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https://hackaday.com/2011/08/20/shrinking-coins-with-high-voltage/ | High Voltage Hacks: Shrinking Coins | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"high voltage",
"magnetic field",
"shrinking coins"
] | The anthem for the Great Recession might be something along the lines of, “That we’re gonna do it anyway, even if doesn’t pay.” Some men just want to watch the world burn, so Hackerbot Labs posted a
great walkthrough
about shrinking coins and in the process making our pocket change worth just a little bit more.
Their build pushes 15,000 Joules (from a 10kV 300μF cap) through a coil of wire wrapped around a coin. This creates a magnetic field in the coil and the coin. These two fields repel each other, and there’s only one way that it can end: the coin shrinks and the coil of wire explodes. The team at Hackerbot Labs linked to a great
theory of operations
that
does a great job explaining the physics
has some awesome pictures.
During our research, we saw a few questions about the legality of altering currency.
According to the U.S. Code
, shrinking coins only illegal if it’s done fraudulently, like shrinking a penny down to the size of a dime to fool a pay phone or vending machine. Check out a video of the Hackerbot Labs setup putting as much energy as 100 heart defibrillators into a coin after the break.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/3803732] | 22 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "438446",
"author": "b1r6m4n",
"timestamp": "2011-08-20T13:10:07",
"content": "Photonicinduction tried this recently – failed because he needs more power!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "438465",
"author": "xorpunk",
"tim... | 1,760,377,109.106495 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/installing-linux-on-old-pcs-part-2/ | Installing Linux On Old PC’s Part 2 | Kevin Dady | [
"laptops hacks",
"Linux Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"old computer"
] | In part one I showed you that you could install a
linux distro on a new computer and transplant it into a 386
computer in a short amount of time and with little effort. Now it is time to move on to bigger and beefier machines like 486’s, Pentiums and better.
I am going to break this quick tutorial down into sections based on installed RAM. While this won’t be a “how to” for all old PCs in the world I hope to at least send you in the right direction. I will mention a few distributions mainly for the super low ram machines. Its not my intent to start a distrubution war, and I have not personally sat down with every single one to make a educated assessment. However, you’re more than welcome to chime in.
Join us after the break and see what options you have for that old “boat anchor” sitting in the closet!
Less than 16 megs of ram:
This is where my second laptop comes in. It is an old first run Pentium running at 90Mhz with 8 megs of ram. On machines with <16 megs of ram there is not much choice out there.
Much like the 386 install, you can use an older distribution, but you do have a couple of other options. One is DSL linux, which is no longer being supported outside of its community. Another is
Deli linux
, which is also not supported anymore, but has a fork called DeLicate. Since DeLicate does not have an installer, you need to install DeLicate 8 first and then upgrade through the package manager.
DeLicate and its fork have 2.4 kernels, which is still pretty new for modern applications. It will boot on 4 meg machines and if you fiddle with swap space you can even install it directly on your target hardware.
Since my old laptop does not have a CD ROM drive or a functioning floppy disk I put the hard disk in my desktop computer and booted the installer from a CD. With only 8 megs of ram I can get Xwindows up and running ok, but any activity and the system turns into a swap zombie.
(after about a half an hour here is gnumeric)
netBSD should work with 8 megs of ram, though every time I have tried this, it locks at boot on the target machine.
16 to 32 megs of ram:
Same as above, except you’re going to have a much better time running Xwindows and a windows manager. Again, you can either run an older mainstream distribution that will boot or you can run deli.
The BSD’s of the world should work fine on these machines as well, if you want the newest possible software.
The Heavyweights, 48 megs of ram or more:
If your machine has 48 megs of ram or more you have it pretty easy. Almost all distributions will boot and run without problem from this point on. Which distribution you choose totally depends on the power of your machine. For example, a lightweight ubuntu remix should run well on a Pentium 3, but you might not want to run that on your Pentium MMX.
Some of the standard distributions that I have had good luck with in the past include: Debian, Slackware, Tiny Core, gentoo, puppy and a million more. If you want a distribution that comes off of the cd with modern useful apps already installed, you might want to look at
connochaetos
or
slitaz
, which will function well in 80MB or 128MB of ram.
Most distros still allow hard disk installs and network installs if you can not boot from floppy or CD ROM. In the worst case you just pop your target drive into a more modern machine and install from a cd or usb stick.
I hope this helps your old machines find a second wind. We would love to see them. If you have dusted off an old boat anchor and got linux running on it, please share it with us in the
fourms
!
Thanks for reading and happy retro computing. | 44 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "438211",
"author": "mrguyorama",
"timestamp": "2011-08-20T01:11:55",
"content": "I actually just did this a few weeks ago. Got DSL working on a 1998 pentium 2 233mhz with 32 megs of ram. It originally ran windows 95b, which means it had fat32 support for drives larger than 2gb, whic... | 1,760,377,108.944051 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/adding-wireless-controls-to-vintage-stereo-equipment/ | Adding Wireless Controls To Vintage Stereo Equipment | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks",
"Musical Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"iphone",
"pic",
"receiver",
"remote control",
"vintage",
"wireless"
] | [Jean] was shopping around for a vintage stereo receiver, and happened upon a broken, but repairable Marantz 4240. After getting things back to working order, he thought it would be great if he could
use his iPhone to remotely control the unit
(
PDF Writeup
,
Schematics and Code
).
He scrounged around for parts, and after locating a PIC and a handful of parts from old copiers and printers, he got down to business. He etched some custom boards to house electronic bits, then strapped motors to the volume and source selection knobs. He also rigged up the push button power switch on the receiver, using a small servo and a bit of string.
Now, he can control everything using his iPhone, which communicates with the stereo over WiFi. While the power, volume knob, and input selector can be triggered remotely, he still has the ability to tweak any of these items manually if desired.
We think that this is a great way to add modern amenities to vintage electronics, without ruining the aesthetics of the components. Don’t take our word for it though, check out the video demonstrations [Jean] but together after the jump.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-VqL7AyXtU&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR0XgLstFlo&w=470] | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "438170",
"author": "willaim",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T23:11:45",
"content": "thats pretty cool!! I thought about all this atone point or another but it just ended up being cheeaper to buy a new one :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_... | 1,760,377,109.050784 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/robotic-arm-and-claw-sculpted-entirely-from-shapelock/ | Robotic Arm And Claw Sculpted Entirely From ShapeLock | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"claw",
"mechanical",
"shapelock"
] | [Alexey] wrote in
to share a mechanical claw
(
Google Translation
) he has been hard at work on for quite some time. While a lot of people will turn to some sort of 3D plastic printer such as the MakerBot if they need plastic parts built, [Alexey] didn’t have access to one. Instead, he carefully crafted the entire mechanism from polycaprolactone, or as it’s more commonly known, Shapelock.
Using a wide range of tools from hair dryers and knives to lighting fixtures, he manually sculpted the claw and its control arm out of plastic, piece by piece. We are particularly impressed by the gearing he was able to cut from the plastic, which can be finicky at times.
As you can see in the video below, The claw mimics each movement he makes with the control arm via a handful of Arduino-driven servos. Everything seems to work quite well, and despite the rough translation by Google, we think this is a great project. If you are looking to do something similar yourself, he has plenty of pictures on his site, which should give you a pretty good idea as to how things were put together.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3PQP8FQU4A&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VrfoP-DH0g&w=470] | 24 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "438130",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T21:56:28",
"content": "very neat",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "438142",
"author": "avrpunk",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T22:23:25",
"content": "It’s a skutter.",
... | 1,760,377,108.769673 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/the-hand-mounted-haptic-feedback-sonar-obstacle-avoidance-asstance-device-or-the-tacit/ | The Hand-Mounted Haptic Feedback Sonar Obstacle Avoidance Asstance Device.. Or The Tacit | Nick Schulze | [
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"blind",
"hand sonar",
"tacit"
] | Here is a hack that takes the stick out of the blind mans hand. [Steve] has been working on the
Tacit
, a wrist mounted sonar device with haptic feedback, it’s like strapping a bat to your wrist to help you see. The Tacit uses two sonar ping sensors to measure the distance to the nearest obstacle, the relative distance to an object is then fed back to the user using two servos which apply pressure to the back of the wrist. The Tacit is sporting an Arduino pro mini to control the ping sensors and drive the servos, and runs off a 9 volt battery.
This is not an entirely new concept,
haptic headbands
have been around on the net for a while, but the Tacit allows the user to detect obstacles on the ground waiting to trip you up. All in all a neat hack that may have a future in helping the blind. Check out the video after the break to see it in action.
[vimeo
http://vimeo.com/27675622
w=470] | 14 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "438105",
"author": "razorconcepts",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T20:43:06",
"content": "Using haptic feedback through pressure is a neat change!If anyone is more interested in this stuff, here’s an interesting book:http://books.google.com/books?id=zMxncsODHNIC&pg=PA240&lpg=PA240&dq=mowa... | 1,760,377,108.632304 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/building-a-message-board-with-a-web-interface/ | Building A Message Board With A Web Interface | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"enc28j60",
"hd44780"
] | [Sergio] is just getting into hardware hacking. He started by getting an HD44780 compatible LCD screen running with his Arduino. To take the project to the next level, he decided to
add a web interface for changing the message
displayed on the LCD.
He’s doing things on the cheap (a man after our own hearts), purchasing many of his components off of eBay. Unfortunately that decision came back to bite him when it was time to connect his Arduino to the network. The Ethernet Shield knock-off wasn’t the same as
the official version
. That one’s got a Wiznet W5100 ethernet chip with does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Instead, [Sergio] is using a board with an ENC28J60. It took a bit of searching, but eventually he came up with an example to help him get his Arduino serving web pages and listening for updates from them.
The ENC28J60 is actually not a bad piece of hardware. It’s cheap enough, and there are a few
hardware/software demos
out there that are worth taking a look at. | 10 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "438074",
"author": "Sprite_tm",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T19:17:46",
"content": "I can tell from experience the ENC28J60 has a few… let’s call them ‘interesting features’. An example: the device sports ethernet cable polarity autodetection… but when you happen to have the polarity wr... | 1,760,377,109.154326 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/22/video-shocking-jack-into-submission-with-high-voltage/ | Video: Shocking [Jack] Into Submission With High Voltage | Jack Buffington | [
"Featured",
"how-to",
"Misc Hacks",
"News",
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [
"dangerous",
"disposable camera",
"hackaday original",
"stun glove",
"video"
] | Hackaday headquarters has recently been overrun by techno-groupies hanging around outside so we decided to take some measures to discourage that. A word of warning though, if last week’s video ruffled your feathers then you probably shouldn’t watch this one. In this video [Jack] shows you how to create a stun glove using a disposable camera and some leather spikes. To prove that it really works, he intentionally takes a jolt from it courtesy of Hackaday’s security chief [Vlad].
Check out the video after the break.
Like last week’s video, we don’t recommend that you actually try this. This is a weapon and is dangerous by its very nature. As [Jack] attests to in the video, it hurts to get zapped by a device like this. If you are to take anything away from this video, it might be that you should treat disposable cameras with respect if you choose to take one apart.
Like seeing our writers get shocked? Here is a video of [Caleb] being shocked with a Tazer at CES last year. | 59 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "439425",
"author": "Keba",
"timestamp": "2011-08-22T13:05:24",
"content": "Youtube:The uploader has not made this video available.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "439468",
"author": "Will",
"timestamp": "2011-0... | 1,760,377,108.863081 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/22/hacking-a2dp-support-into-an-old-car-stereo/ | Hacking A2DP Support Into An Old Car Stereo | Mike Nathan | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"a2dp",
"bluetooth",
"stereo"
] | [Roofus] had an older car, and unfortunately his stereo’s cassette player just wasn’t doing it for him. He always wanted to simply get into his car, pull out his cell phone, and have his music ready to play without any fuss. After messing around with all sorts of different tape adapters, he got fed up and decided
to rig up an A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth Audio) adapter
on his own.
He pulled the head unit out and started looking around to see how he could wire an adapter in. He figured the best course of action would be to remove the tape deck, and fool the stereo into thinking that a tape had been inserted. After spending some time tracing wires and studying how his old tape adapters worked, [Roofus] had an A2DP connection wired in and was ready to rock out.
Greeted with nothing but silence, he turned to his favorite hacking site (Hackaday, naturally) for assistance.
Some friendly forum-goers helped him
identify a ground loop issue, and he set off to his nearest RadioShack for a pair of isolation transformers that would fix his problem.
Once he knocked out the ground loop issues, his adapter worked like a charm. He put everything back together, and aside from a tiny switch he installed to toggle between audio sources, you would never know it was there. | 21 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "439414",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-08-22T12:24:45",
"content": "Bad design. you NEED that a2dp module on the outside so it is not inside a faraday cage. install connectors on the radio and let the dongle hang outside the radio for far better BT coverage.Why? so fri... | 1,760,377,109.557941 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/21/hackaday-links-august-21-2011/ | Hackaday Links: August 21, 2011 | Mike Szczys | [
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"r2d2",
"server",
"tardis",
"tiny",
"virus"
] | Arduino + PS2 controller + R2D2
Here’s an
unbelievably real-looking R2D2
replica driven by a PS2 controller with an Arduino inside that plays sounds from the movies. Too bad we couldn’t find any more details about it. [Thanks Bill]
Server build time-lapse
[Justin] and his colleagues spent five days upgrading their server by building a 29-unit cluster. Lucky for us they set up
a web-cam to capture the process
.
Cockroach computer
Behold this working desktop computer
, complete with monitor and mouse. We’re not sure how it was done, or what it’s for, but worth a peek just because of its size. [Thanks Harald via
Dvice
]
Modelling self-assembling viruses
A 3D printer and magnets were used to build this
model of a self-assembling virus
. Shake the jar and it falls apart. Shake a bit more and it’ll rebuild itself… it has the technology.
Tardis cufflinks
[Simon] is exercising his geek chic with these
Tardis cuff links
. The Doctor Who inspired accessories were made from a model railroad telephone booth. | 17 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "439122",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2011-08-21T22:22:17",
"content": "Actually, I emailed Dan and got more details on the R2D2. I was going to forward them to you today Mike, sorry about that.Anyway, here’s the juicy stuff:“I’m a member of the R2D2 builders club and alot of ot... | 1,760,377,109.002235 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/21/one-man-smd-assembly-line-shares-a-lot-of-tips-about-doing-it-right/ | One-man SMD Assembly Line Shares A Lot Of Tips About Doing It Right | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"pcb",
"reflow",
"smd",
"solder paste",
"soldering",
"stencil",
"surface mount"
] | Need to use that antiquated hardware that can only be connected via a parallel port? It might take you some time to find a computer that still has one of those, or you could try out this
USB to Parallel port converter
. It’s not limited to working with printers, as the driver builds a virtual parallel port that you should be able to use for any purpose. But what we’re really interested in here isn’t the converter itself, but the build process. [Henrik Haftmann] posted a three-part series of videos on the assembly process, which you can watch after the break.
The build is mostly surface mount soldering with just a handful of components that need to be hand soldered. The first of his videos shows him stenciling solder paste onto the boards. From what we can see it looks like he built a nice jig for this using scrap pieces of copper-clad which match the thickness of the PCB, and hold it and the stencil securely in place. There’s a bunch of other tips you can glean from the videos, like the image seen above. It’s a clamp that holds the PCB and USB jack together while they are soldered.
If you’re ever thinking of assembling a bunch of boards you should set aside thirty minutes to watch them all.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv2mEQS7awE&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU3grl6Nu2U&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1rduCG0QLY&w=470]
[Thanks Panikos] | 33 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "439079",
"author": "avrpunk",
"timestamp": "2011-08-21T21:38:24",
"content": "Unfortunately USB is a packet protocol, and the speed at which the packets move is not reliable. There is too much jitter to use this for many higher speed io tasks. A PCI parallel port for $15 will work... | 1,760,377,108.705062 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/21/resurrecting-an-electric-razor/ | Resurrecting An Electric Razor | Mike Szczys | [
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"razor",
"rechargeable"
] | [Salvatore Ventura] likes a close shave from an electric razor, and nothing shaves closer than a new set of blades. After shelling out for some sharp ones, the rechargeable batteries died so
he set out to replace them with a couple of double A’s
(not the ones pictured above as those are alkaline).
This fix actually increased the original battery life of the razor by about 30%. That’s thanks to a larger capacity than the battery that had come with the razor. But [Salvatore] didn’t get to enjoy the windfall for very long. One morning the charge light was blinking on the razor and it wouldn’t spin up at all. After testing the batteries with a multimeter he found that they had a full charge and figured it was the main board that had gone out.
The real question is, what is that board actually doing? A bit of study led him to the conclusion that it is just a charging circuit, and an on/off switch. He kissed the board goodbye, wired up the AA battery holders directly. Now he jams a paper clip into the recharging jack, shorting the pins to complete the circuit. He could even keep using rechargeables with an external charger if he was careful not to run them too low. | 22 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "439059",
"author": "Spork",
"timestamp": "2011-08-21T20:42:13",
"content": "Huh, I was hoping the paper clip had solved the ‘bad main board’ issue.I would re-wire the charger with circuit protection and use batteries with built in discharge protection… and not have to jam a papercli... | 1,760,377,109.333688 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/21/this-glados-potato-is-a-lie/ | This GLaDOS Potato Is A Lie | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"glados",
"lm386",
"portal",
"portal 2",
"potato",
"valve"
] | Why settle for virtual reality when you can make the digital world into reality? [Josh] wanted to have
a GLaDOS potato accompany him through life
when
not
playing Portal 2. He set to work to see what kind of replica prop he could come up with. Judging from the image above, and demo video after the break, he nailed it right in the spud.
There’s no worrying about rot. The potato and a few parts were molded from
Sculpey
and baked in the oven. Since the fake spud is hollow in the center it’s easy to hide the bits that make it talk. An old MP3 player was loaded with quotes from the game, and plays them back via an LM386 audio amplifier circuit and a speaker hidden below the electronic eye. The eye is lit by five yellow LEDs which are also tied into the amplifier to make them blink and fade with the intensity of the audio signal.
A paint job and the nails and wire really make the build look just right. Now [Josh] needs to host a geek-themed Halloween party so he can really show this off.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3BTteBSOE4&w=470] | 24 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "439013",
"author": "Cpt. Obvious",
"timestamp": "2011-08-21T19:10:48",
"content": "Could you run a microchip with an amplifier and a lef off of 1.2V and very small current?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "439014",
"aut... | 1,760,377,109.459885 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/21/basic-animatronics-continued-servo-actuated-mouth/ | Basic Animatronics Continued: Servo Actuated Mouth | Jesse Congdon | [
"how-to",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"animatronics",
"PIC 18F452",
"servos"
] | [Chris] is at it again and this time he has put together a tutorial rounding off his animatronic face by actuating the mouth.
His tutorial
covers two different styles of robot mouth: an LCD mouth which dims to imply actuation and a servo articulated flap.
[Chris] covers all the aspects of each mouth type, from the basics of human mouth actuation to servo motor control. In this case the LCD mouth is not quite as impressive so it gets installed on a face mock up while the servo mouth goes on the face previously featured in his other tutorials. The entire setup is still controlled using a single PIC 18F452. The circuit diagrams and code for both types of mouth are all available on the site including videos of the actuated mouth and a gif of the LCD mouth in action.
Check out a video of the articulated mouth below throwing down some classic season 6 Jean-Luc. If you are interested in the other parts of the face we have covered [Chris]’s other tutorials on the
eyebrows
and the
eyeballs
. These are a great jumping point for your own animatronic face project and do a great job of setting up all the know how you’d need to build your own emotional puppet.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgCbQvBw-Bc&w=470] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "438984",
"author": "Brian Benchoff",
"timestamp": "2011-08-21T17:46:32",
"content": "In before “South Park Canadian”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "438985",
"author": "Colin",
"timestamp": "2011-08-21T17:47:40",
"co... | 1,760,377,109.503373 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/adding-usb-control-for-ikea-rgb-led-strips/ | Adding USB Control For Ikea RGB LED Strips | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"ambilight",
"at90usb162",
"dioder",
"ikea",
"lufa"
] | Here’s
an altered PCB that gives USB control to an Ikea Dioder
. This is a $50 product that comes with four strips each containing nine RGB LEDs. The stock controller has a color selection wheel and a couple of buttons. [Rikard Lindström] wanted to use it to match ambient light to the colors of his computer monitor — yes, it’s
another ambilight clone
.
Since he already had a bunch of AT90USB162 chips on hand he chose that route. These chips have native USB support (he’s using the LUFA package which is
a popular choice
), but no on-board ADC. That means no need for the potentiometer from the original controller because there’s no easy way to read its value. Removing it made plenty of room for his add-on PCB. He also depopulated the PIC microcontroller that originally drove the unit, soldering to the empty pads in order to connect is own board. The finished product fits back in the original case, with the addition of a USB cable as the only visible alteration. Now he can dial in colors using a program he wrote.
In case you’re wondering, it looks like this is a newer version of control circuitry when compared to
the original Dioder hack we covered
. | 12 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "438047",
"author": "Kuy",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T18:16:58",
"content": "The AT90USB162 has an an along comparator so one could use the old trick of creating a potentiometer-capacitor sub-circuit, charging the cap up with the pin acting as GPIO, then switching it to analog comparat... | 1,760,377,109.402489 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/using-an-msp430-for-time-lapse-photography/ | Using An MSP430 For Time Lapse Photography | Mike Nathan | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"intervalometer",
"msp430",
"time-lapse",
"vistaquest"
] | Hackaday reader [onefivefour] had an old VistaQuest VQ1005 keychain camera kicking around, and
wanted to do something useful with it
. A while back he hooked up a 555 timer and did a bit of time lapse photography, but he wanted more control over the process. Specifically, he desired the ability to tweak the delay between shots in a more granular fashion, as well as way to prevent the VistaQuest from going to sleep after sitting idle for 60 seconds.
His weapon of choice to get this task done was an MSP430, since the microcontroller can be found quite cheaply, and because it is relatively easy to use. He added a few header pins to the LaunchPad board wiring them up to the camera’s trigger as well as the on/off switch. When the wire connected to the trigger is pulled low, the camera snaps a picture. The wire connected to the on/off switch is always held low, ensuring that the camera is on and ready to go whenever it’s time to take a shot.
It’s a relatively simple project, but definitely useful. While there are many ways to build an intervalometer, the MSP430 is a great platform to use, especially for beginners.
Stick around to see a quick video [onefivefour] put together, showing off his time lapse rig’s capabilities.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBQEt9WRtK8&w=470] | 14 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "438003",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T17:13:50",
"content": "Neat. I’m kind of confused though, does this mechanically press the button?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "438169",
"author": "onefivefour",
... | 1,760,377,109.66495 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/heathkit-is-back-from-the-dead/ | Heathkit Is Back From The Dead | Brian Benchoff | [
"News"
] | [
"heathkit",
"kits"
] | Although now it’s impossible for a DIY nut to build electronics for less money than a factory, this wasn’t always the case. For 45 years, Heathkit produced inexpensive kits for just about everything. Heathkit closed it’s kit business in 1992, but
now they’re back
. They’re starting out with a few DIY kits at first, namely an ultrasonic garage parking assistant and a wireless swimming pool monitor.
Heathkit is calling all builders to submit their ideas for future kits. While this comeback rings of
some other outlets
with a rich heritage, Heathkit is still remembered fondly; Barry Goldwater jetted out to the Heath HQ
twice a year
for kits. Not many people are that attached to Realistic and Optimus gear.
If you’re wondering about the kind of stuff Heathkit offered, feel free to check out the
1984 catalog
that features computers with 128kB of RAM available for only $1899.00 (yes, a very competitive price)
Tip ‘o the hat to [Jeffrey Bail (N1BMX)]. | 44 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "437976",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T16:09:22",
"content": "Radio Shack selling more parts, now Heathkit is alive again. What’s next, new issues of Byte?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "437980",
"auth... | 1,760,377,109.740619 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/using-enclosed-relays-for-hv-switching/ | High Voltage: Using Enclosed Relays For HV Switching | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"555 timer",
"relay",
"ribtu1c"
] | After seeing many projects that use microcontrollers to switch mains voltages [Rob Miles] decided to share his preferred method. The shots you see above are an enclosed relay, part number RIBTU1C manufactured by Functional Devices Inc.
This in itself is not the full control scheme that he uses, but it takes care of the bulk of the hardware. He uses
a triggering circuit based on a 555 timer
(PDF). [Rob] mentioned that if you shop around, you can get the relay, 555 timer, and other components for under $15. This is a great solution for the money when you consider that you get an enclosure meant for handling high voltage and a nice terminal block to which you can connect the mains wiring. The relay itself can be triggered by a 9V battery via the transistor in the control circuit.
Notice the protoboard in the image above. There’s plenty of room for your driver circuit to rest inside the box, protected by that barrier from the HV circuitry. Check out the rest of the images he sent us after the break. | 21 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "437891",
"author": "Elias",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T13:38:36",
"content": "That barrier looks fool proof :D NOT",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "437903",
"author": "MurphEngineer",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T14:00:01",
... | 1,760,377,110.598221 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/19/meet-radio-shacks-new-parallax-lineup/ | Meet Radio Shack’s New Parallax Lineup | Brian Benchoff | [
"News"
] | [
"parallax",
"radio shack"
] | It looks like Radio Shack is pretty serious about their new found commitment to their focus on the DIY, inventor, creator and geek demographics. [Ken Gracey], Parallax forum guru, put up a post on the
Parallax stuff that will be sold at Radio Shack
. Everything is priced, “below spousal approval level,” but no word on what those prices are.
Here’s the (probably not conclusive) list we gleaned from the pics:
2-axis joystick
, gyroscope, GPS, compass and altimeter modules, an
infrared sensor
,
2×16 backlit LCD
,
BASIC stamp 2 board
, and an XBee 2-pack that we assume would be priced above girlfriend approval levels.
We’re curious about how many (and in what quantity) of these items will be stocked at the East Nowheresville strip mall, and again there’s no mention of improving the selection of individual components.
At Hack A Day, we were thinking how amazing a Radio Shack ‘component vending machine’ would be. A modified pick and place machine that will dole out caps, resistors, other components, and has the potential to be competitive with online stores. Anyone feel like sending that suggestion in? | 86 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "437824",
"author": "Renee",
"timestamp": "2011-08-19T11:19:57",
"content": "LOL, they misspelled gyroscope as gyrocope on their packages. At my local Radio Shack I’ve noticed a huge improvement over the past few months.They went from a few pins of semi-organized and barely in stock ... | 1,760,377,109.974204 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/18/project-25-digital-radios-law-enforcemnet-grade-vulnerable-to-the-im-me/ | Project 25 Digital Radios (law Enforcement Grade) Vulnerable To The IM-ME | Mike Szczys | [
"Radio Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"apco-25",
"im-me",
"project 25",
"travis goodspeed"
] | Would you believe you can track, and even jam law enforcement radio communications using a pretty pink pager? It turns out the digital radios using
the APCO-25 protocol can be jammed using the IM-ME
hardware. We’ve seen this ‘toy’ so many times… yet it keeps on surprising us. Or rather, [Travis Goodspeed’s] ability to do
amazing stuff with the hardware
is what makes us perk up.
Details about this were presented in a paper at the USENIX conference a few weeks ago. Join us after the break where we’ve embedded the thirty-minute talk. There’s a lot of interesting stuff in there. The IM-ME can be used to decode the metadata that starts each radio communication. That means you can track who is talking to whom. But for us the most interesting part was starting at about 15:30 when the presenter, [Matt Blaze], talked about directed jamming that can be used to alter law enforcement behavior. A jammer can be set to only jam encrypted communications. This may prompt an officer to switch off encryption, allowing the attackers to listen in on everything being said to or from that radio.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW-jRRTPCuw&w=470]
[Thanks DanAdamKOF and Uhrheber] | 73 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "437485",
"author": "iHME",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T22:07:32",
"content": "This is quite interesting.What a nice project.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "437487",
"author": "NewCommenter1283",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T22... | 1,760,377,109.857744 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/18/diy-rc-sensor-board/ | DIY RC Sensor Board | Mike Nathan | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"airplane",
"rc",
"remote control",
"telemetry"
] | Along with hobby electronics, flying RC planes is one of [Diederich’s] favorite hobbies. When out in the field, he prefers to use an Aurora 9 radio controller, and while the remote is great, he was a bit disappointed in Hitec’s telemetry sensor lineup. He says that the sensors are pretty decent, though limited, and
he was positive he could build a better telemetry solution
.
His sensor board is completely open source, and comes with a long list of features. First and foremost, it emulates all of the messages that can be sent to the radio controller by Hitec’s off the shelf models, making it a simple drop-in replacement. He uses an ATMega8L microcontroller to run the show, including all sorts of input pins and connectors to support GPS as well as voltage and current monitoring.
He has made a DIY kit available for purchase online, but all of the sensor’s schematics and a BOM are available for free, should you desire to roll your own.
We love seeing DIYers show up manufacturers in this way, especially when they share the goods with their fellow hobbyists. Nice job! | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "437458",
"author": "Olivier",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T20:49:00",
"content": "Great !I wish R/C manufacturers where opening their stuff a bit more… Like providing with docs about the protocol of Hitec’s programmable servo.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,110.070756 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/very-clean-android-headphone-controller-project/ | Very Clean Android Headphone Controller Project | Mike Szczys | [
"Android Hacks"
] | [
"control",
"dongle",
"headphone"
] | Here’s an Android headphone add-on so clean that most people won’t know you built it yourself. [Will Robertson] was unsatisfied with the stock headphones that came with his HTC phone, but didn’t want to lose the control interface when upgrading. He built this
add-on that lets him control the Android music player
.
He was inspired to do this after
reading about the control interface in one of our previous features
. That hack detailed how to add control based on the 4-conductor headphone jack, but didn’t see us through to a clean finished product. [Will] picked up where it left off by designing a sleek surface mount board that hosts a headphone jack and three tactile switches. A patch cable is soldered opposite the jack, making this work as a pass-through device. The icing on the cake is the shrink tubing that masks the fact that this is a diy dongle.
If you want to follow his lead, [Will] posted his EagleCAD design files and footprints for the components he used in the post linked at the top. | 15 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "436866",
"author": "vasskk",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T20:09:43",
"content": "wow awesome work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "436881",
"author": "modhappy",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T20:39:19",
"content": "stupid que... | 1,760,377,110.026723 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/tis-new-web-site-appeals-to-the-penny-pincher-in-us/ | TI’s New Web Site Appeals To The Penny Pincher In Us | Mike Nathan | [
"News"
] | [
"sale",
"texas instruments"
] | We’ve got to admit, we’re pretty much cheapskates when it comes to buying electronic bits online. Whether its microcontrollers or PCBs, we hate to part with money. So, we were pretty excited to hear that Texas Instruments is dishing out deals two weeks at a time to hackers, makers, and the like.
Several of you wrote in to tip us off to TI’s new site:
TI Deals
. Basically, they are deeply discounting various products, changing the lineup every two weeks. Now, we were expecting something like 20%-25% off certain items, but so far the TI Deals look pretty sweet. Right now, they are offering the Chronos watch kit for 50% off – which is a pretty nice discount. We’re definitely interested to see what sorts of other things will go on the chopping block in the future.
Thinking of picking up a Chronos watch? Let us know what sort of project you have planned.
If you are on the fence and need a little inspiration, check out these Chronos-based projects we have featured in the past:
Printable gripping rover is wristwatch controlled
Google two-factor authentication in a wristwatch
Wireless Sniffing and Jamming of Chronos and iclicker
Texas Instruments watch claims it’s a computer mouse | 99 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "436831",
"author": "Addidis",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T19:04:22",
"content": "Wireless dorm access",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "436836",
"author": "Aaaaarrrg",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T19:12:06",
"content": "As of... | 1,760,377,110.174428 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/bootloader-burning-basics/ | Bootloader Burning Basics | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"atmega644",
"bootloader",
"clock",
"isp",
"reprap",
"resonator",
"Sanguino",
"Sanguinololu"
] | [Charles Gantt] and a few others were having trouble burning the Sanguino bootloader to an ATmega644 chip. With some help from the [Nils Vogil] via the RepRap IRC [Charles] got it worked out and wrote
a guide for burning the bootloader using an Arduino
as an ISP programmer.
We’re not familiar with the specifics of
the Sanguino
bootloader, but [Charles] mentioned that he was unable to flash it onto the AVR chip without a resonator. The resonator serves as an external clock source for the chip. We’d bet the programming process changes the fuse settings on the chip to use an external source. Without that source, you won’t be able to communicate with the chip afterwards.
The solution just adds the resonator to the programming circuit. This should be useful when burning any bootloader using an Arduino. But it does make us wonder if there isn’t an alternative method that would let you draw the clock signal from the Arduino itself? | 7 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "436824",
"author": "WitchDoc",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T18:46:52",
"content": "Another option would be setting the fusesafteruploading the bootloader hex. I experienced the same problem trying to flash the arduino bootloader from the makefile. reversing flashing and fusebit setting ... | 1,760,377,110.374964 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/bobuino-arduino-based-on-atmega1284-goodies/ | Bobuino: Arduino Based On ATmega1284 + Goodies | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"atmega1284",
"bobuino",
"ds1307",
"rtc",
"sd"
] | [Erik] wrote in letting us know that he just completed development of
the Bobuino, a Arduino based on an ATmega1284
. That chip is nice and beefy, most notably for having 16 KB of SRAM but it also boasts 4 KB of EEPROM, and 128 KB of program memory.
But the upgraded chip isn’t the only thing that it brings to the table. It’s easy to spot the on-board SD card slot in the image above. Also of note is the battery-backed DS1307 real time clock with a jumper that will route the square wave output to one of two pins on the microcontroller.
This design is compatible with standard Arduino shields thanks to the familiar pair of pin sockets, and can still be programmed via the USB socket. Since the AVR chip has more IO than normal there’s also pin headers to break out the PORTC pins, for a JTAG connector, and for an RS232 port. | 13 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "436794",
"author": "j_jwalrus",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T17:28:12",
"content": "arduino lust!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "436818",
"author": "Brett W. (FightCube.com)",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T18:13:53",
"conten... | 1,760,377,110.331878 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/restoring-a-jukebox-with-an-arduino/ | Restoring A Jukebox With An Arduino | Brian Benchoff | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"arduino mega",
"jukebox",
"mp3",
"Seeburg Jukebox"
] | [Jim] just finished
restoring an old Seeburg USC1 jukebox
for his father using an Arduino, replacing an electromechanical rats nest of wires. The stack of 45 records were replaced with an Arduino Mega 2560 with an
Sparkfun MP3 player shield
, and he jukebox lights are now controlled with 74595 shift registers. Because his jukebox isn’t taking in money, the dollar bill validator has been modified into a ‘skip song’ button, and when there are no songs in the jukebox queue, there are 500 additional songs on the SD card that will randomly play.
We’ve seen one of [Jim]’s builds before. Earlier this year he repaired a
thirty year old Pachinko machine
using the same Arduino + MP3 shield setup. It looks like [Jim] is pretty skilled at revitalizing bulky old electronics. The jukebox restoration is great and has a lot more class than the
internet-connected touch screen monstrosities
that we still pump money into.
Check out the video after the break for a walk through of this restoration. | 37 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "436777",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T16:24:30",
"content": "Did this with a Pioneer CD changer. They have RS232 control. I changed the numbers for choice to CD number/track number.with a 200 disc changer, it worked out great and you can easily print the paper in... | 1,760,377,110.444056 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/electric-longboard-uses-diy-hub-motors/ | Electric Longboard Uses DIY Hub Motors | Brian Benchoff | [
"Toy Hacks",
"Uncategorized"
] | [] | As a student of MIT, [Jed Storey] has access to a ton of machine tools, so he decided to build an electric longboard with hub motors
by hand
. He wound up re-doing a lot of his project, so we can commiserate with him on the trials of R&D.
Inspired by the
BWD scooter
, [Jed]‘s longboard uses hub motors – the wheel
is
the motor. The rotors were fabricated in-house, and
off-the-shelf stators
were wound by [Jed]
by hand
. There’s a lot of work that went into this build, and the build log is really fascinating in this regard.
The board is controlled by a pistol-grip R/C controller
that had been modified
to include a dev board and an XBee. For power, an aluminum enclosure was fabricated, strapped underneath the deck, and
filled with LiPo batteries
. While the build is mostly done, [Jeb] is thinking about scrapping it and moving onto version 2, the HeavyBoard. Check out the
video
of the board in action. | 12 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "436738",
"author": "Alex",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T15:10:37",
"content": "Very cool, but I sure hope they can get it going faster when they take it outside.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "436977",
"author": "Jamo",
... | 1,760,377,110.493609 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/who-knew-jacobs-ladder-builds-had-so-many-options/ | Who Knew Jacob’s Ladder Builds Had So Many Options? | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"high voltage",
"jacob's ladder",
"transformer"
] | [Grenadier] has a thing for the high voltage and, as you can see, he’s found
multiple ways to build the icon of HV toys
– a Jacob’s Ladder.
The three look similar, but they use different means of generation the voltages necessary to get a spark to jump through the air. The exhibit on the left uses a neon sign transformer, the one in the middle is based on a transformer from an X-ray machine, and the example to the right uses a microwave oven transformer. [Grenadier] discusses the pros and cons of each method, then links to his in-depth posts about working with each one them. There are also videos for all three. We’ve embedded the video for the microwave oven transformer after the break. That version of the Jacob’s Ladder requires some way to start the spark and in the video he’s doing it manually. There is always the option to add a solenoid to do the job but he does mention that you can’t just let it run because that cheap transformer will burn out before long.
If you like what you see here, perhaps you’ll be entertained when
he runs HV through some soda cans
. | 20 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "436659",
"author": "filespace",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T13:11:11",
"content": "nice to see something posted that makes up for this complete and utter failure of a had branded youtube video….http://www.youtube.com/user/hackaday#p/a/u/0/N7xJxPSHTpI",
"parent_id": null,
"depth... | 1,760,377,110.651821 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/18/robotic-artist-listens-to-your-criticism/ | Robotic Artist Listens To Your Criticism | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"art",
"artist",
"computer generated",
"robot"
] | [Ben Grosser] built an
interactive painting robot
that’s pretty far removed from the LED and Arduino builds we usually see. The robot is adapted from
one
of the
many
CNC routers we’ve featured over the years. The control system is written in Python and uses genetic algorithms and a
microphone
to decide what to paint next.
Robot artists have been around for decades now. When [
Harold Cohen
] exhibited his robotic artist
AARON
, gallery patrons lined up to watch a robot paint.
The paintings
were originally just a monochrome line drawing that was later colored in by [Cohen]. [Ben] made his robot paint directly onto canvas with oil paints, so there’s no question of what the computer intends the final product to be.
[Ben] came up with a really neat build, but we’re wondering about having this robot artist on display inside a cavernous exhibition hall. Surely the echos from the servos and stepper motors would be picked up by the mic and interpreted by the painting algorithm. Barring some control systems, it would probably be the robot’s commentary on its own
decent into madness
.
Check out a video of the robot in action after the break, followed by a violin/robot duet the shows how the audio is interpreted.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/23998286]
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/27759330] | 8 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "437424",
"author": "ColinB",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T19:48:24",
"content": "It’s unfortunate when decent people (or robots) become mad.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "437464",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18... | 1,760,377,110.538207 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/18/gyroscope-based-smartphone-keylogging-attack/ | Gyroscope-based Smartphone Keylogging Attack | Mike Nathan | [
"Android Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"gyroscope",
"keylogging",
"security"
] | A pair of security researchers have recently unveiled
an interesting new keylogging method
(
PDF Research Paper
) that makes use of a very unlikely smartphone component, your gyroscope.
Most smart phones now come equipped with gyroscopes, which can be accessed by any application at any time. [Hao Chen and Lian Cai] were able to use an Android phone’s orientation data to pin down what buttons were being pressed by the user. The attack is not perfect, as the researchers were only able to discern the correct keypress about 72% of the time, but it certainly is a good start.
This side channel attack works because it turns out that each button on a smart phone has a unique “signature”, in that the phone will consistently be tilted in a certain way with each keypress. The pair does admit that the software becomes far less accurate when working with a full qwerty keyboard due to button proximity, but a 10 digit pad and keypads found on tablets can be sniffed with relatively good results.
We don’t think this is anything you should really be worried about, but it’s an interesting attack nonetheless.
[Thanks, der_picknicker] | 31 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "437218",
"author": "Rob",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T13:23:34",
"content": "Interesting indeed. My first thought was if handedness would affect accuracy, or would measurements simply need to be reversed.“The motion of thesmartphone during keystroke is affected by many factors, such as... | 1,760,377,110.895581 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/18/high-voltage-plasma-lamp-is-also-tasteful-steampunk/ | High Voltage Plasma Lamp Is Also Tasteful Steampunk | Brian Benchoff | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"disposable camera",
"high voltage",
"neon bulb",
"plasma",
"plasma bulb",
"steampunk"
] | Instructables user [Admiral Aaron Ravensdale] just finished a high voltage
plasma bulb
build that makes creative use of off-the-shelf parts. As a self-described steampunk, [Adm. Ravensdale] also earned some cred by included working gears in his build.
The heart of the build is a “flicker flame”
candle light bulb
. These light bulbs have two flame-shaped plates inside the bulb to act as electrodes. Instead of the Argon that normally fills an incandescent light bulb, the candle bulb is filled with Neon. When excited, Argon gives off a rather unnatural
purple glow
– not very convincing for a simulated candle and certainly not steampunk. The Neon in the flickering candle bulb gives off a brilliant orange, perfect for simulating a flame and will surely impress the duchess during afternoon tea.
After the right plasma bulb was found, [The Admiral] scavenged the rest of the high voltage electronics from disposable cameras. Attaching three electrodes to a brass gear, the entire mechanism was made to spin using parts from an old clock and a CD drive motor. We’re always impressed with the scavenging abilities of steampunkers – we’d still be waiting for our gears to arrive if we attempted this. Check out the video of this really cool and very inexpensive plasma bulb after the break. | 21 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "437202",
"author": "Bigdeal",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T13:10:54",
"content": "Does it remind anyone else of that big machine that blows up in the beginning of Half Life?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Re8CFyyaU:]",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,377,110.706248 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/18/morphing-hexapod-has-us-drooling/ | Morphing Hexapod Has Us Drooling | Mike Nathan | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"hexapod",
"morph",
"remote control",
"servo"
] | Hexapod robots seem to be a dime a dozen lately, but we think you will be hard pressed to not be wowed by [Zenta’s] latest creation. He’s built a bunch of hex and octopods before, but
hasn’t tried building anything quite like this.
His MorpHex bot might look like your standard hexapod, but once it gets moving, you can see that it’s quite unique. Utilizing over 25 servos driven by a single ARC-32 controller, MorpHex moves in smooth, fluid-like motions, making it almost seem like it’s alive. The inner portion of the body can fan out, extending the overall length of the bot, though it’s more meant to allow the bot to morph into a ball and back, rather than increase its size.
In the teaser video below, you can see MorpHex in action, with its parts flowing together more like a jellyfish than any sort of land animal. While [Zenta] is continuing to work on MorpHex’s sphere-morphing capabilities, we think it would make for an awesome and creepy spiderbot!
[Thanks, weaz]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA9BlcwLlxM&w=470] | 49 | 40 | [
{
"comment_id": "437156",
"author": "Acid_Density",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T10:59:28",
"content": "Finally the platform to allow me to take over the world!… Well, at least my back yard anyway. I’ll take two.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "61... | 1,760,377,110.978197 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/dumpster-hackers-and-junkyard-makers-get-their-own-tv-show/ | Dumpster Hackers And Junkyard Makers Get Their Own TV Show | Mike Nathan | [
"News"
] | [
"hackers",
"JUNKies",
"junkyard",
"Makers",
"tv"
] | The Science Channel has
a new show premiering tomorrow night
that we think you won’t want to miss.
JUNKies takes a look at a group of junkyard engineers led by [Jimmy “The Junk Genius” Ruocco], who also happens to be the junkyard’s owner. From the trailer you can see below, the show looks like it will be pretty entertaining, combining the best parts of Junkyard Wars, Mythbusters, and even Jackass – with hilarious and interesting results.
The show includes crazy stuff that [Jimmy] and his crew piece together, as well as the creations of individuals that come by the shop looking for parts. When the crew is not busy concocting crazy machines, they seem more than happy to help random inventors and makers dig out just the right parts for their projects.
The show airs tomorrow night, 8/18, at 10 PM Eastern, so be sure to check it out and let us know what you think!
[via
Make
] | 27 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "436940",
"author": "Some_Guy",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T23:13:17",
"content": "Is it not 8/17 right now?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "437003",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T02:01:33",
"c... | 1,760,377,111.198446 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/build-your-own-sms-chatroom/ | Build Your Own SMS Chatroom | Brian Benchoff | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"cell phone",
"chat",
"chat room",
"sms"
] | While he was organizing a party, [Mike Seese] hit upon the idea of chatroom that would operate over SMS. Not being content with the ‘reply all’ function, [Mike] built a
Group Messaging Service
that runs on his home server.
The chat room is initiated by sending a text to a server. Your friends then reply, and the chatroom is then opened. The project was written in C++, and [Mike] put everything on
github
for your perusal. The software does use libraries from /n software’s
IP*Works
, but if you have any trouble obtaining those libraries feel free to drop [Mike] a line.
The great thing about this project is the fact that it’s platform independent – as long as a phone can do SMS, it’ll work. Seems like a great thing for those of us still using the old Nokia ‘bar’ phones. An SMS chatroom
has been done before
but this is the first time we’ve seen a build that will run off
your
server, and not internet-based services.
While it may not be the best idea for people without unlimited texts on their phone plan, it’s a really great idea and we’re wondering why something like this isn’t available via Google Voice. | 10 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "436957",
"author": "Sean",
"timestamp": "2011-08-18T00:02:22",
"content": "Groupme (linked in the article) works really well, so I haven’t made this type of hack a priority since I started using that service. I would, however, like to set something like this up for emergency notifi... | 1,760,377,111.023922 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/milliohm-measurement-made-easy/ | MilliOhm Measurement Made Easy | Nick Schulze | [
"how-to",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"milli ohmmeter",
"milliohm measurement"
] | When [Kerry] wanted to
measure some very small resistances
very accurately he did not want to fork out the big bucks for a high end multimeter or a mico-ohmmeter, so he decided to build one himself. Measuring resistance is a simple enough concept, it directly implements Ohms law (V=IR). The problem with very small resistances is that when you apply a sensibly sized constant current to the load, the voltage to be measured is too small for conventional multimeter.
To overcome the problem [Kerry] designed a constant current source of very high accuracy using the AD8276 unity gain difference amplifier and the AD8603 high precision opamp. Then to boost the voltage across the load he used the LMP8358 programmable gain precision opamp, this allowed him to easily change the gain for different magnitude resistance, the circuit diagrams are all available on his site. Finally he used four point probes to eliminate probe wire resistance errors, ending up with the ability to measure small resistances with very high accuracy. | 8 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "436911",
"author": "JA12",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T21:46:24",
"content": "Afrotechmods has the best (yes the best) tutorial of 4-wire resistance measurement.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vMvCVyOp9g",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment... | 1,760,377,111.071384 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/16/easy-to-build-z80-single-board-computer/ | Easy To Build Z80 Single Board Computer | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"hardware"
] | [
"cpm",
"HHGG",
"infocom",
"single board computer",
"z80",
"zilog"
] | [Alexis] sent in a
single board computer
he’s been working on. The project goal of his build was making it easily reproducible. From looking at the schematics, it’s one of the simplest fully-functional computers we’ve seen. The build runs CP/M 2.2 off of two 3.5 inch floppies. This opens up a lot of options as to what software is already available. Although it operates over a serial terminal, [Alexis] pretty much duplicated an
Osborne I
, only at double the speed.
[Alexis] got a little e-fame from his earlier
8088 homebrew computer
built from very early 8088’s rescued from an electronics junk shop. These 8088 computers made the blog rounds by playing
Still Alive
with a
SID chip
from a Commodore 64 and a
YM2151
FM synth chip.
For now, I guess we’ll have to settle for a video of [Alexis]’ Z80 computer running CP/M. Check out a video after the break of his computer running the greatest Infocom adventure,
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inXlE3OC55c&w=470] | 27 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "435919",
"author": "iHME",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T13:15:59",
"content": "This is sweet.I’ll be building myself one in the distant future.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "435942",
"author": "abobymouse",
"timestamp": "2... | 1,760,377,111.134935 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/16/autonomous-tank-will-track-you-down-cover-you-in-welts/ | Autonomous Tank Will Track You Down, Cover You In Welts | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"autonomous",
"radio controlled",
"tank",
"wii"
] | [Dan] wrote in to share a project he recently finished up,
an autonomous Airsoft tank
. The toy tank makes use of a wide array of technologies to get the job done, and will stop at nothing to hunt you down (provided you are wearing an IR beacon).
An Arduino board is used to control the tank’s motors, while a Lego NXT module handles most of the other operations. The tank makes its way around using an ultrasonic sensor, which ensures it doesn’t get stuck on any errant furniture or hung up in a corner. While driving around autonomously is well and good, [Dan] upped the ante a bit by making the Airsoft turret completely autonomous as well.
He fitted a Wiimote IR sensor to the tank, successfully interfacing it with the NXT module after a bit of trial and error. Now that things are up and running, he can place his IR beacon anywhere in the room, and the tank will drive around scanning its surroundings until the target is found. Once the tank locks on, a flurry of Airsoft pellets take down whatever stands in its way.
We think that [Dan] did a fantastic job here, but see for yourself in the videos embedded after the break.
[via
HackedGadgets
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hc7koZTO2c&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUtw6gEx31A&w=470] | 14 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "435835",
"author": "Flood_of_SYNs",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T11:12:08",
"content": "I like in the second video when the tank is scanning and then finds the beacon, and stops as if to say “halt or I will fire upon you!”. lol",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,111.246554 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/15/controlling-muscles-with-high-intensity-magnetic-pulses/ | Controlling Muscles With High Intensity Magnetic Pulses | Mike Nathan | [
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"high voltage",
"magnetic",
"neurons",
"stimulation"
] | We’re not quite sure what’s going on with our fellow hackers lately, but they all seem quite interested in finding inventive ways
to scramble their brains
. [Ben Krasnow] has put together a pair of videos detailing his experiments in transcranial magnetic stimulation, a process that looks like it would go quite nicely with
the Brainwave Disruptor
we showed you just yesterday.
Instead of building a coil gun with a set of supercapacitors he had on hand, [Ben] decided to build a magnetic coil that can be used to stimulate his brain through his skull. Once his capacitor bank is charged, a high current pulse is sent through the coil held against his head. This pulse generates a strong magnetic field in the coil, which in turn produces neuron stimulation in his primary motor cortex.
Be sure to watch both videos embedded below, as the first one mostly covers the theory behind his experiments, while the second video gives us the goods.
[Ben’s] day job involves working with professional grade TMS devices, so he has some experience with this technology. Before you try this on your own, be sure that you are doing this safely, because a misdirected pulse of 1700 volts to the head does not sound like a fun time at all.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUW7dQ92yDU&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_olmdAQx5s&w=470] | 67 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "435568",
"author": "Almonds & Walnuts",
"timestamp": "2011-08-15T22:14:24",
"content": "He’s nuts, just nuts.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "435579",
"author": "Cameron",
"timestamp": "2011-08-15T22:46:02",
... | 1,760,377,111.451148 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/15/shock-yourself-to-better-health/ | Shock Yourself To Better Health! | Mike Nathan | [
"Medical Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"electrotherapy",
"pic"
] | Flickr user [n Bryan] has been keeping busy lately, trying his hand at developing some
cranial electrotherapy stimulation instruments
for home use. While visions of [Peter Venkman] electrocuting hapless college students initially came to mind, this sort of therapy is not the same thing, nor as painful as what is depicted in the film.
Cranial electrotherapy stimulation
relies on small currents which are pulsed along a patient’s skull at specific bioactive frequencies. It is believed that these treatments can have positive responses on the nervous system, and in fact has been approved by the FDA for certain ailments such as insomnia and anxiety. [n Bryan’s] rig is controlled by a PIC 16F88, which generates both the carrier and pre-programmed bioactive frequencies used in electrotherapy sessions.
As with all things that involve strapping electrodes to your head, take caution if you plan on replicating his work in any way, shape or form. With that said, we’d be willing to give it a shot.
[via
BuildLounge
] | 14 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "435546",
"author": "Daley",
"timestamp": "2011-08-15T21:08:30",
"content": "Shock Treatment!Sorry, had to…Certainly seems like an interesting project!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "435555",
"author": "ScottInNH",
"time... | 1,760,377,111.501309 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/15/converting-pwm-to-dc-signaling-for-more-precise-fan-control/ | Converting PWM To DC Signaling For More Precise Fan Control | Mike Nathan | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"fan",
"gpu",
"pwm"
] | [hedgehoginventions] wrote in to share a little modification he made to his video card in order
to keep it from overheating
during strenuous 3D tasks. Having swapped out the stock cooler on his Nvidia 9600GT graphics card, he found that it did not need to utilize the fan while doing mundane things like checking email, but that it still required extra air flow while playing games.
He figured he get the fan to shut off by tweaking the PWM signal, but he found that he could not get the duty cycle under 20% using software, which still caused the fan to run at all times. The circuit he built takes the PWM signal output by the card, cleaning it up before converting it to a corresponding DC voltage. The fan then runs at the same speed it would if driven directly by the PWM signal, though it can now turn off completely when not required.
It’s a nice way to do automatic fan control when you can’t otherwise get your GPU fan to shut off. Nice work! | 24 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "435486",
"author": "JuggaloStoopid",
"timestamp": "2011-08-15T18:38:14",
"content": "Dont see how not being able to shut off the power to the fan is a negative. I get doing it for the sake of doing it… But having the fan run at 20% doesn’t consume much power, and it does keep the pr... | 1,760,377,111.564757 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/15/simple-device-answers-questions-just-like-your-boss-does/ | Simple Device Answers Questions Just Like Your Boss Does | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cmos",
"funny",
"leds"
] | Like many of us, [Bertho] has had plenty if interaction with “Executive” types who seem to make decisions randomly, and most certainly not based upon any sort of reason. As he was picking through parts bins at his local hackerspace, he thought it would be fun to build an “Executive Decision Maker”. The device he had in mind
would answer questions at the push of a button
, with the kind of randomness that could only be carefully honed through years of barking orders from a corner office.
Constructed from third-rate LEDs and old CMOS chips that were lying around, the operation of the device is quite simple. Much like a Magic 8 Ball, a question is posed, and as [Bertho] states, “The Executive Decision maker automatically tunes into the aether and the subconscious of the user” pressing the “Decide” button. The device then makes a judgement, relaying its answer to the user via an LED display.
We definitely got a good laugh out of this one, so be sure to check out the video after the break to see the Executive Decision Maker in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41WzqBAjGuI&w=470] | 17 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "435409",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2011-08-15T15:52:58",
"content": "Awesome! It’s almost exactly like the one Radio Shack used to sell back when I was a kid!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "435428",
"author": "that1g... | 1,760,377,111.61846 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/15/power-up-with-knowledge/ | Power Up With Knowledge | Kevin Dady | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"bench power",
"LM317"
] | The LM317 is a favorite for many people who want quick, cheap, reliable and ajustable power. It only takes a few parts to set up and it does its job rather well. Sometimes though, you just need a power supply.While there are a million tutorials out there, not many go as in depth as [Phil] does
in his 2 newest videos
.
Covering everything from the wall outlet to the final output, [Phil] explains each part step by step, stating what it does and the math and formulas behind it all to produce quality results. He then goes over to a working model and reviews each part showing its real output on a oscilloscope, which is very handy if you do not have one yourself.
In the second video he takes that knowledge and builds it all up into a professional looking bench top model with LCD meter readout and varnished paper to complete the front look. If you’re looking to build your first bench supply or want a better grasp on what exactly is happening in the one you have now, you should join us after the break for these 2 quality productions.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EFnqZUxFZ4&w=450]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUGzeeTaJCs&w=450] | 18 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "435245",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-08-15T13:26:44",
"content": "Look further and you will find a tutorial out on the intarwebs for using a pair of big t03 transistors to boost the output of the 317 to epic levels…When you need 5.1v at 65amps….",
"parent_id": null,... | 1,760,377,111.669025 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/a-stackable-motor-driver-shield-for-the-arduino/ | A Stackable Motor Driver Shield For The Arduino | Jeremy Cook | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arduino",
"pcb",
"shield"
] | The Arduino has been used for many purposes, and “shields” are available to make many common tasks easier. However, [Nick] wanted a stackable motor driver shield, so he
build one himself!
. There are many motor driver shields available for the Arduino, however, there aren’t any that allow one to drive as many motors as were needed for his project, and none that were stackable.
[Nick] had no experience designing and fabricating a custom board, but decided to try his hand at it anyway. Armed with a free version of
[Eagle]
PCB design software, he designed the board that he needed then sent it to
[Seeed]
to be manufactured. According to his article, a quantity of 10 Arduino-sized boards can be purchased for the price of $25. At that price point, some hobbyists may want to consider this option rather than manually creating their own circuit.
According to [Nick], he was able to manufacture his first board with no errors on his first run! Not bad for his first try at something like this. | 30 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "436655",
"author": "Addidis",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T12:59:35",
"content": "you can never have to many motor drivers. nevarr!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "436658",
"author": "Addidis",
"timestamp": "2011-0... | 1,760,377,112.051683 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/17/diy-pcb-exposure-box-looks-professionally-made/ | DIY PCB Exposure Box Looks Professionally Made | Mike Nathan | [
"News",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"exposure box",
"led",
"pcb",
"pic"
] | [Stynus] was frustrated with the fact that he would have to flip his PCBs over mid way through the exposure process, so he decided the best course of action would be to build
his own double-sided PCB exposure box.
He scored some UV LEDs on eBay, and after waiting a few weeks for PCBs to arrive, he was ready to start construction. The box contains a sliding glass shelf, which is positioned between two sets of LED panels. The setup lets him simultaneously etch both sides of any PCB, up to 20cm x 30cm in size. The exposure box is run by a PIC 16F628P and features an LCD status panel as well as a small handful of controls. [Stynus] programmed the box to retain the length of the last exposure, making it easy to replicate his results time after time.
Towards the end of the build log he shows off some pictures of the completed exposure box, which looks very professionally done. It’s a great job all around, and we would gladly take one for our workshop in a heartbeat. | 10 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "436614",
"author": "kabadisha",
"timestamp": "2011-08-17T11:29:08",
"content": "Nice job!This is just the kind of thing your average Hackaday reader loves to see, a useful tool that you could make yourself for your workshop.Keep them coming :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": ... | 1,760,377,111.714423 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/16/clicking-and-counting-with-push-wheel-switches/ | Clicking And Counting With Push Wheel Switches | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"beginner concepts",
"push wheel switch"
] | Push-wheel switches are somewhat older technology, but [John Boxall] from the Little Bird Electronics blog shows us that
they are still quite useful today.
In a quick but thorough demonstration, he discusses how this input technology works, showing off both single digit and multi digit inputs. The former is pretty straightforward, with each of the counter’s outputs tied to an I/O pin on his Arduino. Using multiple counter units is ever so slightly more complicated, but the job is made easier through the use of an NXP 74HC4066 bilateral switch. He shares a snippet of Arduino code that toggles through each of the switches, reading in their values one by one.
His walkthrough is a must-see for those who are just getting their feet wet with Arduinos and various input methods. These counters are great for 1-4 digit input needs, but if you require more digits [John] says that a 12-digit keypad would probably be a better way to go.
Stick around to see a short video demo of the switches doing their thing.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMJ_HtExnzU&w=470] | 16 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "436278",
"author": "Jon",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T22:22:33",
"content": "Wouldn’t it be easier to skip the 74HC4066 and attach the commons to floating pins, bringing them high when each digit needs to be read?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,111.78736 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/16/amazing-60-year-old-robot-dog-is-a-mystery/ | Amazing 60 Year Old Robot Dog Is A Mystery | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"dog"
] | The robot dog you see above is a mystery. [Daneil Dennet], a professor of philosophy at Tufts University found this in an antique shop in Paris. Apparently it has no identification and no one has been able to tell him anything about it. It was made in the 50s, and that seems to be all he knows. He’s offering a reward to whomever can reveal its secrets. There’s a
full gallery of pictures
to browse through that reveal some of the construction, but not a whole lot of the function.
We are just blown away by the construction here. Look at all those switches! Can you imagine how easy to reverse engineer things would have been back then? Surely in the right hands, someone could get this thing working again. Then again [Daniel] might like it kept completely original. If you know something about this robot, you can find [Daniel]’s
contact information here
.
Oh, and yes, we realize it looks just like
k-9
. | 108 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "436200",
"author": "DiRWiN",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T21:11:26",
"content": "obviously just an early model of K-9, tell him to wait a couple hundred years and hell find out its history",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "436204",
... | 1,760,377,111.98367 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/16/i-have-seen-the-future-and-it-has-swarmanoids/ | I Have Seen The Future, And It Has Swarmanoids | Mike Nathan | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"autonomous",
"robots",
"swarm"
] | Imagine that you want a book that is located on a shelf several rooms over, but you do not want to get out of your chair. Short of developing telekenesis on the spot, there’s little you can do other than get up and fetch the book yourself – that is, unless you have
an army of Swarmanoids to do your bidding.
This robotic swarm is the pet project of [Dr. Marco Dorigo] from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, and is impressive to say the least . As the Mission: Impossible-esque video plays out, you see several different robots working in concert, flying, climbing, and driving around to fetch a book from a shelf. The robots have no information regarding their surroundings, forcing them to learn and “speak” to one another in order to reach their goal once the target has been located.
It really is amazing to watch these robots work together, but don’t take our word for it. Check out the Swarmanoids in action below.
[via
Geek.com
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2nn1X9Xlps&w=470] | 20 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "436144",
"author": "Ivan",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T19:07:12",
"content": "Exterminate… exterminate!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "436152",
"author": "JOBGG",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T19:37:37",
"content": "Nice…c... | 1,760,377,112.107014 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/16/ps2-to-usb-keyboard-converter-also-logs-your-keystrokes/ | PS2 To USB Keyboard Converter Also Logs Your Keystrokes | Mike Szczys | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"keylogging",
"security"
] | [Shawn McCombs] is up to no good with his first Teensy project. The board you see above takes the
input from a PS2 keyboard and converts it to a USB connection
. Oh, and did we mention that it also keeps track of everything you type as well?
From the beginning the project was intended to be a keylogger. It’s a man-in-the-middle device that could be hidden inside the case of a keyboard, making it appear to be a stock USB keyboard. Data is stored to an SD card so an attacker would need to gain access to the hardware after the data he’s targeting has been typed.
It works mostly as [Shawn] expected. He is, however, having trouble handling the CTRL, ALT, Windows, and Caps Lock keys. If this were actually being used maliciously it would be a dead giveaway. Many secure Windows machine require a CRTL-ALT-DELETE keystroke to access the login screen. | 15 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "436105",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T17:42:56",
"content": "http://x86ed.com/programming/arduino/programmable-arduino-usb-keylogger/Already done and smaller so it fits inside a keyboard easier.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,377,112.160093 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/16/automatically-weed-the-celebrity-gossip-out-of-your-tv-time/ | Automatically Weed The Celebrity Gossip Out Of Your TV Time | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"keyword",
"tv"
] | [Matt Richardson] came up with a doozy of an idea: using an Arduino to
monitor the closed caption on TV and mute it
when news about ridiculous celebrities is on-screen.
He’s using the
video experimenter shield
to monitor the captions. This shield connects via composite video, and can be used to decode the binary code that carries the captions in the overscan at the top of the screen. When a keyword comes through, an IR LED sends the mute command to the television, then waits until 30 seconds have gone by since the last keyword before un-muting. It’s like
a troll-sniffing rat
for your television! Now we just need to figure out how to use it to mute during commercials too.
[Matt] suggests we should imagine all of the cool stuff we could do with access to the closed caption data; we were already deep in thought by the time he got around to the suggestion. This would be a fantastic prank in a location were the television sound is not being used. You could put the Arduino inline with the video feed, then program it to wait for keywords in the news report and alter them in funny ways… like a live
mad lib
.
You can see [Matt’s] video explanation of the project after the break. | 32 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "436045",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-08-16T15:45:12",
"content": "I do it by not watching TV other than what I torrent or rip from DVD’s I buy.I would buy TV shows if they offered them in a download format I want (Mpeg4 no DRM) or play on the player I have (XBMC)… but t... | 1,760,377,112.4646 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/15/hacking-a-better-pressure-cooker/ | Hacking A Better Pressure Cooker | Brian Benchoff | [
"cooking hacks"
] | [
"cooking",
"pressure cooker"
] | This
pressure cooker hack
on [Dave Arnold]’s great cooking blog was sent into us (thanks, [techartisan]!). Most pressure cooker recipes are written for pressure cookers that can go up to 15 PSI or 250° F / 121° C. At these temperatures, a lot of interesting chemistry happens in the food. The popular Cuisinart electric pressure cooker doesn’t reach these pressures and temperatures, so [Dave Arnold] set out to make his Cuisinart better.
After measuring the temperature with a thermocouple, [Dave] deduced that the Cuisinart cooker only reached 237° F and 9 PSI. After having a look at the
electronics
, he realized that adding a resistor to the temperature sensor circuit would give him the pressure he wanted. After soldering in a trim pot, everything went swimmingly and the cooker was able to reach 15 PSI.
[Dave] isn’t sure how his modifications will hold up – he doesn’t know how the cooker will hold up to overheating (and there are a few concerns about non-stick pressure cookers in the first place). That being said, it’s a great mod to get some more capabilities out of a Cuisinart. | 60 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "435193",
"author": "Willaim",
"timestamp": "2011-08-15T11:35:43",
"content": "I like a good hack as much as the next guy but I really have to question how wise it is to hack a pressure vessel that is under high heat and pressure??Before even worrying about teflon coatings (Im pretty... | 1,760,377,112.559311 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/14/make-your-own-custom-hot-glue-sticks/ | Make Your Own Custom Hot Glue Sticks | Kevin Dady | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"color",
"glue",
"stick"
] | Hot glue guns can be very handy tools for bonding all sorts of surfaces, while getting you accustomed to plastic burns. The one thing they lack though is color, and while yes, you can on occasion find colored glue sticks, there is usually only a limited selection and they cost way more than the normal amber or clear sticks.
[Ken] solves the
blandness problem of hot glue sticks in his kitchen, as shown in this cool slideshow
. In a melt and recast process, glue sticks and crayons in a 3:1 ratio are slowly heated on an electric stove in a old can. Metal tubing is lined with silicone parchment paper to act as a release agent. The now vivid and scalding hot glue is poured into the tube and left to cool.
You might be wondering how mixing colored wax into ethylene-vinyl acetate effects the glue’s strength . According to the author if you need decrease the mix viscosity, you can add up to 10% paraffin wax by weight without effecting the bond strength. Color and viscosity control? Hot glue just keeps getting better! | 63 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "434666",
"author": "Spencer Haley",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T22:27:07",
"content": "Love this website! I will definitely use the black glue stick on one of my projects. Is the strength difference noticeable?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"... | 1,760,377,112.249851 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/14/largest-led-cube-weve-ever-seen-is-still-only-half-complete/ | Largest LED Cube We’ve Ever Seen Is Still Only Half Complete | Brian Benchoff | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"cube",
"fpga",
"led",
"LED cube"
] | [Brendan Vercoelen] is a university student in New Zealand studying engineering. He says his recent
gigantic LED cube build
, “isn’t very serious” compared to other student projects, but that doesn’t mean it’s not impressive. The original plan for the build was a 16x16x16 tri-color LED cube. After realizing how much soldering that really was, [Brendan] scaled back his design a little to a 16x16x8 cube
oid
, but the other half can be attached when the project is complete.
From the cost breakdown, [Brendan] only spent about $550 USD – far less expensive than we expected. The most expensive item was the 4,000+ Red-Green-Orange tri-color LEDs. The largest LED cubes (
1
,
2
,
3
) we’ve covered have maxed out at 8x8x8, or 512 total LEDS. Even though [Brendan]’s build is only half done, it’s still four times larger in volume than the largest LED cube we’ve seen.
The gauntlet has been thrown down. This is the one to beat, folks. Check out a video of the cube after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17cYJqEV-4U&w=470] | 35 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "434631",
"author": "vasskk",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T21:11:35",
"content": "how heavy is it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "434636",
"author": "Matt",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T21:23:25",
"content": "*Picks up Gaunt... | 1,760,377,114.763949 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/14/automated-aquarium-chemical-dispenser-is-extremely-precise/ | Automated Aquarium Chemical Dispenser Is Extremely Precise | Mike Nathan | [
"chemistry hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"aquarium",
"dispenser",
"pumps",
"zero crossing"
] | [Robovergne] prides himself on the beautiful reef aquarium that he has set up in his home. These sorts of water displays require constant maintenance due to the mineral requirements of living coral. Rather than add mineral solutions manually, he decided to
build a nano-doser using espresso machine pumps
(
Google Translation
).
These vibration pumps run on mains voltage, so he had several options as far as how to control them. Using relays would likely make things pretty noisy, so he chose to use a zero crossing detection circuit to precisely control the pumps’ duty cycles and output.
His setup uses a PIC to control everything from the zero crossing circuit to the display LCD. An amount of product and the distribution time frame are entered using a handful of buttons mounted on the front of his control box, leaving the PIC to do the heavy lifting. It will calculate the proper length of time to run the pump based on several factors, including fluid viscosity and height of release.
It really is an impressive system, and while his needs are very precise, we imagine this sort of setup would be quite useful in building less complicated dispensers, such as those found in
an automated bar
.
Continue reading to see a few videos of his Nano-doser in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzyzu_yyVp8&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4KfTLjnx9U&w=470] | 17 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "434580",
"author": "Spork",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T19:14:38",
"content": "Peristaltic pumps are great for moving/metering/dispensing liquids, but not so great for chemicals.The down side is the tubing can be dissolved by some, or leech plasticizers into the liquid. Just be sure th... | 1,760,377,114.227528 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/14/eye-see-you/ | Eye See You. | Nick Schulze | [
"how-to",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"animatronic eyes",
"robotic eyes"
] | So you want to add animated eyes to your next robot? Now you can.. Using ping-pong balls, some scrap plastic and 6 servo motors [Chris] has created these
animatronic eyes
along with some nifty animated eyebrows. To get motion emulating realism [Chris] created a 2 axis gimbal using plastic rings and some nuts and bolts. The eyes (ping-pong balls) are held in the gimbal and actuated using two servos each. The eyebrows use another pair of servos and some tubing covered in electrical tape as the actual eyebrow.
[Chris] Kindly goes through the entire build process including information for beginners such as servo motor control. The whole thing is controlled using a PIC 18F452 and circuit diagrams and code are all available on the site. Check out the video after the break to see the eyes in action, you will also find more videos describing the build process if you follow through the tutorial.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xEqbry2gFk&feature=player_embedded&w=470] | 13 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "434558",
"author": "Hackerspacer",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T17:59:21",
"content": "Uncanny valley? Nope.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "434581",
"author": "Scott",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T19:15:36",
"content": "Was... | 1,760,377,114.323959 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/14/build-your-own-class-ab-audio-amplifier/ | Build Your Own Class AB Audio Amplifier | Jeremy Cook | [
"how-to"
] | [
"amplifier",
"audio",
"transistor",
"tutorial"
] | [Dino Segovis] wrote in to tell us about his “hack”, making an
AB Audio Amplifier
. The advantage of this particular amp is that the transistors never turn off, which would cause distortion. A full schematic is given in the article as well as a parts list. A complete “bill of materials” makes any circuit building project easier, especially for the beginner.
Although this is by no means a new circuit design, (a similar setup is used in car audio equipment) [Dino] does a great job of explaining how things work in the article itself and in the video after the break. He also gives some great tips about transferring your drawn circuit to a breadboard in a neat and organized way at around 5:00 in the video.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fIpj2eHL0k&w=470&h=349%5D
[Dino] tries to come up with something like this every week, so be sure to check back on his aptly-named site,
Hackaweek.com
for more fun stuff like this. Also, he mentions using the
“free music archive”
for his videos. This looks like a good resource for those that want to make other videos like this and need some music that legally doesn’t have to be paid for. | 18 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "434478",
"author": "martinmunk",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T15:09:53",
"content": "Although this is by nO means a new circuit design?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "434481",
"author": "JammerX19",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14... | 1,760,377,114.171024 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/14/playing-snes-with-an-rc-controller/ | Playing SNES With An R/C Controller | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"fubata",
"fubata code",
"nintendo",
"radio",
"rc",
"snes",
"software"
] | Normally when we see an R/C transmitter used in a build we’re prepared for robots, quadcopters, or UAVs. [Alex] found a new use for his Futaba radio –
hooking it up to his Super Nintendo
.
We’ve seen a lot of builds using game controllers as interfaces to other hardware. The
N64 media remote
comes to mind, as does the
NES iPod dock
. Outside of a few builds to
automatically win in-game currency for you
, we haven’t seen much of anything to control a video game with additional electronics. [Alex]’s build happily bucks that trend, and
technically
gives the SNES an analog controller.
The build uses an
mBed microcontroller
to capture the radio’s button and stick positions. This is sent through a two shift registers to produce the 16-bit packet required of the SNES controller protocol. [Alex] posted all the
software
for his build, and from the looks of it the code seems pretty portable. [Alex] says he’s working on getting his Sega Saturn running with his Futaba, so we can’t wait to see some
Panzer Dragoon
action. Check out [Alex] demoing his controller with Gradius III after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMvOR4fW50Q&w=450] | 5 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "434391",
"author": "Punkguyta",
"timestamp": "2011-08-14T13:24:54",
"content": "Other than general proof-of-concept, what kind of advantage/additional features has this provided? The original SNES controller did not offer analogue directional movement, how is it going to differentia... | 1,760,377,114.270397 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/11/keeping-tabs-on-your-tabby-with-a-camera-and-gps/ | Keeping Tabs On Your Tabby With A Camera And GPS | Mike Nathan | [
"gps hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"atmega",
"cat",
"gps",
"photography"
] | [Janis] has an outdoor cat that
likes to roam all over the neighborhood
. He was curious to see what he was up to all day, so he decided to build a small cat cam to document the feline’s comings and goings. After the cat returned one evening with a snail riding along on his back, [Janis] thought it would be pretty interesting to see where the cat was going as well.
He calls his creation “CatEye”, and it consists of a small JPEG color camera and GPS sensor, both of which are managed by what looks to be an ATMega328. The camera snaps pictures as the cat roams around, while the GPS sensor records its location throughout its travels. All of the data is stored on an SD card, making it easy to transfer the pics and .KML files back to his computer. A few clicks later, he can see everywhere his cat has been, using Google Earth.
It seems like a pretty interesting project, and we would love to see some schematics and code so that we can strap one of these on
[Caleb]
our cat to see where he’s been all day. | 31 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "432722",
"author": "glenn",
"timestamp": "2011-08-11T20:55:00",
"content": "I like the idea, but I’m pretty sure I would lose a hand while trying to attach that thing to my cat :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "432725",
"a... | 1,760,377,114.509137 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/11/boost-your-gardens-output-using-ultrasonic-mist/ | Boost Your Garden’s Output Using Ultrasonic Mist | Mike Nathan | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"aeroponic",
"gardening",
"ultrasonic"
] | If you enjoy gardening, it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s growing season. [Jared Bouck] over at InventGeek loves his tomatoes, but the slow grow rates of his dirt-bound plants were less than impressive. To get things moving faster, he created
a low-cost aeroponics system
that uses ultrasonic mist to produce some pretty impressive results.
The construction process of this ultrasonic aeroponics rig looks dead simple, and [Jared] said that he had everything assembled in about half an hour. A cheap ultrasonic mister was mounted in the bottom of a plastic tub, and holes were cut in the tub’s lid to make room for his growing baskets. Tomato seedlings were wrapped in rock wool and placed in a clay growing medium, suspended over the water bath. The mister was turned on, and after just a few days, the results were obvious.
In the last step of his tutorial, he compares his aeroponically grown plant to one grown in soil – the difference is unbelievable. Considering how reasonably priced his setup is, it seems like a no-brainer to start growing your entire vegetable garden this way. | 97 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "432662",
"author": "kevin",
"timestamp": "2011-08-11T19:16:51",
"content": "Do they stay in the mister, or do you transplant them? if you transplant them how do you deal with all of the loose roots and gets them set up in the soil properly?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,114.637575 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/11/nanode-a-low-cost-network-enabled-arduino-ethernet-alternative/ | Nanode: A Low-cost Network-enabled Arduino Ethernet Alternative | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ethernet",
"nanode",
"networking"
] | The folks over at Hackspace London have been working hard to create a “very low cost, open source, Internet connected platform on which others can develop their ideas”,
which they have dubbed “Nanode”.
Essentially an Arduino with Ethernet networking on-board, the Nanode is armed with an ATMega 328 microcontroller along with all the other standard goodies you would expect from an Arduino-compatible device. The Nanode can be controlled with a web browser right out of the box, thanks to some custom Ethernet libraries. Additionally network of Nanodes can be easily configured to communicate with a “master” unit via a multidrop serial bus, allowing the device to be used for a wide array of distributed control tasks.
Obviously most of these features can be had in the form of an Arduino Ethernet board, or achieved by using an Ethernet shield. The Nanode is a touch cheaper than either option at $40 for a kit, and the native networking capabilities sound like they would be quite handy. That said, we are a bit bummed that it only has 10BaseT networking capabilities, though it is always nice to have options when it comes to choosing a microcontroller board.
[Thanks, TheHypnotist] | 32 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "432628",
"author": "Springuin",
"timestamp": "2011-08-11T18:22:51",
"content": "10BaseT is not a big point, the ATmega will not be able to use the whole 10Mbit anyway.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "432629",
"author": "Eras... | 1,760,377,114.394055 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/11/portal-puppet-probably-wont-kill-us/ | Portal Puppet Probably Won’t Kill Us | Brian Benchoff | [
"Robots Hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"molding",
"portal",
"styrofoam",
"wheatley"
] | This incredibly detailed puppet
of the Wheatley from
Portal
was sent into us, and we a so very happy that we’re not writing about a GLaDOS build right now.
Hewn from florist foam and covered
Wonderflex
and Apoxie Sculpt, Wheatley pretty much tows the line as far as cosplay and prop builds go. What makes Wheatley interesting is his movement mechanism – he’s actually a hand-controlled puppet.
Portal
quotes come a small sound module that plays 10 Wheatley quotes. The
control system
has ten buttons and allows for the display of a lot more emotion than we would expect from a talking sphere. We really like the completely manual solution to an articulated robot eyeball – a really great, simple solution to a complex problem.
Like the
portal turret
and the
adorable and friendly companion cube
, we’re really impressed with the build quality of Wheatley. Yet again we’re left wondering why Valve doesn’t license some awesome toys like their
office sentry
.
Check out the intelligence dampening sphere in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzG94ct2d5k&w=470] | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "432569",
"author": "Spork",
"timestamp": "2011-08-11T17:39:07",
"content": "Did not play Portal 2, but the first one was awesome.That said, the finish quality on this puppet build is fantastic. The texture and small details are hard to believe considering the medium used to create i... | 1,760,377,114.442865 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/11/adding-a-midi-input-to-a-game-boy/ | Adding A MIDI Input To A Game Boy | Brian Benchoff | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks"
] | [
"game boy",
"game boy advance",
"midi",
"sprite_tm"
] | [Sprite_tm] is back again, and his work never fails to impress. His latest project is a
Game Boy Advance MIDI synth
that takes MIDI data from a keyboard or sequencer and maps that to Game Boy sound channels.
Because he seems to
never
do
anything
the normal way, [Sprite_tm] decided to run the Game Boy without a cartridge.
We’ve seen this before
; the GBA boots into the synth software over the link cable with multibooting.
[Sprite_tm] designed a circuit around an ATMega168 to boot the Game Boy, receive MIDI messages, then translate and send them through the link port. The main Game Boy code also has a simple interface to display graphics on the screen and a sequencer that allows him to record MIDI messages into 8 different tracks. We’re thinking that being able to sequence Game Boy chiptunes with a keyboard is a huge improvement over
Little Sound DJ
.
As [Sprite_tm] freely admits he’s not the best keyboard player, he gave his GBA synth to a musician friend.
The resulting song
is a veritable deluge of 8 bit chiptunes. The electronics behind this build are very simple (and can fit inside a MIDI cable), so we’re ready to break out the iron for this one. All the relevant code is posted [Sprite_tm]’s build page. There’s also a video walking through the features of his creation, viewable below.
[youtube=”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scgBbHuNVAE&w=470%5D | 21 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "432465",
"author": "Tampopo",
"timestamp": "2011-08-11T14:14:20",
"content": "Nice hack to obtain retro style GB sound. But the GBA hardware is infra utilised in this hack. GBA is capable of sample based synthesis and other nice things.The system is capable of 4-bit wave output acor... | 1,760,377,114.692168 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/11/add-a-real-life-hardware-terminal-to-that-newfangled-computer-of-yours/ | Add A Real Life Hardware Terminal To That Newfangled Computer Of Yours | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"getty",
"mac",
"serial",
"terminal",
"vt200"
] | If you find a crusty old IT guy and give him half a chance, he’ll probably regale you with stories of how things were done “in the old days” where no one had their own computer and everyone worked on mainframe-connected dumb terminals.
[JSTN] yearned for a true to life terminal display
that he could attach to his 2010 Mac Pro, and since there’s no chance anybody is bringing one to market any time soon, he pieced one together on his own.
He dug up a digital VT220 terminal, and got to work trying to interface this office relic with his shiny new Mac. He found a few helpful tips from someone | 77 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "432402",
"author": "Bigdeal",
"timestamp": "2011-08-11T11:22:11",
"content": "This is so cool! Well done!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "432404",
"author": "billy bob",
"timestamp": "2011-08-11T11:24:19",
"content":... | 1,760,377,115.137075 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/diy-smart-tweezers-make-smd-work-a-cinch/ | DIY Smart Tweezers Make SMD Work A Cinch | Mike Nathan | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"capacitance",
"fluke",
"resistance",
"smd",
"tweezers"
] | [Noel] does a lot of SMD work and wanted
a pair of “smart” tweezers
that could be used to place components as well as for reading their capacitance and resistance values on the fly. As we have seen,
these things can be somewhat costly
, and not really necessary if you already have a good multimeter. With that in mind, he figured he could build his own for almost nothing.
He started off with a pair of kids’ “training” chopsticks which are durable, but more importantly, non-conductive. He took a second pair of tweezers, this time made of metal, and split them in two. He soldered wire to a set of ring terminals, mounting one on each leg of his broken tweezers. The final bit of assembly involved using zipties to mount everything on the plastic chopsticks along with the addition of banana plugs to the end of his probes.
[Noel] says that the tweezers work quite well, and with such a low price tag, we can’t argue. | 22 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "432119",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T22:33:24",
"content": "I recall a similar build using pieces of old ISA cards with the gold slot contacts on the points of the tweezer. I don’t know if I saw that here on HaD or elsewhere, though.",
"parent_id": null,
"... | 1,760,377,115.025728 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/13/juice-bridge-powers-your-breadboard-in-a-snap/ | Juice Bridge Powers Your Breadboard In A Snap | Mike Nathan | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"breadboard",
"bridge",
"pcb",
"power supply"
] | [Quinn Dunki] got tired of messing around with wires when connecting things to her benchtop power supply, so
she built herself useful little power bridge
that plugs directly into any standard breadboard.
The board is small and simple, but quite useful all the same. It was built to power both sides of the breadboard, and it can be easily switched between an unregulated power supply and a regulated 5v supply. An ammeter can be attached to the board via a pair of pins she set aside, allowing her to easily measure the current draw of the entire circuit.
We think her “Juice Bridge” would be very useful to anyone who frequently prototypes on breadboards. In fact, it would be a fantastic beginner project since it involves
etching and developing PCBs
as well as some simple soldering, while resulting in a handy takeaway tool at the same time.
If you want to build one of your own, [Quinn] has the schematics and Eagle PCB files available for download on her site. | 28 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "434028",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2011-08-13T21:18:32",
"content": "seams to large to mebut it beats the crap out of getting an LM78XX for every breadbord",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "434055",
"author": "Keith Bax... | 1,760,377,114.965597 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/13/making-sata-drives-work-with-a-scsi-backplane/ | Making SATA Drives Work With A SCSI Backplane | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"hard drive",
"nas",
"raid",
"sata",
"scsi",
"sever"
] | The problem of persistent and reliable storage plagues us all. There are a myriad of solutions, some more expensive than others, but a dedicated and redundant network attached storage solution is hands down the best choice for all problems except natural disaster (ie: fire, flood, locusts) and physical theft. That being said, the issue of price-tag rears its ugly head if you try to traverse this route.
[Phil’s] had his mind stuck on a very large NAS solution for the last ten years and finally found an economical option. He picked up a powerful motherboard being sold as surplus and a server enclosure that would play nicely with it. It came with a backplane for multiple hard drives that utilized SCSI connections. The cost and availability of these drives can’t compare to the SATA drives that are on the market. Realizing this, [Phil] completely
reworked the backplane to make SATA connections possible
. It’s an intense amount of work, but there’s also an intense amount of documentation of the process (thank you!). If doing this again his number one tip would be to buy a rework station to make it easier to depopulate the connectors and extraneous parts from the PCB. Since he needs to keep using the board, the old blow-torch trick is out of the question. | 24 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "433946",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2011-08-13T19:08:55",
"content": "I misunderstood the HAD title and description. This guy is not making SATA drives work with a SCSI controller, just cutting holes in the SCSI board to route the SATA cables to a real SATA controller.The SCSI ... | 1,760,377,115.264028 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/13/obama-1-desk-spy-satellite-aims-for-high-approval-ratings/ | Obama-1 Desk Spy Satellite Aims For High Approval Ratings | Jeremy Cook | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"goodwill",
"satellite",
"solar panel"
] | This miniature
“spy satellite”
may not gain the ire of the Chinese People’s Army, but it will certainly look rad on your desk. Besides looking cool, this “satellite” is able to transmit video up to 300 feet away and has sun tracking solar panels for battery recharging. Additionally, it has a LED “thruster” and speakers.
One cool thing about this build is that the body was made out of a lamp from Goodwill. Recycled/thrift store enclosures always make a good addition to your project as they won’t break the bank. Additionally, they may yield some other bonus parts when taken apart. In this case, the lamp fit into the project scope perfectly, but anyone trying to duplicate it might not be so lucky.
Creative use of other household materials rounds out this build, with solar panels taken off home garden lights, and part of a nose hair trimmer used as the “thruster” body. This well-build project is a great example of how to convert household items into something totally different and unique.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGqTmnSP71U&w=470&h=349%5D | 22 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "433910",
"author": "silvesterstillalone",
"timestamp": "2011-08-13T17:19:14",
"content": "Pardon me..God damn that is so cool. I love projects that can take care of its own needs and still be useful. It even looks great.Hack A Day is really improving fast as of late. Great work guys... | 1,760,377,115.20007 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/13/head-to-head-mountain-climbing-from-the-safety-of-your-game-room/ | Head-to-head Mountain Climbing From The Safety Of Your Game Room | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"mountain",
"servo",
"toy"
] | Why risk frostbite and altitude sickness when you can marvel at the view from atop
your own mountain climbing game
?
[Jeff] built this delightful piece which you can see in action after the break. he combined several very simple ideas and he did it really well. The climbers are both mechanical. They grip the mountain’s face (which is covered with of carpet) with a tack pointed downward on the end of each limb. Their motion is provided by two tiny servos that make up the body of the climber. The two potentiometers in each controller directly affect the movement of the top and bottom limbs. The game plays music during the contest, and precisely detects a winner by sensing when an arm comes in contact with the metal snow cap at the summit.
Obviously weight was an issue during the design process. After some hemming and hawing [Jeff] decided to tether the climbers in order to avoid rolling a battery into each. But he overcame the issue with weighted cable management on the inside of the mountain.
[flickr video=http://www.flickr.com/photos/8190411@N07/6033663164 w=470]
[Thanks Morgan via
Make
] | 21 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "433872",
"author": "Limey",
"timestamp": "2011-08-13T15:24:13",
"content": ":O , this is brilliant, I want one on my bedroom wall XD.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "433876",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2011-08-13T1... | 1,760,377,115.365076 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/13/hackaday-weekly-roundup/ | Hackaday Weekly Roundup | Jack Buffington | [
"News"
] | [
"weekly roundup"
] | In case you missed them, here are our most popular posts from this week:
First up is [Bertho’s]
Pointless Switch machine
. This machine is yet another take on the ‘most pointless machine’. It looks like his server couldn’t handle the load from his video so he moved it over to youtube. You can find it
here.
Next is
The DIY nuclear reactor
, which links to a project by a fellow who was silly enough to post his nuclear experiments online. You can imagine how that went…
This week’s most popular post was the
tutorial
created by our writer [Brian Benchoff]. In this tutorial, he shows how you can insert your logo into a still-readable QR code.
After that is
this post
showing how you can resurrect your IBM model M keyboard to use it as a bluetooth device.
Finally, we wrap up our roundup with a
brainwave disruptor
. This device allows [Rich] to experiment with light and sound to see how it affects brain waves. | 9 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "433823",
"author": "1000100 1000001 1010110 1000101",
"timestamp": "2011-08-13T13:12:21",
"content": "I greatly approve of a weekly roundup post…thanks guys! Separate tag, perhaps?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "433830",
... | 1,760,377,115.3112 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/installing-linux-on-a-386-laptop/ | Installing Linux On A 386 Laptop | Kevin Dady | [
"Featured",
"how-to",
"laptops hacks",
"Linux Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"386",
"linux"
] | The “cheap” and “easy” way in about an hour! A question that pop’s up from time to time is “I somehow ended up with an archaic old laptop / computer, can it run Linux?” Well of course it can, but that totally depends! On what? Well machine CPU, CPU speed, hard disk space, RAM and most importantly what you are expecting it to do.
Okay, why a Intel 386? Well number one I own a 386, but more importantly its the absolute bottom Intel CPU you can run Linux on. While it wont be able to do much, it will give you a basic system to kick around and “get to know” the insides of Linux without a million things installed and the worry of breaking it.
Unfortunately a 386 requires some special moves as the actual chip was dropped from almost all distributions long ago. All of the modern distributions I have looked at require at least a 486 CPU. This tutorial will be strictly for installing a basic bare bones Linux on a 386. Have a 486? Pentium? Faster? Never fear I will be covering that in a part II later this week.
Linux on a 386 in about an hour? Madness you might think, it probably takes Linux longer to boot on a 386 (and in some cases you are correct)! Want to know the trick? Simple, cheat!
Join me after the break for the parts and steps needed to get you started.
First we need a target machine, here is mine. It is a DEC PC325SL, which translates out to intel386SL (which is a 386SX CPU in a highly integrated package where much of the support hardware is also inside the chip) running at 25Mhz with 4MB of ram and 120MB of hard disk space. It also has 256K video memory and 640×480 color VGA display. If you can swing it, a 386DX CPU or a 386S(X/L) with a 387 math co-processor is recommended, no it doesn’t really matter if its an Intel, AMD, etc. It also needs an IDE disk up to 2G, sorry MFM drives.
Next we need a distribution that will actually work with a 386 CPU. This is where it gets to be confusing. Everyone still has a distribution called i386, but support for the 386 was dropped a while ago. I looked at some of my favorites, Debian, Slackware, FreeBSD, and NetBSD (which I know are not Linux but hey.) Here is what I found out:
Debian stopped support with 3 so anything earlier is ok.
Slackware stopped around the same time in release 9.
FreeBSD states that it requires a 386DX, but then says most 386 laptops are ok via math emulation, but in a more current readme it states that you need a 486 (confused?)
NetBSD says it should work on all 386’s but I never made it that far.
Well of course I am not a super Linux guru, and can really only futz around without running off to a forum or a book, so I went with Debian. Originally version 2.2 as it was the newest version that machine could run, and yes in fact it did. The problem is it took over an hour to boot with a year 2000 generic kernel and when it finally did it refused to move past the package installer.
You could spend a lot of time trimming and optimizing to get it running great, but I am facing a brutal truth here, and that is the best I could run is still over a decade out of date and its going to require a lot of work. So I just simply stepped back in time a bit further to find something a bit more appropriate.
In the end I used Debian 1.3.1, which is a mid 1990’s Linux, and that’s really the point. Use whatever you like but its going to have to be pretty old or require a ton of work, which at that point you might be better off doing it from scratch.
Tools for the cheat install:
x86 compatible Host PC with an IDE/ATA port, and a standard BIOS capable of booting into DOS. I used my dual core AMD A2X2 with a nvidia chip-set so its pretty safe to say most PC’s will. It also needs an Internet connection and some form of Linux installed or booted (I use mint)
CD ROM or USB stick you can boot from with a windows 98 emergency boot disk (EBD from here on), or since MS DOS does not know how to access USB or SATA CD ROM’s, I used a old IDE drive with a 100Mb FAT16 partition on it.
IDE to 3.5 IDE pin adapter
, they are cheap and handy I suggest you have one, just make sure you plug it in correctly you can kill your drive (as in magic smoke kill).
That should do it, lets get started
Step One:
Turn off your Host PC, plug in a spare IDE hard disk set as slave. To keep my self from borking my computers main drive I went ahead and unplugged it from the SATA port. Check BIOS to make sure its detected and that you are booting from your CD drive first, Insert the Windows EBD save changes and let the computer boot from the EBD.
You will see a Windows boot disk menu, choose to “start without cd rom support”. Once at the DOS prompt use FDISK to setup a 100 or so meg partition, be sure to tell FDISK no when it asks you if you want large disk support to ensure a FAT16 partition.
Exit FDISK, reboot with the EBD and use FORMAT C: (make sure that is the correct drive if you have others plugged into the system), then Eject the EBD. In my case I then plugged my SATA hard drive back in and set BIOS to boot from that disk and went on into Linux Mint, though you could leave your main drive unattached and use a live CD Linux.
I know that linux can make a FAT16 partition. I was having trouble with the EBD reading it while figuring this all out, so I just started making the partition with the OS that really needs it most.
Step Two:
Boot your Host PC into Linux, I am using (again) Linux Mint but It does not matter, it just has to be able to get on line, and mount a FAT16 partition. Point your web browser to the Debian archive and goto the following folder
Debian-1.3.1/main/disks-i386/1997-10-13/
Download the following files
base1_3.tgz
resc1440.bin
drv1440.bin
linux
loadlin.exe
root.bin
and copy them to your FAT16 partition.
Optional Step:
My 386 came with 120 meg disk, That might be large enough to squeeze a basic Linux system on, but I also wanted a little room for a MS DOS partition so I upgraded to a 540 meg hard drive. Of course 386’s and other <1994 machines have a bios limitation of 1024 cylinders limiting the drive to 500 megs. This computer is even more picky limiting my choices down to 2 DEC approved drives, the 120 meg or a 240 meg (probably sold as an option). In order to use this drive so that both DOS and Linux can live happily on it, I must use a drive overlay (ick). So far I have been avoiding the use of floppies, but I do have floppies, and the drive on the machine works fine.
I found a old copy of Western Digital EZ Drive 9.03, I also used a MS-DOS6.22 boot floppy image. EZ drive is simple but even if you do not want a DOS partition, you HAVE to have one or else EZ drive will scream “no boot partition” and halt. So make at least 1 MSDOS partition at the start of the drive, even if its only a megabyte in size.
Step 3:
Remove the hard disk from the 386 and attach it to your host PC, it should be MASTER on Channel 0 and the drive with the FAT16 partition we put the install files on. should be the SLAVE on Channel 0. Enter your PC bios and find your 386’s drive, and be sure to turn off LBA. If you are using a drive overlay set your bios where it boots from the 386 drive first.
Reboot the Host PC (I disconnected my main drive for now as well), if you are using a drive overlay let it boot the hard disk first, then tell the overlay to boot from drive A, insert your Windows EBD into your CD drive and it will eventually load. If you are not using an overlay just boot from the Windows EBD. When you come up to the EBD boot menu use the arrow keys to stop the timer, then hold SHIFT and press F5 which will just dump you directly to a command prompt.
Find the drive with the linux install files on it and run:
loadlin linux root=/dev/ram initrd=root.bin
The debian installer should fire right up, follow the menus until you come to the disk partitioner. Create 2 partitions, 1 as type 82 (linux swap) at about 16-32 megs big, and the other should be set up as you like as your space. I just used the remainder of the disk and it defaulted to a linux type. Write the changes and continue on with the installer. Also be sure to use the right disk, it should be /dev/hda
The installer should continue and eventually ask you to install lilo, which is fine on the MBR, then reboot. Remove any disks still left in the Host PC and Debian should start. Now you have to go though another round of configuration questions. Eventually you will get to the dselect package manager (which I hate). Once you figure out how to exit dselect you should still be root. Type in halt and the system should start shutting down, if you are logged into your user account you need to use su and enter the root password first to halt the machine.
Step 4:
Once everything is down, remove your 386 drive from the Host PC and place it back into the 386, with a little luck it should start up just fine. Though there is nothing but the bare basics installed, there is still a ton of stuff to check out and poke around through. Outside of reading this and getting everything prepared it should take about an hour.
Getting software packages into the machine, right now I am just downloading the deb files from the Debian archive on my mac and coping them over via floppy disks. Another option would be to use minicom and a null modem cable. If you are really lucky you can get networking going. I downloaded the entire binary-i386 folder for Debian 1.3.1 and its about 400MB, and while I am not trying to load the machine up, some things like a menu driven text editor (fte) and mouse support are nice.
Have fun and be sure to tune in for part II which involves my 8MB Pentium 90 laptop for linux after 386, you might find it surprising. | 121 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "433557",
"author": "roliver",
"timestamp": "2011-08-13T01:40:19",
"content": "Cool… I have an old Compaq 486 laptop that I was considering cross compiling Linux from Scratch for. Tried using a boot floppy and Puppy linux on a parallel ported ZIP100 disc before that but it wouldn’t ... | 1,760,377,115.56415 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/beer-chilling-in-the-name-of-science/ | Beer Chilling In The Name Of Science | Mike Szczys | [
"Beer Hacks"
] | [
"chilling",
"co2"
] | We’ve all been there. The day is done and it’s time for a cold one but you neglected to put more beer in the fridge after imbibing the last bottle the night before. You could chuck it in the freezer and revisit your attempt at refreshment in an hour. But if you need a malty beverage right now there’s no faster route than a beer chiller.
This particular beer chilling device
is [Michael’s] entry in DEFCON 19’s Beer Chilling Contraption Contest. It can take a pint of beer from 90 degrees down to 45 degrees in just four seconds. Of course there’s a fair amount of setup time before you’re ready to use it. The device is a pipe within a pipe. The inner pipe houses the beer and the pipe surrounding it provides a containment area for a chilling liquid. [Michael] chose to use liquid carbon dioxide as a coolant because of it’s boiling temperature when under pressure. That is to say, the hottest part of the CO2 liquid is around the walls of the center pipe. By carefully dialing in the pressure of that outer chamber, the CO2 will boil away into gas as it cools the beer, making room for more liquid CO2 to contact the pipe and continue the cooling process. | 19 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "433504",
"author": "Spork",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T23:12:22",
"content": "Pipe within a pipe…. inception?!What would be cool is a keg with an insulator layer, filled with liquid C02, then a coiled pipe for the beer. That way you don’t need a ladder… and it’s a recognizable device ... | 1,760,377,115.733293 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/stream-music-anywhere-in-your-house-with-these-wifi-speakers/ | Stream Music Anywhere In Your House With These WiFi Speakers | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ethernet",
"mp3",
"speakers",
"wifie",
"wifly"
] | [Rui] needed an easy way to play music in several different zones from one centralized location, but he didn’t want to run any new wiring in the process.
He figured that the best way to do this would be to stream his music
directly to his speakers over Ethernet
. Earlier this year, he put together a handful of Ethernet-connected speaker nodes using a few Arduinos equipped with both Ethernet and MP3 shields. To interface with these speaker nodes, he wrote an application utilizing VLC’s network streaming engine. This software monitors his network for newly attached speakers, adding them to his inventory automatically. He can choose to play music on any set of speakers using a multicast audio stream.
The setup was pretty slick, but what about locations that didn’t already have Ethernet drops? He thought of that too,
revising his design just recently
. The newest set of speakers he constructed ditches the Ethernet board for a Wifly shield, all of which he crammed inside the speaker cabinets. Now, he has the ability to stream music anywhere he’d like, no matter what sort of infrastructure is in place.
If you have a need to do this in your home, [Rui] has made his software available for free on his site, so be sure to grab a copy.
Continue reading to see a short video of the speakers in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX8JxCu89JY&w=470] | 27 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "433349",
"author": "tim",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T19:15:06",
"content": "Great idea, but I work for a hi-fi audio IC manufacturer so the poor sound quality is a real turn-off for me",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "433425",
... | 1,760,377,115.628111 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/two-axis-panning-time-lapse-rig-built-from-lego/ | Two-axis Panning Time Lapse Rig Built From Lego | Mike Nathan | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Toy Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"lego",
"photography",
"time-lapse"
] | [Jochem] wrote in to share a neat
time lapse camera dolly he constructed out of Lego bricks
. He is a big fan of the two-axis panning time lapse effect where the camera moves while recording images. He figured it would be easy enough to construct one of his own, so he dug out his pail of Lego and got to work.
The rig consists of a stationary motor platform which pulls a movable sled using a simple gear and string. The motor platform is controlled by an Arduino, which pulls the movable sled along every so often, snapping pictures along the way. [Jochem’s] Nikon D80 supports shutter release via IR, so he programmed the Arduino to send a quick IR pulse each time it has finished moving the dolly.
The rig looks like it works pretty well as you can see by the video below, but [Jochem] says that it still needs a bit of work. We just can’t wait to see what other time lapse movies he puts together once he finds an “interesting” time lapse subject.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/26695600 w=470] | 14 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "433360",
"author": "Nomad",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T19:39:02",
"content": "Ehm…TWO-Axis?That’s a wrong statement. I don’t know how good i am at counting to two, but I’m very sure we have only one-axis movement here.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
... | 1,760,377,115.678919 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/overhaul-an-old-mechanical-keyboard/ | Overhaul An Old Mechanical Keyboard | Jesse Congdon | [
"classic hacks",
"how-to",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"keyboard",
"retr0brite",
"Teensy",
"vintage computing"
] | Deskthority forum user [lowpoly] recently posted a writeup on his complete
overhaul of an Apple M0110
mechanical keyboard. Any one familiar with the satisfying
clack
of a good mechanical key under their fingers can appreciate the effort put into this project.
[lowpoly] removed the keyboard’s PCB, rewired the key matrix adding diodes, built in a teensy USB board, broke apart the mechanical switches and fit replacement springs and finally applied a generous portion of
retr0bright
to all of the aging plastic. Since the teensy has no mounting holes [lowpoly] had to create a mounting assembly out of some spare plastic. A usb mini cable is even fitted into the original RJ-11 connector. To compensate for the lack of PCB the key assembly was fitting with some rubber washers. To top off the whole thing some nice new rubber feet were taped to the underside of the M0110.
[lowpoly] reports that with the foam, new springs, and lack of PCB the keyboard is much quieter and easy to use. The end result is a slick retro looking modern keyboard. If you’ll excuse us we have to go rooting through some old storage bins to find our own ancient keyboards.
We have seen our share of
vintage
keyboard
hacks
which can be
useful
,
impressive
and sometimes just
odd
. This build keeps it down to a nice simple, functional, useful retrofit. Nice work! | 16 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "433282",
"author": "chango",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T17:20:15",
"content": "Only IBM, Lexmark, and Unicomp ever made buckling spring keyboards. These are purely mechanical.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "433288",
"a... | 1,760,377,115.982992 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/wii-homebrew-hack-no-game-discs-required/ | Wii Homebrew Hack – No Game Discs Required | Mike Nathan | [
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"homebrew",
"jailbreak",
"wii"
] | Jailbreaking hacks have come and gone for the Wii, ever changing as Nintendo tweaks their software to prevent homebrew from running. Piracy concerns aside, there is a legitimate Wii homebrew scene, and
a new, easy to use tool has been released
for those looking to give it a try.
Many of the previous jailbreaks relied on
bugs found
within official Wii games, but there’s a new kid on the block that requires nothing more than an Internet connection and an SD card. LetterBomb is the latest jailbreaking tool, which was created by an individual named [blasty]. It seems incredibly easy to use, requiring little more than entering your Wii’s MAC address into a web form. The site generates a customized jailbreak file, which your run on your Wii via the SD card – that’s all there is to it!
If I had a Wii, I would be hesitant to enter any sort of globally-unique number that could identify my console into a random web site, but perhaps I am being overly paranoid. Either way, it would be great to see an open-source version of this tool released so that jailbreaks could be done offline, without any risk of having your MAC address recorded.
[Thanks, blurry] | 50 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "433227",
"author": "Koolguy007",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T15:36:42",
"content": "I personally prefer the Bannerbomb method. Its easy to use and doesn’t require giving out ANY information.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "433229... | 1,760,377,115.932211 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/arduino-link-libraries/ | Arduino Link Libraries | Kevin Dady | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [] | Arduino is great, but it sometimes gets in the way due to its entry level style of doing things. One limitation is making your own library that also includes other libraries.[Scott] has sent in a great tutorial that deals with just that issue.
He covers how to
make your own custom libraries while building off of preexisting ones
. That’s something Arduino’s automatic magic wont touch.He covers getting your library to compile while including aanother library, linking versus compiling, and getting it all linked up.
Add in clear examples, lots of explanation and a hand full of good practices for C with libraries (like Forward Class Declaration vs Includes, and Using Brackets vs Quotation Marks for Includes), and this is one tutorial that any aspiring AVR or Arduino developer should check out. | 7 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "433158",
"author": "Brett W. (FightCube.com)",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T14:15:20",
"content": "Nice! Thanks for posting this :-D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "433294",
"author": "qwerty",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T17:3... | 1,760,377,116.129939 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/12/persistence-of-vision-helicopter-blades-with-rgb-leds/ | Persistence Of Vision Helicopter Blades With RGB LEDs | Brian Benchoff | [
"LED Hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"helicopter",
"helicopter POV",
"persistence of vision",
"POV"
] | A user named [BOcnc] on the rcgroups forums just posted his
RGB POV helicopter blades
.
The two blades are attached to the heli just as any other whirlygig. The
electronics
, though, are mounted underneath the blade with a battery pack. We covered a build
last year
that demonstrated weight added to a spinning blade won’t tear everything apart, but that build used only blue LEDs. This build is full color and makes us feel like we’re living in a cyberpunk future populated by
Recognizers
and Daft Punk.
The images are stored on an SD card that receives data from a USB port. The microcontroller is a PIC32, and from what we can assume from the schematics, the RPM of the blades is measured by an on-board hall effect sensor (don’t quote us on that, though). There’s no hope of a commercial release from [BOcnc], though. He can’t find anyone to manufacture the blades, and the entire build was too expensive. It sure looks pretty though, so check out the video of it after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giHx48q3dpo&w=470] | 17 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "433070",
"author": "Olivier",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T11:17:21",
"content": "Very impressive, looks great !",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "433135",
"author": "Squintz",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T13:28:02",
"content"... | 1,760,377,116.040132 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/11/how-to-put-your-logo-in-a-qr-code/ | How To Put Your Logo In A QR Code | Brian Benchoff | [
"Featured",
"how-to"
] | [
"howto",
"logo",
"qr code"
] | After writing
this post
on somone hacking QR codes,
Hack A Day commenters
came out in full force posting some
really cool links
about modifying QR codes to include a logo. I’ll fully admit I geeked out a little, but in the process I figured out some of the theory behind embedding logos in QR codes.
After getting my hands on the ISO 18004 specification for QR codes, I decided to try embedding the Hack A Day skull & wrenches inside a QR code. The tools I used were Photoshop,
this QR code generator
, and Microsoft Paint (I’ve never seen a program to edit individual pixels that has a better UI, so don’t laugh).
For this ‘how-to,’ I’m going to walk through the process of modifying a Version 6 QR code. The Version 6 QR code is 41 pixels square, and is a very good balance between the amount of data that can be presented and the physical size of the code itself. The graphic below shows what is absolutely required of a Version 6 QR code standard. In practice, what is actually necessary is a little different, but I’ll just go with the specs for now.
Black in this graphic will
always
be black, white pixels in this graphic will
always
be white, red is a “keep out zone,” and gray is “don’t care.” The alternating black and white band on the top and left side of the QR code is the ‘timing pattern.’ This is the little bit that divides everything on the QR code into columns and rows. The gray part of this graphic is separated into 172 8-pixel zones, as shown below:
If anyone wants to 4-color map theorem this, I’ll gladly update it.
Some of these zones are non-contiguous, so I drew black lines connecting the corresponding parts. Each of these 8-pixel parts translate into one byte of data in an alphanumeric QR code. Now, the million dollar question: why is knowing how the bytes are arranged in a QR code important? The answer is with a high level of error correction, about 30% of these bytes can be complete gibberish, and your phone will still be able to read the QR code. with 172 areas, that means about 51 of them can be altered in any way, shape or form.
So, how do we implement this? First, we start out with a crappily-drawn Hack A Day logo:
It’s important to include both positive and negative space when designing this logo. If there wasn’t a white border going around the logo, the random black and white pixels would be placed right against the logo. Of course, I’m sure someone will come up with a great design that ignores this technique, but
I’ll just do it this way for now
. After overlaying the Hack A Day logo on top of the color map of the QR code, we get this:
Then we
physically count
the number of 8 pixel cells that are obscured by the logo. Since we’re doing a Version 6 QR code, about 51 of these cells can be covered up. It looks like this graphic is okay, so we move onto the next step: putting a real QR code in this thing.
I used
this site
to generate all my QR codes for this post. It allows you to select the QR version number and the error correction level. After typing in “
http://www.hackaday.com”
; as the code I want embedded, I ended up with this:
This little guy is going on our business cards.
That’s all well and good, but what if you want to put a logo in a QR code that a little bit larger than what would ‘normally’ be permitted? What if, for example, you wanted to tread into the timing area on the top and left side of a QR code? This is where design comes in. If a logo already has alternating black and white pixels, like the AT&T ‘Death Star’ for example, it’s fairly easy to have that logo overlap the timing pattern.
Yes, I used a Version 14 QR code for this, meaning it’s 73 pixels on a side. I did come up with
smaller one
, but it really doesn’t look as good.
Notice the blue bars. QR code interpreters don’t care if a pixel is white, black, red, orange, or maroon – only contrast matters. Since the blue in Big Blue is fairly dark, it registers as a dark pixel. This can be exploited by adding both visual contrast and getting rid of the 1-pixel border that is required of a 1-bit graphic.
If the Firefox logo had a white border, the logo would cover more than 30% of the QR code. Putting in a full color graphic – especially one that defines itself from a background with a dark edge like an icon – gets around the need for a white border all the way around a logo. I’m sure there are more clever ways of toying with the palette of a logo, but I’ll let that go for another time.
But wait, there’s more. I’m not limited to the resolution of the QR code – I can overlay stuff at a higher resolution than the QR. This observation led me to this:
Yes, it works.
I’m hoping this how-to was at least a little helpful in demonstrating how logos can be put into QR codes. If you’ve got a neat example of this, leave a note in the comments or send it in on the
tip line
. | 143 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "432845",
"author": "altpersona",
"timestamp": "2011-08-12T01:11:38",
"content": "When I did mine, I just whited out an area in the middle and started filling black back in.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "432848",
"author": ... | 1,760,377,116.337936 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/control-led-lighting-with-an-old-stereo-receiver/ | Control LED Lighting With An Old Stereo Receiver | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"led",
"lighting",
"receiver",
"rotary encoder",
"stereo"
] | [Marklar] needed an IR receiver for a project he was working on, and his local electronics store was fresh out. He dug through his junk pile and found an old stereo receiver, so he decided to pull the IR module from it before tossing it out. Once he had it taken apart, he figured that he could utilize the wide array of electronic components he found inside, and
set off to start a new project
.
The control panel housed the components which interested him most of all. Using an Arduino, he was able to easily interface with the rotary encoders as well as the buttons, giving him a cheap and easy way to control his home lighting system. With a bit of programming, he was able to map lighting presets to various buttons, as well as use the rotary encoder to control the LEDs’ brightness and color. As an added bonus, he kept the IR receiver intact and can control his setup wirelessly as well.
Check out the video we have embedded below to see his scavenged control system at work.
[via
HackedGadgets
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoX4be7YvoY&w=470] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "432088",
"author": "David M.",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T21:12:07",
"content": "Great idea, I love it when people think to reuse larger pieces of electronics instead of only individual components..Have you tried to get the display working as well?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth"... | 1,760,377,116.087175 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/kinect-based-turntable-3d-scanner-looks-very-promising/ | Kinect-based Turntable 3D Scanner Looks Very Promising | Mike Szczys | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"3d scanner",
"Kinect",
"rgbdemo"
] | We know that the appearance of the Kinect 3D camera hardware, and subsequent open source driver hacking conquest, is a game-changer that brings the real world into much closer contact with the virtual world. But it still amazes us when we see a concept like this
turntable-based 3D object scanner
that works so incredibly well.
The concept is extremely simple. A box made from foamboard rests atop a turntable. At its center is the object you wish to scan being well-lit by a small LED light source at each upper corner of the box. First up some code and capture data about the sides and top of the object as it spins. To put the shoe back together in the virtual world, he used a modified version of
RGBDemo v0.6.0
, a Kinect focused project written by Nicolas Burrus.
[A.J] says that the scan comes out pretty well after just one pass, but that’s not stopping him from setting his sights on making this work with three of four Kinects at once. Don’t forget to check out his video demonstration which is embedded after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7LthXRoESw&w=470] | 22 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "432075",
"author": "Jordan",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T20:35:05",
"content": "This looks really good to me!I think that this technology will, in the future, revolutionise game creation. If models can be added to that sort of quality in just a few minutes then – just wow.",
"paren... | 1,760,377,116.190515 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/color-changing-door-handles/ | Color Changing Door Handles | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"door handle",
"polyester",
"resin"
] | This
color changing door handle
was made using a very simple manufacturing process. [Barmak] already had experience working with polyester resins when making passive component filled drawer pulls (he included a couple of pictures at the end of his post). The same process was used here except that instead making it from one solid chunk of clear resin he decided to use alternating layers of dyed resin.
The build begins with a mold made out of MDF. This material has a very smooth surface finish which will help with the final look of the door handle. Threaded rod is inserted through carefully placed holes in the side of the mold — these will serve as the mounting hardware when complete. He then pours thin coats of resin to build up the complete handle.
An RGB LED strip is incorporated in the side of the handle that will go toward the door. It seems like the wires to control the device pass through a hollow spacer surrounding the threaded rod. He makes some mention of using a 555 timer to control the colors, but there’s not much more information than that. Still, the reflected light is a unique feature if you’ve got a place in your home that needs to be spiced up.
Once you’re done, you can use any leftover resin to
make your own project boxes
. | 22 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "432013",
"author": "zero",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T19:01:51",
"content": "FIRST and this project is awesome i wanna do t now…….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "432029",
"author": "Henrik Pedersen",
"timestamp": "2011-0... | 1,760,377,116.511349 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/feel-the-hum-of-electricity-between-your-legs/ | Feel The Hum Of Electricity Between Your Legs | Mike Szczys | [
"green hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"battery",
"lithium",
"motorcycle"
] | Here’s a little eye candy for motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere. This is the newest iteration of
[Julian’s] electric motorcycle
. He obviously knows what he’s doing because everything fits into the frame in a way that is still very pleasing to the eye. But this is actually slimmed down from the original design. If you
take a look a back
at some of his older posts you’ll see that the four relatively small lithium batteries are a new addition.
The frame was designed to hold four lead-acid batteries. Those things really take up a lot of space and add considerable weight to the vehicle. His recent upgrade was also accompanied by a re-gearing that allows him to reach higher speeds (although he doesn’t say what the top speed actually is). You can’t really see it above, but [Julian] included a wooden insert where the tank on a gasoline motorcycle would have been. It houses control switches as well as a 48V voltmeter. It’s a fantastic finishing touch like the cherry on a sundae. | 21 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "431943",
"author": "Alan O",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T16:39:14",
"content": "Great job! Best looking electric bike conversion that I’ve seen!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "432116",
"author": "julian",
"timest... | 1,760,377,116.451487 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/make-w7-64-bit-play-nice-with-your-programmer/ | Make W7 64 Bit Play Nice With Your Programmer | Kevin Dady | [
"News"
] | [] | External EPROM burners are pretty handy gadgets to have around. They obviously can read and write EPROMS, but often times they will also handle a pile of PIC’s, some AVR’s, and other programmable logic like PAL/GAL and CLPD’s. While you can often find old models floating around for cheap (or free in my case) there are a few issues to be hammered out.
Typically the models you’re going to get for a song and a dance are old parallel port models that use software in MS-DOS or Windows and hasn’t been updated since. The software typically bit bangs the port using it like a 1 byte wide GPIO line, and this was a common trick, that is long gone from current operating systems by default.
[Doug] sought to find a solution to
using one of these gadgets on Windows 7 X64
, and lots of Google-fu, poking at libraries, and a little code modification he does just that getting his Sivava Willem EPROM programmer working like a champ on a nice new i7 with a parallel port add in card. | 21 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "431866",
"author": "mohonri",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T14:15:57",
"content": "It sounds to me like there’s a market out there for a usb-based GPIO device. Since recent OSes don’t let you directly bit-bash parallel or serial ports any more, it’d be nice to have a cheap USB device th... | 1,760,377,116.396947 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/an-introduction-to-dc-boost-converters/ | An Introduction To DC Boost Converters | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"boost converter",
"pwm"
] | If you are planning on creating some sort of Nixie tube display, you will undoubtedly need to find yourself a high voltage DC power supply. If you don’t want to add a transformer to your project, you can always opt
to build a boost converter instead
. [Andrew Moser] shows us just how easy it is to build one, discussing the theory behind simple boost converters along the way.
Boost converters are often driven by dedicated ICs, but in this case the PWM signal from an Arduino does the job just fine. [Andrew] covers the process of choosing the proper components for the circuit, discussing duty cycles and components to avoid lest your boost converter die an untimely death.
He shows us how to implement a feedback system to get a more precise output voltage, but as
Lady Ada has shown us
, an open loop works pretty well too.
For the beginners that want to just get things up and running, his instructions and code should be sufficient, but [Andrew] provides plenty of reference links for those looking to delve deeper into the subject. | 17 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "431849",
"author": "grenadier",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T13:38:50",
"content": "Or you could just use a 555 timer :p",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "431850",
"author": "chic",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T13:41:43",
"con... | 1,760,377,116.567362 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/10/impressive-lighting-console-offers-professional-features-for-a-fraction-of-the-price/ | Impressive Lighting Console Offers Professional Features For A Fraction Of The Price | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"capacitive touch",
"dmx",
"lighting"
] | Hackaday reader [Michael] wrote in to share the build details of
an impressive lighting console
he has been working on for some time. He says that the 36+ channel console is on par with lighting rigs costing upwards of $5,000, but his was constructed for just around $1,000 – quite the substantial savings.
The console was constructed around an old IBM desktop computer, which handles all of the DMX output as well as preset management. An array of 20 ATMega 328Ps running the Arduino bootloader are scattered throughout the device, 18 of which are used to manage the six fader panels, while the remaining two handle management tasks. Aside from the fader banks, the console features a main control board featuring several LCD screens along with 17 capacitive touch buttons used for menu navigation and console control.
While [Michael] is finished building the board, he has just begun the documentation of the construction process. His blog should be updated regularly with more details, so be sure to check back often. Code, as well as hopefully tons of pictures and videos are all forthcoming.
[Edit: Cost comparison update] | 31 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "431798",
"author": "loans",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T11:25:44",
"content": "The writeup is painfully sparse on details. It sounds suspiciously like he’s devised a preset board. While this might be an impressive feat for the home builder, having control over 36 channels is not a sign... | 1,760,377,116.635027 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/an-earthcore-hexapod-with-minimal-mechanical-parts/ | An “Earthcore” Hexapod With Minimal Mechanical Parts | Jeremy Cook | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"Earthcore",
"hexapod",
"PICAXE"
] | Although hexapod robots have been featured on [HAD] many times,
this one
features a really cool minimalistic design. With few mechanical parts to support the three servos, the “Earthcore Hexapod Robot” has a unique gait, tending to quickly slide the driving legs rather than picking the whole robot up. Although it would probably have trouble on rough terrain, for use on a smooth floor or counter, this ‘bot is perfectly suited. Check out the video of it after the break.
Another thing that really stands out on this bot is the blue LED “eyes” and it’s tubing “hat.” The “hat” hides the wiring for the three servos, while most of the circuitry looks to be in between the eyes. The main controller is a PICAXE 18M2 micro-controller. 3 AAA batteries seen behind the tubing power the unit.
As for the name “Earthcore”, it’s based on a
book
by [Scott Sigler]. If there is a movie version in the works, we hope he calls [onefivefour] to help with the special effects!
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2R0Vv34Wg4&w=470&h=349%5D
For another small hexapod project, check out
this one
made from clear plastic! | 5 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "431544",
"author": "miked",
"timestamp": "2011-08-10T00:32:10",
"content": "This hexapod is “minimal” on details as well!! The link only has pics.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "619640",
"author": "Gilbert",
"... | 1,760,377,116.676143 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/enhance-your-magnetic-silly-putty-with-personal-lubricants/ | Enhance Your Magnetic Silly Putty With Personal Lubricants | Mike Nathan | [
"chemistry hacks"
] | [
"iron oxide",
"lubricants",
"magnetic",
"rare earth magnets",
"silly putty"
] | Instructables user [killbox] seems to have come across a process that actually
makes magnetic silly putty “better”
, depending on your specific needs. He had tons of fun
making a batch of magnetic putty
, but thought that the addition of iron oxide made it stiff and a bit slow moving for his tastes.
He tried to find a household item that could act as silly putty thinner, but after trying various oils, gylcerin, and rubbing alcohol, he came up empty handed. Undeterred, he researched how silly putty itself is made, and based on its list of ingredients, decided to seek out some sort of silcone-based lubricant.
He headed out to the local sex shop, and spent some time browsing through the “personal lubricant” section, in hopes of finding what he needed. He settled on ”Gun Oil”, a silicone lubricant that also contained Dimethicone, an item on the ingredient list of the lubricant he initially used to make the batch of magnetic putty.
After adding the lubricant, he found that the putty retained its texture, but flowed far more easily. The thinner putty also consumes rare earth magnets more quickly than its unaltered brethren, as you can see in the picture above.
We’re not sure how far you could push the ferro-putty before it would become a mess, but it’s certainly warrants further experiments.
[Thanks, Mike] | 20 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "431440",
"author": "1000100 1000001 1010110 1000101",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T21:07:51",
"content": "Going to the adult store in the name of science…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "431500",
"author": "Bill",
... | 1,760,377,117.079196 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/lighted-shoe-ruffles-hell-never-step-you-your-toes-again/ | Lighted Shoe Ruffles — He’ll Never Step On Your Toes Again | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"conductive thread",
"led",
"sewing",
"shoe",
"throwies"
] | Whether for fashion, emergency lighting, or just to make a statement,
these lighted shoe clips
make for a unique footwear accessory. [Becky Stern], who we’ve seen before
hacking automatic knitting machines
, tackles this quick lighted project.
The electronics are simple, two LEDs connected in parallel to a button battery by some conductive thread. The circuit is the same as an LED throwie, but she’s using a sewable battery holder. The ruffle is made by cutting out and folding several circles of fabric. We’re not too used to working with this building material and were glad to hear her tip on fusing the cut edges with a lighter. She’s also got a good tip about bending one LED lead in a square shape and the other in a round shape to keep track of the polarity. After sewing everything together and completing the circuit with the conductive thread [Becky] adds a paper clamp making this easy to use with any shoe. In fact, the guy’s don’t have to miss out on the fun as this could easily double as a boutineer.
Don’t miss [Becky’s] complete walk through video embedded after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsaZ8_uMt-Y&w=470] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "431424",
"author": "RM",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T20:33:48",
"content": "I am sorry, but Al Bundy did it first with his “shoe lights.” in 1988/1989",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "431435",
"author": "daniel_reetz",
"time... | 1,760,377,116.733529 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/play-by-play-of-a-high-altitude-balloon-flight/ | Play-by-play Of A High Altitude Balloon Flight | Brian Benchoff | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"balloon",
"gps",
"high altitude balloon",
"near space"
] | [Greg Intermaggio] and [Shumit DasGupta] at
Techsplosion
launched a high altitude balloon last week that climbed to 90,000 feet above sea level somewhere over California. The
play-by-play
of the flight is one of the better stories we’ve seen on high altitude balloon builds.
The balloon, christened VGER-1, carried a
SPOT satellite GPS messanger
to send telemetry back to the ground. We’ve seen a few home brew
balloon tracking devices
, but [Greg] decided to use an off-the-shelf solution for the sake of simplicity. Like
other balloons
the VGER-1 carried a CanonPowershot camera with
CHDK
firmware.
The
ground track
of the balloon shows it being launched west of the San Francisco bay, going above the 60,000 foot limit of commercial GPS units about 15 miles South of Sacramento, and eventually landing just off Interstate 80 a few miles from Lake Tahoe. It’s great that the guys found an easy commercial solution to the tracking problem (that doesn’t risk a smart phone), but if we did this, we’d
predict the balloon’s trajectory
before launch.
[Greg] put up
an album
of some of the best pictures taken by his balloon. If you’re in the Bay Area this weekend, [Greg] and [Shumit] will be organizing a
group launch
of high-altitude balloons. Seems like a really great way to spend a Saturday if you ask us. | 16 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "431359",
"author": "MS3FGX",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T19:08:11",
"content": "These builds always impress me. Would love to put together my own near-spacecraft like this one day.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "431379",
"auth... | 1,760,377,117.021191 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/gods-own-keyboard-now-with-bluetooth/ | God’s Own Keyboard, Now With Bluetooth | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"hardware",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"clicky keyboard",
"ibm",
"Model M",
"ps2"
] | For decades a thunderous roar rose from the bowels of IBM keyboards like the animus of angry and forgotten gods. These keyboards have fallen silent of late, due only to incompatibility with newer hardware. Now, Model Ms have been given a reprieve from landfills or recycling centers because of the work of [wulax] of geekhack and his
Model M Bluetooth controller board
.
Because of some very old and power-hungry electronics, the
Model M
sometimes draws more power from a PS/2 port than a computer can supply. That means
PS/2 to USB adapters don’t work sometimes
. In any event, PS/2 ports were
declared a legacy port
11 years ago. We’re surprised that new motherboards still include one.
[wulax] got around all these problems by taking the Bluetooth controller out of a
cheap mini keyboard
and mapping the Model M rows and columns to it. A PCB was made and a rather large battery was stuffed inside the Model M. Now a keyboard from 1984 is wireless and able to interface with just about every computer made in the last few years.
There are a couple leftover PCBs [wulax] is hanging onto. We’d
love
to see these Model M replacement boards manufactured as a drop-in replacement for Model Ms. Actually, we’re wondering why this hasn’t been done already. If you’ve got an idea, leave a note in the comments. | 49 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "431300",
"author": "DanAdamKOF",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T18:04:08",
"content": "As a daily Model M user I wholeheartedly approve of this hack.If they mass-produce these PCBs, sign me up!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "431305",... | 1,760,377,117.164045 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/stretch-your-circuits-battery-life-by-putting-your-pic-to-sleep/ | Stretch Your Circuit’s Battery Life By Putting Your PIC To Sleep | Mike Nathan | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"pic",
"power savings",
"sleep mode"
] | [Rajendra Bhatt] wrote in to share the latest in a series of PIC tutorials, which covers
the microcontroller’s Sleep mode
– a very useful tool for limiting current consumption in battery-powered applications.
He discusses how to put the PIC in sleep mode, as well as some common mistakes to watch out for, such as accidentally allowing I/O pins to sink or source current while sleeping. [Rajendra] also walks through the various ways a PIC can be brought out of sleep mode, focusing the majority of his tutorial to the mcu’s watchdog timer.
Using a PIC16F628A, he constructs a test circuit which allows him to demonstrate the power savings gained by using sleep mode rather than the microcontroller’s built-in delay function. The circuit simply blinks an LED every 4.3 seconds, using the watchdog timer for the first 2.3 seconds, and a delay() call for the rest of the time.
The power savings are quite substantial, similar to the results we saw
using AVR microcontrollers a few weeks ago.
[Rajendra] found that using the sleep function limited current consumption to about 4.5% of the current used when calling the mcu’s delay function – a huge savings. | 13 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "431291",
"author": "KNfLrPn",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T17:49:22",
"content": "It should be noted that the microcontroller doesn’t have a built-in (implying hardware) delay function. delay() is done in software by making a huge loop of NOPs and leaves the uC fully powered and active... | 1,760,377,117.355086 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/quit-monkeying-about/ | Quit Monkeying About! | Nick Schulze | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"Kinect",
"Monkey"
] | This friendly little monkey is the latest creation from [Jan Sieber] and [Ralph Kistler]. Yes it’s another Kinect Hack, the Kinect tracks the users stance using the OpenNI Framework and OSCeleton. The information is sent to an Arduino crammed inside the monkey, also inside the poor little monkey are 10 servo motors and a nightmarish wire skeleton. The monkey is left dangling from the Kinect sensor by several cables, ready to follow your every move. The monkey seems fairly sprightly for someone who has had all their insides removed, it is able to copy a multitude of stances quite swiftly.
The video after the break shows the monkey in action for about 1 minute. Then the team go through the build and application of the clever little monkey in a musical/documentary style video. There is also a creepy section where the monkey draws its own skeleton then freaks out.. Enjoy..
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWAud-9jNJY&sns=em&w=470] | 16 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "431262",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T16:24:17",
"content": "That is cute! I just watched the first minute three times. Now to watch the rest. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "431265",
"author": "DanAdamKO... | 1,760,377,117.216564 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/hacking-qr-codes-for-fun-and-profit/ | Hacking QR Codes For Fun And Profit | Brian Benchoff | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"qr code",
"QR hack"
] | QR codes are everywhere these days, from being printed onto receipts to chiseled into granite tombstones. [Will] came up with a way to
modify existing QR codes
, and his hack has the potential to cause quite a bit of harmless mischief.
[Will]’s hack involves a little photo editing, transparency film, and some white-out/Liquid Paper/Tippex. After the ‘target’ and ‘destination’ QR codes have been imported into Gimp, the differences are found and the result printed out on a transparency sheet. After that, hang the transparency over the original and the QR code now goes to the URL of your choice.
On a ‘high’ level of error correction,
a lot of neat stuff
can be done with the design of a QR code including
putting logos
inside a QR code by modifying the 359 ‘data pixels’ of a
25×25 code
. We’re wondering if anyone has ever written a script to exploit the error correction of QR codes. In any event, it is possible to brute-force changes until the least number of pixels are changed.
The ISO 18004 standard is available online if anyone would like to take up that challenge. If a Hack A Day reader figures it out, send in the code on the
tip line
and we’ll put that right up. | 45 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "431204",
"author": "Zee",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T15:14:10",
"content": "http://wordpress.mrreid.org/2011/08/06/hacking-qr-codes/If you modify QR codes this way you’re an asshole. This is not about security it’s about fucking over people when they want to save time.",
"parent_i... | 1,760,377,117.302992 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/gain-wizardly-knowledge-about-crystals/ | Gain Wizardly Knowledge About Crystals | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"crystal",
"oscillator",
"ring oscillator"
] | Make sure your test equipment is handy, then
give this video series about crystal oscillators a spin
. [Shahriar] of the Signal Path Blog put together a four-part video blog post totaling about an hour. In the discussion he covers the ins and outs of crystal oscillators and ring oscillators. His focus is on how these parts are used as timekeeping devices for microcontrollers. This isn’t a lecture that skims the surface of the topic, it takes you down the rabbit hole, discussing theory, how the devices are built, how to use them, and the pitfalls of doing so.
Our favorite part is in the fourth segment when [Shahriar] measures the effect that temperature has on crystals by spraying them with an inverted compressed air canister. We always thought we were just screwing around when freezing stuff like that. It didn’t occur to us that we were conducting serious experiments.
We’ve embedded the first segment of the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYGwfVnGAdg&w=470] | 19 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "431197",
"author": "Shahriar",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T14:54:27",
"content": "Thank you HaD for featuring this. I hope the viewers would also find the other videos beneficial. We hope to make a few videos every month.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,117.410928 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/ever-wonder-where-cool-interactive-museum-exhibits-come-from/ | Ever Wonder Where Cool Interactive Museum Exhibits Come From? | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"dtmf",
"fat",
"museum",
"sd",
"telephone",
"xmega"
] | [Victor’s] girlfriend works at a museum and enlisted his expertise in
designing an interactive detective game for kids visiting the museum
. The vision was for the kids to discover phone numbers that they could call for clues. Originally he planned to display the clues on a character LCD, but obviously it’s much neater to hear the clues in the handset of the phone.
Quickly switching gears, [Victor] dropped the ATtiny2313 and started over with an Xmega chip — in fact, it was
our recent Xmega post
that inspired him to document his project. The microcontroller is responsible for a lot of goings-on. It scans the key matrix for inputs, simulates the DTMF touch tones, reads audio files from a FAT file system on an SD card, and plays them back over the hand set’s speaker. Since most of the hardware is already built into the phones, it was not hard to fit his add-ons inside the case. A simple audio amplifier circuit joins the microcontroller, which is patched into the rows and columns of the keyboard. Take a gander at the video after the break to see the device in action.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/27451012 w=470] | 13 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "431177",
"author": "Victor",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T13:54:10",
"content": "Errr.. It’s my girlfriend, not my sister. Otherwise the info is correct ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "431198",
"author": "Mike Szczys",
... | 1,760,377,117.510644 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/sous-vide-crock-pot-controller/ | Sous Vide Crock Pot Controller | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"crock pot",
"outlet",
"PID controller",
"sous-vide"
] | Tempted by what sous vide cooking has to offer, but balking at the price for a unitasker, [Lee’s] father in law set out to see if he could rig up his own
precision temperature controlled cooking system on the cheap
. He immediately hit eBay and shelled out about around $75 to get his hands on a solid state relay, PID controller, and temperature probe.
As you can see above, a crock pot serves as the cooking vessel. We’ve seen this method before, either
splicing into the power cord
, or providing
a single outlet on the controller
. This version provides a PID controlled outlet to which the appliance can be plugged in. The other outlet in the socket is always on and powers an aquarium pump that circulates the heated water during the cooking process.
The result works quite well, even though it wasn’t a huge cost savings. There are a few issues with positioning of the temperature probe, but that may be where experience comes into play. | 12 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "431158",
"author": "James",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T12:51:05",
"content": "I built a setup like this and found that the crock pot didn’t have enough horsepower to regulate the heat. It would take a long time to reach my target temperature, then when I added some food the temp woul... | 1,760,377,117.462342 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/09/a-robotic-turtle-platform-to-buy-or-build/ | A Robotic Turtle Platform To Buy Or Build | Jeremy Cook | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"robot",
"sonar",
"turtle"
] | This
electric turtle bot instructable
describes a fairly simple turtle-style robot meant to be laser cut out of acrylic (although other materials such as aluminum, MDF, or polycarbonate should work just as well). This frame is also optionally for sale, which should appeal to those that would like a mechanical robotics platform to play with, but don’t have access to machine tools. The build instructions include a detailed bill of materials which should come in handy.
As displayed in the video after the break, the robot uses a sonar sensor to navigate. This sensor is set up on a servo in order to scan the terrain, and, depending on how it’s programmed, hopefully avoid obstacles. As of when the video was taken, the little robot appears to sense an obstacle then scan with the servo left and right to see what the best way to turn is.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA_kIY3MvTE&w=470&h=349%5D
If this little turtle robot doesn’t have enough power for your taste, check out this
autonomous ATV sentry. | 5 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "431127",
"author": "Andrew Smith",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T11:30:01",
"content": "It’s impressive. but it doesn’t work very well. Id expect it to start to move down the corridor rather than continually go up and down the same strech.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"re... | 1,760,377,117.555432 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/08/diy-orb-display-puts-the-earth-in-your-hands/ | DIY Orb Display Puts The Earth In Your Hands | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"globe"
] | [Nirav] liked the idea of having his own personal Earth at the tip of his fingers, and since that’s not happening any time soon, he decided to build the next best thing. Sure, he could have simply gone out and purchased a globe, but there is no fun in that. Instead, he shows us how he put together
an interactive spherical display
that won’t break the bank.
The sphere uses a Microvision SHOWWX to drive its display, which projects an image inside of a frosted glass light fixture. The pico projector gets some help from a 180° fisheye lens along the way, enabling the picture to be stretched across the entire inner surface of the globe.
[Nirav] used his 3D extruder to build a base for the globe, which attaches to the projector via a printed mounting plate. A GorillaPod was used to keep things upright while he dusted off his trigonometry skills in order to figure out how to get the image just right.
We think that he did a great job – it definitely looks to be on par (albeit a bit smaller) than the
eye of Sauron globe
we saw a while back. We can’t wait to see a video of this thing in action once it’s completely finished! | 24 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "430873",
"author": "Hackerspacer",
"timestamp": "2011-08-08T23:05:15",
"content": "Now add multitouch sensors so you can pinch zoom into different areas!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "430939",
"author": "PocketBrain"... | 1,760,377,117.614949 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/08/programming-the-kinect-to-work-with-android/ | Programming The Kinect To Work With Android | Jeremy Cook | [
"Android Hacks",
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"android",
"Kinect"
] | The Kinect has been hacked for many purposes, but this
Android implementation
tutorial is the first we’ve heard of it being used on a mobile phone platform. Although not a finished product at this point, [Raymond’s] tutorial is a good starting point for those wanting to experiment with fusing these two technologies.
The Kinect programming for this tutorial has been done with the Tegra Ventana development kit for Android 3.0. An Ubuntu-Linux installation is used, but this technique should be portable to any Linux system according to the author.
The procedure given is pretty straightforward, and the author even provides an example of the results in a video after the break. It’s interesting to note that, when connected, the Kinect is seen as two devices, “Xbox NUI Camera” and “Xbox NUI audio”. We look forward to new hacks to come out for this device, possibly using this set of tools.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbWW-qRvblI%5D
For another related hack, check out this
robotic skeleton
controlled with the Kinect. | 7 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "430891",
"author": "RandomReader",
"timestamp": "2011-08-09T00:16:04",
"content": "Size of vid goes goes outside the site templateGood to see the kinect hacks still going strong and expanding ever more! nice work ^_^",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,117.745735 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/08/3d-printed-turtle-shell-racers-bring-mario-kart-to-life/ | 3D Printed Turtle Shell Racers Bring Mario Kart To Life | Mike Nathan | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"makerbot",
"R/C car"
] | Every once in awhile a project comes along that makes us say,
“
this
is why we want a 3D printer!”
[Skimbal] is pretty well known in 3D printing circles for the
incredibly detailed designs
he has put out in the past. This time around, his focus is on motoring, Mario Kart style.
His Turtle Shell Racers are ripped right out of the Mario Kart series of games, and are built in the form of the multi-colored turtle shells with which most of us have a love/hate relationship. Constructed atop cheap RC trucks, the Shell Racers require 20-some odd printed parts apiece, but looking at the final results we think the time and money spent would be well worth it.
After watching the videos below, we think you’ll agree that these things look like a blast to play with. The Shell Racers were actually so impressive that they managed to land [Skimbal] a permanent gig with MakerBot Industries.
If you want to try making a set of your own, there are extensively detailed build instructions and all the STL files you can shake a stick at over at
Thingiverse
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAd3e_UTW4c&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA-wY-Q_onU&w=470] | 13 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "430718",
"author": "eth3real",
"timestamp": "2011-08-08T20:46:40",
"content": "Anyone selling these to people who don’t have access to a 3D printer? Great work! :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "430735",
"author": "Ca... | 1,760,377,117.796246 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/08/scott-made-a-single-chip-hellschreiber-on-earth/ | [Scott] Made A Single-chip Hellschreiber On Earth | Mike Szczys | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"am radio",
"atmega48",
"enigma",
"Hellschreiber"
] | [Scott Harden] is drilling teeth by day and
designing radios that send secret
messages by night. He’s set his sights on the Hellschreiber protocol which was used by the Germans in World War II along with their Enigma encryption system. The protocol is a viable alternative for transmitting and receiving code in environments with too much background noise for other communication systems.
His goal was to develop his own transmitter using just one microcontroller. He picked an ATmega48 and coupled it with a 40 MHz crystal oscillator. [Scott] mentions that there is no other hardware necessary, but static messages stored in an array so you’d need some other hardware to push your own characters through via the chip’s UART or otherwise. The AVR sends messages by converting the data into audio using PWM. That signal is fed into the crystal oscillator, which produces an amplitude modulated signal (AM) that can then be transmitted.
Check out his video after the break for a demonstration. He’s decoding the transmitted data using a free program called
Ham Radio Deluxe
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MJYwXvwTvY&w=470] | 38 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "430671",
"author": "MS3FGX",
"timestamp": "2011-08-08T19:39:22",
"content": "Alright, I give up, what’s the title of this article supposed to mean?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "430674",
"author": "Mike Szczys",
... | 1,760,377,118.041649 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/08/08/electrographic-enlarging-sketchifier-does-your-drawing-for-you/ | Electrographic Enlarging Sketchifier Does Your Drawing For You | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"art",
"drawing",
"fet"
] | Back in the 80’s, there used to be a kid’s toy that would allow you to replicate an image by tracing a pre-drawn picture in one panel, while a mechanical arm laid down ink in another. We’d be hard-pressed to remember what the thing was called, but this
Electrographic Enlarging Sketchifier
would be a wonderful modern day stand-in.
flickr user [Imajilon] constructed this cool motorized pantograph out of tongue depressors, rivets, foam core board, and a handful of electronic components. Despite its bargain basement bill of materials, this thing is pretty darn cool. An optical sensor “views” an image and drives a simple FET circuit, replicating the picture automatically using an electrically driven pen mechanism.
Looking through her flickr stream, we thought the results were quite impressive. She does plan on making a second version of the Sketchifier with a smaller light sensitive area, which should allow her to resolve even smaller features of the source drawing.
[via
BuildLounge
] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "430637",
"author": "Cubby",
"timestamp": "2011-08-08T18:41:20",
"content": "I believe they were called, “Pantographs”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "430638",
"author": "Warren",
"timestamp": "2011-08-08T18:41:27",
... | 1,760,377,117.9691 |
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