guide to building the computer on strip board
. He’s using his own Java application for laying out circuits on this versatile prototyping substrate. This tool is worth a look as it may simplify those point-to-point solder prototypes you’ve been agonizing over. You’ll have to do some poking around on his site to gather all of the knowledge necessary to complete the build. Most of the components are easy to source, but unless you have them on hand, you’ll need put in a parts order for the crystal, the ATmega168, the SRAM chip, and the flash memory chip.
For those not familiar,
FIGnition is an 8-bit computer
with composite TV-out for a display and rudimentary input from the eight momentary push buttons. | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "512744",
"author": "MattE",
"timestamp": "2011-11-19T02:09:50",
"content": "Jules, FIGnition takes another step to world domination, good stuff! All it needs* now is a set of shields, each with on-board Fcode drivers ;-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}... | 1,760,377,024.649619 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/mame-cabinet-3d-modeled-and-cnc-milled/ | MAME Cabinet 3D Modeled And CNC Milled | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"3d model",
"laptop",
"mame",
"mdf",
"mill"
] | [Entropia] is just putting the final touches on
his bar-top MAME cabinet
(
translated
). The project started out as a 3D model to get the case dimensions just right. An old laptop is being, so the enclosure was designed to fit the bare LCD assembly and hide the rest of the computer. [Entropia] had access to a CNC mill through an education program and used it to cut most of the parts for the case out of MDF.
From there the build proceeds as normal. Mounting holes for the controls were cut with a drill and hole saws. We think it’s a bit easier to lay this design out once you have the control panel itself milled, rather than try to get it right in the 3D model. The image above is part way through the build. Since it was taken the case has been painted and a sound system was added but it looks like it’s still waiting for a bezel over the LCD and a marquee for the masthead.
You can see a demo of the game selection UI after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ-t7KjqqsU&w=470]
[Thanks Lauri] | 8 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "512606",
"author": "DanAdamKOF",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T22:27:07",
"content": "It’s nice and all, but that button layout kinda sucks to be frank. True, it’s comfortable to put your right hand in at an angle hence it being a tilted 3×2, but that’s not how you do it. This site sho... | 1,760,377,024.916953 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/double-pendulum-spray-gives-this-graffiti-bot-some-style/ | Double-pendulum Spray Gives This Graffiti Bot Some Style | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"art",
"graffiti",
"pendulum",
"skateboard",
"spray paint"
] | Here’s an art exhibit that does its own painting. The
Senseless Drawing Bot
(
translated
) uses the back and forth motion of the wheeled based to get a double-pendulum arm swinging. At the end of the out-of-control appendage, a can of spray paint is let loose. We’re kind of surprised by the results as they don’t look like a machine made them.
The video after the break gives a pretty good synopsis of how the robot performs its duties. The site linked above is a bit difficult to navigate, but if you start digging you’ll find a lot of build information. For instance, it looks like
this was prototyped with a small RC car
along with sticks of wood as the pendulums.
We can’t help but be reminded of this
robot that balances an inverted double pendulum
. We wonder if it could be hacked to purposefully draw graffiti that makes a bit more sense than what we see here?
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/30780208 w=470]
[Thanks Brian via
IEEE Spectrum
] | 16 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "511521",
"author": "macona",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T00:27:40",
"content": "I disagree. It does look like a machine made them. The constraints on the top and bottom would not be hard had they been done by a person freehand.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,377,025.149321 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/adding-keypad-security-to-your-automobiles-ignition-system/ | Adding Keypad Security To Your Automobile’s Ignition System | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"anit-theft",
"arduino nano",
"ignition",
"keypad",
"start button"
] | [BadWolf] managed to make some free time to get back to his own electronic projects. This time around he’s created
a security system for his car
. It’s patched into the ignition, preventing the engine from starting when the key is turned. A driver must first insert the key, then type the combination on a keypad in the center console before the car will fire up.
While he was working on the project he also decided to add a start button to the dash-board (we think it does make it look like a later model vehicle). The keypad is driven by an Arduino Nano which has the start code stored in it. Power for the system is provided by a USB hub hidden behind the dash which he thinks will also come in handy with future hacks.
When the proper code is entered, you’ll hear a rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme. The speaker also lends a pleasant beep with each keypress. See the demo clip after the break to hear it for yourself.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHOID4QQ3vg&w=470] | 62 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "511451",
"author": "Skeltorr",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T23:26:33",
"content": "You can buy this from china, it came with my alarm.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "511457",
"author": "xorpunk",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T23... | 1,760,377,024.812784 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/whole-house-battery-backup-used-for-lower-power-bills/ | Whole House Battery Backup Used For Lower Power Bills | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"battery backup",
"inverter",
"mains"
] | [Photonicinduction] has an impressive
battery backup installation that powers his whole house
. Unlike a standalone emergency generator which would require you to hook up all of the device you want to run, this setup sits in between the power meter and the breaker box, ready to step in when needed.
But get this, he’s not just using it as a backup system. It kicks in during the day to run everything including two freezers, a refrigerator, his lights, television, and computers. That’s because the price per kilowatt-hour is quite a bit higher during the day than at night. So after 10:30pm the system patches his house back into the grid and charges the batteries for use the next day.
What you see here is just a portion of his system. The control board is not pictured but is very impressive, including a network of relays which are used as a fail-safe system so that there are no conflicts between mains and the battery system. Check out his 15-minute walk through of the system after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48rStZV40Ks&w=470]
[Thanks Patrick] | 78 | 44 | [
{
"comment_id": "511400",
"author": "anomdebus",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T22:28:45",
"content": "Must be nice to be given differential pricing. My utility accounts peak vs non-peak, but both are billed at the same rate.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comme... | 1,760,377,025.098531 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/polar-pen-plotter-draws-huge-images-very-slowly/ | Polar Pen Plotter Draws Huge Images Very Slowly | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks",
"hardware"
] | [
"hanging string plotter",
"pen plotter",
"plotter",
"polar plotter"
] | [Euphy] just posted
an Instructable
of his Polargraph drawing machine that’s able to draw huge images slower than molasses in November. The plotter only uses two stepper motors to control the position of the pen and can be made nearly entirely from salvaged parts – [Euphy] built his for just about £150.
The Polargraph uses two stepper motor on the top corners of a large, flat surface. A weighted pen carriage is attached to both motors with beaded cord that’s often seen in window blinds. By controlling the distance from the carriage to each motor, the position of the pen can be precisely controlled. It’s not a very fast way of drawing an image (check out the
real-time video
), but it sure is interesting to watch.
There have been a few other rope-and-chain plotters, like
Der Kritzler
and
Hektor
. [Euphy]’s work is the is one of the best documented builds we’ve seen, and he’s also put up the
code
and a
website
.
We really could have used [Euphy]’s plotter when we wanted to draw some
whiteboard
art
. While we’re out dumpster diving for some small stepper motors, check out the time-lapse video of the Polargraph after the break.
[vimeo=24647023] | 7 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "511366",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T21:34:19",
"content": "$240 for output like that? Neat hack, I suppose, but…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "511589",
"author": "Erik J",
"timestamp": "2011-... | 1,760,377,025.250158 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/building-a-heat-sealer-for-anti-static-bags/ | Building A Heat Sealer For Anti-static Bags | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"anti-static",
"heat sealer",
"melt",
"power resistor"
] | [Raphaël Assénat] needed anti-static bags for some boards he is selling. He had a lot of leftovers on hand (presumably from the components he ordered to assemble these boards) and wanted to reuse them. Instead of buying a heat sealer
he built his own to cut them down to size
.
His build starts with a transformer to drop mains voltage down to 9 Volts. From there, you can see the two power resistors used in series to limit the current. Without these, the wire would get way too hot. Just in front of those resistors is a momentary push switch which cuts the power by default. Here we can see that [Raphaël] is using a wood block to press the bag against the wire as it heats up.
The wire itself is a piece of straightened tension spring. Apparently this spring material is a poor conductor, which is why it gets hot enough to melt the plastic bag when you run current through it. | 22 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "511284",
"author": "DooWeeNo",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T19:37:46",
"content": "Also try guitar wire. And a thin strip of PTFE vs wood to avoid the element getting too hot and having the bag stick.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": ... | 1,760,377,025.520734 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/simple-telepresence-hack-lets-remote-user-rotate-this-laptop/ | Simple Telepresence Hack Lets Remote User Rotate This Laptop | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"laptops hacks"
] | [
"lazy susan",
"servo",
"telepresence"
] | [Kris] wanted to make the telecommuting employees at his office feel a little more in control of their virtual presence in the office. He gave them a way to look around without needing to go into full-blown robotics.
This laptop stand has a Lazy Susan connected to a servo motor
to give the user control of where the computer is pointed.
We’ve certainly seen our share of really complicated surrogate builds like
this balancing robot
. There have been simpler options too, such as
this smartphone-carrying motorized base
. But when you get right down to it, the ability to pan the camera is probably good enough for most situations. [Kris’] solution can be built in an afternoon, using simple materials. The box is made out of MDF with a base for the laptop connected by the ball-bearing hardware that supports the weight and makes sure the servo is able spin it freely. It is driven by an Arduino which connects to the computer via USB; making it easy to control remotely. Check out a quick clip of the laptop going round and round after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKcPRt4awKU&w=470]
[Thanks Zach] | 8 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "511262",
"author": "Abner88",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T19:16:58",
"content": "Throw some bluetooth at it and you have fully free spin.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "511269",
"author": "WhyrequireTheseFields",
"timestam... | 1,760,377,025.463372 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/video-interrupts-on-the-atmega328p/ | Video: Interrupts On The ATmega328p | Jack Buffington | [
"News",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"3pi",
"interrupts",
"video"
] | This week, we are bringing you the final video in our series where [Jack] uses the 3pi robot as a fancy development board for the ATmega328p processor. Today’s video deals with interrupts. If you have been wanting to have your programs do more than one thing simultaneously, interrupts are the solution. [Jack] discusses various ways that you can use interrupts in your programs and then shows how he created a interrupt routine that drives the 3pi’s beeper. He also shows the routines that enable, disable, and control the interrupt.
Since this is the last post for this series of videos, we are posting the code used for all of the previous videos. Click
here
to grab a copy.
For our next series of videos, we are going to attempt something more challenging so most likely we will be taking a couple of weeks off to do some development before presenting it here. Stay tuned folks, we’ll be back.
Video is after the break…
In case you missed any of the previous videos, check out these links:
Part 1:
Setting up the development environment
Part 2:
Basic I/O
Part 3:
Pulse Width Modulation
Part 4:
Analog to Digital conversion
Part 5:
Working with the 3pi’s line sensors | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "511442",
"author": "charliex",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T23:09:41",
"content": "Jack ?http://www.lunacynet.com/league/images/s1_mick.jpghttp://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2007/02/363435.jpg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,025.410805 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/the-cheapest-and-easiest-3d-printer-weve-seen-so-far/ | The Cheapest And Easiest 3D Printer We’ve Seen So Far | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"printrbot",
"reprap"
] | 3D printers are
awesome
, but boy are they frustrating. If you’ve built a RepRap Mendel, Prusa or Huxely, you know there’s nothing quite like trying to get a washer off of a threaded rod without disassembling the entire machine. This frustration in part sourcing, assembling and correctly aligning a printer is where printers like the Makerbot find their niche. There’s a
new printer
on the block that promises a 45 minute assembly time and less than 2 hours from starting the build to first print. It will do all this for under $500, electronics and motors included.
From the
Flickr photoset
, we can see that the Printrbot has 2 motors for the z-axis, uses
sanguinololu electronics,
and uses a derivative of Wade’s extruder – all proven design choices. Unlike the RepRaps, most of the frame is actually
printed
, and not built out of threaded rods. This drastically reduces the assembly and calibration time.
The inventor of the Printrbot, [Brook Drumm], has a
Kickstarter
up where he’s selling complete kits (electronics, motors and vitamins) for $499. This beats the very inexpensive
SUMPOD
in affordability. We haven’t been able to find the 3D design files for the Printrbot (although you can buy these printed parts for $75), and there’s no word on the build volume of the stock printer. That being said, the printrbot does have
pretty good resolution
. Check out the video of a Printrbot in action after the break.
[vimeo=32289640] | 30 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "512568",
"author": "bmsleight",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T21:51:12",
"content": "This really hits the spot. Okay, print area is only 5inches cubed. But as an entry point for 3d printing – it is great.For $500 or £320 and a couple of hours. I can start printing. A sweet spot for time... | 1,760,377,025.667115 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/video-display-from-rgb-strips-makes-it-seem-so-easy/ | Video Display From RGB Strips Makes It Seem So Easy | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"led strip",
"marquee",
"matrix",
"netduino",
"spi",
"video",
"xbee"
] | [Fabien] wrote in to share a link to
this RGB video display which he made
. He’s got some pretty cool routines that make it more functional than you would think, but first we want to comment on the construction. He used an RGB strip, which makes this look like an incredibly simple build. The strip has a data and power bus running the length of it. You can it into smaller segments, then just solder jumper wires to reconnect the buses. That’s exactly what he did here, making it what must be the fastest method of putting together a display of this size (16×10 pixels).
It’s driven by a Netduino which easily addresses the LPD8806 drivers responsible for the LEDs. It gets input from a computer via Xbee, making it easy to include data from the net, or to push visualizations. The video after the break shows a [Van Gogh] self-portrait. Since 160 pixel resolution wouldn’t do it justice, the visualization software shows a zoomed in portion of the painting which is constantly panning to let you see the entire work. It’s a fabulous effect.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td6ioE2f3tY&w=470] | 15 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "512378",
"author": "DanAdamKOF",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T19:06:53",
"content": "Very clever :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "512391",
"author": "demacus",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T19:23:15",
"content": "hmm, you c... | 1,760,377,025.722629 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/kitchen-hacks-microwave-plays-youtube-videos-matched-to-your-cooking-time/ | Kitchen Hacks: Microwave Plays YouTube Videos Matched To Your Cooking Time | Mike Szczys | [
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"microwave",
"tablet",
"uwave",
"youtube"
] | Behold the uWave,
a microwave oven that plays YouTube videos while it cooks
. [Kevin] and three classmates at the University of Pennsylvania developed the project for the 2011 PennApps hackathon. It uses a tablet computer to replace the boring old spinning food display microwaves are known for. Now, an Arduino reads the cook time and sends that information to a server via its Ethernet shield. The server then searches YouTube for a video that approximately matches the cooking time, then pushed that video to the tablet to start playing. The video demonstration embedded after the break shows this, as well as the tweet that the machine sends at the beginning of the process.
It’s an interesting concept, and we think the code used to push a video to the tablet has a lot of other applications (we’re keeping this one bookmarked). On the other hand, we wonder how long it will take for public microwaves to become ad-supported? We’re thinking it’s hard for companies selling antacids, acid reflux medicine, Cup ‘o Soup, and Hot Pockets to resist this opportunity.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aDyDCBK828&w=470] | 26 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "512320",
"author": "Edward T.",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T18:16:21",
"content": "Loving this idea.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "512332",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T18:24:09",
"content": "OMG I WA... | 1,760,377,026.010369 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/a-diy-audio-player-for-when-all-that-matters-is-the-music/ | A DIY Audio Player For When All That Matters Is The Music | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"audio",
"diy",
"ipod"
] | [Grissini] hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to
personal audio players.
He estimates that he’s gone through about half a dozen iProducts/iKnockoffs over the years, which ultimately adds up to a lot of money poured right down the drain. Rather than lay down his cold hard cash for yet another music player that would succumb to a dead battery or cracked screen, [Grissini] decided that he would be better off if he built one himself.
His Orange mePod isn’t exactly the most attractive or sleekest music player out there, but [Grissini] says it works like a charm. An Arduino Uno powers the device, and he uses an Adafruit Wave Shield to handle the audio playback. Power is supplied via 4AA batteries which keep the tunes going for a reasonable amount of time, and afford him the ability to swap them out for recharging without much fuss.
The player was encased with some leftover cardboard and wrapped in bright orange duct tape, before being mounted on [Grissini’s] belt. He says he gets plenty of looks when he’s out and about, which you would expect from such a unique design.
Stick around to see a quick video of the audio player in action.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/32241824 w=470] | 16 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "512260",
"author": "Darkknight512",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T17:16:42",
"content": "Probably more worth it to just buy an old Sansa player, or Ipod and install Rockbox on it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "512285",
"author"... | 1,760,377,025.77743 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/lighting-leds-with-raindrops/ | Lighting LEDs With Raindrops | Mike Nathan | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"leds",
"piezo",
"rain"
] | [Steven] had one of those musical gift cards laying around, and thought he
might as well reuse the piezo speaker
inside it. Without a particular project in mind, he soldered an LED to the piezo and tapped on it, which caused the LED to illuminate as expected. He started to wonder what quantity of force would be required to light the LED, and if it could be done by a raindrop.
He first tested his theory in the shower, and as you can see in the video below it actually worked, though the light was dim and sporadic as you might imagine. He eventually discovered that for optimal lighting, the piezo worked best when struck by single droplets falling with pauses in between, from a minimum height of 4 feet. To achieve a water flow within those specifications, he built a rain funnel so that he can control the droplet frequency and intensity.
It seems to work pretty well from what we can see. Off the top of our heads we can’t seem to come up with any practical applications of the water powered LED, but it is an interesting set of experiments nonetheless.
Have an idea to use this setup that we totally missed? Let us know in the comments!
[Thanks, Rob]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=laSQ6yd7jaE&w=470] | 40 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "512194",
"author": "Jeff S.",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T16:04:46",
"content": "Could look pretty in a garden. Imagine two dozen waterproof modules spread out, all flickering in the rain.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "512195"... | 1,760,377,025.954041 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/a-head-mounted-tesla-coil-what-could-possibly-go-wrong/ | A Head-mounted Tesla Coil – What Could Possibly Go Wrong? | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"halloween",
"high voltage",
"tesla coil"
] | We can hear the commercial now…
“Reeeeeeal men of geniuuuuuuus! Here’s to you Mr. no-fear,
singing Tesla coil on your hat wearing guy…”
Call him a genius or call him crazy – all we know is that [Tyler’s] Tesla coil hat is awesome! Even though it’s the middle of November, we couldn’t pass up this Halloween costume.
[Tyler’s] creation essentially boiled down to taking a standard dual resonant solid state Tesla coil and shrinking it down to a reasonable size for mounting on his skull. The mini Tesla features a pretty compact boost core which worked reasonably well, at least for a little while. He says that the boost never truly worked properly and needs a redesign, which is something he’ll tackle when he gets some free time.
Boost issues or not, we think that the video below speaks for itself. The hat is certainly an attention getter, and we think it’s great – even if wearing a Tesla coil on your head is not necessarily the safest thing to do.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aEgaI6WouQ0&w=470] | 26 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "512148",
"author": "elektrophreak",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T15:14:27",
"content": "haha, that’s some ubergeek stuff right there!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "512154",
"author": "jarfil",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T15:2... | 1,760,377,025.884983 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/18/monitoring-batch-jobs-the-cylon-way-with-python-and-a-parallel-port/ | Monitoring Batch Jobs The Cylon Way With Python And A Parallel Port | Mike Nathan | [
"computer hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"cylon",
"larson scanner",
"led",
"mythtv"
] | If you happen to do a lot of video encoding, you know that your computer can really drag while the process is carried out. Our own [Mike Szczys]
transcodes videos at home fairly often
, and because the process is automated, he doesn’t always know if a conversion is taking place in the background.
He has been
tinkering with Larson Scanners
recently and thought he could put
everything he’s learned along the way
to good use by using the scanner as a “busy” indicator for his PC. He hooked the scanner up to the computer’s parallel port, and took a few minutes to bang out some Python code that would alert him when his PC was busy.
He set his notifier script to launch along with FFMPEG, whenever his MythTV setup had something ready to convert. The Python script drives a pin on the parallel port high, triggering the Larson Scanner’s animation. Every minute, the script checks the status of FFMPEG and continues to hold the pin high until the application exits. Once the conversion is done, the scanner goes back to sleep, letting [Mike] know that the coast is clear.
Check out the video below the break to see his parallel port trigger in action. | 14 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "512131",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T14:55:24",
"content": "Transcoding on a computer that has a parallel port?EWWWWW! No thanks, not interested in taking days for a bluray to transcode on such old hardware.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies"... | 1,760,377,025.827621 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/making-aerogel-at-home/ | Making Aerogel At Home | Brian Benchoff | [
"chemistry hacks"
] | [
"aerogel",
"Chemistry",
"materials"
] | [Ben] outdid himself. He successfully made
monoliths of silica aerogel
in his garage. Aerogel, the light-weight solid that has been referred to as ‘hard air’ is
really freaking expensive
especially in non-granulated form.
The techniques
behind producing aerogels have been on the Internet for a fairly long time. A few uncommon chemicals and a supercritical drying chamber are required for production, meaning it takes a lot of know-how to make hard air at home. Somehow, [Ben] got ahold of some tetramethoxysilane, the hard to come by ingredient and made a supercritical drying chamber out of pipe fittings and liquid Carbon Dioxide.
In the end, [Ben] was able to make a few small pieces of aerogel. The size of his pieces were constrained by his “mold” (actually a syringe) and the size of his drying chamber. It’s very possible [Ben] could build a larger supercritical drying chamber and make larger pieces of aerogel that would be sold commercially for hundreds of dollars.
Check out the
very
informative walkthrough of [Ben]’s process after the break. It’s 10 minutes long and makes for a great lunch break video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=X24np30GS2o&w=470] | 30 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "510178",
"author": "Kevin Keith",
"timestamp": "2011-11-16T17:06:20",
"content": "How uncanny, I was /just/ thinking about doing some research on this very subject! Anyway, awesome video. This guy is an unadulterated genius. I believe he also built an electron microscope and liqu... | 1,760,377,026.216936 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/ice-on-your-turkey-makes-it-tender-apparently/ | Ice On Your Turkey Makes It Tender, Apparently | Brian Benchoff | [
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"cooking",
"cooking hacks",
"kitchen hacks",
"turkey"
] | Turkey day is fast approaching and for those of us not cool enough to be rocking the deep-fried turkey this year we’ll have to suffer though a potentially dry oven-roasted bird. Chef [Justin] came up with a
great way
to prevent dried out white meat on a turkey using ice of all things.
The enemy of moist and tender breast meat is heat. Cooking meat for too long will dry it out. There’s a problem, though: the breast is the thickest part of the bird which means it will take longer than the legs or thighs to reach the necessary 160 degrees. [Justin] figured that if he could cool down the breast with ice, it will take longer to cook and both the white and dark meat will come out perfectly.
[Justin] set up a test with two 15-pound birds. Both turkeys were allowed to come up to room temperature, then ice packs were put on the breast of one bird for 15 minutes. This lowered the temperature of the experimental breast by a few degrees. Both birds were then thrown into the oven.
After coming out of the oven, both birds looked great. The bird treated with ice packs appeared to be more tender and moist. Sounds like the perfect thing to pull out of our bag of tricks next week. | 51 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "510125",
"author": "Rob",
"timestamp": "2011-11-16T15:38:09",
"content": "No, if you want to cook a turkey that people will talk about for months, all you need to do is brine that sucker in a 5 gallon bucket overnight.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
... | 1,760,377,026.113362 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/zero-g-experiments-will-make-some-pretty-pictures/ | Zero-G Experiments Will Make Some Pretty Pictures | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"spaceflight",
"water globe",
"zero g"
] | Does a yo-yo work in zero-g? How about a paper airplane? These questions were answered in 1985 on the Space Shuttle
Discovery,
but reproduction of results is the cornerstone of the scientific method. [Rob] is about to reproduce some of the awesome zero-g pictures by
riding on a vomit comet
and taking a few pictures of water globes colliding.
For the last few months, [Rob] has had a standby ticket on the
G-Force One
, a plane that takes passengers on parabolic arcs to simulate microgravity. He was lucky as his standby ticket allowed him to take a few experiments on board, so [Rob] decided there’s just not enough awesome pictures of water colliding in zero-g.
He built a rig out of micro t-slot aluminum. A DSLR is mounted to the frame along with a few ‘test tubes’ containing water. When [Rob] blows through a tube, a small sphere of water will be released to collide with other object. Think of it as the nerd’s version of
water splash photography
.
Of course, a trip through zero-g wouldn’t be complete without a few more experiments. [Rob] plans on testing a few toys to see if yo-yos ‘sleep’ without gravity (they don’t), and if a grandfather clock works on the moon (there’s a month-long day, so kind of). We can’t wait to see [Rob]’s pictures once he comes back to Earth. | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "510284",
"author": "Alex",
"timestamp": "2011-11-16T19:19:30",
"content": "The piper cleaners on an otherwise very professional setup made me laugh. I guess if it works, it works.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "510287",
... | 1,760,377,026.156269 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/15/a-technique-to-avoid-warping-on-large-3d-prints/ | A Technique To Avoid Warping On Large 3D Prints | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"warp",
"warping"
] | [Jamie Mantzel] figured out his own way of
3D printing large objects without fear of warping
. First a bit of background information. When using a 3D extrusion printer like the RepRap or Makerbot, prints that span a large area tend to warp. That’s because these printers lay down one thin layer of plastic at a time. If the first layer cools too much, it will shrink a bit before the next layer is laid down. As that second layer cools it pulls the part toward the center, eventually bowing the part which causes it to hit the extruder head.
After having several prints encounter this issue [Jamie] decided to alter his design so that it wouldn’t cause these stresses. The first thing that he did was to add alternating voids to a layer between the raft and the actual part. You can see these as notches on the bottom the piece pictured above. This takes care of the initial stresses from the first layer. Next, he adds holes wherever he can in the main body of the part. This is especially important on the edges of the piece where the warping forces will be the greatest.
He also moved the starting position of the bed closer to the extruder head. His hope is that this will help the raft bond better, and resist pulling away from the bed during printing.
See his video explanation of his adventure after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhfrHo53K18&w=470]
[Thanks Ziddan] | 42 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "509534",
"author": "Brad",
"timestamp": "2011-11-15T23:19:04",
"content": "I’ve got no experience with 3d printing (for now), but isn’t that what the heated build platforms are intended to help combat? This is by no means a troll. I understand that heated platforms raise the monet... | 1,760,377,026.292448 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/15/diy-led-photography-lights/ | DIY LED Photography Lights | Mike Nathan | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"led",
"lights",
"photography",
"softbox"
] | [Markus] had been drooling over some LED panels to use as a soft light source for photography, but being a hobbyist, he
didn’t want to spend a ton of money to buy them.
He figured that he had enough electronics know-how to build his own panels, while saving a boatload of cash in the process.
He hoped to keep the total cost under £100, so along with new items like LED light strips, he would have to use some stuff he had sitting around, like the metal cooking containers that make up the body of the lights. While originally planned for use in a different project, it turns out that the cooking containers were ideal for his lighting setup, since they are both durable and great heatsink material.
The remainder of the build is pretty straightforward. [Markus] used a pre-made LED dimmer to control the panel’s brightness, along with some tinted plexiglas to diffuse the light while bringing the color temperature into a more usable range.
While he missed his £100 mark, the lights look great – we just might have to build a few of them ourselves. | 11 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "509530",
"author": "ino",
"timestamp": "2011-11-15T23:07:47",
"content": "That’s a pretty steep price for the result in my opinion.I mean, with one hundred pounds worth of CFLs, he could have build many soft boxes of this kind.Leds are cool but not always the answer.",
"parent_i... | 1,760,377,026.404401 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/15/snake-bot-gives-us-the-mechanical-heevy-jeevies/ | Snake-bot Gives Us The Mechanical Heevy-jeevies | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"eatArt",
"hydraulic",
"mondo spider",
"serpent",
"snake",
"titanoboa"
] | Basilisk? Nope, just your run-of-the-mill
giant serpentine robot build
. This build aims to recreate Titanoboa, a prehistoric snake which measured more than fifty feet long and weighted over a ton. They’re well on their way to completing the goal, as what you see above is fully operational, lacking only cosmetic niceties which would only serve to make the beast less horrifying.
The video after the shows the snake getting round an open space, presumably at the eatArt headquarters in Vancouver. You may remember the team from one of their other builds also featured in that clip, the
Mondo Spider
. Eventually, the snake will have a rider just like the spider does, sitting in a saddle mounted just behind the head. There’s few details about the hardware, but we know it’s hydraulic, and that they raised $10k to make the build possible.
For some reason seeing these bots interact gives us flashbacks to childhood cartoons. Is it possible the eatArt crew has been watching too many old G.I. Joe cartoons and the like?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocyhbij9JYQ&w=470] | 30 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "509420",
"author": "Madness",
"timestamp": "2011-11-15T21:16:53",
"content": "Nuke it from orbit!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "509460",
"author": "austin",
"timestamp": "2011-11-15T21:50:28",
"conten... | 1,760,377,026.356453 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/15/stylophone-5-modernizing-the-best-of-the-1968-hardware/ | Stylophone 5 – Modernizing The Best Of The 1968 Hardware | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"midi",
"portal",
"stylophone",
"usb"
] | We love looking in on [Simon Inns’] projects, and this must be one of his very best. This is
the fifth version of his MIDI-capable stylophone
. The gist of the control system is that a conductive keyboard (made of a tinned PCB) is played by making a connection with the tip of a wired stylus — hence the name. The idea comes from the original 1968 Dubreq Stylophone hardware, but [Simon’s] not just using the idea. He has his own working original and used it to reverse engineer the circuit design.
When it first came out, the Stylophone had three flavors for Bass, Standard, and Treble audio ranges. They differed only in the choices of passive components used in the circuit. [Simon] built the variations into his design so that they are selectable on one unit. This most recent version connects via USB, allowing you to control MIDI software. But unlike his first four iterations, this also offers MIDI-In capabilities. This makes it possible to control tuning, vibrato, and to drive the Stylophone circuitry from the computer interface. Get a good look at that, and a nostalgic Portal moment, by watching the clip after the break.
If you’re looking for an easier build, you might try
this analog standalone version of the Stylophone
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMTsH8w74PY&w=470] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "509387",
"author": "Yann",
"timestamp": "2011-11-15T20:31:43",
"content": "This totally rocks (literally and figuratively :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "509426",
"author": "asphyxiate",
"timestamp": "2011-11-15T21:28... | 1,760,377,026.797499 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/this-animatronic-horus-guard-mask-is-so-good-even-anubis-would-be-fooled/ | This Animatronic Horus Guard Mask Is So Good, Even Anubis Would Be Fooled | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"animatronics",
"arduino",
"Horus Guard",
"stargate"
] | [Jerome Kelty] is a big fan of the movie Stargate, and when he saw it for the first time, he wanted one of
the awesome helmets worn by the Horus Guards.
This isn’t the kind of thing you would normally find at your local costume shop, so he knew that he would have to build one of his own. After rejecting multiple designs over the years, he finally came up with a solution that he thought would work well.
His Horus Guard helmet was constructed primarily out of cardstock, papier-mâché, spray foam, and spackle. Don’t let that list of materials give you the wrong idea about this helmet however – it looks absolutely amazing!
Not only does it look good, but it moves just like the guard’s helmets in the movie too. To control the helmet’s movements [Jerome] used an Arduino animatronics setup he designed, which we’ve seen before
in his slick Predator build
from last year. The Arduino controls a set of 5 servos, which are tasked with turning the helmet’s head and actuating the fans mounted on either side.
Stick around to see a short video of the mask in action, and if you’re thinking of building one yourself, be sure to check out his writeup for a very thorough BoM.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_idnua6BEc4&feature=player_embedded&w=470] | 32 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "511109",
"author": "John Berube",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T16:04:35",
"content": "Jafa KREE!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "511177",
"author": "Diego Spinola",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T17:41:07",
"cont... | 1,760,377,026.933183 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/17/kitchen-hacks-an-android-bartender/ | Kitchen Hacks: An Android Bartender | Brian Benchoff | [
"Android Hacks",
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"android",
"bartender"
] | [Nick] just
finished up bis barbot build
that is named after
our favorite bartender
. It’s an impressively capable even if it was done on the cheap.
The user chooses a libation for iZac to make via an Android tablet. This drink is interpreted by an
Android ADK
to have the mechanics of the robot swing into action and start making a drink.
The part of the build that moves the fluid was inspired by the Evil Mad Scientist Labs’
Drink Making Unit 2.0
. Instead of pumps pulling the liquid through tubing, [Nick] attached an aquarium air pump to an Erlenmeyer flask. A siphon tube draws liquid out of the flask because of the difference in air pressure. The liquid is controlled by a few
laser cut pinch valves
that he designed.
Once a user selects a cocktail, the robot swings into action and dispenses liquid into a glass sitting on a load cell. Since the glass is being weighed at all times, iZac knows exactly how much alcohol (and in what proportion) is in the cocktail. [Nick] tested out iZac at the
Sydney Hackerspace
with soda water and flavoring. iZac proved very popular and we’re wondering if we could build something like this in a liquor cabinet. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "511485",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T23:43:12",
"content": "More of a drinking and partying hack, but cool anyway",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "511536",
"author": "Pup",
"timestamp": "2011-11-18T00:53... | 1,760,377,026.683696 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/brute-force-bios-hacking-using-the-arduino/ | Brute Force BIOS Hacking Using The Arduino | Jeremy Cook | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"bios",
"brute force",
"keyboard"
] | This clever hack
uses an Arduino to do a brute force attack on a computer’s BIOS. In theory, this technique could be used for other programs, but it’s use would be limited since there’s no way to account for too many wrong passwords.
The Arduino generates and outputs the possible password emulating a USB keyboard. When this is done, the pixel in the middle of the screen is read. This is done by reading the analog red signal synced up with the corresponding horizontal and vertical pulses. As with any hack, there were some programming issues that had to be overcome (including one that locked up the keyboard emulator), but this was resolved, and the code is available if you wan to build your own.
Hardware for this build is simple, involving a LCD output, a button to stop everything, and a couple diodes to get the USB keyboard working correctly. This hack turned out quite nicely, and the code and schematics are included! | 37 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "510585",
"author": "cknopp",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T00:33:14",
"content": "keys per second?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "510598",
"author": "Harvie.CZ",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T00:44:01",
"content": "Try defaul... | 1,760,377,026.756717 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/eagleup-pulls-your-pcbs-into-sketchup/ | EagleUp Pulls Your PCBs Into SketchUp | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"3d",
"eagle",
"eagle cad",
"eagleup",
"enclosure",
"pcb",
"sketchup"
] | [Karl] wrote in to tell us about a software package called EagleUp that will
import your Eagle CAD PCB designs into Google SketchUp
. It bridges the gap between the two using the
open source image processing software ImageMagick
.
As you can see above, you’ll end up with a beautifully rendered 3D model of your hardware. This is a wonderful way to make sure that your enclosure designs are going to work without needing to wait for the PCBs to arrive from the fab house. It is available for Windows, OSX and Linux (although the last time we tried to run Sketchup under Wine nothing good came of it — perhaps it’s time to try again).
In [Karl’s] case, he’s working on an Arduino compatible board based around the Xmega. He mentions that EagleUp is a great way to get an idea of how component placement will end up, and to see if the silk screen layer is going to turn out well or not. Here’s
a link to one of his test designs
. | 23 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "510533",
"author": "Zmaster",
"timestamp": "2011-11-16T23:30:19",
"content": "Awesome, thanks for pointing out!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "510561",
"author": "Josh",
"timestamp": "2011-11-17T00:08:10",
"content"... | 1,760,377,026.866329 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/electronic-recorder-conversion/ | Electronic Recorder Conversion | Mike Szczys | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"flute",
"piezoelectric",
"propeller",
"recorder"
] | As we wrote the title to this feature we can see why [Jeff Ledger] calls it an electronic flute and not a recorder; this is a musical instrument and not something for archiving audio. Confusion aside, we’re all familiar with these plastic ‘musical’ instruments. Many elementary schools in our area require students to buy one as part of music class. So it shouldn’t be hard to find one if you want to try this for yourself (heck, [Jeff] grabbed his a the dollar store).
Basically, he’s replaced the finger holes with momentary press switches, then uses
a Propeller dev board to turn the button presses into music
. It’s simple and quick, but what does it for us is the breath actuator. Sure, you can set this up to play whenever a button is depressed, but [Jeff] went that extra mile and added a piezoelectric element to the bottom. When you blow through the instrument it flexes slightly, generating a tiny current that can be measured by the microcontroller. Check out the short clip after the break.
Do a little more work and you could turn this into
some type of musical game controller
. We’re thinking Zelda!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8OU5mvgFHU&w=470] | 19 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "510352",
"author": "Roman Dulgarov",
"timestamp": "2011-11-16T20:04:06",
"content": "Flute Hero any one? Though yes I would personally prefer Ocarina, how cool would it be to have to actually play the tune….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"... | 1,760,377,027.091194 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/pov-bauble-uses-diy-accelerometer-to-sync-the-image/ | POV Bauble Uses DIY Accelerometer To Sync The Image | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"accelerometer",
"drinking straw",
"POV",
"reflective sensor"
] | So we saw this tip come in and thought–oh, another POV device. We watched the video (embedded after the break), took a sip of coffee, then almost sprayed the beverage all over the computer when we realized that
this uses a diy sensor to synchronize the POV image
.
[Ch00f] came up with the idea for the sensor after seeing a similar implementation on a commercial POV toy. Instead of
using a proper accelerometer to sense the motion
, the toy uses a plastic bead in a channel. When you move the body of the toy the bead rolls to one end or the other, covering or exposing a reflective sensor.
A similar sensor is used here. A drinking straw servers as the channel, with a paper-covered nylon screw as the bead. [Ch00f] cut a window in the bottom of the straw for his reflective sensor, then sealed each end with a wad of paper.
This method works, but not as well as he had hoped. It seems the refresh rate and timing of the particular sensor he’s using is rather poor. If it were replaced with one that is simply and IR LED and phototransistor (like
the sensors from [Jack’s] last video
) he thinks it would work a lot better.
via
Buildlounge
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_juUcHVYZo&w=470] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "510374",
"author": "PabloS",
"timestamp": "2011-11-16T20:32:08",
"content": "I’ve done something similar with a small washer hanging from a wire and suspended between two pins. As it swings back and forth and contacts either post, I can sync my message.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,026.975619 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/16/i-am-root-kindle-fire-edition/ | I Am Root! — Kindle Fire Edition | Mike Szczys | [
"Android Hacks",
"Kindle hacks"
] | [
"amazon",
"kindle fire",
"root",
"superoneclick"
] | Amazon’s new tablet reader,
the Kindle Fire has been rooted
. Early this morning [Death2All110] posted the steps he took to gain root access to his device (which is so fresh out of the box it still smells new). The heavy lifting is done by
a package called SuperOneClick
which aims to root all manner of phones and devices running Android.
There’s a bit more than the one click necessary, but not by much. Using the Android Developer Bridge in conjunction with the SDK you need to put in a value that will be recognized as the VID. From there, turn on the ability to install apps from unknown developers, re-enumerate the device on your PC and run the one-click package.
What can you do with this? Well, it completely opens up the Android OS so that you can bend it to your will. We haven’t seen any demonstrations yet, but it should be even better than
what we saw done with the Sony PRS-T1
.
[
Addictive Tips
via
Reddit
] | 23 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "510258",
"author": "Josh",
"timestamp": "2011-11-16T18:42:22",
"content": "Hi there,Still doesn’t come with an SD Card slot so it can’t be Micheal Jacksoned ,(like Wubi) .END",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "510277",
"author... | 1,760,377,027.035177 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/theres-a-lot-packed-into-this-beagleboard-controlled-rover/ | There’s A Lot Packed Into This BeagleBoard Controlled Rover | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"beagleboard",
"digital compass",
"gps",
"rover",
"video"
] | That black box is hiding all kinds of
goodies that make this rover a hacking playground
. [Andrey] built the device around a BeagleBoard, which offers the processing power and modules that he needed to make the rest of it work.
The control unit shrinks the pilot down to the rover’s size, using a cockpit that has a steering wheel and other controls, and a monitor playing the stream from the camera on the front of the bot. It has a WiFi adapter which allows control via the Internet. The camera, which can be rotated thanks to its servo mounting, feeds the video to the BeagleBoard where it is compressed using the h264 codec (
more about that and the cockpit here
) to lighten the streaming load. You’ll also find an ultrasonic rangefinder on the front for obstacle avoidance, and a magnetic compass for orientation information. Finally, a GPS bolsters that data, allowing you to plot your adventures on the map.
It’s great, but it will cost you. Material estimates are North of five hundred Euros! | 7 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "508648",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T23:19:49",
"content": "half of the cost is the model car, the other half is beagleboardjust watched their presentation, looks like all the work went into working around buggy incomplete omap4 h264 encoder (doesnt respect bitrate p... | 1,760,377,027.13417 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/taking-gps-where-no-man-has-gone-before/ | Taking GPS Where No Man Has Gone Before | Brian Benchoff | [
"hardware"
] | [
"data logger",
"gps",
"mountain",
"mountaineering"
] | [Willem] has a friend that wanted to take a GPS datalogger up an unclimbed mountain the wilds of Kyrgyzstan. The
GPS logger
built for the expedition made it to the summit of
Eggmendueluek
, but it didn’t work the whole way up. Since the logger came back to London, [Willem] was able to do a complete teardown and failure analysis.
The data logger was built around a
Jeenode
with a GPS unit and MicroSD card reader added on. A few breakout boards were made and two of these bad boys were ensconced in water and dust proof enclosures. Powered by four AA batteries, the data loggers were able to handle the rigorous testing of being thrown down a staircase and also the harsh temperatures of London. Things changed in the wilds of Kyrgyzstan, though.
The data retrieved from the mountaineering expedition wasn’t the greatest – a few wires came loose after being thrown into the back of a Russian truck and jostled around. The AA batteries only powered the data loggers for three days, compared to the 12 day battery life in London. There are a few improvements needed for the next trip – some thermal insulation and not using solid core wire – but not that [Willem] has figured out the bugs he’s ready for his friend’s next expedition. | 24 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "508510",
"author": "Roman Dulgarov",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T20:10:26",
"content": "Lol In “Mother Russia, you ‘LOG’ the GPS” hehe",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "508760",
"author": "Punkguyta",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,377,027.192119 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/the-international-obfuscated-c-code-contest-is-back/ | The International Obfuscated C Code Contest Is Back | Brian Benchoff | [
"Software Development"
] | [
"c programming",
"IOCCC",
"obfuscated c code",
"programming"
] | The
International Obfuscated C Code Contest
is back. The
stated goals
of the IOCCC are to, “Write the most obscure C program, show the importance of programming style (by doing the opposite), stress the preprocessor to the breaking point, and illustrate some subtleties of the C language.” If you think you’re up to the task of abusing your compiler, check out the
rules
and
guidelines
for the contest.
There’s nothing quite like having the
code for a flight simulator
look like a plane, or calculating pi by measuring the area of C code. The submissions to the IOCCC are classic hacks; very clever things that shouldn’t work, but do despite themselves.
There hasn’t been an IOCCC competition since 2006, and no one knows if it will be around next year. We’ve already seen a few potential entries for this year, like
piping chars into /dev/audio
to generate a song and
hyperlinks all the way down
. If you’ve got something you’re working on, feel free to
send it in
.
via
/. | 13 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "508475",
"author": "xeracy",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T19:13:53",
"content": "“want more precision? write a bigger program!”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "508477",
"author": "Mhoriarty",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T19:20:3... | 1,760,377,027.347022 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/insane-macro-photography-rig/ | Insane Macro Photography Rig | Brian Benchoff | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"3d camera",
"macro photography"
] | [fotoopa] just put up a
Flikr build log
of his 3D macro photography rig he uses to
take pictures of insects in flight
. Outside Hollywood or
National Geographic
, we’ve never seen a crazier photography rig.
[fotoopa]’s build is based around two cameras – a Nikon D200 and D300. These cameras are pointed towards the subject insect with two mirrors allowing for a nice stereo separation for 3D images. Of course, the trouble is snapping the picture when an insect flies in front of the rig.
For shutter control, [fotoopa] used two IR laser pointers pointed where the two cameras converge. A photodiode in a lens above the rig detects this IR dot and triggers the shutters. To speed up the horribly slow 50ms shutters on the Nikons, a
high-speed shutter
was added so the image is captured within 3ms.
[fotoopa]’s
2011 rig
took things down a notch; this year he’s only working with one camera. Even though he didn’t get any 3D images this year, the skill in making such an awesome rig is impressive.
via (
diyphotraphy.net
) | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "508437",
"author": "ColinB",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T18:23:50",
"content": "Insaneis no exaggeration. That is an impressive piece of work and Frans has my great admiration! He has put tremendous effort into this project.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,027.3975 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/half-tone-cnc-with-man-powered-z-axis/ | Half-tone CNC With Man-powered Z Axis | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"drum",
"halftone",
"sharpie",
"stepper"
] | We think this is an intriguing take on half-tone art. It’s a CNC machine that uses
an Arduino and two stepper motors to draw on a paper-covered drum
. But you’re not just going to set it and forget it. To simplify the device, the Z-axis is not mechanized, but requires the dexterous opposing digit of a person to actuate.
The first prototype used a frame cut from plywood, but the developers moved to some attractive laser-cut Lexan for the final version. The rotating drum was inspired by observing the off-set printing process. It greatly simplifies the build when compared to a flat CNC bed. But including a Z-axis solution that could account for differently sized dots really opens a can of worms. Because of this, the choice was made not to automate that task, but to leave it up to the user. A clickable Sharpie does the marking. When the pen is in place, you click the plunger to hold the felt tip against the paper until a dot of the appropriate size has leeched onto the paper.
It’s not a bad solution to the problem. Especially if you don’t have the high-end milling equipment necessary to
do this on a piece of plywood
.
[Thanks Dron] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "508334",
"author": "Jan",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T17:08:10",
"content": "Hmm, isn’t this type of “CNC machine” more customarily known as adrum plotter?Let’s not go overboard with all that CNC stuff …",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_i... | 1,760,377,027.44331 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/spaduino-heats-up-a-used-hot-tub/ | Spaduino Heats Up A Used Hot-tub | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"hot tub",
"solid state relay",
"spa",
"ssr",
"thermistor"
] | [Ryan] and the roomies decided that a hot tub was just what they needed to spice up the place. They hit Craig’s List and found one for the right price. After acquisition and setup they were pleased to find that the jets and pump worked great. But you’re not going to want to stick as much as your big toe into this ice-cold cryogenics experiment. Some poking around in the control system exposed the dead relays which are responsible for switching the heater. Instead of swapping the parts, [Ryan] began building
a control system that will replace the twenty-year-old original
.
The heating element still works, but it’s rated at 5.5 kW and here’s no way to automatically switch it on and off. [Ryan] found a 60 Amp solid state relay which can handle the load, and plays nicely with his Arduino. Initial tests got the tub up and running again. Obviously you want the tub to maintain temperature and so a thermistor was added to take readings from the heater core. There’s also a potentiometer to adjust the temperature, and an LCD screen to show the current settings. But [Ryan] hopes to add more features over time, like incorporating jet control, and adding wireless communications via an Xbee module. | 38 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "508294",
"author": "hot",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T16:11:22",
"content": "Careful!I have personal knowledge of a hot tub malfunction which caused the hot tub to overheat. Unfortunately the owner did not know that. He stuck his leg into the near boiling water, and was burned halfwa... | 1,760,377,027.872807 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/kitchen-hacks-dinos-egg-tricks/ | Kitchen Hacks: [Dino’s] Egg Tricks | Mike Szczys | [
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"eggs",
"espresso",
"hollandaise",
"kitchen hacks"
] | [Dino’s] latest weekly hack plays right into our Kitchen Hacks theme. He’s sharing
some obscure tips and tricks involving eggs
.
It should come as no surprise that he knows a thing or two about using eggs. After all,
he keeps chickens
and you’ve can’t just let good eggs go to waste. Which is where his first tip comes in. Eggs will keep for weeks, but if you don’t know if they’re still good you can put them in a bowl of water before cracking them. Eggs that float are on the way out!
Need some scrambled eggs but don’t have a pan to cook them in? His next feat is to cook up a breakfast of steamed eggs using the steamer nozzle on his espresso machine. It’s messy (egg seems to be flying everywhere) but the final product does look appetizing.
The rest of the video (embedded after the break) shows his methods of making Hollandaise sauce for Eggs Benedict, and how to blow the innards out of an egg-shell.
Now we have a picture in our minds that [Dino’s] daily routine is surrounded by eggs… like
the egg farmers
in Napoleon Dynamite.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGECFPmh6As&w=470] | 16 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "508251",
"author": "Phrankie",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T15:37:05",
"content": "Dude, I can hear the chickens in the background! This guy is scary, but he can cook me breakfast anytime.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "508254",
... | 1,760,377,027.70788 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/12/lego-nxt-creations-are-even-cooler-with-wifi-on-board/ | Lego NXT Creations Are Even Cooler With WiFi On Board | Mike Nathan | [
"News"
] | [] | The folks at Dexter Industries have just wrapped up
a week of Lego NXT projects
, most of which centered on the use of their NXT WiFi sensor. Developed over the last few months, the group has been hard at work refining their design and getting some of the kinks worked out, so now you too can control your NXT creations sans wires.
The demonstrations have covered various topics throughout the week, starting out with a short tutorial on how to use a computer to communicate with the NXT device using
the TCP protocol.
After taking a look at WiFi power-saving capabilities, they touched on pinging other networked machines as well as querying DNS records from an NXT device. An NXT-based webserver was the next project on the list, as was remote robot control over the Internet. Finally, they wrapped the week up by
configuring their Lego robot to send a tweet.
If getting your NXT creations on the move with full-fledged network access is something that sounds interesting, be sure to check out their site for downloads, a WiFi manual, and more. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "507073",
"author": "Nvoid82",
"timestamp": "2011-11-12T22:41:07",
"content": "Has anyone heard of the samantha module?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "508220",
"author": "signal7",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T14:52:31",
... | 1,760,377,027.911283 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/12/video-working-with-the-3pi-robots-line-sensors/ | Video: Working With The 3pi Robot’s Line Sensors | Jack Buffington | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"3pi",
"atmega328p",
"line sensor",
"robot"
] | This week, we are serving up part five in our series where we are using the Pololu 3pi robot as a fancy development board for the ATmega328p processor. This week we are taking a quick break from working with the perpherals specific to the processor and will show how to work with the 3pi’s line sensors. A quick look at the schematic for the 3pi might lead you to think that you should be reading the line sensors with the A2D peripheral. Even though they are wired to the A2D pins, they need to be read digitally. In the video, [Jack] will show how to read raw values from the sensors and then how to calibrate the results so that you can get a nice clean 8-bit value representing what the sensors are seeing. Of course, that would happen under normal circumstances. Murphy had his way in this video and it turned out that our studio lighting was interfering a bit with the sensor readings when we were shooting so we didn’t get as good of a calibration as we would have liked when we shot.
Video is after the break.
In case you have missed the previous videos here are some links:
Part 1:
Setting up the development environment
Part 2:
Basic I/O
Part 3:
Pulse Width Modulation
Part 4:
Analog to Digital conversion | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "507879",
"author": "Gav",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T05:53:07",
"content": "Thanks for the vid. Those 3pi robots are a great piece of work, i love using them.My only complaint is that lack of onboard FTDI/USB means newbs have to buy a dedicated programmer and hack the arduino ide, whi... | 1,760,377,027.653509 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/12/adding-rs232-to-a-multimeter-the-hard-way/ | Adding RS232 To A Multimeter The Hard Way | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"16f688",
"dmm",
"multimeter",
"pic",
"rs232"
] | You might want to store information from a multimeter to be graphed over time. This comes with pretty much all of the high-end professional models. But if you buy a super cheap meter you can bet this isn’t an option. [Jazzzzzz] has found a way to
pull the data from a $4 meter via RS232
. It’s not impossible, but we definitely think he’s doing it the hard way. That’s because he’s not just
tapping into a dormant feature
. He’s actually adding a microcontroller to sample the data and push it via the RS232 protocol.
On the bright side, this is easier than building a multimeter from scratch. The sampling circuits are still being used, with a PIC 16F688 intercepting the signals as they enter the stock microcontroller. The signal he was after comes into the chip on just one pin, but to get the readings right on the PIC he had to use an OpAmp. That’s only part of the puzzle as he also needed a way to tell what the selector switch was set at. In the end, adding a potentiometer and reading its value let him calculate the position.
[Thanks Karl] | 23 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "506859",
"author": "steaky",
"timestamp": "2011-11-12T18:21:11",
"content": "Surely the hard way would be to reverse engineer the LCD display protocol and use that to get the data out",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "506875",
... | 1,760,377,027.970637 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/12/ghostly-images-appear-thanks-to-projections-on-fog/ | Ghostly Images Appear Thanks To Projections On Fog | Mike Szczys | [
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"fog",
"laminar",
"laminar flow",
"projector"
] | This wire-frame cube appears to be floating in mid-air because it actually is. This is a project which [Tom] calls a Laminar Flow Fog Screen. He built a device that puts out a faint amount of fog, which the intense light from a projector is able to illuminate. The real trick here is to get a uniformed fog wall, which is where the laminar part comes in.
Laminar Flow
is a phenomenon where fluids flow in a perfectly parallel stream, not allowing errant portions to introduce turbulence. This is
a favorite trick with water
.
[Tom’s] fog screen starts off with a PC fan to move the air. This airflow is smoothed and guided by a combination of a sponge, and multiple drinking straws. This apparatus is responsible for establishing the laminar flow, as the air picks up fog from an ultrasonic fogger along the way.
The only real problem here is that you want the projector shooting off into infinity. Otherwise, the projection goes right through the fog and displays on the wall, ruining the effect. Outdoor applications are great for this, as long as there’s no air movement to mess with your carefully established fog screen.
You can find a short test clip embedded after the break but there are other videos at the link above.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZNa-mOWEGY&w=470] | 28 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "506758",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2011-11-12T15:26:55",
"content": "Looks nice. Commercial laminar fog screens athttp://www.fogscreen.com",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "506770",
"author": "MikrySoft",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,377,028.072358 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/12/weekly-roundup-111211/ | Weekly Roundup 11/12/11 | Jack Buffington | [
"News",
"Weekly Roundup"
] | [
"weekly roundup"
] | In case you missed them the first time around, here are our most popular posts from the past week:
In the #1 spot, we had a post about a
tri-color laser projector
that really is a well-done project. This projector sweeps the lasers around in vector mode using a pair or mirror galvanometers so would be perfect for playing asteroids in vivid full color!
In at #2 is a post about a
PVC pipe gun that can shoot AA batteries
at 600 batteries per minute!
Next up we have a post about the US military finding that due to
Chinese counterfeit electronics
, some of its weapon systems are defective. This has become a more serious issue in recent years. It has effected hackers too as shown in
this Sparkfun post
from last year.
After that, we had a post about a novel and somewhat scary way to
post bulletins on a board without using tacks
. How do they do that? By carefully using 20,000 Volts! Yikes. We’ll stick to tape next time we run out of tacks thank you very much.
Finally, we have one about a
spot welder built out of some super capacitors and carbon rods
. This one probably produces equally large sparks where it is welding and at the triggering mechanism! | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "507060",
"author": "yetihehe",
"timestamp": "2011-11-12T22:34:27",
"content": "In case nobody noticed, they identified the chips already.http://www.sparkfun.com/news/395",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,028.007755 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/11/youll-shoot-your-eye-out-with-this-laser-filled-tennis-ball/ | You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out With This Laser-filled Tennis Ball | Mike Nathan | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"lasers",
"Teensy"
] | We love lasers, you love lasers…who doesn’t love them?
[Matt Leone] recently
took his passion for lasers over the top
and built a little something called the Laser Ball. Fed up with the deluge of of LED cubes floating around online, he says that the Laser Ball is the new sheriff in town – and we’re inclined to agree.
He bored a bunch of holes in a standard tennis ball, and fitted it with 14 red laser diodes. Before he installed the lasers into the ball he modified each with a small bit of diffraction grating to liven up the display. The lasers were connected to a Teensy micro controller, which was stuffed inside the ball along with a small rechargeable LiPo battery.
While the laser ball was pretty awesome already, [Matt] decided that it wasn’t finished just yet. Using an IR remote package from Adafruit, he added the ability to trigger the Laser Ball’s light patterns from afar. You know, just for kicks.
Be sure to check out the video below to see the Laser Ball in action!
via
BuildLounge
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dGcRKjl0EI&w=470] | 48 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "506245",
"author": "goebish",
"timestamp": "2011-11-12T01:13:04",
"content": "What about eyes safety ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "506253",
"author": "Chalkbot",
"timestamp": "2011-11-12T01:27:03",
... | 1,760,377,028.152969 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/11/dad-hacks-his-son/ | Dad Hacks Cerebral Palsy, Upgrades Son’s Lifestyle | Brian Benchoff | [
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"cerebral palsy",
"kinesthetic",
"physical therapy"
] | [Jorge]’s son was born in 2004 after a troubling time in the womb. The son, [Ivo], wasn’t getting enough oxygen and unfortunately developed cerebral palsy. [Jorge] took it upon himself to improve his son’s life, so he
got busy building
some machinery for physical therapy. Today, [Ivo] is able to walk
very well
without the need for braces or other aids.
[Ivo] has a form of CP called
Spastic quadriplegia
. With [Ivo]’s disorder, his skeletal muscles are always tight meaning he’s nearly unable to walk. This can be treated with muscle relaxants such as Botox (yes,
that
Botox), but [Jorge] wanted to help out with his son’s physical therapy.
[Jorge] began preparing for [Ivo]’s physical therapy by building a
“tripod”
for him. This allows [Ivo] to stand while taking part in physical activities like ping-pong and golf. The second phase of the training was a modification to a
cross-country skiing/elliptical trainer
that allowed [Ivo] to practice walking. Today, [Ivo] is happily walking very well, a testament to his dad’s wishes that he has somewhat normal life. Some aluminum tubing helped, but we’re pinning this one on his dad. | 44 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "506205",
"author": "Kyle Hotchkiss",
"timestamp": "2011-11-12T00:03:51",
"content": "Jorge, you are an awesome father and I respect you for this man. I know a life with CP would be hard and you really changed your sons life for the better.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,028.227419 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/11/14/bluetooth-enabled-breathalyzer/ | Bluetooth Enabled Breathalyzer | Brian Benchoff | [
"Android Hacks",
"Beer Hacks"
] | [
"alcohol sensor",
"android",
"breathalyzer",
"ioio"
] | [Al] at Open Gadgets just put the finishing touches on his
Android breathalyzer
. It’s the perfect thing to install on ex-girlfriends’ phones to prevent 2 a.m. drunk dialing.
The project started off as a
talking breathalyzer
connected to a computer that tweeted your BAC, gave weather and stock readouts, and functioned as a photo booth. Since the first reveal of his project, [Al] moved from the desktop world to the mobile domain.
The breathalyzer itself is contained entirely in an Altoids tin. The build is based on the
IOIO
board that recently got
support for Bluetooth
. An alcohol sensor in the project measures the alcohol content of the surrounding atmosphere and reports this back to a phone over Bluetooth. There’s no word if the Android version of [Al]’s breathalyzer has the Twitter and photo booth functions, they would be relatively easy to add.
While a wirelesss, tweeting breathalyzer lends itself to a competition for a high score, [Al]’s project could have a few very good implantation; a DIY auto ignition interlock would be a
very
useful device for some people. Check out the videos of [Al]’s builds after the break.
[vimeo=31893552]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=6rloXAwdNUA] | 8 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "508153",
"author": "jc",
"timestamp": "2011-11-14T14:18:57",
"content": "My opinion: if they can’t stop driving when they’re drinking, they shouldn’t have a driving license in the first place.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "508... | 1,760,377,028.274486 |
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