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https://hackaday.com/2011/06/06/halloween-props-trash-can-jack-in-the-box/ | Halloween Props: Trash Can Jack-in-the-box | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"Halloween props",
"jack-in-the-box",
"trash can"
] | Last year [Bob] didn’t let the little kids get some candy and continue on their way without giving them quite a fright first.
His modified trashcan
lures you in and then scares the bejesus out of you.
He calls it Oscar the Trash-bot. The image on the left shows a ghoulish-looking head peeking out of the partially opened lid of the trash can. It has some movement, but is slow and quiet. The small, slow movements catch your eye and seem safe enough. Until you get a bit closer. A range finder triggers when the unsuspecting victim draws near, causing a much bigger, faster, and bloodier beast to pop up and stick out a claw. Check out the two videos after the break. One of them shows the claw mechanism, which is made with the help of a brake cable and shows very realistic and blazingly fast movement. The other is an overview of how the entire setup works.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYpjM76gNEY&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBFVg1RHt34&w=470]
[Thanks Alex] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "402207",
"author": "Effigy",
"timestamp": "2011-06-06T11:51:04",
"content": "OMFG is it Halloween already?! I love halloween hacks…Oh? whats that? It’s nowhere near Halloween yet this year? oh….moving on….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comm... | 1,760,377,175.312004 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/15/mits-esuperbike-takes-on-the-isle-of-man/ | MIT’s ESuperbike Takes On The Isle Of Man | Mike Nathan | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ebike",
"isle of man",
"racing",
"superbike"
] | While the Isle of Man typically plays host to an array of gas-powered superbikes screaming through villages and mountain passes at unbelievable speeds,
the island’s TT Race is a bit different
. Introduced in 2009 to offer a greener alternative to the traditional motorcycle race, organizers opened up the course to electric bikes of all kinds. In order to entice participants, they even put a £10k prize on the line for the first bike that completes the race with an average speed of 100 miles per hour or faster. While no one has claimed the prize just yet, that didn’t stop the MIT Electric Vehicle team from tossing their hat into the ring this year.
Their entry into the race is the brainchild of PhD student [Lennon Rodgers] and his team of undergrads. They first designed a rough model of the motorcycle they wanted to build in CAD, and through a professor at MIT sourced some custom-made batteries for their bike. Through a series of fortunate events, the team found themselves in front of BMW management, who donated an S1000RR racing bike to the project. After a good number of alterations, including the addition of an Arduino to control the bike, they were ready for race day.
While the team didn’t take the checkered flag, they did finish the race in 4th place. Their bike managed to complete the course with an average speed of 79 mph, which isn’t bad according to [Rodgers]. He says that for their first time out, he’s happy that they finished at all, which is not something every team can claim. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "406088",
"author": "Dax",
"timestamp": "2011-06-15T12:15:47",
"content": "“37.7-mile circuit”Next challenge – drive the circuit both ways on the same battery and maintain at least 60 mph average speed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_... | 1,760,377,175.205252 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/15/ereader-battery-never-goes-flat-in-the-sun/ | EReader Battery Never Goes Flat (in The Sun) | Mike Nathan | [
"handhelds hacks",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"charge",
"ereader",
"kobo",
"solar"
] | Instructables user [flapke] has a Kobo eReader and
wanted to add some solar cells
to it in order to charge the battery for free. The modification
is similar to others we have seen recently
, though his work was done so well that it almost looks stock.
He started out by sourcing a pair of solar panels from DealExtreme that purported to supply 5.5v @ 80mA. Like most of us are inclined to do, he tested them before use and found that they actually put out around 50mA instead. While the performance was a bit off, they still fit his needs pretty well, as the charge current needed to be at or less than 100mA to avoid damaging the battery.
He opened the Kobo’s case, and carefully removed a section of the back panel to make room for the solar panels. Once they were soldered together in parallel, he wired them to the eReader’s battery through a Schottky diode to prevent the battery from draining.
While we think his solar modification is a great way to ensure that he never runs out of juice while reading by the pool, we would certainly add a bit of extra charge circuitry to ours to prevent damage to the battery. What do you think? | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "406059",
"author": "argo",
"timestamp": "2011-06-15T11:12:37",
"content": "well …fine, but….as well as for the example of the mobilephone: Don’t understand the need for cutting the case in order to put solar cells. why not just using adhesive velcro strips over a thin and small exte... | 1,760,377,175.063661 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/14/turning-beer-cans-into-bells-with-35kv/ | Turning Beer Cans Into Bells With 35kV | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"beer can",
"franklin bells",
"high voltage"
] | It looks like we now have
another way to annoy ourselves with extremely high voltage
.
The bells operate under the same principles as the
electrostatic see-saw
we covered last month. A voltage is applied to one can while the other can is grounded. An insulated pendulum is placed between each can, and with a little coaxing can be made to oscillate back and forth between the cans. As the pendulum touches the charged can, it is repelled as it gains the charge and moves to the grounded can. There, the charge is released and the cycle continues again. A homemade
Cockcroft Walton multiplier
is used to generate the +35kV needed to get the pendulum moving.
[Ben Franklin] invented the
Franklin Bells
while he was investigating electricity in the 1750s. Originally an extension of the kite & key experiment, the bells were historically used to warn of approaching thunderstorms – when the bells rang, the atmosphere was charged and lightning could strike. Even though the voltage between the bells is
huge
, very little current is drawn – the
Oxford Electric Bells
have been ringing since 1840 using the same
electrostatic battery
. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "405847",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2011-06-14T23:08:03",
"content": "I achieve this effect onstage using a piece of mylar and a Van de Graaf generator. My body acts as the ground and the mylar will fly back and forth between my hand and the generator.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,174.899932 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/14/man-spends-30-years-helping-disabled-gamers/ | Man Spends 30 Years Helping Disabled Gamers | Mike Nathan | [
"Playstation Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"accessibility",
"controllers",
"disabled",
"gaming",
"sip & puff"
] | Using our hands to manipulate game controllers is something most of us take for granted. However for quadriplegics, whose arms and legs are completely paralyzed, gaming becomes a nearly impossible task. One man
has spent the last 30 years of his life
trying to help quadriplegics once again “pick up” the controller and enjoy a few rounds of their favorite video games.
Retired aerospace engineer [Ken Yankelevitz] has been using his skills to create game controllers that can be easily used by disabled gamers, offering them for sale at cost. Starting with Atari joysticks in 1981, he has been perfecting his craft over the years, creating some 800 mouth-operated game controllers. As the systems and their controllers became more complex, so did [Ken’s] designs. His new Xbox and Playstation controllers use all manner of components, including sip-puff tubes and lip-activated buttons in order to allow users to access every single controller function.
Even as he approaches his 70th birthday, he is busy making controllers, though at a slower pace than he has in the past. He has said that he will continue making them for as long as he can, but at some point he will have to close up shop. This has disabled gamers worried that they may no longer have someone to turn to for custom controllers, though we hope someone steps in to fill the gap whenever that day comes.
Be sure to check out his site to
take a look at his designs
, what he has done for the disabled community is amazing. | 26 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "405832",
"author": "Roman Dulgarov",
"timestamp": "2011-06-14T22:09:07",
"content": "I’m surprised there is not a major manufacturer in this market. madCatz or some one. As cheap plastic is the only investment is in the first mold and I’m sure even with a profit margin added many d... | 1,760,377,175.417829 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/14/celebrating-the-design-principles-behind-cellphones/ | Celebrating The Design Principles Behind Cellphones | Mike Szczys | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"design",
"Engineer Guy"
] | Want to improve the finished look of your projects? There’s a lot you can learn by looking at the choices made in consumer electronics. [Bill Hammack] explores what is perhaps the most refined electronic device out there, the cell phone. Specifically,
he discusses the seven design constraints
that face every cellphone maker. They are: compactness versus usability, consumer preference, availability of energy, economic resources and available infrastructure, knowledge of materials, societal needs, and cultural constraints.
Anyone who’s whipped out their hacked-together project in a public space understands cultural constraints. Especially when
forgetting your backpack in a public place
can put the bomb squad of full alert these days. But aside from the anecdotal issues, [Bill’s] look at now-and-then cellphones really shows off the smart design that we enjoy thanks to the evolutionary process that went into what has become the wristwatch of the 21st century. See what he has to say in the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7r8sKzt7HM&w=470] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "405839",
"author": "patman2700",
"timestamp": "2011-06-14T22:29:29",
"content": "I love these videos – straightforward and easy to understand, yet not too dumbed-down for us to watch.Keep ’em comin’!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id... | 1,760,377,175.35405 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/14/excuse-me-ipad-may-i-cut-in/ | Excuse Me IPad, May I Cut In? | Mike Szczys | [
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks"
] | [
"bondo",
"clamshell",
"dock",
"docking connector",
"dremel",
"rocketfish"
] | [LostSpawn] loves his clamshell keyboard for the iPad, but he had one major beef with the design. When the tablet is installed in the landscape orientation there’s no way to plug in a dock connector for charging or other uses. He pulled out the cutting tools and
altered the case to meet his needs
.
The case is a Rocketfish iCapsule which provides a Bluetooth keyboard when you need to do a lot of typing. The hard shell does a great job of protecting the iPad, but who wants to pull it out to charge it? The thing that we can’t believe is that there’s a slot milled in the other side of the bezel so that you can plug in headphones. How did they overlook the dock connector?
To add it himself, [LostSpawn] started by drilling a dotted line along the portion that he wanted to remove. He finished shedding material with a Dremel and then set about sanding it flat. To make sure it didn’t look too much like a hack he used Bondo to build up the working edge and then sanded and painted for a factory finish. Now he can plug in the cable or an SD card adapter like the one seen to the right of the keyboard. | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "405778",
"author": "Paul Potter",
"timestamp": "2011-06-14T20:18:28",
"content": "Really odd that they had not thought of that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "405829",
"author": "obsoehollerith",
"timestamp": "2011-06-1... | 1,760,377,174.856748 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/14/adjustable-voltage-and-polarity-tester/ | Adjustable Voltage And Polarity Tester | Mike Nathan | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"ham",
"PIC12F675",
"polarity",
"powerpole",
"voltage"
] | Instructables user [Rudolf] wrote in to share
a handy little tool he created
with ham radio operators in mind. Now and again, he found himself connecting to an unknown power supply, and rather than blow out all his expensive radio gear, he decided to put together a simple polarity and voltage tester that can be easily carried out in the field.
The tester features a pair of powerpole connectors, which are used quite often for connecting HAM gear. A PIC12F675 runs the show, acting as an adjustable comparator for detecting voltage levels. By default, his probe glows amber when the supply voltage is below 11.5V, turning green when the supply is between 11.5V and 15V. When the detected voltage is too high, the built-in LED glows a bright red. When the polarity is reversed, the LED flashes red regardless of the supply voltage.
All of these trigger levels can be set in the PIC’s code, which [Rudolf] is kind enough to include on his page, along with schematics for making your own. | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "405776",
"author": "KD7LRI",
"timestamp": "2011-06-14T20:14:04",
"content": "Awesome. I used to have a polarity checker but never thought to do voltage as well. Will be making one of these for my kit.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment... | 1,760,377,175.479389 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/05/livelight-is-an-expertly-crafted-ambilight-clone/ | LiveLight Is An Expertly Crafted Ambilight Clone | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"ambilight",
"ATmega32",
"boblight",
"ftdi",
"led",
"livelight"
] | [SunWind] (Edit 2018: who now goes as [nerdaxic]) developed
his own version of the Phillips Ambilight system
which he is calling LiveLight. We’ve seen more than a few of
these hacks
, many of them are
based around Arduino
, and most
use LED strip lighting
. [Nerdaxic] is using strip lighting as well, but his design is clean and polished quite a bit more than anything else we’ve seen. In our minds this would be welcomed by even the most discriminating of A/V enthusiasts.
He found just the right size of project box and managed to fit everything in on a nicely milled PCB. The enclosure itself has also been milled to allow the mini USB B connectors for each of the nine RGB LED strips. But he didn’t stop there, the top of the enclosure has labels milled into it to help when hooking everything up.
An ATmega32 addresses the LED strips based on data pushed in from a computer. An on-board FTDI chip adds USB connectivity and [nerdaxic] used a hack to rewrite the EEPROM on that chip so that it enumerates with the name “LiveLight USB Interface”. A program called
Boblight
gathers the data from the currently playing video. You can see the final project in the video embedded after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILArJQlQPN0&w=470]
[Thanks Lauri and Jussi]
(2018 Edit: The old forum post, which details the development of this project, can be found
here
.) | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "402110",
"author": "Hackerspacer",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T23:19:32",
"content": "I thought this was the worlds fullest USB hub at first….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "402111",
"author": "espie",
"timestamp": "2011-0... | 1,760,377,175.138621 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/05/washing-machine-mechanical-timer-replaced-with-microcontroller/ | Washing Machine Mechanical Timer Replaced With Microcontroller | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"18f872",
"7 segment",
"pic",
"relay",
"servo",
"solenoid",
"washing machine"
] | After the electromechanical timer on [Paul Canello’s] washing machine broke for the third time he decided he needed to stop repairing it and find a more permanent fix. He decided to build
his own microcontroller-based system for washing his clothes
(
translated
).
Caution:
The image links on [Paul’s] page seem to be broken and will unleash a never-ending storm of empty pop-up windows if you click on them. We’ve embedded all of the images after the break to save you some hassle.
The controller on a washing machine is nothing more than a mechanical alarm clock. It starts the cycle, then moves through various modes based on the passage of time. [Paul] started his hack by observing how long the delay between cycles was meant to be, and recording which parts of the machine were switched on and off at each stage.
It turns out that when the mechanical knob is turned, it reroutes how water flows through the detergent chamber. Since that knob won’t be in the new system [Paul] came up with a way for the microcontroller to handle this by using a servo motor. The rest of the control involves relays to control the motor, and solenoid valves for the water. There are also pressure switches that give feedback for the level of the water in the machine. A PIC 16F872 serves as the new controller, with the help of a 7 segment display, a buzzer, and a pair of buttons as the user interface.
This is an older project, but after reading about
the Arduino controlled dishwasher
[Ramiro] sent us a link. Thanks! | 12 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "402136",
"author": "jim",
"timestamp": "2011-06-06T01:53:21",
"content": "I hate to say that the images work fine in OS X Safari.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "402170",
"author": "Life2Death",
"timestamp": "2011-06-06T... | 1,760,377,175.257828 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/05/faking-high-speed-video-photography-of-repetitive-events/ | Faking High-speed Video Photography Of Repetitive Events | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"high speed photography",
"high speed video",
"piezoelectric",
"pulse generator"
] | [Destin] has been doing some high-speed and high-resolution video photography using a standard DSLR. He accomplishes this using a bit of ingenuity to
capture images of repetitive events at slightly different points in time
.
The banner image above shows a bullet travelling through a set of matchsticks. [Destin] uses the sound of the gun firing to trigger the flash that captures the image. A piezeo transducer picks up the sound, triggering a precision pulse generator. That pulse generator then triggers the flash, adding a delay based on the settings. In this way, [Destin] can capture video by firing a bullet for each frame, but adjusting the delay period of the pulse generator to capture the image when the bullet is in a slightly different place from the previous frame. It’s an old technique, but after some post-processing it produces a high-quality output without sinking thousands of dollars into an actual high-speed camera. Check out the video we’ve embedded after the break.
We like this guy’s style. We saw him
strapping a camera onto a chicken
back in December and we hope to see a lot more from him in the future.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR0gwyZYZ_Q&w=470] | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "402068",
"author": "moo",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T20:36:16",
"content": "pretty neat",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "402074",
"author": "zuul",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T20:54:04",
"content": "hey no bible verse, coo... | 1,760,377,175.536246 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/05/a-big-transformer-because-its-cool/ | A Big Transformer, Because It’s Cool! | Nick Schulze | [
"HackIt",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"flyback transformer",
"fryback",
"high voltage"
] | [Grenadier] Had some spare wire, electrical tape, and a giant ferrite core laying about and decided to create a massive and pretty snappy looking disk shaped flyback transformer. Dubbed the
Fryback
, he claims that it will “revitalise your health and bring wondrous wealth and prosperity to your family”.
He chose a disk shaped transformer because they look cooler, fair enough.. (oh and they reduced inter-winding capacitance and the voltage difference between layers). The construction is fairly simple, but time consuming. Grenadier goes through the important steps on his website, but be prepared for 25 hours of winding wire if you decide to make your own.
Running at 48V the Fryback can output 8kV at a very high current, producing some nice thick 30cm long sparks. Check out the video after the break to see the Fryback in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l9pTXYeM40&w=470] | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "402043",
"author": "jc",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T18:51:57",
"content": "The rubber chicken is a very nice touch :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "402047",
"author": "gumnos",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T19:04:29",
"co... | 1,760,377,175.60309 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/05/how-to-make-a-hand-drill-out-of-a-pencil-sharpener/ | How To Make A Hand Drill Out Of A Pencil Sharpener | Jeremy Cook | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"drill",
"pencil sharpener"
] | Necessity is the mother of invention, or so they say. [Jason] was in such a situation where he needed to install some safety railing at his grandmother’s house. He didn’t have the necessary tools available, like a drill, so he
fashioned one himself
out of a pencil sharpener and some fittings and wire that he was able to find.
Although crude, and probably not what one would choose to use if an actual drill was available, this “drill-pencil-sharpener” actually does a pretty decent job of cutting through plywood as seen in the video after the break.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUI1T4jkQ-0&w=470%5D
Certainly this is not the first hand-cranked drill, but it just may be the first one made out of a pencil sharpener (also probably the first one to inspire a pseudo-nursery rhyme). If you like this, check out this
router mechanism
that is probably a bit more refined. | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "402010",
"author": "Maave",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T17:41:24",
"content": "This makes me think. A pencil sharpener is like an inverted drill.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "402012",
"author": "Jesse",
"timestamp": "201... | 1,760,377,176.082696 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/05/vocera-b1000a-teardown/ | Vocera B1000A Teardown | Mike Nathan | [
"Teardown"
] | [
"teardown",
"vocera",
"voip",
"wifi"
] | [Gray] over at Geek Chique had a bit of an eBay mishap and was suddenly the proud owner of
16 Vocera B1000A badges
. If you are not familiar, these badges are small, lightweight communications devices similar to the famous Star Trek communicator, which allow users to talk to other individuals via VOIP. He was working on getting the remaining badges up and running by reimplementing the server software, and figured that since one of the badges he purchased was not working, he might as well take it apart.
It took him awhile to get the well-made badges apart, requiring a rotary tool and some elbow grease to get the job done. Inside, he found that the device was split into two circuit boards, one being the “WiFi” board, and the other the “CPU” board. The WiFi board uses a Prism WiFi chipset, which was incredibly common at the time of construction. The CPU board sports small SRAM and flash chips as you would expect, with a Texas Instruments 5490A DSP running the show.
While it remains to be seen if tearing the device down helps [Gray] to get things up and running again, it never hurts to take a closer look to see what you are working with. | 17 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "401979",
"author": "1000100 1000001 1010110 1000101",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T15:49:19",
"content": "The hospital I work at uses these…If you are not scavenging these for parts, they make fairly good paperweights.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,176.240366 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/05/putting-the-flex-back-into-the-rds-80-soldering-station/ | Putting The Flex Back Into The RDS 80 Soldering Station | Mike Nathan | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"ersa",
"rds 80",
"silicone wire",
"soldering station"
] | [Markus]
was looking to upgrade his soldering station
, and having had good luck with Ersa in the past, opted to purchase one of their new stations, the RDS 80.
Once he got the iron home however, he was very disappointed to see that while his previous Ersa model used a silicone cable to connect the iron to the base station, his new iron used a stiff, non heat-resistant PVC cable instead. He found plenty of people complaining about the same issue online, but no one seemed to have a fix, so he set off to figure it out for himself.
He thought that he could disassemble the iron and change the wiring out once it was apart, but it seemed that there was no way of doing so without destroying it. Instead he chopped the wire off at the end of the soldering iron, replacing it with a new silicone cable. He did the same thing at the base station end, since he was forced to reuse the proprietary 4-pin plug Ersa decided to use there.
His modifications worked out nicely, and he is now happily soldering away.
If you happen to have one of these soldering stations, be sure to swing by his site to get a closer look at how he swapped out the cable. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "401972",
"author": "spellcheck",
"timestamp": "2011-06-05T15:12:29",
"content": "Nicely done. It’s a risky modification (having to cut the wires off so close to the end of the iron), but the result looks perfect.It may interest readers here to know that the Aoyue stations from Spark... | 1,760,377,175.903257 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/04/programming-robots-like-you-would-train-a-pet/ | Programming Robots Like You Would Train A Pet | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"dog",
"leash",
"training",
"walk"
] | [Jim] has been working with a team from various Universities to develop an intuitive way to guide and train assistance robots. They focused on one particular technique,
training a robot to follow on a leash in the same way you would a pet dog
(PDF).
He was inspired to send in a link to his research after reading about
the Kinect-powered shopping card robot
. He figures that that project is similar to his own, but his does have several added benefits. The first being that if a robot is on a leash, everyone knows who that bot is following or assisting. But there is the added benefit of the user needing no training whatsoever. That’s because the act of walking a dog on a leash is commonplace in developed societies; you may not have ever owned a dog, but you’ve seen others walking them on leashes numerous times and could do so yourself without any training.
The leash connects to a sensor-filled turret in the center of the robot’s body. The bot can sense when, and in which direction the user is pulling the leash. There’s also an emergency kill switch on the handle for added functionality. Take a look at some of the test video after the break to see how quickly humans can adapt to this type of user interface.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3KCLH9rNQo&w=470] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "401785",
"author": "Darkstar",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T22:26:32",
"content": "Holy crap, they’re still using good old Pioneer robots? We had these 10 years ago, and even then they were already old stuff. Might have to do with the fact that all of our robots had single-digit serial ... | 1,760,377,176.021182 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/04/canon-a70-ccd-replacementrepair/ | Canon A70 CCD Replacement/repair | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Repair Hacks"
] | [
"a70",
"canon",
"CCD"
] | Looking for an underwater camera setup, [Imsolidstate] picked up a Canon A70 and a Canon water-tight housing on eBay for around $45. Unfortunately the camera arrived with a non-functioning CCD. Another trip to the online auction site landed him
a replacement CCD which he set about installing
.
We have this exact model of camera with a cracked LCD display. Being that we like to hack around on things we’ve pulled it apart in order to replace the screen and believe us, there’s no extra room inside that thing. The video after the break shows the teardown, and you can see what a pain it is to get the unit apart. That process in only eclipsed in difficulty by the reassembly itself.
In the end it wasn’t a problem with the CCD itself, but with the connector on the PCB that received the flat cable. It wasn’t holding the contacts tight, but [Imsolidstate] fixed that with a strategically placed piece of foam.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Znno5MhP2k&w=470] | 19 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "401768",
"author": "macpod",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T21:21:40",
"content": "I used to own this camera model. Now it’s part of harford hackerspace’s roto-photo setup:http://harfordhackerspace.org/2010/11/haha-wins-first-place/The picture quality was ok for it’s time, but what a horr... | 1,760,377,176.295559 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/04/shop-lighting-weighing-cost-and-efficiency/ | Shop Lighting: Weighing Cost And Efficiency | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"ballast",
"fluorescent",
"led",
"qtp4x32t8",
"t12",
"t5",
"t8"
] | [Ben Krasnow] wanted to upgrade his shop lighting but before he made any decisions he decided to educate himself about the options that are out there. Luck for us, he shares
the facts about different lighting in terms of cost and efficiency
.
His old setup uses fluorescent light fixtures with T12 bulbs. These are rather bulky and inefficient bulbs. Many folks, ourselves included, would think of LED as a logical replacement. [Ben] started by looking into the various high-intensity LED modules that are available. He grabbed a catalog and started doing a couple of different calculations to compare Lumens/dollar for the upfront cost, and Lumens/Watt for the operational costs. Hands down, newer fluorescent bulbs come in cheaper on both counts and provide a wider spectrum of light.
The next decision was between purchasing the newer T5 bulbs which are rated at very high efficiencies, or to go with T8 bulbs which are better than the T12 standard but can use the same fixtures. After doing some digging he found that T5 is not much more efficient than T8, but they use an electronic ballast to boost efficiency. He ended up replacing his old magnetic ballasts with electronic ones to get high T8 efficiency at a cost that was lower than buying new T5 fixtures.
See [Ben’s] own recount of this process in the clip after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ7BIyEd89U&w=470] | 29 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "401748",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T20:16:10",
"content": "This is how “going green” should be done. Bravo",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "401754",
"author": "daniel",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T20:32:45... | 1,760,377,175.969984 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/04/help-2600-magazine-compile-a-list-of-dates-for-their-hacker-calendar/ | Help 2600 Magazine Compile A List Of Dates For Their Hacker Calendar! | Jeremy Cook | [
"News"
] | [
"2600"
] | 2600, the magazine familiar to many as a preeminent hacking quarterly, is
publishing a calendar
. While, according to the
2600 site
, most calendars only mark holidays, 2600 intends to “provide as complete a guide to milestones in the hacker world as humanly possible.” Not an easy task considering that, depending on your definition, hacking could extend to the discovery of fire, or at least the wheel.
2600 gives some examples in which they only list events back to March 3, 1885, when AT&T was founded. If this example is followed, that “only” gives one 126 years to work with, but compiling a full list of hacking dates is still a daunting task. If you can think of any dates worthy of consideration, email them to:
calendar@2600.com
. We think maybe September 5th, 2004 might be a notable date to include. We’ll leave it up to figure out what that date is, in case it wasn’t painfully obvious. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "401734",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T19:14:17",
"content": "+1 for inclusion of 5 Sep, 2004!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "401738",
"author": "somedude",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T19:28:07",
"content"... | 1,760,377,176.391703 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/04/build-your-own-panoramic-pinhole-camera/ | Build Your Own Panoramic Pinhole Camera | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"3.5mm",
"camera",
"photography",
"pinhole"
] | While it seems that the digital camera is king, some people still love shooting with good old 35mm film – [Costas Kaounas], a high school teacher and photographer certainly does. He recently published plans for
a great-looking 35mm pinhole camera
over at DIY photography that we thought you might enjoy.
[Costas] put together a set of simple hand-drawn plans for the camera, that you can easily replicate with a bit of free time. The camera is built mostly from card stock, both in 1mm and 3mm flavors, also incorporating popsicle sticks and an aluminum can. The popsicle sticks are used to create a manual shutter for the camera, while the pop can is used to form the pinhole aperture.
It’s a pretty simple hack as you can see, with nary an electronic part to be found. It will take you a bit of time to construct however, since you’ll need to let the glue dry between certain steps.
Love it or leave it, you’ve got to admit that the panoramic shots it takes are pretty nice!
If we’ve piqued your interest in pinhole cameras, be sure to check out this
Lego pinhole camera
as well as this
beer can pinhole camera
.
[via
Lifehacker
] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "401733",
"author": "Daniel",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T19:13:43",
"content": "Yes this is copied from the site, but it’s a comment i made and i’ve tidied it up.If you don’t feel like making the whole camera from scratch an old 6×9 (6×6 would work as well but not as dramatically) medi... | 1,760,377,176.344049 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/04/two-kinnects-plus-one-hd-projector-makes-the-coolest-snowglobe-ever/ | Two Kinects Plus One HD Projector Makes The Coolest “Snowglobe” Ever | Jeremy Cook | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [] | Looking for something to replace the flat screen display that was amazing in your house ten years ago? How about a circular
display similar to a snowglobe
(crystal ball?) that will display the image you are watching correctly no matter at what angle you view it.
This amazing student project from Queens University combines elements that many hackers are familiar with, including: Kinect sensors, a 3-D projector, and a giant acrylic sphere. Actually, most people have never worked with a giant acrylic sphere, but they look like fun. Check out the video after the break.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43D4QJe9vqM&w=470%5D
The resulting display is a “pseudo-3D” image in that what you see is not presented in three dimensions, but appears to be. The Kinect tracks a user’s position and adjusts the view accordingly. Additionally, hand gestures can be used to zoom the object in or out, rotate the object, and change the object to something else. If you like this, be sure to check out this
“People-tracking orb”
using some similar technology. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "401694",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T16:34:12",
"content": "HAD… When everything is amazing then nothing is. Please explore other adjectives when describing interesting and evolutionary, not revolutionary, items. The word is, like, overused. Thanks.",
"parent_id":... | 1,760,377,176.442111 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/04/amazing-3d-telepresence-system/ | Amazing 3d Telepresence System | Mike Nathan | [
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"3d",
"Kinect",
"telepresence",
"tracking",
"video"
] | It looks like the world of Kinect hacks is about to get a bit more interesting.
While many of the Kinect-based projects we see use one or two units,
this 3D telepresence system
developed by UNC Chapel Hill student [Andrew Maimone] under the guidance of [Henry Fuchs] has them all beat.
The setup uses up to four Kinect sensors in a single endpoint, capturing images from various angles before they are processed using GPU-accelerated filters. The video captured by the cameras is processed in a series of steps, filling holes and adjusting colors to create a mesh image. Once the video streams have been processed, they are overlaid with one another to form a complete 3D image.
The result is an awesome real-time 3D rendering of the subject and surrounding room that reminds us of
this papercraft costume
. The 3D video can be viewed at a remote station which uses a Kinect sensor to track your eye movements, altering the video feed’s perspective accordingly. The telepresence system also offers the ability to add in non-existent objects, making it a great tool for remote technology demonstrations and the like.
Check out the video below to see a thorough walkthrough of this 3D telepresence system.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOy-Dnr3xyU&w=470] | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "401655",
"author": "Serountree",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T14:26:21",
"content": "Holodeck 0.1 program ready?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "401663",
"author": "marks256",
"timestamp": "2011-06-04T15:11:14",
"content... | 1,760,377,176.499656 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/simple-vga-interface-for-tiny-fpga-boards/ | Simple VGA Interface For Tiny FPGA Boards | Mike Nathan | [
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"adapter",
"fpga",
"vga",
"video out"
] | [devb] has been playing around with XESS FPGA boards for ages, and as long as he can remember, they have had built-in VGA interfaces. His newest acquisition, a XuLA FPGA board, doesn’t have any external parts or ports aside from a USB connector.
He needed to get video output from the board
, so he decided to build a VGA interface himself.
He prototyped a 512-color VGA interface board which worked just fine, but he thought it would be way too cumbersome to use for each and every project. To keep life simple, he designed a small PCB that integrates a VGA connector and all of the resistors he needed to get the signal from the FPGA. His boards plug directly into a breadboard, so only a handful of wires is needed to connect the FPGA to a monitor.
As you can see on his site, the adapter works quite well, allowing the FPGA to put out a crisp 800×600 image with little fuss. [devb] has also posted all of his design files on his site in Eagle format for anyone interested in replicating his work. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "401015",
"author": "THeOReos",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T18:05:34",
"content": "why do all those build ups on breadbords look so nice here. mine are more like 5 diffrent cable colours and totally cluttered! :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"c... | 1,760,377,176.552493 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/vga-out-on-a-maple-board/ | VGA Out On A Maple Board | Brian Benchoff | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"cortex-m3",
"maple",
"microcontroller",
"vga"
] | The team at Leaf Labs just released a new library to demonstrate the
VGA capabilities
of their Maple dev board. Although it’s only a 16 by 18 pixel image, it shows a lot of development over past video implementations on the Maple.
The
Maple
is a great little Ardunio-compatible board with a
strangely familiar IDE
. We’ve covered the Maple
before
. Instead of the somewhat limited AVR, the Maple uses an ARM running at 72MHz, making applications requiring some horsepower or strict timing a lot easier.
We’ve seen a few projects use the increased power, like a
guitar effects shield
. It’s possible the Maple could be made into a game console that would blow the
Uzebox
out of the water, but we’re wondering what hackaday readers would use this dev board for.
Watch the video after the jump to see how far the Maple’s VGA capability has come after only
a few months
, or check out Leaf Lab’s
Maple libraries
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT1eKLEvIvo&w=470] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "400923",
"author": "Mattster",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T13:39:27",
"content": "Hmm a Commodore 64 emulator, Battlebot controller, guidance system for a rocket. Oh wait can’t do that else it would be a missle. Considering my old Nokia 3650 has a 50mhz Arm and plays some good games, t... | 1,760,377,176.596934 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/snap-together-pcb-mill/ | Snap-together PCB Mill | Brian Benchoff | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"CNC mill",
"pcb"
] | [Jonathan Ward] came up with the MTM Snap,
a snap-together pcb mill
as part of the Machines That Make group at MIT.
We covered [Jonathan]‘s
previous work
made out of half-inch plywood, but the new iteration of his PCB includes a clever snap-together mechanism instead of screws and bolts. Although the MTM Snap looks a lot like3d printers such as a reprap, the similarities end with the off-the-shelf stepper motors. Instead of using motor drivers and control electronics from a reprap, the project uses custom
stepper drivers
, controlled by a bare Arduino.
We’re really impressed with the results of the MTM Snap compared with what is possible on a reprap-derived milling machine like a
makerbot
or
wolfstrap
. We’re thinking that’s due to the mass of this project compared to the printed ABS parts of the ‘common’ 3d printers, but any MEs are more than happy to correct that notion.
Check out the video after the break to see the machine in action and a great view of the snap-fit mechanism.
[blip.tv ?posts_id=5080926&dest=-1] | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "400884",
"author": "Sergio",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T12:46:37",
"content": "I will be watching closely this project, it would be great to have my own CNC and having more options to choose is always wellcome!And this one seem ideal to create small PCBsI hope they will be offering so... | 1,760,377,177.131003 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/trick-mouse-keeps-the-screen-saver-at-bay/ | Trick Mouse Keeps The Screen Saver At Bay | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"atmega",
"mouse",
"servo"
] | [Jerry] wrote in to share
a little device he built to solve a problem he was having at work
. You see, every computer in his office has a policy-enforced idle timeout, requiring the user to enter a password in order to regain access to their desktop.
This is a huge pain, since he sporadically uses an old computer for the sole purpose of monitoring some applications running in his data center. With the computer timing out every 10 minutes, he is constantly required to enter his password in order to take a 10 second glance at the screen to ensure everything is OK.
Rather than circumvent the screen saver using a local security policy or by implementing a microcontroller-based signal generator, he opted to create a mechanical solution instead. His computer’s optical mouse resides inside a wooden frame, and is periodically swept from side to side by an ATmega-controlled servo, keeping the screensaver permanently at bay.
Call it a hack, call it a kludge, call it what you will. All we know is that while we might have done it a little differently, it works just fine for [Jerry], and it generates all sorts of interesting conversation to boot.
Stick around for a quick video demonstration of his mouse wiggler box.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxcZMUxAHzc&w=470] | 94 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "400848",
"author": "Xb0xGuru",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T11:31:50",
"content": "Sorry for this being the first post, but all I can say is it’s pointless. You’re defeating the purpose of your company’s IT policy to ensure unattended workstations are locked. Not only are you putting yo... | 1,760,377,176.979156 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/cheap-and-cheerful-arduino-breadboard-basics/ | Cheap And Cheerful Arduino Breadboard Basics | Jesse Congdon | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"how-to"
] | [
"arduino",
"stripboard"
] | For those less experienced folks looking to move their Arduino projects to more permanent installations, this is just for you! [Martyn] Posted a three part series, VeroBoardUino, over at his
blog
about moving your Arduino project to a soldered breadboard.
Part
one
kicks off with the appropriate breadboard requirements, modifications, and a simple 7805 power supply. In the guide [Martyn] is using strip board, so copper connections will have to be broken using a drill or just by scraping with a hobby knife. Strip board also saves a bit of wire routing in the end. Part
two
handles the reset button, serial connection and chip socket (Part
2.5
has also been added to include schematics of the breadboard). Finally, part
three
installs the crystal and connects your Atmega chip to power and ground.
Next post he will be covering more on the software end of things, burning the bootloader and uploading programs to your new board so stay tuned for updates! | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "400650",
"author": "Paul Potter",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T21:36:55",
"content": "That sounds worth checking out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400671",
"author": "Lee",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T22:06:19",
"content... | 1,760,377,177.076081 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/archaeopteryx-a-large-colorful-midi-controller/ | Archaeopteryx: A Large, Colorful MIDI Controller | Mike Szczys | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"hub",
"keyboard",
"korg",
"midi",
"nanokontrol",
"usb"
] | This is [Robert Jarvis’] new
MIDI controller which he has christened the Archaeopteryx
. It makes its home (quite nicely might we add) in a discarded wooden cutlery case. This provides a strong and stable base for the controls while keeping the electrical connections close at hand for any rewiring or repair work.
The interface is made up of several different input devices. The guts from two Korg Nanokontrols donated the sliders and pots. These are both USB devices and they join with a USB keyboard which has been rewired to work with the colorful push buttons. All three devices connect to a hub inside which makes the device work using just one cable connection to the computer.
There’s a lot of wiring shoved into that shallow case. But if he keeps the keyboard mapping straight we think it won’t be too hard to configure the device. We like it that [Robert] included a snapshot of the back-of-the-envelope prototyping plans he made. This kind of ‘how I got there’ information is what we’re looking for when choosing projects to feature. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "400630",
"author": "zool",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T20:37:56",
"content": "nice",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400643",
"author": "fermicirrus",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T21:07:17",
"content": "http://www.midibox.org... | 1,760,377,177.028167 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/kickstarter-roundup-wednesday-june-1st/ | Kickstarter Roundup: Wednesday, June 1st | Mike Nathan | [
"News"
] | [
"Crowd Funding",
"roundup"
] | We have been getting tons of emails lately recommending we take a look at various Kickstarter projects. We used to ignore them since they all boil down to a request for project funding, but since there are so many cool projects out there, we figured we might as well share a couple. Some of these projects have already met their funding goals, but we thought they were worth a mention anyhow.
Solar Powered Coffee Roasting
We’re all about both coffee and alternative energy, so
this one caught our eye right away
. While this coffee roaster won’t exactly fit on your back porch, it would be perfect for a coffee shop located in a sunny locale. Based off “power tower” solar concentrator systems, this rooftop-mounted solar harvester has big potential. Pair this with sopme sustainably-grown coffee, and you’ve got quite the tasty combo.
HexBright – an open source flashlight
What do you get when you combine milled aluminum hex bar and a Cree XM-L LED? A lightweight,
extremely bright flashlight
that won’t roll away on you. The HexBright puts out 500 lumens and sports a built-in rechargeable battery that can be topped off via your computer’s USB port. Not only that, the high-end version can be programmed to support any pattern or brightness that you choose. We’ll take two, thanks.
Arduino Project Board
[
Randy Sarafan
] of
Clap-off bra
fame is working on a slimmed-down Arduino board for use in the final stages of project development. He really doesn’t see the need to put an entire Arduino development board into his finished projects and often makes a quick perfboard circuit for his builds once he is finished prototyping. He’s grown tired of the process and developed a small circuit board that has all the connectivity he needs, without all the extra bits found on Arduino development boards. | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "400611",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T19:36:31",
"content": "These projects look cool, and I like that HAD posted them.But I’d feel better about it if the projects were promising to open source the design. Then it’s not so much a commercial for a product.Not that I che... | 1,760,377,177.192279 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/i-am-root-ip-camera-shell-access/ | I Am Root! – IP Camera Shell Access | Mike Szczys | [
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"ip camera",
"root",
"rosewill",
"terminal",
"wifi"
] | [Shawn] emailed us some pictures and a description of his latest hack. He cracked open a
Rosewill RXS-3211 IP Camera
because the output of the web interface made him certain that it was running Linux and he wanted to unlock some more potential from the device. These cameras are used for security, and offer a browser-based interface via a WiFi connection. After studying the circuit board he started poking around an unpopulated set of four pads and managed to get a serial connection up and running. The device’s serial terminal operates at 115200 baud using eight data bits, one stop bit, and even parity.
He wonder where to go from here and we have a few ideas. You can see in the terminal readout above that it announces when motion is detected. We think this motion detection would be quite useful with a small rover while adding live video broadcasting at the same time. An embedded Linux system should be able to interface with the device and we think that a bit of creative coding would open up the WiFi connection for other use as well. Not bad for a module that can be had for as little as $29. We’ve included all the images [Shawn] sent us after the break and we’d love to hear your thoughts on what you’d use this for in the comments. | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "401346",
"author": "Rogan Dawes",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T12:13:44",
"content": "Next step is to reverse engineer the firmware to see if you can build your own custom firmware for the device. With any luck, it is using standard Linux drivers for things like the wifi and the camera,... | 1,760,377,177.256165 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/diy-inkjet-printer-begs-to-be-hacked/ | DIY Inkjet Printer Begs To Be Hacked | Mike Nathan | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"diy",
"open source",
"printer"
] | [Nicholas C Lewis, Patrick Hannan, Jared Knutzen, and Joy Markham], students from the University of Washington, have recently taken the wraps off a project which they have been collaborating on,
a DIY inkjet printer
. The group set out to construct a low cost, open source inkjet printer for personal use that utilizes standard inkjet technology. Their working prototype, pictured above, satisfies all of those requirements, making it an ideal device for the at-home hobbyist.
The printer was constructed from easy to obtain components such as steel rods and stepper motors, along with other parts that can be printed using a RepRap or similar machine. An Arduino Mega manages the steppers and repurposed print head, recreating whatever Processing-generated image it has been given.
The printer is quite a hit so far, and people are already talking about adapting the design to print on spherical objects (think EggBot), to create direct etch resist PCBs, and more. We think it would make a great
direct to garment printer
with just a few small tweaks.
Check out the short video embedded below to see the printer in action.
[via
Make
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYeYeTGkvJM&w=470] | 17 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "401313",
"author": "twopartepoxy",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T11:15:36",
"content": "nice work, i’m going to have a really good look at this, could use some of the mechanisms in similar projects.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "40... | 1,760,377,177.310889 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/the-laser-guided-wheelchair/ | The Laser Guided Wheelchair | Jeremy Cook | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"haptic feedback",
"laser",
"visually impaired",
"WheelChair"
] | Using a scanning laser similar to those used in industrial safety systems, a
new wheelchair
developed by Sweden’s Luleå University of Technology allows those who are visually impaired to drive it without assistance. A driver is given haptic feedback as a navigation aid, reportedly similar to using a cane.
Although something like this is good in concept, this idea is already a working prototype. Doctoral student Daniel Innala Ahlmark (who is visually impaired himself) has already taken this wheelchair on a test run in his university’s busy Computer Science, Electrical, and Space Engineering Department. After this test run he remarked that he “felt safe like using a white cane.”
It’s really neat to see engineering and hacking skills put to use to help people who are impaired in some way (even cooler to see someone visually impaired helping with the process itself!). For more “hacks” related to helping people check out this
brain controlled wheelchair
, or this
mobility device
for kids. | 10 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "401171",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T23:55:39",
"content": "This is somthing that should be commericalized PDQ!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "401173",
"author": "Rick",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T00:0... | 1,760,377,177.835818 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/update-laser-powered-auto-focus-assist-version-2/ | Update: Laser-powered Auto Focus Assist Version 2 | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"auto focus",
"laser pointer"
] | We don’t know if our feature from a couple of days gave [Adrian] a kick in the pants, or if he was just on target to finish is writeup this week, but he’s posted about
version 2 of his laser auto focus assist project
.
The
original idea
was to use an unfocused laser pointer dot to give his DSLR auto focus feature a kick in the pants since the built-in light doesn’t come back on when photographing moving subjects. The original version worked, but he had to operate the laser manually and the hardware was kind of spread out all over the camera.
The latest version (2.0) can be seen above, housed in a project box that mounts to the hot shoe and keeps everything together in one package. The laser operation is now automatic, coming on when the shutter trigger is depressed half way, or when the auto focus enable button is depressed. The controls on the project box include an on/off switch as well as a potentiometer which varies the intensity of the laser.
It looks like this won’t be the last version of the hardware that we see. [Adrian] covers a few outstanding problems in his post. Most notably, the laser light is still a bit too strong. At a recent live event, another photographer took issue with the fact that his images included the red splotch from [Adrian’s] diy hardware. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "401142",
"author": "lokerin",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T22:35:07",
"content": "actually the red splotch would be good if you frequently are hired as the photographer for a event where there is no other photos that are supposed to be taken. dance recitals, plays and musicals",
"pa... | 1,760,377,177.362863 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/fan-throttling-for-ps3-temperature-control/ | Fan Throttling For PS3 Temperature Control | Mike Szczys | [
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"7 segment",
"arduino",
"fan",
"ps3",
"thermistor"
] | This setup will let you
monitor Play Station 3 temperatures and throttle the cooling fan accordingly
. [Killerbug666] based the project around an Arduino board, and the majority of the details about his setup are shared as comments in the sketch that he embedded in his post. He installed four thermistors in his PS3 on the CPU heatsink, the GPU heatsink, the Northbridge or Emotion Engine, and one in front of the air intake grate to measure ambient room temperature.
Above you can see the setup he used to display temperatures for each sensor on a set of 7-segment displays. The project also includes the ability to push this data over a serial connection for use with a computer or a standalone system.
The project is still in a prototyping stage. It works, but he likens the fan throttling to the sound of a car engine constantly revving. Future plans include smoothing out the fan speed corrections and scaling down the size of the hardware used in the system. We’d suggest doing away with three of the displays and adding a button that lets you select which set of sensor data you’d like to display.
[Thanks User] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "401115",
"author": "PoopieHead",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T21:29:28",
"content": "PID is usually the ideal solution for this kind of thing. Best of all, he probably already has the “P” part of this down with his current design…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": ... | 1,760,377,177.487529 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/cube-solving-robot-shatters-the-world-record/ | Cube Solving Robot Shatters The World Record | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"rubik's cube solver"
] | This cube-shaped bot just
shattered the robotic Rubik’s Cube solving record
by about 8 seconds. It did it in a blazing 10.69 seconds to best the old record of 18.2 seconds. There was immediate confusion here at Hackaday as some of us thought the record was actually around six seconds. And it is, for humans. That’s right, the human record holder completed a cube in 6.24 seconds…
faster
than a robot by almost four seconds. It’s surprising that we can still beat mechanized devices at some repetitive mechanical operations.
Take a look at the speed run shown in the video after the break. What strikes us is that the motions are incredibly efficient, and the bot is very quite. Compare that efficiency to
CuBear
, a solver that uses a different motor for each side of the cube. That one doesn’t need to grip the cube making us think it could beat this version if the firmware were quite a bit faster.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWtBTKpWVXk&w=470]
[via
Physorg
and
Reddit
] | 36 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "401073",
"author": "lightningflashfire",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T20:08:43",
"content": "The guy who holds the current world record was allowed to analyze the cube for as long as he wanted before he physically solved the cube. The robot creates an algorithm on the fly, the human doe... | 1,760,377,177.571015 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/02/edward-the-vehicle-of-the-future/ | EDWARD The Vehicle Of The Future | Nick Schulze | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"diwheel",
"edward"
] | If there was a competition for coolest transportation device for the future, the diwheel would be at the top of the list with hover cars and teleportation. Over the past 3 years students at Adelaide University have been working on an
E
lectric
D
iwheel
W
ith
A
ctive
R
otation
D
amping or
EDWARD
.
EDWARD is an entirely electric diwheel, the operator is strapped into the bucket seat between the two large wheels with a 5 point harness and can control the machine with a gaming joystick. Full dynamic stability and slosh control allow the operator to maneuver the vehicle at up to 40km/hr, inversion control even allows you to drive upside down (if you are that way inclined). The next question is just where can we get one? Check out the video after the break for a demonstration of EDWARD in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf6Gh-hPDeo&&w=470] | 57 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "401038",
"author": "Taylor Alexander",
"timestamp": "2011-06-02T19:08:42",
"content": "I feel like this is an appropriate time for me to ask this:Can we stop assuming that all robotic/mechanical things need acronyms for names? Its sooooooo overplayed. This has always been a major pe... | 1,760,377,177.657021 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/sinister-tone-generator-brings-the-bass/ | Sinister Tone Generator Brings The Bass | Mike Nathan | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"analog synth",
"sound generator",
"tone generator"
] | [RichDecibels] wrote in to share a new device he built called the “
Sinster Tone Generator
”. It’s basically a bass drone synthesizer that uses two pairs of heterodyning oscillators to generate the output. If you swing by his site, he has a long audio demo of the device in action with a bit of reverb and filtering applied to enhance the sound. After listening, we agree that it sounds pretty sinister!
The device is relatively small and handsomely packaged in a plastic project box he had custom cut by Ponoko. [Rich] says that this particular unit is a one-off that he has produced for a charity auction, and that bidding is open through Sunday if you really want to get your hands on it. If you happen to have the time to build one yourself, he has uploaded schematics and layout files to his site (as usual), so feel free to stop by and grab a copy. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "400577",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T18:11:19",
"content": "Sounds like my farting keychain when the batteries run down.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400679",
"author": "Dino",
"timestamp": "2011-0... | 1,760,377,177.923761 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/gpu-password-cracking-made-easy/ | GPU Password Cracking Made Easy | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"cain",
"crack",
"gpu",
"hash",
"ighashgpu",
"password",
"windows"
] | The power that a Graphics Processing Unit presents can be harnessed to do some dirty work when trying to crack passwords. [Vijay] took a look at some of the options out there for cracking passwords and found that
utilizing the GPU produces the correct password in a fraction of the time
. On a Windows machine he pitted the
Cain password recovery tool
which uses the CPU for its calculations against
ighashgpu
which uses ATI or Nvidia graphics cards to do the deed. Hands down ighashgpu is the fastest; with Cain taking about one year to crack an eight character password while ighashgpu can do it in under nineteen hours.
We were very interested to see how easy it is to use this package.
We looked in on GPU cracking in September
but didn’t focus on the software packages that are out there. Now that you know how easily your password can be unearthed perhaps you will get some use out of
this article discussing the usability and security of longer passwords
which we ran across over on
Reddit
. | 37 | 35 | [
{
"comment_id": "400551",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T17:10:34",
"content": "That is what we call an order of magnitude difference in speed, which doesn’t make me think that the GPU is fast but that we are using the CPU inefficiently.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"repli... | 1,760,377,178.112904 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/jeris-dress-lights-up-when-someone-invades-her-personal-space-step-back-nerds/ | [Jeri’s] Dress Lights Up When Someone Invades Her Personal Space — Step Back Nerds! | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"analog",
"barbot",
"dress",
"instamatic",
"jeri ellsworth",
"schmitt trigger"
] | [Jeri] threw down the geeky fashion gauntlet by
building this LED enhanced dress
. She chose to assemble the project for her trip to BarBot 2011, and we can’t think of a more appropriate setting for such a garment. It uses a motion sensor to set off a delayed pattern of blue lights hidden underneath the fabric.The best part of the hack is the instamatic camera. It looks like a fashion accessory, but it’s really hiding all of the circuitry for the lights.
Inside the camera a PIR sensor waits until it detects motion, sending a signal through an op-amp to the trigger circuitry. A 74LS14 Schmitt Trigger chip teams up with some resistor-capacitor timer circuits to build a delay chain for the LEDs. This way, after motion is detected the LEDs come on and off in a staggered pattern that doesn’t require a microcontroller and is very pleasing to the eye. See the Analog win for yourself after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLFLwZ-JGaU&w=470] | 34 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "400524",
"author": "jacubillo",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T16:12:26",
"content": "Looking at that picture, I wanna make her dress light up A LOT!lol",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400529",
"author": "SelfSilent",
"timesta... | 1,760,377,178.04133 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/buying-selling-and-bartering-hacking-hardware/ | Buying, Selling, And Bartering Hacking Hardware | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"classifieds",
"grenadier",
"parts",
"surplus",
"the junkbox"
] | Regular reader [Grenadier] wrote in to let us know about his newly published
hacking hardware trading post called The Junkbox
. Apparently when he’s not
blowing up capacitors
or
building his own
high voltage ones, he makes time to code up a website where you can buy, sell, and barter leftover components.
We have something like this right here at Hackaday. The dollar sign icon along the right column, just underneath the featured posts banner will take you to
our classifieds section
which at the time of writing had a whopping nine items posts. But these things to ebb and flow. Check in on the
newly posted link
from time to time to see that number grow.
Whether it’s over at The Junkbox or in our classifieds section, we think the biggest problem is finding what you need when you need it. This is nothing new. If you missed it before, we’ve embedded an older episode of the EEVblog after the break where [Dave Jones] tours Apex Surplus. It’s as if a hacker who has hoarding tendencies bought a store forty years ago and just kept piling more and more merchandise to the sky.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XesfMfS5usY&w=470] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "400508",
"author": "Tron9000",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T15:16:12",
"content": "Any chance of a UK & europe section?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400514",
"author": "Colecoman1982",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T15:45:26",
... | 1,760,377,177.877835 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/prototyping-the-new-office-clock/ | Prototyping The New Office Clock | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"7 segment",
"arduino",
"ds3234",
"xbee"
] | [Damage] was tapped to build a new clock to hang on the wall at the office. He got a hold of some 6.5 inch seven segment displays for the hours and minutes, as well as some 4.5 inch modules for the date and month. Rather than jump right in with the large hardware (especially because he’s waiting for the PCB order to arrive)
he built this prototype
with more commonly sized displays.
His build is Arduino powered. In the video after the break he mentions the temperature compensated crystal oscillator that keeps the time. We’d wager that’s the DS3234 based RTC module
that Sparkfun sells
. This is the same chip family as the
Chronodot
and it was our choice for the
Ping Pong Clock
.
The finished clock will hang high on wall, out of reach when you need to set the time. This shouldn’t need to be done much – if ever – since that RTC includes a backup battery. But [Damage] took the time to develop a remote programming device anyway. Using another Arduino, an LCD display, and an Xbee pair he whipped up a remote that can be used to navigate and change the main unit’s settings.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qql_7a3p8tk&w=470]
[Thanks Paul] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "400476",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T13:14:20",
"content": "Again with the lame Xbee stuff… Put a wifi shield on it and make it sync with NTP and call it done…http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Code/TimeX-bee sucks for it’s price. if they lower the price to reaso... | 1,760,377,177.969579 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/devil-horns-adorn-the-hood-of-my-truck/ | Devil Horns Adorn The Hood Of My Truck | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"dental alginate",
"hood ornament",
"resin",
"zombie"
] | When you’re hunting zombies you’ve got to give them something to fear. [Shannon Larratt] is getting ready for that eventuality by
adding devil horns as his hood ornament
. It looks awesome from afar, but when you see the close-up images you realize how lifelike this is. That’s because it’s not a sculpture. [Shannon] cast the ornament in a mold made from his own hand.
The process started with some dental alginate which he slobbered all over his hand as he held the devil horns pose. After the mold had hardened he cast the ornament using fast-curing black plastic resin.
With the ornament now in hand he needed a way to secure it to the hood of his vehicle. He picked up a threaded U-bolt. A hole and a slot were carved in the base of the ornament to receive the U-bold and a straight bolt for a trio of anchor points. More of the black resin fills the holes, securing the bolts and making it a snap to mount the ornament by drilling through the hood.
We also find it awesome that during this process [Shannon] took the time to cast his daughter’s fist for use as a door knob at home. | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "400465",
"author": "CB4",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T12:41:00",
"content": "and this is on the rear?http://www.bumpernuts.com/nice hand btw :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400469",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,178.179835 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/01/radio-packets-from-spaaaace/ | Radio Packets…from Spaaaace! | Mike Nathan | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"APRS",
"ham",
"radio",
"space station"
] | [Bill Meara] was watching the International Space Station and the Shuttle Discovery pass overhead a few weeks ago, which rekindled an interest he gave up long ago –
sending and receiving radio packets from space
.
Years ago, he used to send APRS packets into space with a small rig powered by a 286 computer and HandiTalkie. These packets would drift off into space most of the time, but occasionally they would bounce back to Earth whenever the space station or PC Sat would fly by. The packets were often captured by other ham operators across the globe, who happened to be tuned to 145.825 MHz.
His interest renewed, he dug out his old HandieTalkie and Kantronics Terminal Node, aiming them towards the sky via an antenna situated in his back yard. When he returned 10 hours later, he found that he had collected all sorts of “space packets” from across the globe.
While not exactly a hack, it is definitely a neat exercise in ham radio operation. We can imagine slinging data packets off the space station would be an exciting experience for any budding operator (and OMs as well!) | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "400457",
"author": "Alex Parting",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T12:07:52",
"content": "I don’t get it",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400460",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-06-01T12:20:16",
"content": "Yeah, o... | 1,760,377,178.237738 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/a-keygen-for-the-real-world/ | A Keygen For The Real World | Mike Nathan | [
"cnc hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"cnc",
"keys",
"reprap"
] | [Nirav] found that he rarely printed anything useful with his RepRap, so to shake things up, he decided he needed to work on a project that didn’t involve printing yet more RepRap parts.
The goal of his project was to
create working replicas of house keys
by simply using the code imprinted at the factory. He purchased a handful of used lock sets from eBay, then carefully measured the keys with a ruler and calipers to get the blank dimensions just right. After that was done, he looked around online and was eventually able to create an OpenSCAD model using a chart of pin depth specifications he located. By changing the last line in the model’s code he can print any coded key. For keys lacking a code, he can manually measure the height of each bit and print replicas that way as well. Once printed, he says that they keys are strong enough to turn most locks he has come across, including deadbolts.
This is undoubtedly a neat project in its own right, though we would be interested to see if someone could get it paired with a program like
SNEAKEY
to generate bit measurements by sight alone. | 39 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "400290",
"author": "caleb",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T23:04:36",
"content": "makes me feel safe at night",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400292",
"author": "TheCreator",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T23:10:57",
"content": ... | 1,760,377,178.311057 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/electronic-bird-house-monitoring-goes-a-few-steps-further/ | Electronic Bird House Monitoring Goes A Few Steps Further | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"bird house",
"humidity",
"infrared",
"temperature",
"webcam",
"wifi"
] | [Stephen Albers] offers his avian friends a lot of extras with this
electronically monitored bird house
. This will not only give you a look at what’s going on inside, but provide a source for several other bits of data as well.
First off, a camera has been mounted to the underside of the roof. This looks down on the nesting area and features night vision so that you can peek in any time day or night. He used a WiFi webcam that operates separately from the other electronics.
With the remainder of the setup he is able to harvest temperature and humidity data inside, temperature outside, force on the bottom of the house (although this turned out to be less useful than anticipated), and a in-and-out count for the doorway provided by an IR transmitter/receiver pair.
This offers quite a bit more than
the last bird house project we saw
. That one also left a lot to be desired as far as protecting the electronics. [Stephen] didn’t skip on that kind of protection. Most of the electronics are housed in an acrylic chamber in the base of the house. The sensors find themselves nestled in plastic enclosures, although some work needs to be done to ensure that the temperature and humidity sensors will still function correctly with this setup. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "400286",
"author": "The Cheap Vegetable Gardener",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T22:52:12",
"content": "Cool setup, though not sure any birds will be brave enough to stay inside…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400291",
"author":... | 1,760,377,178.355973 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/modular-synthesizer-is-rack-mounted-and-reconfigurable/ | Modular Synthesizer Is Rack-mounted And Reconfigurable | Mike Szczys | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"module",
"rack",
"synthesizer"
] | [Dirk] let us know about this fantastic
music synthesis experimentation setup
(
translated
). Turn your computer speakers off (to avoid the auto-playing music when every page loads) and dig into the wealth of information in this repository. Literally dozens of modules have been built and superbly mounted on a rack system. Each can be connected with other modules into an incredible number of different setups using patch wires that terminate with banana plugs.
The module enclosures
themselves are made to fit in a standard 19″ rack. The front bezels were designed in CAD, with the rest of the housing made mostly of aluminum. Since each module tends to be quite small several are ganged into one rack skeleton to save space. You can see in the images above that there are as many as eight modules per rack slice.
You’ll enjoy reading about the
many different sound chips
that are in use here. But it doesn’t have to end there. If this has whet your appetite for your own rack-mounted system you’re in luck. The
download area
has schematics, board artwork, and build information for most of the modules. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "400255",
"author": "Hackerspacer",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T21:04:00",
"content": "Reminds me of:http://peteann.hypermart.net/freepix/Men-Women-Switches.JPG",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400259",
"author": "Hackerspacer",
... | 1,760,377,178.404611 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/library-makes-arduino-to-arduino-serial-communications-dead-simple/ | Library Makes Arduino To Arduino Serial Communications Dead Simple | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"data",
"library",
"packets",
"serial"
] | When [Bill Porter] works on a project, he says that he typically writes his own NMEA standard communications protocols to fit the job at hand. While it makes things easy to troubleshoot, he admits that his custom protocols are wasteful of both processor time and bandwidth. Binary communications on the other hand are more efficient, but a bit trickier to manage.
To make things easy for the common user,
he wrote a library called EasyTransfer
which abstracts packetized serial communications between two Arduino boards. The process is pretty simple – all one has to do is define a data structure on both Arduino boards so that they know what sort of data is coming over the wire, and EasyTransfer handles the rest. This allows users to worry less about communications protocols or transmission errors, and focus on their projects instead.
If you’re working on a project and searching for an easy way to get a pair of Arduinos talking, swing by his site and grab the library. It doesn’t get much easier. | 12 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "400233",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T20:11:56",
"content": "Thanks for the post Mike, though I really didn’t think this warranted a full post, I was only hoping to be in the next ‘Arduino Moment’ combo article.I wrote this in a day as a way to help out the handful of ... | 1,760,377,178.734328 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/run-kindle-3-firmware-on-kindle-2-hardware/ | Run Kindle 3 Firmware On Kindle 2 Hardware | Mike Szczys | [
"handhelds hacks",
"Kindle hacks"
] | [
"firmware",
"kindle"
] | After about six weeks of testing [Yifanlu] has released a stable version of the
Kindle 3 firmware for use with Kindle 2 hardware
. Everything seems to be working just fine with the patched firmware. We immediately jumped to the conclusion that the upgrade must run pretty slow on the older hardware. [Yifanlu] addresses that assumption in his post. The Kindle 2 hardware is not as fast as the Kindle 3, but it sounds like the upgraded firmware is no slower than the stock firmware was on the older units.
Since the firmware is proprietary, the upgrade method requires that you own both Kindle 2 and Kindle 3. Three scripts will pull the firmware image from the older hardware, copy it over to the new hardware and patch it at the same time, then copy the fully patched package back to the old hardware for use.
After the break you can see a video of a Kindle DX running 3.1 firmware. There’s also a link to the Reddit post where commenters have linked to pre-compiled versions of the patched package.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMFIYSGLz4M&w=470]
[Thanks Jason via
Reddit
] | 12 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "400223",
"author": "tux",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T19:21:33",
"content": "it would be awesome if he found a way to solve the constant lockup problems the kindle seems to have",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400240",
"author"... | 1,760,377,178.626175 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/laser-powered-dslr-auto-focus-assist-light/ | Laser-powered DSLR Auto Focus Assist Light | Mike Nathan | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"auto focus",
"camera",
"canon",
"hot shoe",
"laser pointer"
] | [Adrian] uses his Canon 40D quite often in dark or low-light situations, and found the onboard auto focus assist functionality to be a bit frustrating. In certain focus modes, the auto focus assist light is programmed to turn off once focus has been achieved. He noticed that if his subject moves or the focus point changes before he snaps the picture, the AF light does not come back on to assist in refocusing the image.
To work around this problem,
he decided to build a supplemental auto focus assist light
that could be triggered at will. He purchased a cheap laser pointer with an adjustable lens, then cut it open to get at the good parts. He mounted it on top of his camera and tweaked the lens to produce an unfocused beam of light that measures about 6” x 12” at five feet.
The laser pointer did the trick – his images are coming out much nicer now that he can easily recompose his shots in low light. While it works great, he’s not completely satisfied with the build, especially with the fact that he has to manually trigger the laser pointer.
Version 2 is in the works however, which employs an old hot shoe to trigger the laser whenever he pushes the shutter release halfway down. According to his blog
he is having some timing issues
, causing him to capture the laser in most of the pictures he takes. [Adrian] is working hard to correct the problem, and we’re sure he’d appreciate any tips you might have. | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "400206",
"author": "am",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T18:36:20",
"content": "Great idea! I should try it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400207",
"author": "Bogdan",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T18:37:14",
"content": "I thi... | 1,760,377,178.691471 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/guitar-pickup-101/ | Guitar Pickup 101 | Jesse Congdon | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"guitar",
"guitar pickup",
"hackaweek",
"winder"
] | [Dino Segovis] is at it again! For this week’s installment of his “Hack A Week” series [Dino] is holding a guitar pickup
winding 101
. Professional guitar pickups can cost hundreds of dollars, but are all essentially a permanent magnet wrapped in a bunch of wire. Using some cheap headphones, magnet wire, and a spare bolt [Dino] produces his own pickup and throws it in a one string blues guitar. This is a great beginner’s project as it involves only a few very easy to find parts and touches on some interesting concepts such as inductance and magnetic flux.
The premise is really simple: Sandwich the headphone magnet between two plastic discs to make a spindle, hot glue a 1/4″ bolt to the spindle, connect to a power drill, and wind a few thousand loops of magnet wire onto the thing. Hook your coil up to an amp and lay down a jam.
We might be tempted to add a counter to the rig using a reed switch connected to the “=” key of a cheap pocket calculator, and a magnet glued to the bolt. We have also seen a more complicated
automated
spool winder but [Dino] is keeping it nice and simple.
Check out the video after the jump to hear [Dino] go all Seasick Steve on us.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKS0ZWCHI4g&w=470] | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "400183",
"author": "devcoder",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T17:15:23",
"content": "and just like that the video is gone",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400184",
"author": "hoooooooooooooooooorj",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T17:... | 1,760,377,178.791084 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/diy-high-voltage-electric-field-detector/ | DIY High Voltage Electric Field Detector | Mike Nathan | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"diy",
"electronic field",
"high voltage",
"jfet",
"tools"
] | Who needs a Fluke high voltage detector
when you’ve got one of these things
?
Actually, we still recommend a professional high voltage detector for serious work, but you’ve got to like this electric field detector that [Alessandro] recently put together.
The detector works by using a JFET to detect the high impedance electric fields that are generated by high voltage lines. The JFET amplifies the signal while dropping the impedance in order to drive a pair of NPN transistors which are used as a threshold amplifier. Once the voltage hits 3V, an LED is lit, indicating the presence of high voltage near the detector’s probe. A wire-wrapped resistor does double-duty serving as the probe while providing a high impedance path to ground, ensuring that stray charge does not accumulate on the JFET’s gate, causing false readings.
It’s a neat project, and something that can be constructed in no time, making it perfect for beginner electronics classes.
Keep reading to see a quick video of the HV detector in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp0A6QvwqQE&w=470] | 23 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "401506",
"author": "Jimbo",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T21:21:43",
"content": "Kraus’ textbook “Electromagnetics” has a similar circuit for detecting atmospheric potentials and can be used to observe lightning discharges by putting the probe up high on a pole or chimney.",
"parent_... | 1,760,377,180.624941 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/dino-celebrates-the-131st-anniversary-of-the-photophone/ | [Dino] Celebrates The 131st Anniversary Of The Photophone | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"amplifier",
"fiber optics",
"hack a week",
"photophone"
] | [Dino Segovis] wrote in to share yet another installment of his Hack a Week series,
though this one is quite timely
.
It was 131 years ago today that [Alexander Graham Bell] unveiled the Photophone to the world. A precursor to fiber optic technology, [Bell’s] incredibly important invention can be easily replicated in your garage, as [Dino] shows us.
The original Photophone was constructed using a megaphone and crystalline selenium cells at the focal point of the receiver, however this version can be made with easy to obtain parts. [Dino] rigged his laptop up to a speaker on which he mounted a mirror, before setting it out in the sun. The vibrations of the mirror modulate the sunlight, reflecting it onto a solar cell positioned at the end of a long, black PVC tube. The solar cell’s leads are fed into an amplifier followed by a speaker, which broadcasts the audio.
The demonstration goes off without a hitch, and while some might be underwhelmed by the technolgy, imagine how incredible it would have looked 131 years ago! | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "401481",
"author": "jamieriddles",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T19:45:01",
"content": "Who knew solar cells could respond that fast…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "401486",
"author": "zool",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T19:59:0... | 1,760,377,180.559291 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/onshoulderstv-knows-how-to-use-openscad/ | OnshouldersTV Knows How To Use OpenSCAD | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"galivan",
"mathcast",
"onshoulders",
"openscad",
"reprap",
"steinman",
"thingiverse"
] | Recently there’s been a increase in the popularity of OpenSCAD as the tool of choice in the 3d printing community. [Gavilan Steinman] is putting out a series of
webTV shorts
on the use of
OpenSCAD
. While it lacks a lot of the features of big CAD suits (such as the ability to generate drawings of your parts), the
community
has
proven
it’s effectiveness as a
design tool
. There are only two episodes out so far but they cover OpenSCAD, mathcast, 3d printing, and a
really neat robot design.
Watch them below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmKnvEcPTk8&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaqrHuw4qY&w=470] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "401446",
"author": "K!P",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T17:51:03",
"content": "ok, im not much of a programmer, but i would have made that servo a heck a way faster using a mouse driven modeling software. (like solid works or something) Also less mind tricks.. (for me)",
"parent_id":... | 1,760,377,180.717897 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/warm-tube-clock-take-2/ | Warm Tube Clock, Take 2 | Mike Nathan | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"atmega328",
"DS3231",
"led",
"nixie",
"rgb",
"rtc",
"tlc59401",
"tube"
] | [Mure] wrote in to let us know he has put the finishing touches on
the second iteration of his Warm Tube Nixie clock
. We featured his original creation
here last year
, and while many things remain the same, he has still found a few things that he was able to improve on.
The first notable feature is the new real time clock. Instead of using a discrete crystal to keep time and a temperature sensor for compensation, he has opted to use a DS3231 RTC IC. It is far more accurate than the crystal, and it features a built-in temperature sensor as well. The alarm functionality has been simplified too, moving the controls into firmware rather than having to use a sliding switch to do so.
With the mainboard redesign, it would have been easy to leave behind the nixie “shields” he created for his first clock, but with a focus on interoperability, he chose to make this clock fully compatible with version one’s shields and vice versa.
While the changes aren’t groundbreaking, it’s nice to see a project like this undergo continued refinements. If you want to build a clone of this clock, [Mure] has made sure that all of the schematics and source code are available on his site.
Continue reading to see a brief video demo of the clock in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ehGTG4MEM&w=470] | 23 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "401416",
"author": "addidis",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T16:07:13",
"content": "Ok I have a stupid question. I dont futz much with high voltage things. . .Can some one explain the blue hue at the bottom of the nixie tubes. Its perplexing me.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,180.445796 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/portable-sid-plays-chiptunes/ | Portable SID Plays Chiptunes | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"Portable Audio Hacks"
] | [
"chiptune",
"CUI32",
"pic32",
"sid"
] | [Markus] on the DangerousPrototypes forum came up with a great little
SID player
.
The
SID
was (is?) the awesome sound generation chip inside the Commodore 64, and along with Game Boys and NESs laid the foundation for the chiptune scene. We’re happy to finally see a small SID player that doesn’t resort to SID emulation or a relatively huge
MIDIbox
.
The SID player itself is a shield on a CUI32 PIC dev board. The PIC32 emulates the 6510 and 6526 CPU and CIA chips found in the Commodore 64. A small USB memory stick stores the
High Voltage SID Collection
and the file system is navigated with an OLED screen. [Markus] says that the player draws 370 mA, so he runs it off a small wall wart. Still, we’re wondering if it’s possible to run this off of an SD card with a
SwinSID
so power draw can be reduced and a fully portable SID player can be realized.
We’ve got a touch of nostalgia for chiptune and demoscene music right now, so we’re going to listen to some
[Nelly Furtado]
[Janne Suni] right now, but you can check out the video demo [Markus] posted after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw-TQaskkQ8&w=470] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "401395",
"author": "dext3r",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T15:26:06",
"content": "i love this player!check out my favorite site for old tunes:http://www.kohina.com/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "401403",
"author": "DanJ",
"... | 1,760,377,180.87692 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/kinect-driven-cart-makes-shopping-a-snap/ | Kinect-driven Cart Makes Shopping A Snap | Mike Nathan | [
"Kinect hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"assistive technology",
"cart",
"Kinect",
"motorized",
"robot"
] | [Luis de Matos] is working on
a neat Kinect project called Wi-GO
that aims, as many do, to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities. While the Wi-GO project is geared towards disabled persons, it can be quite helpful to the elderly and pregnant women as well.
Wi-GO is a motorized shopping cart with a Kinect sensor mounted on the back. The sensor interfaces with a laptop and functions much as you would as you would expect, scanning the area in front of the cart for objects and people. Once it identifies the individual it is meant to help, the cart diligently follows behind as the person goes about their typical shopping routine. The robot keeps a safe distance to avoid collisions, but remains within reach so that it can be used to carry goods.
If you take a look a the video below, you can see Wi-GO in action. It starts off by showing how difficult it would be for an individual in a wheel chair to use a shopping cart alone, and follows up by showing how much easier things are with Wi-GO in tow.
While the project is only in prototype form at the moment, we suspect that it will only be a matter of time until you see devices like Wi-GO in your local supermarket.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/24542706 w=470] | 21 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "401385",
"author": "salomon",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T14:44:35",
"content": "So, finally Microsoft did something good, inventing the kinect",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "1003230",
"author": "ThatOneDude",
"t... | 1,760,377,180.937456 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/06/03/precision-frequency-measurement-library-for-8-bit-microcontrollers/ | Precision Frequency Measurement Library For 8-bit Microcontrollers | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arduino",
"crystal oscillator",
"frequency counter",
"Teensy"
] | [Paul] has been working on porting over Arduino libraries for use with the Teensy microcontroller platform. This tends to be pretty simple since they both use the same Atmel chip architecture. But once in a while he finds the Arduino libraries are not what they’re cracked up to be. When looking to port over a frequency measurement library he ended up
writing his own that works better and is much more portable
.
He had two big beefs with
the Arduino Frequency Counter Library
. The first is that it required the compensation factor the be calibrated using an accurate frequency counter. That’s a chick-and-egg problem since many people who build a frequency counter with an Arduino are doing so because they don’t already have a standalone tool. The second problem is that the Arduino library was hardcoded for ATmega168 or ATmega328 chips.
This new library fixes both issues with just one trade-off. Your hardware setup must be using a crystal oscillator. You can see above in the image above that the frequency measurement is quite accurate with this method. The package also uses a thin abstraction layer which will make it easy to port to any 8-bit microcontroller which is programmed in C. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "401414",
"author": "Scott",
"timestamp": "2011-06-03T16:06:56",
"content": "It says this can measure up to 5mhz. Can it measure higher frequencies if I use a faster clock source for the MCU?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "40142... | 1,760,377,180.672419 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/vga-testers-for-the-children/ | VGA Testers For The Children | Kevin Dady | [
"hardware"
] | [
"VGA Tester"
] | Recently on our
Hack A Day forums
a member asked about getting some VGA testers made in our “Request and Commissions” forum for a charity called the
World Computer Exchange
, who take old office PC’s and freshens them up to be used by children in developing countries for their education.
I sort of wanted to do a no brainier electronics build as I had been working on that Apple II weather display for quite a while at that point. I say no brainier because I decided to use one of the many already designed vga testers out there and all I really had to do was get it to fit in whatever box we ended up with.
I choose the
deogen
because it was already featured on Hack A Day, supports multiple raster patterns and resolutions (640×480 through 1280×1024), is already pretty darn small, and uses an ATTiny 2313 which is good because I am already set up for AVR micro controllers. For a case I choose to use some plastic “Ice Breakers” mint boxes, which due to their oval shape makes it quite a bit smaller than an altoids tin. The challenge is on to shove a PCB, switch, 9V battery, 2 buttons and a vga connector in the cramped space.
Join us after the break for a pile of pictures and some build notes.
First up would be the parts. I got most of the required parts from good ole Digikey. There were a few radio shack push buttons from another project, toggle switches from old dead power supplies and the VGA connectors came from a old multiport keyboard / vga switch (one of those with the giant mechanical rotary knobs). Including the parts I already had on hand the cost of a pair of these testers would run around 20$, though I got off a bit cheaper.
You can find schematics and a parts list on the main
Deogen
page, along with a properly laid out dual sided PCB. I wont be using the PCB as I have less space to work with, and I really do not feel like drilling holes, also the micro, power regulator, and crystal were substituted with fairly easy to handle surface mount packages. All passive components are normal through hole with their leads soldered to pads on the board. Have you seen a surface mount 18pf capacitor? At first I swore Digikey sent me an empty piece of tape!
The D shape PCB blanks were cut out on a band saw and smoothed over with a table top belt sander, and a test fit is made. As you see everything fits snugly inside of the box. At first I thought I was going to draw this PCB and reality kicked in when I remembered I needed to make a pair. Off to windows and
Express PCB
, where I quickly eyeballed the D shape of my PCB and laid out my design with quite a bit of slack over the rounded part.
I tried toner transfer, and I scrubbed the blanks with nylon pads, acetone, steel wool, and more acetone to get those things clean. I went to my parents house to use my dad’s brand new cannon laser printer. I used the fronts and backs of old fedex shipping label paper and how are my results?
Epic fail! I have never been good at making toner transfer boards but these are by far the worst ones ever. Toner didn’t stick and had a problem with smooshing. The iron I used is junk so it liked to scald the paper and screw up the copper surface. If that wasn’t enough, I didn’t measure the base of the switches which were too wide fit in the 2 holes I left in the PCB. After about the third time of this, I said “well its not getting any better” and I pulled out my little hobby knife and sharpie marker to fix any problems.
After etching, any left over problem areas were gouged out by using a super small chisel that came with a set of soldering picks, while under magnification. Both boards got each trace probed with a continuity meter, then all of the traces are coated in liquid flux in preparation for tinning.
Tinning is accomplished by pooling up a blob of solder on one of the large ground planes and you can simply dip into it with your soldering iron and paint over the traces. It looks a mess because the surface is not smooth caused by excess boiling flux, but one you start soldering on it, it flattens out real quick. I also scrubbed the board down with a toothbrush and denatured alcohol, this is vital or the board is coated in a thick gooey sticky flux syrup.
I soldered the components to the board in my layout. Unfortunately, in my layout, the board is mounted by the push button switches. The VGA connector has to be soldered in after both it and the PCB are mounted, so I need to start on the case.
First, the end is cut to fit the VGA connector. A template was made from a video card mounting bracket taped into place and crudely cut out, and cleaned up with a file. The PCB and battery were set in place and a mark for the power switch is made.While we are in there the (corrected) switch mounting holes in the pcb were used as guides to drill holes into the bottom of the mint box.
Back to the power switch. I measured it with my digital calipers and scribed its foot print in the bottom of the box, it was then cut out with a utility knife.
At this point I am ready to mount everything in the box, but I decided it needed some graphics too. Hopping back into windows, (because I cant get my wifi printer / scanner working right in linux) I set the box on my flat bed scanner and imported the image into inkscape to use as a template. I outlined my graphic and opened the resulting svg file into the gimp for paint, and printed it out on some feebee photo paper which is glued to the mint box.
Final construction involves first mounting the VGA connector to the box. Since its on the rounded end of the box the connector’s screw tabs were bent in to help match the contour. Next, the PCB is slid into place and I can now install the 2 push buttons through both the pcb and box. Finally the power switch is snapped into place and is re-enforced with a pretty thick bead of gorilla glue.
Final wiring is pretty simple evn though its in very cramped conditions. I soldered the 9v battery clip’s negative lead to a longer bit of wire and it iss soldered to a ground on the PCB. The positive lead goes though a diode and into the toggle switch, which is connected to the power input of the circuit. One side of both buttons is soldered to ground, and the other side each lead to a different pin of the microcontroller. Finally, the hardest part is hooking up the 6 lines coming from the VGA connector. They are; RGB that need to be soldered to the correct resistor dac, h sync and v sync which go direct to the micro controller, and a ground line (which connects all the grounds via a jumper wire on the vga connector).
Give the glue some time to dry, pop in a battery and snap the lid back on (which is now the bottom) and you are good to go! Both of the minty VGA testers work great and the Deogen setup is very handy when looking for defective LCD’s. Don’t just take my word for it, look at these happy campers!
We blasted through our huge pile of LCD’s thanks to you! they worked so well we are thinking of sending one of them off to one of our over 20 other chapters. Each month we have a group of volunteers who are regulars and some who come occasionally. everyone you see in the group photo there has dedicated a lot of their time to the cause. everyone there was impressed and appreciative of your contribution | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "400163",
"author": "ian",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T16:09:58",
"content": "Nice build, great article!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "400165",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T16:16:26",
"content": "Kids toda... | 1,760,377,180.771231 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/31/lcd-replacing-ccfl-with-leds/ | LCD: Replacing CCFL With LEDs | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"ccfl",
"digital picture frame",
"inverter",
"led backlight"
] | [Fileark] had the backlight on his digital picture frame go out one day. These are generally Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps which require an inverter to source the voltage necessary for proper operation. When they stop working, the inverter is usually to blame. Since that circuit is made up of pretty small surface mount circuitry, he decided to
replace the backlight with LEDs
rather than repair the inverter.
In the video after the break [Fileark] will walk through the entire project. After snooping around inside the picture frame he sizes up a strip of LEDs on a flexible substrate. The metal retaining bracket that hosts the LCD must be altered to fit the new light source and for that, he’s included a hacking montage in his video. The final result looks stock and he estimates the screen is around 97% as bright as with the original backlight.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an LED edge-lit upgrade.
The last one we saw
even used a custom PCB to host the LEDs.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HojPTbUlk_o&w=470] | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "400144",
"author": "steve",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T14:34:49",
"content": "Cool. I did this for my handheld oscilloscope to reduce interferences caused by the CCFL inverter. Works beautifully and enables different tones of white and better looking colors.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,180.81906 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/30/solar-powered-bird-house-tweets-using-b-squares/ | Solar-powered Bird House Tweets Using B-Squares | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"b-squares",
"bird house",
"solar-powered",
"tweet",
"twitter",
"xbee"
] | This bird house will tweet
to let you know when the occupants pass through the door… err… hole. It uses solar panels to keep a battery topped off, and an Arduino along with an optical sensor which monitors the doorway to pass along an alert via an XBee module.
Admittedly, the video after the break is a bit tongue-in-cheek and doesn’t safeguard against the elements, or even against bird poop. AND it’s basically an advertisement for B-Squares. But we still like it.
These squares use magnetic corners to connect the solar squares together, as well as the squares that house the Arduino and the battery. These magnetic corners also act as the power and ground rails. Two nails have been pounded through the roof of the bird house, acting as a surface to magnetically attach the solar panels to, as well as a conductor to pass the power rails through the wood. It’s no wonder that
B-Squares are closing in on raising five-times their Kickstarter goal
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQmtyG3buzc&w=470] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "399975",
"author": "lolwut",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T03:14:31",
"content": "over-engineered project is over-engineered…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "399977",
"author": "justDIY",
"timestamp": "2011-05-31T03:38:01",
... | 1,760,377,180.499035 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/30/a-bright-idea/ | A Bright Idea | Kevin Dady | [
"HackIt",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"brainwaves",
"jeri ellsworth",
"leds",
"opamp"
] | [Jeri Ellsworth] had a bright idea –
a brain-activated light bulb that floats above your head
. While out and about, she saw some guy with a video game icon attached to metal rod sticking out of his backpack. The rod made the icon appear to be floating above his head (think The Sims), which was the inspiration for this LED powered light bulb. The bulb is connected to a metal rod, as well as a metal hoop which is springy enough to keep a pair of electrodes snugly attached to your head.
Those electrodes, along with a third probe used for noise reference, are hooked up to a AD620 instrumentation amplifier. With the help of op amps, it modulates the red or green LEDs that are attached to the back side of the light bulb. The end result is an amusing way to show brain activity while being grilled on a Q/A panel, or while just wandering around taking in all the amazing sights presented at Maker Faire.
Join us after the break for a video demonstration.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quz78xRxv1Y&w=450] | 43 | 43 | [
{
"comment_id": "399869",
"author": "Elettronica",
"timestamp": "2011-05-30T19:56:40",
"content": "Hi Jeri the electronics italian community love you!http://it.emcelettronica.com/energy-harvesting-%C3%A8-da-pazziAnalog Devices AD620 instrumentation amplifier is NOT for fools :)Great Idea!",
"par... | 1,760,377,181.077524 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/30/tree-climber-takes-a-page-from-the-inchworm-book/ | Tree Climber Takes A Page From The Inchworm Book | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"climb",
"inchworm",
"tree"
] | Sharp talons and a strong torso
let this robot climb trees
, even while carrying a heavy payload. It uses a simple principle, two gripping units allow it to grab onto the tree. These modules alternate, one grips while the torso moves the other up the tree.
You can make out the trio of rods which connect the front and back half of the robot in the image above. Watch the video after the break to see how the motors move these rods with the dexterity of an inchworm, allowing it not only to climb upwards, but to bend and flex to match the contours encountered in the wild.
This was presented at International Conference on Robotics and Automation a few weeks ago. Unfortunately we can only find
an abstract for the paper
so please leave a link in the comments if you know where to find the full monty.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmqDePXM89Y&w=470]
[via
Adafruit
] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "399845",
"author": "Dino",
"timestamp": "2011-05-30T17:20:29",
"content": "Very ingenious! I’ve been thinking about wall climbing robots lately… this is inspiring.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "399849",
"author": "Cthulu",... | 1,760,377,181.288715 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/30/reverse-engineering-embedded-device-firmware/ | Reverse Engineering Embedded Device Firmware | Mike Nathan | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"embedded systems",
"firmware",
"reverse engineering",
"security"
] | While not necessarily an easy thing to learn, the ability to
reverse engineer embedded device firmware
is an incredibly useful skill. Reverse engineering firmware allows you to analyze a device for bugs and vulnerabilities, as well as gives you the opportunity to add features if you happen to be so inclined. When it comes to things such as jailbroken iPhones, Android phones, and Nooks, you can guarantee that a close look at the firmware helped to move the process along.
[Craig] works with embedded systems quite frequently and put together a detailed walkthrough demonstrating how he reverse engineers device firmware. The subject of his hacking was a new firmware package he obtained for a Linksys WWAG120 Wireless-N router.
His tutorial walks through some of the most common reverse engineering methods and tools, which allow him to slowly unravel the firmware’s secrets. When finished, he had a working copy of the router’s boot loader, kernel, and file system – all ready to be further analyzed. His writeup includes tons of additional details, so be sure to swing by his site if reverse engineering is something you are interested in. | 17 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "399831",
"author": "TheCreator",
"timestamp": "2011-05-30T15:41:59",
"content": "Learned some new tricks. Very interesting.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "399834",
"author": "Panikos",
"timestamp": "2011-05-30T15:51:53"... | 1,760,377,181.344966 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/30/hackaday-links-monday-may-30th/ | Hackaday Links: Monday, May 30th | Mike Nathan | [
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"cnc",
"gamepad",
"gcode",
"laptop",
"laser",
"led",
"nes",
"playstation 3",
"portable",
"zigbee"
] | Huge, fully functional NES game pad replica
Students at Dutch TU Delft university recently built
a huge replica of the original NES controller
(
Google Translation
), which is fully functional and can be used to play games on a large display screen they also installed. How big is it, you ask? It’s about 6 meters wide – over 30 times the size of the original NES game pad and requires participants to jump on the buttons to play.
Convert any image to G-code
Members of [Forskningsavdelningen], a Swedish hackerspace,
are working on software
that will allow users to vectorize bitmap images in order to convert them to G-code files for CNC milling. A good portion of the project is complete, but there is still a bit of work to do, so you won’t see it in action for a while. When it’s ready, we’ll be sure to let you know.
Convert your lame Dead Space plasma cutter into a bonafide laser weapon
If you forked out big bucks for the special edition of Dead Space 2,
you know how lame the included plasma cutter replica is
. Check out this video, that shows you how to convert your LED toy to a dual laser, fire starting, laser pistol. The process is pretty simple, so what are you waiting for?
Synchronized, LED-lit juggling balls
[Jonathan] wrote in to share a project he and some friends have just finished. He’s not sharing a ton of details at the moment, but
he has put up a video showing off their wireless LED juggling balls
. All we know is that they use bright RGB LEDS, Zigbees for communication, and that they are awesome. We can’t wait to hear more about them!
Water cooled PS3 Laptop
[Pirate] recently unveiled his latest work,
a water-cooled Playstation 3 laptop
. It looks pretty sharp, and can undoubtedly rival some of Ben Heck’s work, even if it does have an external PSU. Obviously having a separate power component isn’t necessarily ideal, but when you are cramming all of that water cooling goodness into such a small package, something has to give! | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "399820",
"author": "G-reg",
"timestamp": "2011-05-30T15:12:30",
"content": "Water cooled PS3.. Same thing im working on so im goin to be a little critical here. Im just not focusing on it being a laptop. Kudos to that, but the fact you have an external unit to lug around, besides th... | 1,760,377,181.245601 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/28/quadruped-military-vehicles-from-back-in-the-day/ | Quadruped Military Vehicles From Back In The Day | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"army",
"AT-AT",
"big dog",
"quadruped",
"star wars"
] | While Boston Dynamics’ Big Dog is pretty impressive,
check out this video
of the US Army’s first attempt at a quadruped vehicle. Created in the early 1960s with the help of GE, this Army experiment was the first successful attempt of replicating a four-legged animal with a mechanical machine.
This “Walking Truck” was driven by a single operator who moved each of the vehicle’s legs using force-feedback hydraulic levers. Choreographing the machine’s movement was quite complicated, and during testing the Army found that the operator needed a mental break after only 15 minutes of use. As you can see in the video, the vehicle flexes some serious muscle. It kicks a Jeep out of its way with little effort, but it is still able to gently step on a light bulb without breaking it, due to the level of tactile feedback received by the operator.
If it weren’t for government budget cuts, we could be living out [George Lucas’] dream of AT-AT based combat right this minute!
[via
Gizmodo
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "399186",
"author": "Stephen",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T15:21:33",
"content": "This is an amazing example of old technology doing very complicated mechanical movements!Now if only this were an exoskeleton instead!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,181.58532 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/28/wireless-controller-operates-your-cnc-mill/ | Wireless Controller Operates Your CNC Mill | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks",
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"emc2",
"linux",
"mill",
"pendant",
"qtsixa",
"sixaxis"
] | [Darrell Taylor] wanted to add a CNC control pendant to his mill but didn’t want to foot the bill which can often run several hundred dollars. These pendants are basically a physical remote control that operates the CNC software that controls the machine. Since he was already using a Linux box running EMC2, it wasn’t too hard to figure out how to
operate the mill with a PlayStation controller
.
To get the controller talking to his Linux machine he uses a package called
QtsixA
. The package identifies and loads the control through Bluetooth pairing. From there it can be used to map the buttons and joysticks as keys on the keyboard or as a mouse. In the video after the break [Darrell] demonstrates how he has his shortcuts set up. He’s able to move the machine head, and even start or step through the programmed routine. As he mentions, this is pretty nice if you’ve got dirty hands; just throw the controller in a zipper bag and you’re set to go.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIg2FO6e52k&w=470] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "399163",
"author": "Alex",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T14:34:21",
"content": "Good idea! I was afraid he’d done something silly with the motion control, but this is pretty sane. I can see where it would be especially useful in a situation like this, where the PC is relatively far away ... | 1,760,377,181.397507 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/27/speak-your-mind-and-help-radioshack-suck-less/ | Speak Your Mind And Help RadioShack Suck Less | Mike Nathan | [
"News"
] | [
"radioshack",
"suck"
] | We can all agree that RadioShack
isn’t exactly the DIY mecca it once was
.
What used to be a haven for amateur radio operators, tinkerers, and builders alike has devolved into a stripmall mainstay full of cell phones and overpriced junk. RadioShack knows that they have fallen out of your good graces, and since you are the demographic that put them on the map, they are appealing to the DIY community for input.
They want to know what is important to you – what you would like to see at your local RadioShack, and what would bring you back through their doors. Obviously price is a huge concern, especially with online outlets like Digikey and Mouser just a few clicks away. At the end of the day however, if you require a component RIGHT NOW, it would be nice to have the ability to grab some parts locally.
We’re well aware of the fact that this is all part of a marketing scheme, but if it helps stock your local store with a few odds and ends that are actually helpful, it won’t hurt to let your voice be heard.
Stick around to watch the video appeal from RadioShack’s brand manager, [Amy Shineman].
[Thanks komradebob]
[via
ARRL.org
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxyDab_s_lY&w=470] | 351 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "398727",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T22:10:02",
"content": "I have misgivings about this, I see it as a marketing ploy too, I used to work there (my wife too, that’s were we met). I will be giving all the advise i can, but do not have high expectations.",
"pare... | 1,760,377,181.530967 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/27/music-tank-puts-the-boom-in-boombox/ | Music Tank Puts The Boom In Boombox | Mike Nathan | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"audio",
"batteries",
"music",
"solar",
"tank"
] | When you think of Memorial Day weekend, what comes to mind? Well around here, all we can think about is
this tank cum boombox
that Instructable user [Elian_gonzalez] put together.
This build is actually the third version of his Music Tank, and it comes with all sorts of improvements over previous models. The tank is primarily constructed out of plywood, with cavernous compartments for holding all of its goodies. In its capacious body, the tank sports a 60 Watt stereo system that powers a pair of external speakers mounted on either side of the turret. The turret itself contains an air-powered cannon built from PVC tubing, which we imagine can be used to shoot a multitude of different projectiles.
While the concept itself is pretty cool, the tank happens to be nearly self-sustaining as well. The tank has a pretty deep battery well and uses a 50w home made solar panel to help keep things topped off while in use. [Elian] does not specify a total running time, but we imagine that it can go for hours on a nice, sunny day.
Keep reading to see a long video walkthrough of the Music Tank MK3 in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Rrjm9JhXQ&w=470] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "398674",
"author": "kobilica",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T20:17:42",
"content": "So if 60watt usage + 50watt addage = 10watt usage… nice, but i believe 60watt stands for rms.still frickin nice, i’d own one",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"commen... | 1,760,377,181.439952 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/27/64-bit-os-written-entirely-in-assembly/ | 64-bit OS Written Entirely In Assembly | Brian Benchoff | [
"Software Hacks"
] | [
"64bit",
"operating system"
] | The folks at Return Infinity just released a new version of their
BareMetal OS
, a 64-bit operating system written entirely in assembly.
The goal of the BareMetal project, which includes a
stripped-down bootloader
and a
cluster computing platform
is to get away from the inefficient obfuscated machine code generated by higher level languages like C/C++ and Java. By writing the OS in assembly, runtime speeds are increased, and there’s very little overhead for when every clock cycle counts.
Return Infinity says the ideal application is for high performance and embedded computing. We can see why this would be great for really fast embedded computing – there are system calls for networking, sound, disk access, and everything else a project might need. There’s also ridiculously small system requirements – the entire OS is only 16384 bytes – lend itself to very small, very powerful computers.
With projects that are computationally intensive, we think this could be a great bridge between an insufficient AVR, PIC or Propeller and a full-blown linux distro. There’s just some questions about the implementation – we feel like we’ve just been given a tool we don’t even know when to use. Any hackaday readers have an idea on how to use an OS stripped down to the ‘bare metal?’ What, exactly, would need 64 bits, and what hardware would it run on?
Check out the Return Infinity team calculating prime numbers on their BareMetal Node OS after the jump.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccLef8GLl6g&w=470] | 112 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "398611",
"author": "sp00nix",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T18:33:13",
"content": "180 amps!!!! Im sure he meant watts :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "398612",
"author": "razor",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T18:33:14",
"co... | 1,760,377,181.768022 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/27/chipkit-uno32-first-impressions-and-benchmarks/ | ChipKIT Uno32: First Impressions And Benchmarks | Phil Burgess | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Featured",
"Microcontrollers",
"Reviews"
] | [
"32-bit",
"32bit",
"adc",
"arduino",
"bottleneck",
"chipkit",
"digilent",
"fractal",
"ide",
"lcd",
"mandelbrot",
"max32",
"pic",
"pic32",
"serial",
"uno",
"uno32"
] | Following
Maker Faire
, we’ve had a few days to poke around with Digilent’s 32-bit
Arduino-compatible chipKIT boards
and compiler. We have some initial performance figures to report, along with impressions of the hardware and software.
Disclaimer: Digilent has provided Hack a Day with Uno32 and Max32 boards for evaluation.
chipKIT isn’t the first attempt to extend the Arduino form factor to a 32-bit microcontroller core…other products such as
Maple
,
Netduino
or the FEZ Domino have been around for well over a year…but the chipKIT boards are notable for the effort Digilent has put into creating a seamless transition. The aim is to create a single unified tool both for traditional 8-bit Arduino boards and Digilent’s 32-bit work-alikes, where the same IDE, the same code, and a good number of the same shields can all work despite the different underlying architectures. In fact, they’re hoping the Arduino project accepts their integration method as an official means of adding new hardware to the Arduino IDE — not just for their own product, but for anyone else to use as well.
As noted in
our prior report
, we were impressed that they do appear to deliver on this promise. The transition between “classic” Arduinos and the 32-bit boards is indeed quite slick. But we’re finding at this early stage that there are still some rough bits to be worked out. So, for the time being, we’re keeping both the Arduino IDE and Mpide (Digilent’s multi-platform derivative) installed on the development system; the latter has not yet obviated the need for the former. But we see how the concept is supposed to work, and we like it.
For the most part, Mpide works as intended as a dual-platform IDE. Just select the appropriate device from the Tools->Board menu, recompile, and the code is now ready for the corresponding chip. But a couple things have bit us in the rear:
The
AVR compiler
in Mpide either isn’t fully optimizing, or the floating-point libraries were built sans optimization or something. This threw off our benchmark numbers initially — the results were atrocious! In order to keep the numbers realistic, we’re using the standard Arduino IDE for the corresponding benchmarks. To be fair, they did warn us about this performance issue in person at Maker Faire, but until it’s fixed they could be more forthcoming about it with some documentation or on the web site…otherwise it could look like they’re trying to skew benchmarks more in their favor.
The String() constructor is borked when handling integers. The following line compiles fine for AVR chips, but throws a tizzy fit with the PIC32 compiler:
String foo = String(42);
Given that the IDE was wrapped up literally hours before going live online and at Maker Faire, it’s understandable that there are some loose ends. Just be prepared as an early adopter that this won’t be as pain-free a transition as they’re aiming for. The great thing with
open source
is that we can get in there, spot such problems, and offer suggestions and submit fixes…the situation will no doubt improve with time.
Some Benchmarks
We wanted to create a fractal demo similar to what they were displaying at Maker Faire. We didn’t have the spiffy
SparkFun Color LCD Shield
on hand, so instead we had to settle for a serial LCD,
4D Systems’ uLCD-144
. This does affect the numbers somewhat, as we’ll see.
In MIPS alone, the chipKIT should beat the Arduino by a factor of five. Then there’s the native 32-bit-ness of it: when dealing with larger numbers, the AVR processor at Arduino’s core has to shift and fiddle bits between consecutive 8-bit values in order to achieve 32-bit results. So the PIC32 should show a considerable performance benefit beyond MIPS alone. In practice, this doesn’t always pan out.
The uLCD-144 is a 128 by 128 pixel 16-bit color
LCD
with a serial UART interface running at 115,200 bits per second. The graphics commands aren’t terribly efficient, and it’s necessary to send a five byte packet for every pixel drawn. This includes coordinate data; there’s no block write function in serial mode. On the plus side, it’s easy to talk to using the Arduino or chipKIT’s native serial UART.
Here’s the code for the Mandelbrot sketch, using floating-point math:
/* Simple Mandelbrot set renderer for Arduino vs. chipKIT benchmarking
w/floating-point math, via www.hackaday.com. This example uses the
4D Systems uLCD-144(SGC) serial display module, wired as follows:
uLCD Pin: RES GND RX TX VIN
Arduino Pin: 2 GND 1 0 5V */
const int
pixelWidth = 128, // LCD dimensions
pixelHeight = 128,
iterations = 255; // Fractal iteration limit or 'dwell'
const float
centerReal = -0.6, // Image center point in complex plane
centerImag = 0.0,
rangeReal = 3.0, // Image coverage in complex plane
rangeImag = 3.0,
startReal = centerReal - rangeReal * 0.5,
startImag = centerImag + rangeImag * 0.5,
incReal = rangeReal / (float)pixelWidth,
incImag = rangeImag / (float)pixelHeight;
void setup()
{
pinMode(13,OUTPUT); // Arduino status LED
pinMode(2,OUTPUT); // LCD reset pin
digitalWrite(13,LOW); // LED off
Serial.begin(115200);
digitalWrite(2,LOW); // Reset LCD
delay(10);
digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
delay(2000); // Allow time for reset to complete
Serial.write(0x55); // Issue auto-baud command
while(Serial.read() != 0x06); // Wait for ACK
}
void loop()
{
unsigned char cmd[20]; // Serial packet for LCD commands
int x,y,n;
float a,b,a2,b2,posReal,posImag;
long startTime,elapsedTime;
Serial.write(0x45); // Clear screen
delay(100); // Brief pause, else 1st few pixels are lost
cmd[0] = 0x50; // 'Pixel' command is issued repeatedly
digitalWrite(13,HIGH); // LED on while rendering
startTime = millis();
posImag = startImag;
for(y = 0; y < pixelHeight; y++) {
cmd[2] = y; // Y coordinate of pixel
posReal = startReal;
for(x = 0; x < pixelWidth; x++) {
a = posReal;
b = posImag;
for(n = iterations; n > 0 ; n--) {
a2 = a * a;
b2 = b * b;
if((a2 + b2) >= 4.0) break;
b = posImag + a * b * 2.0;
a = posReal + a2 - b2;
}
cmd[1] = x; // X coordinate of pixel
cmd[3] = n * 29; // Pixel color MSB
cmd[4] = n * 67; // Pixel color LSB
Serial.write(cmd,5); // Issue LCD command
posReal += incReal;
}
posImag -= incImag;
}
elapsedTime = millis() - startTime;
digitalWrite(13,LOW); // LED off when done
// Set text to opaque mode
cmd[0] = 0x4f;
cmd[1] = 0x01;
Serial.write(cmd,2);
// Seems the chipKIT libs don't yet handle the String(long)
// constructor, hence this kludge. Working backward, convert
// each digit of elapsed time to a char, with " ms" at end
// and text command at head. Length is variable, so issue
// command from final determined head position.
cmd[19] = 0;
cmd[18] = 's';
cmd[17] = 'm';
cmd[16] = ' ';
n = 15;
do {
cmd[n--] = '0' + elapsedTime % 10;
elapsedTime /= 10;
} while(elapsedTime);
cmd[n--] = 0xff; // Color LSB
cmd[n--] = 0xff; // Color MSB
cmd[n--] = 0; // Use 5x7 font
cmd[n--] = 0; // Row
cmd[n--] = 0; // Column
cmd[n] = 0x73; // ASCII text command
Serial.write(&cmd[n],20-n);
delay(5000); // Stall a few seconds, then repeat
}
And the timing results, in milliseconds, for the Arduino (top) and chipKIT (bottom):
Arduino: 54,329 ms.
chipKIT: 12,417 ms.
To reiterate (pardon the pun), due to some performance issues we used the traditional Arduino compiler, not the one included in Mpide. If you’re curious, the output from that compiler took about
8.5 minutes
to complete the task! Oof.
So, about a 4.4x speedup. Not bad, but we were expecting a more dramatic difference. Part of this is due to the inherent bottleneck of the serial communication with the LCD…we’ll get back to that in a moment. Another limiting factor is that both chips are emulating floating-point math. If we can use 32-bit integer data types, thePIC32 should really shine. So, a
fixed-point
Mandelbrot generator followed:
/* Simple Mandelbrot set renderer for Arduino vs. chipKIT benchmarking
w/fixed-point math, via www.hackaday.com. This example uses the
4D Systems uLCD-144(SGC) serial display module, wired as follows:
uLCD Pin: RES GND RX TX VIN
Arduino Pin: 2 GND 1 0 5V */
const int
bits = 12, // Fractional resolution
pixelWidth = 128, // LCD dimensions
pixelHeight = 128,
iterations = 255; // Fractal iteration limit or 'dwell'
const float
centerReal = -0.6, // Image center point in complex plane
centerImag = 0.0,
rangeReal = 3.0, // Image coverage in complex plane
rangeImag = 3.0;
const long
startReal = (long)((centerReal - rangeReal * 0.5) * (float)(1 << bits)),
startImag = (long)((centerImag + rangeImag * 0.5) * (float)(1 << bits)),
incReal = (long)((rangeReal / (float)pixelWidth) * (float)(1 << bits)),
incImag = (long)((rangeImag / (float)pixelHeight) * (float)(1 << bits));
void setup()
{
pinMode(13,OUTPUT); // Arduino status LED
pinMode(2,OUTPUT); // LCD reset pin
digitalWrite(13,LOW); // LED off
Serial.begin(115200);
digitalWrite(2,LOW); // Reset LCD
delay(10);
digitalWrite(2,HIGH);
delay(2000); // Allow time for reset to complete
Serial.write(0x55); // Issue auto-baud command
while(Serial.read() != 0x06); // Wait for ACK
}
void loop()
{
unsigned char cmd[20]; // Serial packet for LCD commands
int x,y,n;
long a,b,a2,b2,posReal,posImag,startTime,elapsedTime;
Serial.write(0x45); // Clear screen
delay(100); // Brief pause, else 1st few pixels are lost
cmd[0] = 0x50; // 'Pixel' command is issued repeatedly
digitalWrite(13,HIGH); // LED on while rendering
startTime = millis();
posImag = startImag;
for(y = 0; y < pixelHeight; y++) {
cmd[2] = y; // Y coordinate of pixel
posReal = startReal;
for(x = 0; x < pixelWidth; x++) {
a = posReal;
b = posImag;
for(n = iterations; n > 0 ; n--) {
a2 = (a * a) >> bits;
b2 = (b * b) >> bits;
if((a2 + b2) >= (4 << bits)) break;
b = posImag + ((a * b) >> (bits - 1));
a = posReal + a2 - b2;
}
cmd[1] = x; // X coordinate of pixel
cmd[3] = n * 29; // Pixel color MSB
cmd[4] = n * 67; // Pixel color LSB
Serial.write(cmd,5); // Issue LCD command
posReal += incReal;
}
posImag -= incImag;
}
elapsedTime = millis() - startTime;
digitalWrite(13,LOW); // LED off when done
// Set text to opaque mode
cmd[0] = 0x4f;
cmd[1] = 0x01;
Serial.write(cmd,2);
// Seems the chipKIT libs don't yet handle the String(long)
// constructor, hence this kludge. Working backward, convert
// each digit of elapsed time to a char, with " ms" at end
// and text command at head. Length is variable, so issue
// command from final determined head position.
cmd[19] = 0;
cmd[18] = 's';
cmd[17] = 'm';
cmd[16] = ' ';
n = 15;
do {
cmd[n--] = '0' + elapsedTime % 10;
elapsedTime /= 10;
} while(elapsedTime);
cmd[n--] = 0xff; // Color LSB
cmd[n--] = 0xff; // Color MSB
cmd[n--] = 0; // Use 5x7 font
cmd[n--] = 0; // Row
cmd[n--] = 0; // Column
cmd[n] = 0x73; // ASCII text command
Serial.write(&cmd[n],20-n);
delay(5000); // Stall a few seconds, then repeat
}
And the numbers:
Arduino: 27,734 ms.
chipKIT: 7,209 ms.
Now only a 3.8x difference, despite the PIC32 speaking its native tongue. What gives?
Even at 115,200 bits/sec, the serial LCD is seriously holding us back, as the code is going to “block” as each character is output. Some back-of-envelope calculations suggest how much time is being lost there:
128 x 128 pixels, 5-byte command per pixel = 81,920 bytes.
Including start and stop bits for each byte = 819,200 bits total
819,200 bits / 115,200 bps = ~7.1 seconds.
So our MCU is sitting there for seven seconds with its thumb up its ASCII in order to update the display. Sure enough, if we comment out the Serial.write() command but leave all the calculations in place, the results are significantly more dramatic:
Floating-point:
Arduino: 49,685 ms.
chipKIT: 5,822 ms.
9.3x improvement.
Fixed-point:
Arduino: 22,326 ms.
chipKIT: 168 ms
133x improvement. Hot
damn.
Now we’re talking!
So we could actually render this at interactive frame rates, for the want of a sufficiently fast interface to the LCD. This sort of limitation is going to crop up every time we connect to a real-world device. Not everything is 100% internal code and math…there are finite limits to I/O throughput, and that more than anything can cap the speed of the total application. So we really can’t give a consistent “Everything will be X percent faster” estimate for this board.
The performance looks good for math, especially if an algorithm can work in integer or fixed-point formats. Another thought we had was
analog-to-digital
sampling, which has applications in robotics…say for a
line-follower
or
balancing
robot. More frequent samples should yield smoother operation, or multiple samples can be averaged to yield higher-precision results. The PIC32 should
scream
in that regard. And yet…
void setup()
{
const int samples = 10000;
int i,n;
long startTime,elapsedTime;
Serial.begin(115200);
startTime = millis();
for(i = 0; i < samples; i++) {
n = analogRead(0);
}
elapsedTime = millis() - startTime;
Serial.print(samples);
Serial.print(" samples in ");
Serial.print(elapsedTime);
Serial.print(" ms = ");
Serial.print(((float)samples * 1000.0) / (float)elapsedTime);
Serial.println(" samples/sec");
}
void loop()
{
}
Arduino: 10000 samples in 1119 ms = 8936.55 samples/sec
chipKIT: 10000 samples in 1008 ms = 9920.63 samples/sec
Running full-tilt, the PIC32 is capable of up to 1 million ADC samples per second, compared to 125,000 on the Atmel chip. Certainly the library implementation is going to introduce some overhead, but what gives? Rooting through the library source code turns up this gem in wiring_analog.c:
//* A delay is needed for the the ADC start up time
//* this value started out at 1 millisecond, I dont know how long it needs to be
//* 99 uSecs will give us the same approximate sampling rate as the AVR chip
// delay(1);
delayMicroseconds(99);
This raises a couple of red flags. First, why should the sampling rate aim to match the AVR? For time-related functions like delay() and for Serial.begin() bitrates, of course we’d want similar numbers, those relate to temporal increments. But we don’t — or at least shouldn’t — measure time with ADC readings. And secondly, well, why not find out how long the ADC startup time really needs to be? A few minutes’ sifting through Microchip datasheets eventually turned up the correct answer:
two microseconds.
So, changing the line in wiring_analog.c to:
delayMicroseconds(2);
Yields dramatically different results:
chipKIT: 10000 samples in 101 ms = 99009.90 samples/sec
About a tenfold improvement, and the readings still look valid. This does break like-timing compatibility with the AVR-based Arduinos, but as we said, why? It’s understandable that some decisions may have been made in haste…it’s a monumental project, getting all this code ported to an entirely different chip, and the IDE is still fresh from the oven…but some of these little broken details do have us concerned about what other surprises may still lurk beneath.
Don’t get us wrong…we’re enthusiastic about the chipKIT boards. The technical challenge is met, and just needs some cleaning up. What remains for Digilent now is a marketing challenge:
who is this really for?
When we talk about things like megasamples and fixed-point algorithms, these aren’t exactly day-one topics familiar to the Arduino’s target audience of first-time programmers. And the more advanced user may have moved on already, leaving Arduino behind. So why keep this form factor? Why keep this IDE?
Obviously, part of the allure is the existing ecosystem of Arduino
shields
. There’s some pretty nifty stuff out there, networking and touch screens and stepper motor drivers, most of which will physically plug right in. Having an existing solution saves development time. Then there’s the ease and familiarity of the Arduino libraries. Even though they’re
slow and clunky in places
, it can be really handy sometimes just to squirt out some status information to a serial port without having to do all the UART setup manually.
The chipKIT boards are cleverly priced to approximate Arduino on a cost basis (even undercutting a bit). That’s a great start, with code and price parity, but where’s the
extra
value? What the Uno32 and Max32 may need are some killer apps. Ideas that the novice can implement, but that really take advantage of the PIC32 chip’s added performance and capabilities. Speed may be just one part of that. What can we do with the extra RAM and flash space that a normal Arduino just can’t handle, even with the fanciest of shields? Folks have done some mind-blowing stuff with the
little 8-bit AVR
. We’re looking forward to seeing if this is the tool that takes these hacks to the next level. | 49 | 49 | [
{
"comment_id": "398574",
"author": "Stefan",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T16:22:54",
"content": "“To reiterate (pardon the pun)…”“…with its thumb up its ASCII…”Great, smart puns! More from this writer!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "398578",
"... | 1,760,377,181.676187 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/27/minimalistic-555-adding-machine/ | Minimalistic 555 Adding Machine | Nick Schulze | [
"classic hacks",
"hardware"
] | [
"555 timer",
"calculator"
] | How many 555 timers does it take to add up two 10 digit numbers? [Alan’s]
555 Adding Machine
does it with 102 of them, he designed the machine as an extreme entry to the 555 contest and the original plan was to make it even more complicated. This machine uses the 555’s to implement a nine decade accumulator and multiplexer, all inputs are managed by an old school dial from a rotary phone which apparently provide nicely timed outputs. Addition and subtraction are achieved using 9s compliment arithmetic which he discusses in the video after the break, for anyone who wants to brush up on 9s compliment or 555 theory.
Alan’s website has some nice pictures (We’re particularly impressed by all that minimalistic soldering) including schematics, and a very nice 33 minute video in which he discusses in detail how the machine works and even offers some history on the Pascaline, which is mechanical calculator that works on similar principles.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOliDG4AAc&w=470] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "398548",
"author": "MrCung",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T14:49:55",
"content": "Not sure I would call this “Minimalistic”, but hey it’s really cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "398553",
"author": "hospadar",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,377,181.810227 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/29/hidden-device-distorts-news-on-wireless-networks-brews-beer-is-time-machine/ | Hidden Device Distorts News On Wireless Networks, Brews Beer, Is Time Machine | Brian Benchoff | [
"News",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"man-in-the-middle",
"newstweek"
] | We covered the Newstweek, a wall-wart sized box that injects fake news stories over public WiFi connections last February, but now there’s a great
walk through
and it seems our doubts about this project were disproved.
The Newstweek uses ARP spoofing to change the text displayed on several news sites. After doing some field research, placing and configuring the device, there’s a simple web frontend that configures the man-in-the-middle hack. Right now, the Newstweek only allows a few news sites to be targeted, but the team is working on allowing anyone to add their own targets.
Aside from the relatively simple build, we’re wondering about the social engineering aspects of the Newstweek. In our previous
coverage
of the Newstweek, we couldn’t decide if this was a social commentary art project, or a real device. It looks like it’s both now. Would hackaday readers succumb to injecting, “President Bacon addressed the nation last night…” or would you do the responsible thing and put the “(D)s” and “(R)s” in their proper places?
The Newstweek team posted a video of a
short demonstration
, but check out the video after the break for the “incredibly geeky and thorough demo.”
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/18637790 w=470] | 40 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "399609",
"author": "localroger",
"timestamp": "2011-05-29T21:23:10",
"content": "This is a bit more black hat than what I’m accustomed to seeing on HaD.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "399614",
"author": "ferdie",
"times... | 1,760,377,181.88527 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/29/fixing-post-errors-with-a-single-key/ | Fixing POST Errors With A Single Key | Mike Nathan | [
"computer hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"error",
"keyboard",
"kiosk",
"pc"
] | Instructables user [Mike Craghead] was in the middle of building a very compact public computer kiosk
when he ran into a problem
with the processor fan. It was too big for the enclosure and had to be swapped out with a fan that did not allow the motherboard to monitor its rotational speed.
Motherboards don’t like this situation very much, and each time the computer was started, it would hang at the BIOS screen waiting for someone to press the F1 key to continue. Knowing that everything was just fine, and that there were no BIOS options which would allow him to ignore the error, he crafted a simple solution to the problem.
Since the computer just needed someone to press the F1 key, he figured he could rig up a small dongle that would always hold down the key for him. After verifying that the OS would ignore the stuck key, he tore apart a keyboard and traced the circuit matrix to identify which pins he had to short in order to represent the F1 key press.
Satisfied with his handiwork, he plugged the board into his computer and found that everything worked just fine. Sure it might not be the most elegant solution to the problem, but it gets the job done at a cost of zero dollars – you can’t beat that! | 60 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "399532",
"author": "Pedro",
"timestamp": "2011-05-29T17:01:57",
"content": "BIOS -> Power Options -> CPU Fan -> IgnoreZero dollar solution that doesn’t use up hardware, space in a cramped case or continually send a signal to the OS.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"repl... | 1,760,377,182.040786 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/29/programming-an-attiny-using-an-arduino/ | Programming An ATtiny Using An Arduino | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"Atmel",
"attiny85",
"AVR",
"isp",
"microcontrollers"
] | [Scott] is a big fan of the Arduino platform,
and he’s not afraid to admit it
. It does all the things he needs, but now and again he would like to use something a bit smaller, without all the bells and whistles the Arduino has to offer. He contemplated using an ATtiny for smaller projects, but after looking into what he would need to program the chip under Linux, he could never find the motivation to give it a go.
That all changed when he discovered the
Arduino-Tiny project
, which aims to bring a limited Arduino IDE to the ATtiny line of microcontrollers. He found the project to be quite useful, so he put together a brief tutorial that walks through everything you need to get started.
The tutorial is fairly straightforward, and even demonstrates how the Arduino can be used as an ISP for the ATtiny, removing the need to purchase a standalone programmer. Be sure to check it out if you are searching for an easy way to get started with ATtiny chips under Linux. | 24 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "399517",
"author": "Monty Werthington",
"timestamp": "2011-05-29T16:06:39",
"content": "Nice, a genuine move to enhance the usability of the ATiny chip for the less experienced hacker, reducing the skills required may result in slower execution should be seen as a step in the right ... | 1,760,377,181.95055 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/29/aquabot-gets-around-more-than-youd-think/ | Aquabot Gets Around More Than You’d Think | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"amphibious",
"carbon fiber",
"servo",
"tumbling"
] | This doesn’t have the flashy futuristic appeal that we’d like to see from high-tech robots, but
this amphibious wanderer
is well suited for it’s intended purpose. It was developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota to navigate mostly wet environments, collecting data about water quality as part of a distributed army of sensor bots.
The two little arms sticking out in front of it are made of carbon fiber and attached to servo motors inside. The video below the fold shows the trapezoidal body tumbling end-over end to get around. But the awkward, baby-turtle-like locomotion isn’t the only thing in its bag of movement tricks. It can also adjust its buoyancy to float, sink, or hover somewhere in the wet stuff.
To get a better look at what went into developing this, take a look at the Adelopod developed at UMN a couple of years back. We also embedded a video of that tumbling robot because they share the build details we’re always on the lookout for.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaAHO9TFlVQ&w=470]
Adelopod:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPEL4JOk7Vs&w=470]
[via
Engadget
and
io9
] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "399497",
"author": "CRJEEA",
"timestamp": "2011-05-29T13:31:56",
"content": "I can see the military probably already making good use of this sort of technology in for instance surveillance operations to crawl, hide and listen extra. personally I think they would make great little ch... | 1,760,377,182.21446 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/28/this-robot-can-beat-you-at-pointless-games/ | This Robot Can Beat You At Pointless Games | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"gameshow",
"PICAXE"
] | We already know that robots can be smarter than us as evidenced by Watson beating [Ken Jennings] at Jeopardy, or Deep Blue beating [Garry Kasparov] at chess. Now [E024576] is striving to
build a bot to compete at physical games
.
For the challenge, he’s chosen one of the games from a television game show called Minute to Win It. This challenge is called Mad Dog, and lends its name to this robot. The goal is to pick up a ruler with two tic tac containers glued to it, then shake it until all of the candies are ejected from those containers. Check out what he’s come up with in the clip after the break. The machine is driven by a PIXAXE microcontroller, with input from an IR remote control. It reaches out, grips the ruler tightly, and shakes like there’s no tomorrow. Quite impressive, even if there’s very little purpose in its operation. That makes it the perfect task for robot, right?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP4QTcKo53s&w=470] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "399348",
"author": "Matt",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T21:51:11",
"content": "love it!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "399354",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T22:13:45",
"content": "wolf",
"parent_id"... | 1,760,377,182.167509 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/28/rsa-securid-breach-leads-to-intrusion-at-lockheed-martin/ | RSA SecurID Breach Leads To Intrusion At Lockheed Martin | Mike Nathan | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"emc",
"military",
"rsa",
"SecurID",
"two-factor authentication"
] | It looks like Lockheed Martin is
the latest victim in what seems to be an endless string of security breaches
. This time however, it does not look like a lack of security measures led to the breach. In fact, it seems that Lockheed’s implementation of a widely-trusted security tool was the attack vector this time around.
Last month
we reported on the apparent compromise of RSA’s SecurID product
, and while many speculated that this intrusion could lead to subsequent attacks, the firm downplayed the breach. They stated that the stolen data was unlikely to affect their customers, but as usual, the problem appears to be far larger than originally estimated.
The breadth of the intrusion is currently unknown, and with both RSA and Lockheed officials keeping mum, it may be some time before anyone knows how serious it is. When military secrets are in question however, you know it can’t be good! | 45 | 45 | [
{
"comment_id": "399298",
"author": "2uro",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T19:12:31",
"content": "dear god.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "399301",
"author": "thelackey3326",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T19:25:10",
"content": "You mean a secu... | 1,760,377,182.29519 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/28/robot-juggler-sure-handles-a-lot-of-balls/ | Robot Juggler Sure Handles A Lot Of Balls | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"high speed",
"juggle"
] | This robot juggler
, pictured above during its appearance at
Amper
2010, can keep five balls in the air at once. It was designed by the Department of Control Engineering at the Czech Technical Institute in Prague. We know it doesn’t look like much in that still image, but the two videos embedded after the break are pure gold.
To arms on vertical tracks do the juggling. They can move up and down on said tracks, and circular grippers attached to each can pivot horizontally. A third actuator resides at the bottom of the machine, collecting any balls that might drop, and launching them back into the realm of the juggling hands. A high-speed camera facilitates object tracking in much the same ways that
it’s been used for quadcopter control
.
The objects being thrown around in that protective enclosure are billiards balls. We guess the added mass helps to dampen any small irregularities in the throw or the catch.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIheAjvEiBE&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2leH_kvg0U&w=470] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "399264",
"author": "Unknown",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T17:36:08",
"content": "“To arms on vertical”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "399265",
"author": "Unknown",
"timestamp": "2011-05-28T17:37:03",
"content": "“They ... | 1,760,377,182.353887 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/26/adding-gps-to-a-viewsonic-g-tablet/ | Adding GPS To A Viewsonic G-Tablet | Mike Nathan | [
"Android Hacks",
"gps hacks",
"Tablet Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"g-tablet",
"gps",
"tablet",
"viewsonic"
] | The hackers over at the xda-developers forum always seem to have something awesome brewing, and [fosser2] is no exception. He bought himself a Viewsonic G-tablet, but was a bit disappointed in its lack of a GPS module. He pried the tablet open in hopes of finding a spot where he might be able to cram one in,
and was happily surprised at what he found
.
It turns out that either Viewsonic had plans to include a GPS module and scrapped them, or they are planning on adding GPS to a future SKU. The tablet’s mainboard already had a spot laid out for the module, as well as the GPS antenna. He carefully soldered in a compatible module from Digikey, and then got to work adding the various other components required to get it working properly.
While the hack doesn’t require that you add a ridiculous amount of parts to the board, you had better make sure your soldering skills are up to snuff before giving it a shot. Those who can’t reliably solder SMD components should probably stay away from this one.
[via
Engadget
] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "398180",
"author": "Koplimi",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26T12:32:52",
"content": "There are a lot of soldiers mentioned in the tutorial.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "398188",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26... | 1,760,377,182.401387 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/26/long-range-canon-dslr-remote-video-trigger/ | Long-range Canon DSLR Remote Video Trigger | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"camera trigger",
"Canon 60D",
"ir",
"RF"
] | Instructables user [Justin] generally enjoyed shooting video with his Canon 60D DSLR, though there was one small problem. The only way that the camera could be remotely triggered to shoot video was via a small IR remote with a paltry 10 foot range. Even worse, the remote had to be pointed directly at the front of the camera to work at all. To remedy the situation,
he decided to rig up his own long-range trigger mechanism
.
He cobbled together an Arduino with components he had sitting around, mounting it in a project box on top of the camera. A commercially available RF remote shutter release is also mounted on the top of the camera, and wired to the Arduino using a small 2.5mm plug. When he activates the RF remote, it sends a pulse to the Arduino, which in turn sends the appropriate signal to his camera via a small IR LED.
While he readily admits that he could have likely used a much simpler configuration, the Arduino does its job, and he’s quite happy with his solution. We agree with him about the Arduino, but it’s hard to argue with saving money by using components you already have on-hand. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "398167",
"author": "lamer",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26T11:31:54",
"content": "uhm….im just putting it out there as an option..what about just taking apart that 2$ ebay ir remote. and hook that RF remotedirectly to its button..possibly through a transistor if needed.and loosing that ar... | 1,760,377,182.444921 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/arduino-based-biofeedback-unit/ | Arduino Based Biofeedback Unit | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"biofeedback",
"brainbay",
"galvanic skin response",
"gsr"
] | [Michael Gerstenmayer] has been very successful in
developing a biofeedback system
. He’s based the build around an Arduino and started adding different chunks to the project to develop a full-featured unit. It can take your temperature (with an IR sensor…. not the hard way), measure your
galvanic skin response
(conductance), and produce feedback based on this data. Interestingly enough, he built a peripheral vision feedback system based on the glasses frames seen above. They have an LED on each side which are illuminated based on the sensor data.
By using the Arduino’s USB connection the data can also be processed by a PC. [Michael] spent some time working with an open source program called
BrainBay
to gather and map the stream from the sensors.
We enjoyed reading about the build, but there’s no information about what he’s got planned for this project. That shouldn’t stop you from setting up your own rig and using it as a lie detector, or for
the devilish purposes we’ve seen in the past
. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "398008",
"author": "TensorFlux",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T22:13:23",
"content": "This is quite similar to a very well documented project that Pumping Station: One built for the Great Global Hackerspace Challenge:http://wiki.pumpingstationone.org/index.php/Biosensor_Array",
"pare... | 1,760,377,182.484565 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/ps3-controller-spoofing-advancing-with-leaps-and-bounds/ | PS3 Controller Spoofing Advancing With Leaps And Bounds | Mike Szczys | [
"Linux Hacks",
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"dongle",
"mac address",
"sixaxis",
"spoof"
] | Development has been progessing quite nicely on [Matlo’s] PlayStation 3 controller spoofing project. This is a
package that allows you to identify a PC as a PS3 controller
. We know what you’re thinking: why would you want to do that? When
we originally looked in on the project
about a year ago we mentioned that this allows you to use any Linux-friendly peripheral as a PS3 controller. In the clip embedded below you’ll see that nothing beats a good keyboard and gaming mouse when it comes to first-person shooters. [Matlo’s] solution not only allows you to use alternative control hardware, but there’s almost unlimited configurability.
And speaking of configuration, he’s done a ton of work on the GUI. After the initial package installation no terminal typing needs to be done to get the system configured. Once in place, you can set the MAC address of a Bluetooth dongle to spoof the address of your SixAxis controller. From there you can set up the button mapping, calibrate mouse hardware and the like, and even program macros (fantastic). Now go out and pwn everyone at deathmatch now that the PlayStation Network is back up and running.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyxK8Pd1vds&w=470] | 26 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "397966",
"author": "Alex Parting",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T20:55:38",
"content": "Nice one, he’s not great with a mouse and keyboard though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397972",
"author": "Tim",
"timestamp": "2011-0... | 1,760,377,182.547259 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/automated-hose-keeps-cats-from-watering-you/ | Automated Hose Keeps Cats From Watering You | Jesse Congdon | [
"how-to",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cats",
"hose",
"pir",
"urine"
] | Commenter [TheCreator] reminded us of this fantastic video from [
Craig Turner
] who you may recognize from SBS’s Top Gear Australia Video Competition. You see, [Craig] has been struggling for some time with the problem of neighborhood cats relieving themselves pretty much all over his stuff. Through surveillance he identified (and named) around 9 separate cats sauntering into his yard during the wee hours of the night. The only issue now was to humanely discourage them from entering his yard.
The best solution, in this case, was a simple spray from the garden hose, but who is going to stay up all night to watch for cats? [Craig]’s ’75 Galant happens to have aftermarket door locks. These typically contain a simple powerful 12V actuator that will push or pull when given current. The actuator is strong enough, and has enough travel, to depress your typical garden sprayer handle. The lock actuators even include enough mounting hardware to tack everything together. The only irreversible part of the hack appears to be the hole drilled into the sprayer’s handle.
The job of cat detection is handled with a PIR sensor (sourced from his home security system) and a paper towel tube to narrow the detector’s field of view. Placed at animal height the PIR detector works like a trip line, and flips a relay connected to an array of devices: A bright LED lamp, a DSLR set to take several quick photos of the victim, An HD video camera, and the sprayer solenoid. This whole rig is placed at a convenient choke point and hilarity ensues! A schematic is included in the video but is pretty difficult to interpret, we transcribed it for you. Some details are unclear but essentially a few relays are stapled together to provide either high or low switching signals.
Check out the video, [Craig]’s schematic, and our interpretation of [Craig]’s schematic after the jump!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbkLjjlMV8&w=470] | 50 | 49 | [
{
"comment_id": "397934",
"author": "Tech B.",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T19:34:51",
"content": "I just posted this on Facebook yesterday lol. I found it via techeblog.com; great website to pass the time.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397941",
... | 1,760,377,182.693588 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/color-object-tracking-with-an-8-bit-microcontroller/ | Color Object Tracking With An 8-bit Microcontroller | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"c8051f360",
"color tracking",
"omnivision",
"ov7720"
] | [Craig] sent in a link to this project which manages to implement
color tracking on an 8-bit microcontroller at 60 frames per second
. That’s some pretty incredible performance, but we’re also not talking about using a hobby-grade microcontroller. The
C8051F360
is an ARM microcontroller with 100 MIPS throughput and with a system clock that can operate at up to 100 MHz. You also must consider that the chip will be able to do nothing else while in the tracking mode. Even with those gotchase, it’s still pretty incredible.
The setup uses an Omnivision OV7720 camera module. It has its own 24 MHz clock, which is used as the clock signal on the microcontroller’s PLL to generate a 96 MHz system clock. The code, which is written in a combination of C and assembly language, pushes captured tracking data to a PC via a serial port connection. After the break you can watch a bare-bones demo video that illustrates what the camera sees and what data shows up on the PC.
If you had the system in hand, what would you use it for? Perhaps it’s a perfect addition to that
paintball sentry gun
at which you’ve been hacking away?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAp0si1BOo8&w=470] | 20 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "397913",
"author": "Tywin",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T18:43:26",
"content": "For the record, a C8051F360 is, as the name suggests, an 8051 microcontroller, not an ARM.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397916",
"author": "sqkyb... | 1,760,377,182.605171 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/the-ins-and-outs-of-lithium-based-battery-packs/ | The Ins And Outs Of Lithium-based Battery Packs | Mike Nathan | [
"how-to"
] | [
"battery packs",
"liion",
"lithium ion",
"rechargeable batteries"
] | So, you’ve got your awesome project built and are ready to take it on the go, but how are you going to power it? You could use a couple alkaline cells or perhaps swipe a Litihium battery pack from some infrequently used portable device – however before you do that, why not
check out what [Lady Ada] has to say on the subject
?
The detailed tutorial on her site discusses the different types of Lithium-based batteries and their form factors, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each type. Voltage ratings are covered, as well as why it is important to choose a Lithium battery pack that fits the task at hand. The dangers of improperly handling batteries are clearly noted, highlighting the importance of selecting a proper charger and resisting the urge to ever wire Lithium batteries together to increase capacity.
While the bulk of the information presented is nothing new to most of our readers, it’s definitely a worthwhile read for those just starting to use Lithium battery technology in their projects. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "397902",
"author": "Necromant",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T18:00:49",
"content": "Hmm… Strange. They tell not to connect the LiIons in parallel… Well, that’s pretty fine if you charge each one separately beforehand… And if these are all the same exact battery. At least that worked for... | 1,760,377,182.748324 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/27/adding-persistent-memory-and-ethernet-to-vintage-arcade-machines/ | Adding Persistent Memory And Ethernet To Vintage Arcade Machines | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks",
"News"
] | [
"arcade",
"AVR",
"bus",
"ethernet",
"tcpip",
"video games",
"z80"
] | If you are a frequent reader, you are undoubtedly familiar with hacker [Sprite_tm]. He has been working with fellow members of the TkkrLab hackerspace to get things ready for their official grand opening on May 28th, and wrote in to share
a project he recently completed to kick things off
.
As part of their preparations, they have been stocking the joint with all sorts of hacker-friendly goodies including plenty of tools and Club Mate, as well as a vintage ‘1943’ arcade cabinet. The game is a group favorite, though every time the power is turned off, it loses all of the hard-earned high scores. [Sprite_tm] knew he could improve on the current paper-based score register, so he pulled the machine open to see what could be done.
He used an AVR to tap into the machine’s Z80 logic board, allowing him to read and write to the entirety of the game’s RAM whenever he pleased. This enabled him to keep tabs on the high scores, restoring them to memory whenever the machine is powered back on. The addition of the AVR also allowed him to add a TCP/IP interface, which is used to send high scores to Twitter whenever someone beats the previous record.
His modular bus tap can be used in all sorts of Z80-based hardware, so if you have some vintage equipment laying around, be sure to swing by his site for a more detailed look at the build process. | 13 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "398532",
"author": "Grovenstien",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T13:26:16",
"content": "For a minute then I read that as ‘a vintage arcade machine from 1943’!!! Duhhh!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "436158",
"author": "Con... | 1,760,377,182.801062 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/27/low-cost-low-bandwidth-wireless-arduino-to-android-communications/ | Low-cost, Low-bandwidth Wireless Arduino To Android Communications | Mike Nathan | [
"Android Hacks",
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"arduino",
"bit bang",
"NFC",
"wireless communications"
] | [Joe] was experimenting with his Arduino when he started thinking about how he could get it to communicate wirelessly with his Android phone. Bluetooth is an option, but it requires some extra components, and Google’s ADK works as well – just not wirelessly.
Instead, he thought it would be neat to see if he could
get the two devices to communicate with a simple magnetic coil
. He constructed a small 1cm diameter coil, connecting it to the Arduino via a resistor and diode. Using the Android Tricorder app, he was able to locate his phone’s magnetometer, after which he ran some tests to narrow down the best sample rate and frequency range for communications.
To transfer data between the two devices, he had to bit bang the signal in software, since the Arduino’s UART has a lower limit far faster than the 7 bps data rate he was able to achieve with the magnetometer.
While his wireless Arduino to Android bridge isn’t likely to win any awards for throughput, it is a great proof of concept project. Be sure to check out the video below to see his “poor man’s NFC” in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBT4h7RW0wA&w=470] | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "398512",
"author": "Muzza",
"timestamp": "2011-05-27T11:17:44",
"content": "wow very cool…. not particularly useful but cool none the less! I would never have thought to use the magnetometer as a data interface!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,182.860659 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/26/my-desk-is-my-computer-case/ | My Desk IS My Computer Case | Mike Nathan | [
"computer hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"computer",
"desk",
"pc",
"water cooling"
] | If you think that your water cooled rig is pretty sweet, check out
this creation by Dutch PC enthusiast [Peter Brands]
(
Google Translation
).
With his computer tweaked as far as he could imagine, he decided to spruce up his office a bit. In the process, he ended up tweaking his computer just a little bit more. After seeing a build put together by another computer enthusiast, he set off to construct a desk in which he could show off his computer. He spent some time drawing up plans with Google Sketchup and with the help of a friendly neighbor, started construction of his desk/PC case.
The desk is constructed from 3mm thick aluminum, and houses most of his computer’s components under a thick piece of glass. The only portion of the computer that is not enclosed in the desk is the 9-fan radiator he used for his water cooling setup. That part resides in his crawl space, which he connects to his PC via a pair of large water hoses he punched through his tile floor. If you are interested, you can see
all 800+ pictures of the build here
.
Simply awesome!
[Thanks duchie] | 39 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "398288",
"author": "Pete S",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26T19:51:15",
"content": "Awesome work! A bit deep for my ergonomic taste but a great idea. I’m a sucker for triple monitor setups as well. Ain’t no going back to a dual screen setup after that…He did another write up in english her... | 1,760,377,182.948668 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/26/tracking-eye-movement-by-measuring-electrons-in-the-eye/ | Tracking Eye Movement By Measuring Electrons In The Eye | Brian Benchoff | [
"News"
] | [
"eye tracking",
"hci",
"interface"
] | [Luis Cruz] is a Honduran High School student, and he built an amazing
electrooculography system
, and the
writeup
(PDF warning) of the project is one of the best we’ve seen.
[Luis] goes through the theory of the electrooculogram – the human eye is polarized from front to back because of a negative charge in the nerve endings in the retina. Because of this minute difference in charge, a user’s gaze can be tracked by electrodes attached to the skin around the eye. After connecting eye electrodes to opamps and a microcontroller, [Luis] imported the data with a Python script and wrote an “eyeboard” application to enable text input using only eye movement. The original goal of the project was to build an interface for severely disabled people, but [Luis] sees applications for sleep research and gathering marketing data.
We covered [Luis]’
homebrew 8-bit console
last year, and he’s now controlling his Pong clone with his eye-tracking device. We’re reminded of a
similar system
developed by Atari, but [Luis]’ system uses a method that won’t give the user a headache after 15 minutes.
Check out [Luis] going through the capabilities of his interface after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlgKOV_mn18&w=470] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "398280",
"author": "anonymitee",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26T18:56:18",
"content": "Brilliant! This seems like a perfect solution for eye-tracking in a head-mounted unit (where a camera seems too in-the-way).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comm... | 1,760,377,183.006263 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/26/wall-climbing-robot-uses-supersonic-grippers/ | Wall Climbing Robot Uses Supersonic Grippers | Mike Nathan | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"Bernoulli",
"gripper",
"robot",
"supersonic",
"wall climbing"
] | Watch out Spidey,
there’s a new wall climber in town!
Researchers [Matthew Journee, XiaoQi Chen, James Robertson, Mark Jermy, and Mathieu Sellier] recently unveiled their wall climbing wonder bot at the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Like most other wall climbing bots, theirs operates on the Bernoulli principle to keep it stuck to the surface, but that’s where the similarities end.
Unlike other Bernoulli-based climbers, this robot’s gripper never actually touches the surface it is climbing. The researchers were able to accomplish this feat by designing a specialized gripper which forces air through a 25 μm gap, creating a very powerful low pressure vortex. The gripper’s design compresses the air by shape alone, causing the air flow to reach speeds of Mach 3, without relying on powerful pumps or increased air volume.
The researchers state that their supersonic gripper can support about five times the weight of a conventional Bernoulli gripper, and as you can see in the video below it also has no problem climbing a wide variety of surfaces.
Window-washing Roomba, here we come!
[via
Make
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEcDS1Vhp3o&w=470] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "398233",
"author": "addidis",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26T15:36:54",
"content": "The gripper’s design compresses the air by shape alone, causing the air flow to reach speeds of Mach 3, without relying on powerful pumps or increased air volume.Does this imply that the hose could be repl... | 1,760,377,183.148271 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/26/hey-oems-arduino-controlled-dishwasher-has-much-potential/ | Hey OEMs, Arduino Controlled Dishwasher Has Much Potential | Jesse Congdon | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"appliance",
"dishwasher",
"kitchen",
"repair"
] | I think we can all agree that sometimes projects are a bit of a stretch. We rack our brains for something interesting and unique to bring to the table and end up stretching for that special strange twist trick or technique that will garner that special kind of admiration from our peers. In that sense it is easy to loose sight of some of the best projects, the simple ones that prove you can fix anything anytime anywhere and improve it while you are at it.
This is just such that kind of project, [UnaClocker] had a washer fall victim to its own condensation. Instead of shelling out a ton of money for the repair man he
took on the job himself
, fitting the washer with an Arduino, relays and a breadboard. A little reverse engineering revealed the (notably well labeled) control board, evidently the control signals involved are extremely easy to interpret. [UnaClocker] also found a temperature sensor to control dish sanitation. At this point he had FULL CONTROL over the dishwasher and was able to design the ideal prewash/wash cycle timings.
Now that a wash cycle is all set [UnaClocker] can now go ahead and embarrass the hell out of the OEM. He plans on adding a real time clock module to time washings and a clean dish indicator, after which we think he should get rolling on some wireless/tweet/ethernet/capacitive touch/voice communication. After that he is going to work on buttoning up the design and making it pretty.
Check out the setup in action after the jump!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5q2SokrKA&w=470] | 44 | 40 | [
{
"comment_id": "398208",
"author": "Will",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26T14:24:40",
"content": "Nice! Awesome creativity to save some cash! Bring on the Arduino haters!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "398210",
"author": "Monty Werthington",
... | 1,760,377,183.226894 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/26/hidden-messages-in-audio/ | Hidden Messages In Audio | Kevin Dady | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"Hidden text"
] | [Alex] tiped us off about the evil sounding noises coming from
http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/
. when you go there your pretty much greeted with a wav file and if you have a quick eye on the status bar its pretty easy to get the direct link to the file and download it. Thats all great, but why would you want to?
Well if you play back the file in a program that supports spectrograms (like audacity) you will find that there is a twitter hash hidden within the audio spectrum, that presents itself as plain text in a pretty well rendered font. Of course this leads you to another part of the site where yet another puzzle awaits you.
While this is all an interesting way to stir up buzz about the upcoming (Batman) movie, we found hiding plain text in an audio file pretty wild, though its been done before or better such as the post we had not too long ago about Ham’s
packing QR codes in a similar way
. | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "398190",
"author": "neorazz",
"timestamp": "2011-05-26T13:22:47",
"content": "We were doing this years ago see unfiction.com you cann doctor any wav file with minimal interference (sounds like static on playback) by just editing the wav in raw/hex and just type in what you want",
... | 1,760,377,183.288391 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/extracting-secured-firmware-from-freescale-zigbee-radios/ | Extracting Secured Firmware From Freescale Zigbee Radios | Mike Nathan | [
"Security Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"decapping",
"freescale",
"mc13224",
"zigbee"
] | [Travis Goodspeed] recently tore down the Freescale MC13224 wireless radio chip in an effort
to demonstrate how the device’s firmware could be read
, even when locked down in “secure” mode. While you might not recognize the Freescale MC13224 radio by name alone, you are certainly familiar with some of its practical applications. Found in the QuahogCon and Ninja Party badges among other consumer goods, the popular Zigbee radio turned out to be a fairly easy conquest.
[Travis] first used acid to decap one of the microcontrollers to see what was going on under the plastic casing. Inside, he discovered a discrete flash memory chip, which he removed and repackaged using a wedge wire bonder. He was easily able to extract the firmware, however decapping and repackaging a flash chip isn’t necessarily the most user-friendly process.
After digging further, he discovered that holding one of the chip’s pins low during boot would allow him to run custom code that recovers the firmware image once the pin is pulled high once again. This far more practical means of firmware recovery can be easily facilitated via a circuit board revision, as [Travis] mentions in his blog. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "397871",
"author": "Gregg",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T16:19:29",
"content": "That’s hardcore, one warranty definitely voided.It’s also awesome.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397874",
"author": "Zee",
"timestamp": "2011-... | 1,760,377,183.341283 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/hacked-phone-runs-zork-gets-lamp/ | Hacked Phone Runs Zork, Gets Lamp | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"fitpc",
"tdd",
"zork"
] | A few months ago, [Ulysses] had a project in mind that would run Zork on a TDD. Although it was a bit of a struggle getting the project ready in time for the Bay Area Maker’s Faire, the accompanying
build blog
tells us it was more than worth the effort.
After hooking up the guts of the phone to an Arduino Pro, A modem was modified so the acoustically coupled TDD could be interfaced. Although the TDD display is only one line, [Ulysses] is transmitting the text at only 45.5 baud, So even the slowest reader could keep up with the story. For running the actual code, initial attempts at using an Arduino Pro, and then Arduino Mega proved unsuccessful because of the limitations of sram in these AVRs. After discarding the idea of running Zork on an Arduino, the project was finished with a single board FitPC computer mounted inside the phone.
The code of the project runs
Zork
on a port of
the Infocom Z-code Interpreter Program
, or ZIP. A lot of interactive text adventures were put out in the Z-code format, so we’re guessing it would be trivial to have this project run
Leather Goddesses of Phobos
, or the amazing
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
. It’s a very nice project, and we could easily see ourselves sitting down with this project, a two liter bottle of Shasta, and an all-Rush mix tape on a Saturday night. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "397849",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T15:22:35",
"content": "Cute case mod, I guess.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397852",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T15:39:11",
"content": "Why n... | 1,760,377,183.391347 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/hand-cranked-magnet-machine-is-endless-fun/ | Hand-cranked Magnet Machine Is Endless Fun | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"crank",
"eddy current",
"machine",
"rare earth magnets",
"wood"
] | We can’t think of a single person who doesn’t enjoy playing with a handful of rare earth magnets now and again. We know that [Dave Johnson] certainly does. As a gift to his father in law,
he constructed a magnificent machine
that does little more than manipulate spherical rare earth magnets with hypnotizing grace.
The machine is constructed almost entirely from wood, save for a few fasteners and rods. Even the gears have been carefully cut from wood, with special attention paid to ensure smooth operation. When cranked, the machine slices off a single magnet from one end of a long chain, passing it along to a lift arm. The lift arm deposits the magnet into a metal tube, and with the help of eddy currents, it drifts slowly down before being redeposited at the end of the magnet chain.
Be sure to check out a video demonstration of the machine after the break, it really is fun to watch.
[via
LaughingSquid
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7REmfZ6O5U&w=470] | 41 | 41 | [
{
"comment_id": "397815",
"author": "TheCitySpiders",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T13:21:55",
"content": "Neato Frito !!:D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397816",
"author": "kj",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T13:26:39",
"content": "i think i... | 1,760,377,183.472267 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/25/wireless-rover-has-two-guns-one-for-each-of-ya/ | Wireless Rover Has Two Guns…one For Each Of Ya | Mike Nathan | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"airsoft",
"linksys",
"nunchuck",
"robot",
"rover",
"servo",
"wifi",
"wii"
] | We never really get bored with remote-controlled rovers around here,
especially when they involve reusing some old hardware as well as lasers
. [Tycoon] wrote in to share his creation, which he has dubbed “Texas Ranger”.
Texas Ranger is built around an old Linksys WRT54GL router, which provides the rover’s WiFi connectivity as well as the serial interface through which everything else is controlled. The rover features a pair of PIC microcontrollers, which handle all of the servo control as well as telemetry calculations.
An onboard camera gives the operator a driver’s seat view of the action, allowing for precise control of the vehicle. Laser triangulation is used to help measure object distance, and a pair of airsoft pellet guns straddle the camera for whenever [Tycoon] feels like making his presence known. One feature we are especially fond of is the pair of Wii nunchucks which the rover uses to monitor its position. Always aware of its operating angle, it auto-adjusts the camera to compensate for uneven surfaces, guaranteeing that [Tycoon] doesn’t have to tilt his head to see straight.
Keep reading to see a quick demo video he shot of Texas Ranger in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6uafvVKjxc&w=470] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "397803",
"author": "JamieWho",
"timestamp": "2011-05-25T11:46:02",
"content": "That. was. awesome.Now I know what to do with that spare router I took apart in the garage last year.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397808",
"a... | 1,760,377,183.576549 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/24/building-a-brushless-motor-controller/ | Building A Brushless Motor Controller | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"brushless motor",
"controller",
"h-bridge",
"half-bridge"
] | Brushless motors and the way in which they are controlled can be a bit of an enigma to those just starting out in hobby electronics. [Andrew] from spingarage thought it would be helpful to put together
a quick tutorial showing how he built a simple brushless motor controller
in about a day’s time. He constructs everything on protoboard from components he acquired at RadioShack in order to demonstrate the ease of sourcing parts and building a brushless motor driver.
While he skips most of the theory behind brushless motor control itself, he does touch on the signaling these motors require for movement as well as how motor position is determined. Specifically, he expands on how half-bridges can be used to create the sine wave signaling required by a single motor input, as well as how three of these can be combined to drive a brushless motor.
The post is the first in a series of posts about brushless motors, so we should see some code examples and some practical applications in the near future. | 12 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "397672",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2011-05-24T23:12:27",
"content": "Not a bad intro, kudos for the good writeup, decent wiring and photos.One thingI noticed though is that the design of the high side and the design of the low side of the half bridges is not symmetrical. It ... | 1,760,377,183.525296 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/24/i2c-arduino-gps-shield/ | I2C Arduino GPS Shield | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"gps",
"i2c",
"serial"
] | [Wayne] wrote in to share an item he just finished working on,
an I
2
C GPS shield for the Arduino
. While other GPS solutions have existed for quite some time, his caught our eye due to its feature list.
The shield removes a good bit of the hassle associated with parsing raw NMEA data from traditional GPS addons. While you have the option to communicate with the GPS module over serial in order to obtain the raw data, the use of the I
2
C interface makes getting the most commonly used GPS data a breeze. The GPS module itself can be set to update at anywhere from 1 to 10 Hz, and [Wayne] says that the I
2
C bus blows away the oft-used 9600 baud serial interface. While I
2
C is primarily used for receiving data, it can also be utilized to configure the GPS via its control registers, allowing for on the fly settings tweaks.
While he does sell the units pre-assembled at a competitive price, [Wayne] also provides a full schematic, making this an easy afternoon project once you have sourced the proper components. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "397669",
"author": "Elias",
"timestamp": "2011-05-24T23:02:00",
"content": "Is the antenna seriously going to be under another PCB when in use?Or do I just misunderstand the board layout.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397679",... | 1,760,377,183.625531 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/24/automated-faucet-keeps-your-cat-watered/ | Automated Faucet Keeps Your Cat Watered | Jesse Congdon | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"cats",
"faucet",
"xbee"
] | Like many of us [Chris Dillon]’s cat prefers to drink cold fresh water directly from the tap. However, unlike us, [Chris]’s feline buddy is too preoccupied with cat stuff to bother flipping off the faucet after its use. As it turns out, this was an excellent opportunity not only for [Chris] to flex his project muscles, but also to lay the groundwork for future home automation projects. While most of us may go for a simple solenoid [Chris] had to make the rig completely reversible. The result is an automated
faucet control
which involves an infrared sensor, Arduino, and tight fitting rail system with a servo to operate the sink handle.
After getting all of the hardware and the sensor sorted [Chris] went on to add a data logging PC to the mix. The faucet setup communicates with a Linux server via Xbee modules, and populates a
MongoDB
database. The setup even allows [Chris] to flag false positives (human sink use for example) and produce charts of his feline friend’s water usage. We suspect the cat will be none too pleased when it gets its water bill.
Don’t forget to check out [Chris Dillon]’s
site
for details on the project including code and a list of lessons learned. Also, since this is the internet after all,
we
have
several
other
cat
related
projects
for
your
viewing
pleasure
.
[Thanks Chris Burrows (and nephew)]
Check out a video of the setup in action after the jump.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0-EQqTW3Og&w=470] | 21 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "397634",
"author": "Derrick",
"timestamp": "2011-05-24T21:07:53",
"content": "Overkill much? I think an IR sensor and a motor would of sufficed…even a solenoid is a bit too much..Logging was definitely overkill and then more overkill on top with a sprinkling of overkill.",
"pare... | 1,760,377,183.687291 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/05/24/rf-robot-controlled-from-a-terminal-window/ | RF Robot Controlled From A Terminal Window | Mike Szczys | [
"News"
] | [
"arduino",
"module",
"receiver",
"RF",
"transmitter"
] | This robot can be controlled from the terminal window
of your computer. You can see a manilla-colored board mounted between the wheels. This is the RF receiver which has quite a long antenna that we’ve cropped out to get a better look at the bot itself. [Ashish] picked up an RF transmitter/receiver pair for about $4 and after the break you can watch him walk us through the method he’s using for control.
First off, he had to find a way to interface the transmitter with his computer. He decided to use an Arduino because sending data to it from the computer is as simple as writing to /dev/ttyUSB0. The Arduino sketch just listens for incoming characters on the serial connection and pushes them over the RF transmitter.
We like his development methods. In the video he shows the command syntax used to drive and stop the robot. Once he figured that out he wrote a shell script to send the bot on a preprogrammed square path. From there a bit more coding would give him real-time control which could be extended to something like
a web-based interface for smartphone control
.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about the bot itself it’s
a kit robot
which normally uses IR control. [Ashish] upgraded to RF since it doesn’t require line-of-sight to work.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCPWYiKda0I&w=470]
[From the
tips box
and via
Hacked Gadgets
] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "397620",
"author": "Brett",
"timestamp": "2011-05-24T20:15:12",
"content": "Now someone just needs to build a wumpusbot.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "397657",
"author": "jswanson",
"timestamp": "2011-05-24T22:28:47",
... | 1,760,377,183.76815 |
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