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https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/booby-box-its-a-trap/ | Booby Box – It’s A Trap! | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"bomb",
"booby-trap",
"box",
"trap"
] | Here’s
a puzzle oddity that challenges you to open the box
without falling into one of the booby-traps. It was built as a side-distraction from the more serious events happening at
Insomni’hack 2011
. [Sergio] and a colleague built the box to resemble a ticking bomb like in the blockbuster action movies we know you look forward to seeing each summer. A display on top of the device counts down for ninety seconds with an audible beep to mark the passage of time and boost your tension level. See it ticking away in the clip after the break.
Two wires meet at the edges of the box halves, completing a circuit that will set off an alarm when the contact is broken. There’s also a photocell on the bottom of the box which triggers the alarm if you lift it and expose this sensor to light. The combination necessary to open the box was provided to each competitor; it was not a numerical code, but a color code. Three potentiometers control the red, green, and blue anodes of an RGB LED, while being monitored by an Arduino at the same time. If you can dial in the appropriate color, the lid trap is disabled and the box can be opened. What does the winner get? Why an Arduino, of course!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXjjjJ46ejA | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "378849",
"author": "Drake",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T15:14:29",
"content": "Aww I was expecting to see a breast that when you went to touch it a trap would be set off or something similar. . .",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378... | 1,760,377,218.083014 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/dynamic-dns-updating-no-pc-required/ | Dynamic DNS Updating – No PC Required | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"dynamic dns",
"dyndns",
"home networking"
] | [Boris] from Open Electronics recently wrote us to share their latest creation. Like many of us, he uses DynDNS to keep his home network a FQDN’s reach away. While DynDNS is quite a convenient service, many people don’t like the idea of leaving their computer on all the time to keep the IP updated. That’s where the
Arduino DDNS module
comes into play.
Built using a standard ATMega328 with the Arduino bootloader installed, the module periodically checks to see if the user’s IP has changed, updating the DynDNS entry as needed. The Arduino talks to the network via a WIZnet Ethernet breakout board, contacting DynDNS’ servers to check and update the user’s IP over a series of standard HTTP requests.
We are aware that several router firmware packages such as DD-WRT have this functionality built-in, but this project makes for a nice alternative when those resources are not available.
As always, a bill of materials, PCB layouts, and Arduino Sketch code are all available for download over at the Open Electronics site. | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "378804",
"author": "Scott",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T14:25:16",
"content": "now THAT’S clever!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378805",
"author": "sneakypoo",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T14:25:35",
"content": "The last ... | 1,760,377,218.201238 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/temperature-sensing-mug-means-never-burning-your-mouth-again/ | Temperature Sensing Mug Means Never Burning Your Mouth Again | Mike Nathan | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"diode",
"drinks",
"leds",
"pic",
"temperature sensor"
] | Some people tend to get awfully attached to their favorite mug. Like an old friend, the mug holds a special place in their hearts, and there’s a weird sadness when it finally gives up the ghost. Through the winter months [Ben’s] girlfriend is never without hers, and when it broke, he decided to give her a new one
with some added functionality
.
He built her a temperature sensing mug that uses a rather novel way of determining how hot or cold the contents are. Instead of using a thermistor to determine the drink’s temperature, he opted to use a simple diode since it is well known that a diode’s forward voltage varies with temperature. After determining the diode’s voltage range using hot and cold beverages, he hooked it up to the ADC of a PIC12F615 micro controller. The temperature is displayed via 10 LEDs, which are driven through a pair of 8-bit shift registers and buffers since his PIC did not have enough pins to control them on its own.
He had some PCBs made, and after a handful of setbacks got everything put together. He says the mug works pretty well, though the display changes a bit more slowly than he would like. He also mentions that if he builds a second version, he will be sure to select a different PIC that has enough I/O pins to do the job, as well as use a thermistor instead of a simple diode for sensing the temperature.
Continue reading to see a brief demo video [Ben] put together.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3rdqrNcfKg&w=470] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "378781",
"author": "Life2Death",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T13:49:08",
"content": "Why not a single RGB led?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378784",
"author": "Mccoywm",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T13:55:56",
"content": ... | 1,760,377,218.136093 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/play-unreleased-retro-games-on-the-real-thing/ | Play Unreleased Retro Games On The Real Thing | Kevin Dady | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"SES",
"Starfox2"
] | Star Fox, one of the greatest 3D space shooters ever developed, has a pretty decent fan base even after eighteen or so years. It had a sequel that was 99% complete, but it came very late in the Super Nintendo’s life and it was held off so that the next great Star Fox would be on the newest Nintendo console, the N64.
You could get the Japanese version, which aside from a couple debug routines, is complete, and you could play it on an emulator. While emulators are fine for most of us, anyone who has played a game on the real metal can quickly and easily pick out minor nuances.
Since playing Star Fox 2 on the real hardware is not a simple trip to the flea market, [Doug] went about
ripping apart an old SNES cart and placing a eprom inside with the data from the game
. Through that 8 page forum post you can see the project start, progress through different constructions, and result in 3 fully working carts, complete with custom labels.
Join us after the break for a quick video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOytayEPZtc&w=450] | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "378742",
"author": "spiritplumber",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T11:19:46",
"content": "If anyone cares, there’s a bounty for doing this with Wing Commander 2 for the SNES. You can talk to the site admins athttp://www.wcnews.comfor information, it’s a good community that is known for ge... | 1,760,377,218.542676 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/controlling-weapons-with-kinect/ | Controlling Weapons With Kinect | Mike Nathan | [
"Kinect hacks",
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [
"Kinect",
"rocket launcher",
"usb"
] | It was only a matter of time before someone would figure out how to weaponize their Kinect. Hacker [Jonas Wagner] was fiddling with his Kinect one day and thought that it would be cool to
launch missiles simply by gesturing
. Not having any real missiles on hand, he settled for controlling a USB-powered foam missile launcher instead.
He mounted a webcam to the top of his rocket launcher to record video of his victims, and with a bit of Python along with the libfreenect ilbrary he was well on his way to
world
cubicle dominance. The Kinect waits for him to pull his hand out of its holster in dramatic fashion, monitoring his movements for tracking purposes. Once the launcher has been armed, the Kinect watches for [Jonas] to pull his hands out of frame before firing the rocket.
We doubt you’ll see this thing controlling weapons for DARPA any time soon, but it’s cool nonetheless. The launcher seems to move a touch slowly, but we’re guessing that with an uprated servo, things could be a bit snappier.
Continue reading for a quick video of the Kinect-powered rocket launcher in action.
[via
KinectHacks
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz5OiQAmUpc&w=470] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "378497",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T22:07:29",
"content": "nice, and the kid didn’t even flinch",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378535",
"author": "Donovan",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T00:07:52",
"co... | 1,760,377,218.246492 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/giant-scale-printer/ | Giant Scale Printer | Jason Komp | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"giant printer"
] | This
giant printer
was originally constructed by [Komponent/LAB] in 2006 to print some large-format banners for a festival, but has recently been pulled out of storage and updated for the
Venture Cup competition
. The system received a few mechanical and software updates and was also mounted on tripods in order to make it fully portable.
Instead of using stepper motors and encoders to directly control the print head as in a typical printer, the entire print axis is turned vertically and the relative lengths of two belts are varied (along with the constant downward pull of gravity) to precisely control movement across the plane. The software uses HPGL plotter files and is able to scale them to fit the available printing area.
Although there are some issues with the print head wobbling due to the rapid accelerations, any printed imperfections appear to be difficult to notice from more than a few feet away. Precision could be further increased by tweaking the software to compensate for such unwanted movements.
Although we can imagine many different applications for such a printer such as architectural or street art, some fine tuning would definitely be required at very large scales and to compensate for wind, etc if done outdoors.
Here are some
pictures
of the build and there is a short video of it in action after the jump.
[via GeekPhysical] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "378403",
"author": "Robot",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T19:21:07",
"content": "Predated byhttp://www.hektor.chI think? Is this by the same people?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378408",
"author": "yetihehe",
"timestamp": ... | 1,760,377,218.406685 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/ball-bot-constructed-from-power-tools-and-pet-toys/ | Ball Bot Constructed From Power Tools And Pet Toys | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ball bot",
"remote control",
"zigbee"
] | Hackaday forum member [machinelou] says he’s been fascinated with remote controlled hamster balls for quite some time. Inspired by a ball bot he saw on a BBC show, he finally picked up a 12″ plastic ball
and got to work
.
He used a small drill to provide the power required to roll the ball, and an Arduino is used as the brains of the device. This is his first major project outside of simple I/O and servo control, so he’s taking things slowly. While all this is a bit new to him, he already has things up and running to a degree as you can see in the video below. In its current state, the ball is programmed to roll forward and backwards for a few seconds before going back to sleep.
His future plans include adding a servo-controlled weight to allow him to steer the ball as well as using a pair of Zigbee modules in order to control the ball remotely.
It’s a neat little project, and definitely one that would be a fan favorite among kids. Stick around to see a quick video of his bot’s progress thus far.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuj8q_J-eRM&w=470] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "378371",
"author": "badspyro",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T18:18:11",
"content": "import SOULThat is all…http://xkcd.com/413/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378402",
"author": "Roberto",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T19:18:55",... | 1,760,377,218.356618 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/new-inexpensive-dso-now-shipping/ | New, Inexpensive DSO Now Shipping | Jeff Katz | [
"hardware"
] | [
"oscilloscope"
] | Seeed Studio’s line of hacker-friendly tools has expanded by one, they’ve announced that beta units of their DSO Quad oscilloscope are now available for shipping. The DSO Quad is about the size of a thick iPod yet packs impressive features such as two 72MSPS analog channels and a signal generator. By far the coolest ‘feature’ of the DSO Quad is that it’s completely open source.
DSO Quad
is a pocket size four-channel digital oscilloscope designed “for common electronic engineering tasks.” It’s based on an ARM Cortex M3 that provides 72MSPS analog bandwidth on two channels with an integrated FPGA and a high speed ADC. In addition to the four data acquisition channels (two analog, two digital), the DSO Quad has a signal generator. This lets you put out square, triangle, saw, and sine waves from 10Hz to 1MHz. An internal 2MB USB stick can be used to store sampled data, upgrade the firmware, or run custom programs. Since the device is still in beta, some of the software specifications aren’t firm, but if you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive ‘scope, this could be the one for you. Just bear in mind that for this pre-production run you’re not getting any documentation, so be prepared to be off the reservation and on your own. | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "379105",
"author": "Dino",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T22:05:22",
"content": ",, out of stock ):",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "379113",
"author": "Justblair",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T22:10:29",
"content": "I was luck... | 1,760,377,218.310795 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/led-build-monitor-helps-keep-an-eye-on-your-servers/ | LED Build Monitor Helps Keep An Eye On Your Servers | Mike Nathan | [
"LED Hacks",
"Software Development"
] | [
"atmega",
"development",
"led",
"programming",
"status"
] | In his line of work, Hackaday reader [Pedantite] often has to monitor the build status of several continuous integration servers throughout the day. One afternoon, he got the idea to install a set of stop lights in the office in order to monitor the status of the servers, but filed it away as a “wouldn’t it be cool if…” project.
After some time had passed, he was bitten by the idea bug again and decided he would
build a physical device to display the status of his build processes
. This time around, he brainstormed on a smaller scale and the result is the “Indictron” you see above.
He built a simple LED board made up of four rows of four LEDs to display the build processes. Different LEDs are lit depending on the project’s current build status as well as the results of the previous build. The board uses an ATmega88, and interfaces with a compiler watchdog application using a virtual USB package made specifically for AVR micro controllers.
The end result is a simple, yet useful status board that “just works”. He does not seem to have code or schematics posted on his site at the moment, but we’re pretty sure he would share them upon request.
If you’re interested in a bit more of [Pedantite’s] work, check out his
“Good Times” parental timer
we featured last week. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "379071",
"author": "CutThroughStuffGuy",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T21:16:46",
"content": "Nice – I have had a similar idea before to monitor server statuses. Clean build, serves its purpose well! Would love to see schematics or an arduino version :)",
"parent_id": null,
"dept... | 1,760,377,218.027474 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/homebrew-z80-computer-inspires-awe/ | Homebrew Z80 Computer Inspires Awe | Brian Benchoff | [
"classic hacks",
"hardware"
] | [] | How this one missed us, we’ll never know.
[GG] built himself a retro-styled
Z80 nanocomputer
over two years using all 1980’s tech. Laid out on one of the largest pieces of perfboard we’ve ever seen on a project, the computer uses a vintage Z80 CPU running at 2.5MHz, 8K ROM, 16K RAM, RS-232 and Parallel ports, an EPROM burner, and an AM95 math coprocessor for 32-bit floating point arithmetic.
We’ve seen a few
homebrew computers
before, including a Z80
laptop
, but this blows them away. For his computer, [GG] created 8BASIC, A Basic interpreter that makes best use of the six 7-segment displays and eight 16-segment displays. The display isn’t really a limitation because [GG] also put together something in Visual Basic so his PC can communicate with his nanocomputer.
[GG] even went so far as to include error detection on the ROM and RAM, as well as an on-board power supply. If you can’t admire the dedication that went into this, at least admire the great
wire porn
. We’re just sad [GG] never did a proper write-up of his project. He could certainly teach us all something.
Video of [GG]’s work after the jump.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HA3dGrgC_Q&W=470] | 30 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "379029",
"author": "1000100 1000001 1010110 1000101",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T20:16:31",
"content": "Damn.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "379037",
"author": "bp",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T20:35:40",
"content": "I w... | 1,760,377,218.476117 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/dishwasher-notifier-for-the-absent-minded/ | Dishwasher Notifier For The Absent-minded | Mike Nathan | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"555 timer",
"dishwasher",
"over-engineered",
"thermistor"
] | [Quinn] over at BlondiHacks is admittedly pretty absent-minded when it comes to household chores such as emptying the dishwasher. She often can’t remember if the dishes are dirty or ready to be put away, so she decided it was time to devise a mechanism that would help keep her on task. She originally considered a double-sided sign that said “Clean” on one side, “Dirty” on the other, but she chose the fun option and
decided to over-engineer the problem instead
.
She ultimately focused on two conditions that she needed to monitor: when the dishwasher had been run, and when the dishes have been emptied. To tackle the first condition, she used a thermistor to detect when the door of the dishwasher got hot from the wash cycle. The second wasn’t quite as easy, since she often peeks into the dishwasher to grab a clean dish when needed, unloading the rest later. She eventually settled on using a tilt switch to monitor the angle of the door, assuming that the dishes have been removed if the door was open for over a minute.
[Quinn] reports that her Dish-o-Tron 6000 works well, and she had a good time building it. Sure the whole thing is kind of overkill, but where’s the fun in moderation? | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "379013",
"author": "scumdog",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T19:35:58",
"content": "It doesn’t wirelessly tweet status, or use any micros? I’d say it’s not quite enough overkill yet.I like this one though. Clean design and build, for something that could easily be done with a magnet or ot... | 1,760,377,218.723151 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/prototyping-with-a-gps-module/ | Prototyping With A GPS Module | Mike Szczys | [
"gps hacks"
] | [
"ATmega32",
"fv-m8",
"san jose navigation",
"serial"
] | [Oneironaut] is
trying out a new GPS module
with the prototype seen above. It’s a San Jose Navigation device identified as
FV-M8 and sold by Sparkfun
for just under a hundred bucks. That’s it hanging off the bottom-right of the breadboard seen above. They’ve packed a lot of power into the small footprint, and made it very easy to control at the same time. Although the device is fully configurable, you can start grabbing serial data from it just by connecting a single data line, 3.3V, and ground.
[Oneironaut] tests it out by streaming the serial data to a character LCD screen, then comparing the output to his handheld Garmin GPS device. You can see him describe his ATmega32-based test platform in the video after the break. We’re used to seeing
spy-tech for most of his projects
and this will eventually join those ranks. He’s thinking of putting together a magnetic tracking module that plays nicely with Google Earth.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoMaAdQsGSE&w=470] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "378987",
"author": "deathventure",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T18:32:17",
"content": "you can get cheapy usb gps units from ebay for around 15 bucks. They tend to use serial to usb bridge chips so you can probably hook directly to the gps unit itself bypassing the usb if need be for a ... | 1,760,377,218.858461 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/geohot-case-settlement/ | Geohot Case Settlement | Mike Szczys | [
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"geohot",
"georgehotz",
"playstation",
"ps3"
] | It looks like Sony and [George Hotz]
have reached an out-of-court settlement
in the case brought against the hacker who is more well-known as [Geohot].
This is the end (we think) of an ongoing saga that
originally drew our ire
when Sony removed OtherOS support as a sledge-hammer-type fix for holes that [Geohot] found in the security system used by PlayStation 3 hardware. Our beef with that move is that it punished people who bought a PS3 knowing that it could run Linux natively, only to have that rug retroactively pulled out from under them. [Geohot] then went on to publish details that allow those with the proper skills to leave a smoldering pile of slag where Sony’s hardware security used to reside.
They slapped him with a lawsuit for publishing those details. This settlement doesn’t have him admitting any wrongdoing. We’re not going to editorialize on the morals or ethics of [George’s] actions, but we do still think that Sony greatly overreacted at several points along this unfortunate string of events.
[Thanks Buggs187] | 49 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "378948",
"author": "addidis",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T17:14:02",
"content": "Nice graphic lol.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378952",
"author": "Jarret",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T17:18:30",
"content": "The back an... | 1,760,377,218.805112 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/12/do-your-projects-violate-international-traffic-in-arms-regulations/ | Do Your Projects Violate International Traffic In Arms Regulations? | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"arms trafficking",
"itar",
"law"
] | From time to time we consider the ramifications of hacking prowess being used for evil purposes. Knowledge is a powerful thing, but alone it is not a dangerous thing. Malicious intent is what takes a clever project and turns it to a tragic end. Conscientious hackers realize this, and [George Hadley] is one of them. While working on a new project he wondered if there were guidelines as to what knowledge should and should not be shared. It turns out that the United States has a set of International Traffic in Arms Regulations that mention concepts we’ve seen in many projects. He wrote up
an article which covers the major points of the ITAR
.
The gist of it is that sharing certain knowledge, by posting it on the Internet or otherwise, can be considered arms trafficking. It’ll get you a not-so-friendly visit from government officials and quite possibly a sponsored stay in a secure facility. Information about DIY radar, communications jamming, spying devices, UAVs, and a few other concepts are prohibited from being shared. The one qualifying part of that restriction is that it only applies if the information is not publicly known. | 57 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "378877",
"author": "CutThroughStuffGuy",
"timestamp": "2011-04-12T16:02:50",
"content": "Are there not a huge amount of patents for many specifics of such devices – which would make the details of which, public knowledge already?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies... | 1,760,377,218.947476 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/retrode-gets-an-upgrade/ | Retrode Gets An Upgrade | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"3d printing",
"atari",
"emulator",
"gameboy",
"GBx",
"Matthias",
"retrode",
"retrode II",
"sega",
"snega2usb",
"snes",
"virtual boy"
] | We’ve been following the
Retrode
since it was an
obscure video on YouTube
that we swore was an elaborate hoax. Now, [Matthias] tell us it’s getting its third major upgrade, and it is really starting to resemble a commercial project. The video features the new prototype case for the Retrode II, which has been
3d printed
. The fact that such advanced protyping facilities are availavble to the common hacker is just incredible. The new Retrode II will have ports built in so SEGA and SNES controllers can be plugged in. Since its launch the community has been collaborating to build
plug-in boards
allowing people to play Virtual Boy, Atari 2600, GBx, Turbografix-16,
Neo Geo Pocket,
and even N-64 cartridges directly from the cartridge on their computers. Very Cool.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzIljUmQhak&w=470] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "378271",
"author": "Stevie",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T15:12:17",
"content": "“The new Retrode II will have ports built in so SEGA and SNES controllers can be plugged in. ” – Huh?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378321",
"aut... | 1,760,377,219.060005 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/diy-mp3-player-shows-that-no-hack-is-ever-obsolete/ | DIY MP3 Player Shows That No Hack Is Ever Obsolete | Mike Nathan | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"mini-itx",
"mp3",
"portable"
] | [Ole Wolf] wrote in to tell us about a project he has been working on for several years now.
The Wacken Death Box
serves as a reminder that once you start a DIY project, it’s probably a good idea to finish it in a reasonable amount of time, lest it risk becoming obsolete.
His Death Box is an MP3 player that he takes along on his annual trip to the Wacken Open Air Festival. His goal was to construct a portable amplified music player that could be powered from either a car battery or charger. A Via EPIA Mini-ITX computer serves as the brains of the device, blaring his tunes from a set of car loudspeakers via a two-channel 100W amp.
[Ole Wolf] used the music player for a few years, improving it as he went along. He does admit however, that with the continually dropping prices of MP3 players, he decided to bring a small portable unit along with him to the 2010 festival, leaving his box at home.
Given the fact that far smaller and more portable devices make his music box seem clunky and obsolete in comparison, you might ask why he even keeps it around. We think that every hack has its place, and while you won’t be strapping the Death Box on your back for your morning jog, it fits quite well in a variety of situations. This rugged music box would be an appropriate choice to use in your workshop, at the beach, or even on a construction job site – places where you might not want to use your comparatively fragile iDevice. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "378252",
"author": "lwatcdr",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T14:40:38",
"content": "This is so over powered for an MP3 player it isn’t funny. A beagle board would offer a lower power solution but would lack an HD driver. You could also gut an NSLU and use that with a USB sound device.To c... | 1,760,377,219.35107 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/print-your-own-header-shrouds/ | Print Your Own Header Shrouds | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"header",
"idc",
"printable",
"shroud"
] | Don’t get us wrong, printable whistles are cool and all, but
these printable header shrouds
make us think that filament printers like the Makerbot and RepRap might just be worth their salt. This utilitarian purpose is a departure from
the souvenirs
,
toys
, and
art
that we’re used to seeing from the expensive development
toys
tools.
The six and ten pin header shrouds are designed for a snug fit that makes it easy to glue them onto the plastic spacers of male pin headers. We use IDC plugs and ribbon cable all the time in our projects, but never seem to order shrouded connectors; this is perfect for us. It makes us wonder what other PCB-friendly printable designs we’ve been missing out on? Surely someone’s been printing stand-offs with threaded inserts, right? If you know of something useful that we can share with the rest of the readers, don’t hesitate to
send in a tip
.
[via
Dangerous Prototypes
] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "378214",
"author": "mess_maker",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T13:32:10",
"content": "Great idea. I always want to order shrouds, but for some reason I always forget.Funny that I was thinking of stand offs as well, though the threading was not in my mind. That would be a great addition... | 1,760,377,219.225273 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/potentially-explosive-spritz-cookies/ | Potentially Explosive Spritz Cookies | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"cookie press",
"cookies",
"melamine",
"spritz"
] | Do you recognize the shapes of these spritz cookies? Theoretical physicists and nuclear engineers might. They are representative of a hydrogen atom in several different states. Oh, and they’re delicious. [Windell] over at Evil Mad Scientist Labs
cut his own spritz cookie discs
in order to bake the hydrogen look-a-likes.
To bring you up to speed: spritz cookies are not rolled out and cut with a cookie cutter – although
you could print your own cutters
in these shapes if you wanted to. Instead, a cookie press is used to squeeze out dough onto a baking sheet. The press looks like a very wide syringe. The dry dough is packed into a cylinder, and a ratcheting ram presses it toward the business end. A disc with wisely placed slits lets the dough squeeze out into the final shape.
We made some shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day, but now we’re wondering if we can make our own Hackaday logo cookies. [Windell] grabbed some melamine dinner plates to use as raw material for his custom discs (remember to use food safe material). He then designed the cutouts in Inkscape and headed over to the laser cutter to fabricate the disc. We don’t have a laser cutter but we’d bet you can do a similar, but slower, job with a drill and a lot of filing/sanding.
[via
Dangerous Prototypes
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "378217",
"author": "mess_maker",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T13:33:30",
"content": "Some of those look like stylized tie fighters.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378320",
"author": "caleb",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T16:19:1... | 1,760,377,219.174395 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/11/fan-and-vent-holes-prevent-sweaty-gaming-hands/ | Fan And Vent Holes Prevent Sweaty Gaming Hands | Mike Szczys | [
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"controller",
"fan",
"usb",
"vent",
"xbox 360"
] | [Happy Dragon] grew tired of wiping moist palms on his pants during intense gaming sessions. To combat the issue he tried adding a fan to an Xbox 360 controller that he had sitting around. He pulled a small PC fan from a Nyko Airflow and glued it over a hole he cut into the battery compartment of the controller. This forces air into the body of the unit, which exits through holes he’s drilled in the wings. He added an external battery pack to power the controller since the original batteries were removed before the fan was glues in place. The fan itself isn’t powered from this external pack, but requires a USB connection that he attaches using the disconnect from a wired Xbox controller.
After some testing, [Happy Dragon] seems… happy… with the results. He tells us that his hands are not sweaty, and that he finds he’s not gripping the controller quite as tightly as he used to so as not to block the vent holes. We can see a couple of issues with this design, like the holes filling up with crud, or the fan blowing dust and dirt into the controller (we’re thinking about the analog sticks). But perhaps a future design could create dedicated ducts inside that keep the electronics isolated from the cooling. Or maybe the exhaust from
portable console builds
could be used in a similar way?
You’ll notice that there’s no direct link for this hack. [Happy Dragon] didn’t write a post about this, he just sent us a half-dozen images and his description of the project. Check out the rest of the pictures after the break. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "378161",
"author": "Jason Knight",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T11:09:39",
"content": "Funny — I always just use some 3M spray adhesive and some cut to fit gore-tex, tex-ply or similar breathable cloth.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id"... | 1,760,377,219.294095 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/flipflop-clock-uses-mains-frequency-to-keep-time/ | FlipFlop Clock Uses Mains Frequency To Keep Time | Mike Nathan | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"7 segment",
"breadboard",
"clock",
"flipflop"
] | One afternoon, [Sam] was a bit bored and
decided he would build a clock
. Not wanting to spend any money on the project, he set off to construct his clock using only the components he had on hand – this meant no micro controllers would be used whatsoever.
Built on a set of four breadboards, his clock sports a pretty short parts list. It uses just over a dozen flipflops, a few NAND chips, a 555 timer, and a small handful of other components. What you won’t find on the bill of materials however, is any sort of crystal or real-time clock. Instead of using a separate chip for keeping time, he opted to use the 60hz mains frequency as the basis for his time keeping.
The mains sine wave is passed through a series of frequency dividers to reach a 1/60hz signal, which is used to trigger the clock counters he constructed. The time is displayed on a 4-digit seven segment display, using a pair of multiplexers clocked by a 555 timer.
The clock seems to work nicely, though you have to be pretty well-versed in how the clock was built to set the time. The only means of doing so is to probe into the clock of the digit you are setting while pressing the lone pushbutton mounted on the breadboard.
While we are pretty sure no one will ever mess with his clock’s time, we have to wonder if it blinks on and off like our old VCR when the power goes out. | 33 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "377846",
"author": "spiritplumber",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T21:48:51",
"content": "This is a piece of art!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377850",
"author": "Dax",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T21:52:59",
"content": "Or... | 1,760,377,219.132298 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/pic-based-temperature-logger-with-onboard-storage/ | PIC-based Temperature Logger With Onboard Storage | Mike Nathan | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"eeprom",
"pic",
"temperature sensor"
] | Last summer, [Rajendra Bhatt] built himself
a simple PIC-based temperature monitor
with data logging abilities and recently got around to sharing it on his site. The sensor is based on a PIC12F683 micro controller and measures the ambient temperature on a set interval, storing the values on the MCU’s internal EEPROM.
He used a Maxim DS18B20 temperature sensor, which communicates with the PIC over a 1-wire bus. The sensor is read based upon the interval chosen by the user, and can be configured to measure the temperature every second, every minute, or every 10 minutes. The data is stored on the aforementioned EEPROM and can be uploaded to a computer via a serial connection. The PIC has the ability to store 254 readings before the data must be cleared from the device.
It’s a great beginner project, and has plenty of room for improvement. As [Rajendra] points out, an external EEPROM could be added to expand the recording capacity, and it would be nice to have a real-time clock on hand for accurate time stamping. If we were to build one ourselves, a means of wireless data transfer would be first on our list of potential enhancements. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "377826",
"author": "Hackius",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T20:50:19",
"content": "I’d love to see this expanded to SD card storage.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "378058",
"author": "MORA",
"timestamp": "2011-04-11T06:54:20... | 1,760,377,219.393261 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/brainwave-based-assistive-technology-in-the-home/ | Brainwave-based Assistive Technology In The Home | Mike Nathan | [
"home hacks",
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"als",
"assistive technology",
"eeg",
"smart home"
] | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating disease that eventually causes the afflicted individual to lose all control of their motor functions, while leaving their mental faculties intact. Those suffering from the illness typically live for only a handful of years before succumbing to the disease. On some occasions however, patients can live for long periods after their original diagnosis, and in those cases assistive technology becomes a key component in their lives.
[Alon Bukai and Ofir Benyamin], students at Ort Hermalin Collage in Israel, have been working hard on creating
an EEG-controlled smart house for ALS patients
under the guidance of their advisor [Amnon Demri]. The core of their project focuses around controlling everyday household items using brainwaves. They use an Emotiv EPOC EEG headset which monitors the user’s brainwaves when focusing on several large buttons displayed on a computer screen. These buttons are mapped to different functions, ranging from turning lights on and off to changing channels on a cable box. When the user focuses on a particular task, the computer analyzes the headset’s output and relays the command to the proper device.
As of right now, the EEG-controlled home is only a project for their degree program, but we hope that their efforts help spur on further advancements in this field of research.
Continue reading to see a pair of videos demonstrating their EEG-controlled smart house in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ-mkT6qw9Y&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrytBbSbsA&w=470] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "377827",
"author": "Amnon",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T20:52:59",
"content": "HiThey are doing great job.This system is the last in a series of project we are doing an the last few years at Ort Hramlin :We had the speech controlled wheel chair :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDvF975JV... | 1,760,377,219.44062 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/hackaday-reader-throwdown-electronic-dice/ | Hackaday Reader Throwdown: Electronic Dice | Mike Nathan | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"7 segment",
"attiny",
"dice"
] | Hackaday reader [Daid]
posted in our forums
showing off a set of electronic dice he recently constructed. Back in January,
we featured a similar set of electronic dice
built with an Arduino that was way overpowered as far as [Daid] was concerned. Not satisfied with simply saying it could be done better,
he put his money where his mouth is
– something we would love to see more of.
He used an ATTiny2313 to provide the device’s logic, outputting the dice values on a set of four 7 segment displays. The whole setup is controlled by a single push button that serves triple duty rolling the dice, configuring how many sides the dice have, as well as selecting how many dice are being thrown.
He admits that the wiring job is a bit of a mess, but he was going for function over form, and it works just fine. He also says that he would have finished it far sooner if it hadn’t been for
those meddling kids
some broken 7 segment displays.
We think he did quite a nice job, though we’re all ears if you think you can do it better. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "377810",
"author": "Halexander",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T20:14:09",
"content": "And don’t forget their faithful canine companion, Scoo- oh, you know the rest.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377832",
"author": "Ryan leach",... | 1,760,377,219.524482 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/doom-ii-on-epaper-display/ | Doom II On Epaper Display | Mike Szczys | [
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"doom",
"e-ink",
"epaper",
"freescale",
"Pearl"
] | We love to see Doom ported to new hardware because it usually means that someone has found a way around the manufacturer’s security measures. But the most exciting thing for us to see this time is that
Doom II is played on an epaper display
. These are notorious for slow refresh rates, but as you can see in the video after the break, this one achieves an admirably fast page redraw.
According to
a translation of the original forum post
, the PocketBook 360° Plus boasts a 5″
E Ink Pearl screen
, 533 MHz Freescale i.MX35 ARM11 processor, 128 Mb of RAM, 2 gigs of storage, and WiFi. No word on price for one of these babies as it seems they’ve not yet been release. Remind anyone of the green monochrome goodness from the original Game Boy?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOPZrVsCEHg&w=470]
[Thanks Michail via
SlashGear
] | 17 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "377659",
"author": "Chris Rojas",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T15:35:32",
"content": "Pretty impressive.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377661",
"author": "ian",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T15:36:20",
"content": "Wow! Way ... | 1,760,377,219.581534 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/are-phones-with-haptic-feedback-in-our-future/ | Are Phones With Haptic Feedback In Our Future? | Mike Szczys | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"haptic",
"rotary encoder",
"spring",
"sqeeze"
] | Can we do away with a keypad and just squeeze our phones to check messages and dial contacts? [Sidhant Gupta] has been
researching the idea of an electronically adjustable spring mechanism
that might just make this possible. He calls the prototype above the SqueezeBlock. If you pick it up and give it a squeeze you can feel springs pushing back against your fingers, but it’s all a trick. Inside you’ll find one motor with a gear that converts the linear motion into a rotating force. Attached to the same axle as that gear are a motor and a rotary encoder. A microcontroller monitors that encoder to detect a user squeezing the two plates together, then drives the motor to vary the resistance. [Sidhant] outlines some possible uses that included stiffer resistence as unread email starts to pile up, or squeezing the device to its smallest size to turn the ringer volume all the way down.
We’re a little skeptical of this functionality in handhelds just because of the power consumption issue. But if that is somehow overcome we think this would make a pretty interesting phone feature… at least at first. Click through the link above for a video demonstration or get the details from
the research presentation
(PDF)
[Thanks Dan] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "377640",
"author": "Adam Outler",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T15:14:13",
"content": "I think we all know that electro-motive parts and parts which the user touches are the first to fail. Mostly that which the user touches. If this idea is deemed good for phones, it will be many years... | 1,760,377,219.627569 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/webcam-images-processed-and-played-back-on-led-display/ | Webcam Images Processed And Played Back On LED Display | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"Atmel",
"fpslic",
"led",
"matlab",
"matrix"
] | [Mathieu] has bee working to refine the code running on an LED matrix, and
added some neat display tricks along the way
. He wanted to make the display directly addressable from a computer. The
96×64 bi-color LED display
is powered by an Atmel FPSLIC and already used double-buffering. Enabling a PC to write directly to one of the buffers was not too hard, requiring just a bit of optimization to get the timing right. From the look of the video after the break, he nailed it.
The video feed is generated from a webcam stream using Matlab to process each image. Just 50 lines of code captures a frame, sizes it appropriately, converts the result to black and white for edge detection, then finishes the job by compressing image data for transmission to the embedded processor. We’d like to say it’s easier that it sounds but we’re pretty impressed with this work. The display manages about 42 Hz with the current setup.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILnxZHLTEpE&w=470] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "377605",
"author": "BitMage",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T13:42:18",
"content": "Trippy, I want one.(Also, first post!)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377607",
"author": "Roon",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T13:46:40",
"con... | 1,760,377,219.943578 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/10/hackaday-links-april-10-2011/ | Hackaday Links: April 10, 2011 | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"fiber optics",
"game boy",
"kids",
"toilet paper"
] | Sunlit LCD screen
[A.J.] did some experiments and managed to
replace his LCD backlight using fiber optics and the sun
.
Game Boy LCD Repair
[Alan] found that he could
fix dead columns on his Game Boy LCD screen
with a little reflow work on the connector.
3DS Design Flaw?
Anyone having problems with the way their Nintendo 3DS closes? [Jeroen] noticed that his screen touches the other half of the device when closed.
He added rubber feet to protect it
, but we wonder if anyone else has noticed this issue?
Mac TP dispenser
This one takes iLife to a new level. Never poop without Apple’s consent again thanks to this
Macintosh toilet paper dispenser
. [Thanks Rob]
Children are the future
Here’s a heart warming way to end; [Bret] is
teaching his 5-year-old son to solder
. There’s a video that is sure to put a smile on your face. You’ll remember [Bret] (aka [FightCube]) from
the adjustable prank box
, a few
555 timer contest submissions
, and several other hacks. We expect big things from your progeny! | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "377593",
"author": "ftorama",
"timestamp": "2011-04-10T12:58:32",
"content": "OMG, that’s the first time I see something useful from Apple ^^",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377594",
"author": "Hipcat",
"timestamp": "201... | 1,760,377,219.89286 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/09/growling-doorbell-lets-you-know-guests-have-arrived/ | Growling Doorbell Lets You Know Guests Have Arrived | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks",
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"doorbell",
"growl",
"iphone",
"notification"
] | [Sean] was screwing around online looking for nothing in particular when he came across a mailbox hacked to notify the homeowner when the mail had been delivered. Since his mail is delivered via a slot in the door, he had no use for the hack as is, but
something similar soon came to mind
.
His dog isn’t too keen on visitors, and he figured that he could save himself a bit of grief (and a lot of unnecessary barking) if he were to wire up his doorbell to notify him of guests via his iPhone. He stopped by the local hardware store and picked up a wireless doorbell. It was quickly disassembled and wired up to an Arduino he had set aside for a different project. Tweaking some code he found online, he soon had the doorbell talking with the Arduino and was ready to interface it with his iPhone. He decided that he wanted to deliver notifications to his phone via Growl and found a Perl script online that was close to what he needed. A few tweaks later, and he had a Growling doorbell.
As you can see in the video below, it works, though there seems to be a bit of a delay in the notification. We don’t think that it would be enough to send his visitors packing before he made it to the door, but the lag can likely be reduced with a few small modifications.
As for the post that started this whole thing, we’re pretty sure
this is it
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaipAeS–LQ&w=470] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "377124",
"author": "ho0d0o",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T17:52:49",
"content": "Not a bad idea. Does seem a bit laggy but then again it sounds like he threw this together pretty quick.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377139",
"... | 1,760,377,219.993207 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/09/how-low-can-you-go/ | How Low Can You Go? | Jason Komp | [
"clock hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"clock",
"launchpad",
"msp430"
] | That’s exactly what [Kenneth Finnegan] figured out with his
original investigation
into low powered MSP430-based circuits. He was able to keep a count-up timer running off of 20F worth of capacitors for over 10 weeks. Although quite impressive by its own merit, many people left comments that questioned whether similar results would be seen in a circuit with functionality more advanced than simply incrementing a single digit on an LCD. Well folks, [Kenneth] has stepped it up again with this
ultra low power LCD clock
.
The biggest challenge in creating this clock was finding an efficient way to drive the 28 LCD segments off of the limited number of pins on his MSP430G2231 chip while still having open pins for button inputs as well. An ICM7211 LCD driver is definitely up for the task (with a few clever modifications to drive the auxiliary characters such as the center colon), but requires 8 pins to drive it. A standard 74HC595 latching shift register brings this number down to a more manageable number of 3 total pins.
Once completed the total current consumption was found to be around 12μA – low enough for a claimed run-time of approximately two and a half years from the 3V 200mAh CR2032 coin cell used. If true, a set of standard AA alkaline cells in series as found in many clocks would run this little circuit for decades.
Stick around for a short video after the break and make sure to check out the
original blog entry
for schematics and the complete source code! | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "377060",
"author": "MRC",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T16:19:41",
"content": "he built a prototype wrist watch.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377078",
"author": "DXWXC",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T16:56:18",
"content": "... | 1,760,377,220.246365 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/09/bolt-action-pneumatic-spud-gun/ | Bolt Action Pneumatic Spud Gun | Jesse Congdon | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Weapons Hacks"
] | [] | No one should ever make a potato cannon. They are wildly unsafe, powerful, and can easily shatter your neighbor’s gaudy bay window, you know the neighbor with the mean dog.
That said, [Jeremy Cook] made a minature bolt action
spud gun
! Using a custom machined Delrin bolt, a fitted Delrin reducer, and some PVC, the spud gun is capable of quickly loading custom shaved potatoes with the greatest of ease. Pushing the bolt (literally a bolt) forward forces the spud through the reduction coupling and into the barrel. Lock the bolt to the side, pull the trigger (an air blower) and two expansion chambers toss compressed air behind your starchy projectile. The design is reminiscent of a common bolt action rifle, but all that Delrin reminds us of paintball markers.
[Jeremy] is writing up the project in multiple posts, so check his blog for info. We are also no strangers to the
strange
,
dangerous
and
wonderful
world of potato launching tech.
Stick around for a video of the launcher in action!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhzAVojelCU&feature=player_embedded&w=470] | 44 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "377047",
"author": "Mirlotus",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T15:48:30",
"content": "nice! :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377049",
"author": "macw",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T15:54:08",
"content": "that’s adorable. I’d ... | 1,760,377,220.127723 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/09/according-to-pete-new-online-video-series/ | According To Pete – New Online Video Series | Mike Szczys | [
"News"
] | [
"engineer",
"sparkfun",
"vblog",
"video"
] | This is [Pete Dokter], the fourth employee that Sparkfun ever had and currently Director of Engineering there. As you can see, they’re not letting [Peter] come out of his hole. Instead of designing new breakout boards they’ve given him a camera that he’ll be using to record his occasional pontifications.
‘According to Pete’ will become a regularly occuring online show
where he answers questions from around the Internets. We’ll admit that the first episode, embedded after the break, is a bit content thin – serving only as an introduction. But we think [Pete] has a pleasant manner and we look forward to what blossoms out of this modest beginning.
We’ve long been fans of engineering-oriented online shows such as [Dave Jones’]
EEVBlog
, [Bill Hammack’s]
The Engineer Guy
, A collaboration between [Chris Gammell, Dave Jones, and Jeff Keyzer] call
The Amp Hour
, [Jeri Ellsworth’s]
A-Z Videos
and her upcoming series, [Ben Heck’s]
The Ben Heck Show
…. and we could go on.
With offerings like these you don’t need to wait for traditional TV to transition to IP delivery. Just stop watching crap and start watching these interesting shows.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQvoIsc9Qk&w=470]
[Thanks Luke] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "377054",
"author": "wosser",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T16:02:09",
"content": "Once a month? Seriously? This show had better be 4 hours long each time then.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377255",
"author": "Brett W. (Fight... | 1,760,377,220.037684 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/09/kequencer-2-0-is-cheaper-and-easier-to-build-still-awesome/ | Kequencer 2.0 Is Cheaper And Easier To Build — Still Awesome | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"kequencer",
"protoboard",
"sequencer"
] | [Rich Decibels] decibels received so much interest in his original sequencer build that he decided to make
another one that was a bit easier and less expensive to replicate
. The original design, called
the Kequencer
, featured a nicely finished look for the user interface. For the Keyquencer 2.0 he decided that adding a lid to the enclosure meant not spending quite as much for controls (nice looking knobs tend to increase the cost of potentiometers).
A rectangle of protoboard serves as the panel face for the device. It looks like he painted it black on top so that it doesn’t distract from the neatly organized parts layout. He used point-to-point wiring to make most of the hookups, but he did create a board layout which will help to guide you when the number of wires starts to get out of hand. This was made after the fact and he regrets not having it for the initial build. Check out the demonstration video embedded after the break to hear how the second iteration sounds.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oc30K-Eg4A&w=470] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "377014",
"author": "sneakypoo",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T13:22:17",
"content": "LOUD NOISES!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "377023",
"author": "Matthias_H",
"timestamp": "2011-04-09T13:56:01",
"content": "I’m missin... | 1,760,377,220.174496 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/compost-heap-temperature-logger-helps-keep-things-hot/ | Compost Heap Temperature Logger Helps Keep Things Hot | Mike Nathan | [
"chemistry hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"atmega",
"compost",
"temp logger"
] | HackHut user [lackawanna] is
looking to start his own compost pile
, but as many urban composters discover, things can get quite smelly if you don’t manage it properly. The process of composting is broken up into two phases, aerobic and anaerobic decomposition. The former is the first stage to occur and produces plenty of heat, but should be scentless. The latter gives off less heat and is more of a stink due to putrefaction. Carefully monitoring the temperature of the pile and restarting the aerobic phase when necessary helps to keep the process “healthy” and scent-free.
[lackawanna] built a simple temperature monitor that he plans on using to track the status of his compost pile once he gets started. It uses an ATmega328 as the brains of the operation and an old metal can transistor as his temperature sensor. Using relative measurements of the compost pile taken in 10 minute intervals, he can determine when the aerobic phase is underway, as well as when things begin turning anaerobic. At that point, the sensor alerts him that the pile needs to be turned.
The build is pretty simple, but leaves plenty of room for expansion. It should be relatively easy to add a more friendly notification interface as well as install multiple sensors to the pile for obtaining aggregate temperature data. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "376548",
"author": "AeroNotix",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T21:55:35",
"content": "A whole 328?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "376551",
"author": "MRC",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T22:01:33",
"content": "good to see some ... | 1,760,377,220.358478 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/pcb-parts-salvaging-made-easy/ | PCB Parts Salvaging Made Easy | Mike Nathan | [
"Parts"
] | [
"pcb",
"recycling",
"salvage"
] | Take a moment to think about how many old or damaged computer motherboards you have tossed away over the years. Sure we try to repurpose everything we can, but reclaiming electronic components from complex devices can be overly time consuming if you don’t have the proper means of doing so.
Ideally, if we were to try removing components from a motherboard, an old stove or an unused toaster oven would be great. If you didn’t have either item at your disposal, you could always attack the board with a soldering iron and some braid – but who has the time for that?
[Giorgos Lazaridis] over at PCBHeaven put together a quick video demonstrating
his favorite technique for salvaging components
after a motherboard has outlived its usefulness. Using a 2000W heat gun, a few hand tools, and couple of metal pans, he had the entire board stripped bare in about 30 minutes time. He talks about some of the best parts he has discovered while salvaging and points out a few hard-to-find items that can be easily obtained by tearing down a motherboard.
Sure his process might not be as easy as inverting a PCB in an oven, but his method is cheap, portable, and takes up very little space.
Keep reading to see [Giorgos’] video demonstration and don’t forget to check out some of the other cool stuff he has done in the past, such as his
temperature-controlled soldering station
, this
acrylic bender
, or this
bench top function generator
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8GTW_7GHc0&w=470] | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "376435",
"author": "CutThroughStuffGuy",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T19:35:15",
"content": "Quick and dirty but effective. Looks like he keeps the heat to the back of the board. I wonder if there is any possibility of damage to any of the more delicate components as a result of the som... | 1,760,377,220.306308 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/light-sensing-circuit-for-power-saving-applications/ | Light-sensing Circuit For Power Saving Applications | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"555 timer",
"light sensing",
"schmitt trigger"
] | Instructables user [MacDynamo] was thinking about home security systems and wondered how much electricity is being wasted while such systems are powered on, but not activated. He pondered it awhile,
then designed a circuit
that could be used to turn a security system on or off depending on the time of day, but without using any sort of clock.
His system relies on a 555 timer configured as a Schmitt trigger, with a photoresistor wired to the reset pin. When the ambient light levels drop far enough, the resistance on the reset pin increases, and the 555 timer breaks out of its reset loop. This causes the circuit to power on whatever is connected to it. When the sun rises, the resistance on the reset pin drops and the 555 timer continually resets until it gets dark again. He notes that this behavior can be easily reversed if you were to put the photoresistor on the trigger pin rather than the reset pin.
We like the idea, though we are a bit wary about using this for any sort of real security system. An errant insect or debris could cause the system to be turned on, and we’d feel pretty foolish if someone disabled our alarm with a flashlight. That said, this sort of circuit still has plenty of practical, power-saving applications outside the realm of home security. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "376402",
"author": "Barefoot",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T18:57:52",
"content": "Great idea! I can see this being used to automatically turn on those giga-watt Christmas displays once the sun goes down.——–Note to HaD writers:weary = physically or mentally fatiguedwary = on guard; watc... | 1,760,377,220.403648 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/nxt-machine-sorts-lego-blocks-automatically/ | NXT Machine Sorts LEGO Blocks Automatically | Mike Szczys | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"conveyor belt",
"lego",
"nxt",
"sort"
] | Smart people don’t put their toys away, they build machines to do it for them. Case and point:
this NXT project which can sort LEGO pieces
. Just dump a bucket of random blocks in a hopper on one end of the machine. One slice at a time, these plastic pieces will be lifted onto a conveyor system made up of several different belts, which allows for separation of the parts. One block at a time, each piece enters a specially lighted chamber where they are visually identified by the NXT brick. Once it identifies the block, a carousel of plastic containers rotates to place the correct home for the block below the output shoot seen above.
So do we now have a completed LEGO circle of life? Not quite. You can build structures automatically using a
3D LEGO printer
and this sorter will have no problem organizing the parts for that purpose. But we still need a LEGO machine that can tear assembled bricks apart.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lZ9rSZwDzE&w=470]
[via
Tinkernology
] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "376292",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T16:09:58",
"content": "Nifty projectand it’s spelled chute. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "376293",
"author": "MrX",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T16:11:28",
"con... | 1,760,377,220.504353 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/midi-drum-interface-helps-you-step-up-your-game/ | MIDI Drum Interface Helps You Step Up Your Game | Mike Nathan | [
"Musical Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"drums",
"piezo",
"rock band",
"video games"
] | [Dan] likes Rock Band, but playing it makes him feel as useful as a one-legged man in
an ass-kicking
a drumming contest. He says that even using his friend’s ION kit leaves him searching out excuses as to why he’s not as good as he should be on the drums.
Eventually, he decided that he would
settle things once and for all
. The final excuse he came up with was that it is too difficult to press the drum pedal rapidly without getting tired, as the Rock Band gear does not properly simulate real drum equipment. Bass pedals on professional kits are weighted and balanced to allow the drummer to exert the least amount of work for the most return, resulting in a less tiring experience.
To give him a leg up while playing the game, he decided to rig a trigger to his Yamaha MIDI bass pedal, which is properly weighted. He consulted the Rock Band forums, and after looking at a couple of different circuit diagrams, he designed his own. He etched a PCB, mounted his SMD components, and was well on his way to becoming a drum legend.
He says that the pedal interface works quite well, and despite a couple of tiny soldering setbacks, he has yet to see any errant hits register in-game.
Be sure to check out the video below of his drum trigger undergoing some tests.
[viddler id=281d0c9f&w=470] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "376266",
"author": "Pedro",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T15:29:16",
"content": "Don’t assume the loss of a limb can ruin a drumming career: just look at Rick Allen!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "376296",
"author": "jon",
"... | 1,760,377,220.62908 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/friday-converting-from-clutter-closet-to-dreamy-datacenter/ | Converting From Clutter Closet To Dreamy Datacenter | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"closet",
"data center",
"exhaust",
"fan",
"rack"
] | [DocDawning] had a nice home network up and running, but the messy pit housing the hardware made him avoid that part of the house. In an effort to cut down on noise, and clean up the clutter,
he built himself a very nice data center inside a small closet
.
One of the biggest changes in the setup provides adequate cooling. He cut a vent hole into a wall shared between the closet and a hallway. This was just the right size for a few large cooling fans which suck air into the enclosed space. But cool-air intake must be accompanied by hot-air outflow so he added an exhaust vent in the ceiling. This also received a trio of big fans, and as you can see above, the integrated LEDs act as a light source for the server farm.
The final part of the plan involved machine-specific brackets mounted to the walls of the enclosure. These racks were built out of 1×1 white wood. They hold the hardware in place leaving plenty of room to run cables. The new setup even opened up enough wall space to mount power and networking hardware. Now everything has its place, and [DocDawning] can finally close the door on his noisy servers. | 51 | 47 | [
{
"comment_id": "376221",
"author": "bash",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T14:18:08",
"content": "love love love it! This is almost exactly what I want for my own place!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "376223",
"author": "Rich",
"timestamp": ... | 1,760,377,220.788288 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/mayor-is-a-hacker-and-wants-to-use-diy-parking-meters/ | Mayor Is A Hacker And Wants To Use DIY Parking Meters | Mike Szczys | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"parking meter",
"penny"
] | The Mayor of Silverton, Oregon is a hacker and
wants to use roll-your-own hardware in the town’s parking meters
. It’s not that he thinks he can do a better job than companies selling modern meters (although there have been
notable problems with those
), but he wants to retain the sentiment of the 1940’s era parking meters that are being replaced. Those meters are known as penny parking meters, because you can get 12 minutes of time for just one penny.
Many municipalities have gone digital with parking payment systems due to costs associated with servicing mechanical meters and collecting coins from each one of them. This hack aims to keep the look of the vintage meters, but replace the mechanical readout with a digital screen. The meter would still offer a reasonable parking deal; five minutes for free. Cost for replacing the internals is estimated at $150 per meter… which seems just a bit high if they are looking at a 250 unit run. The main problem that we see with the idea is that the original parking meter bodies don’t have a slot which can accept quarters.
[Thanks Rick] | 33 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "376192",
"author": "Parcanman",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T13:11:17",
"content": "With a little stepper motor, he could even use the original dial. A servo would be easier, but servos need constant power to hold a position, which can be challenging on batteries, but one of those real... | 1,760,377,220.697414 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/sequencer-built-on-a-cycle-ii-fpga-board/ | Sequencer Built On A Cycle II FPGA Board | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"Altera",
"cyclone II",
"fpga",
"sequencer"
] | [Matt’s] finishing up his computer science degree. As part of a class assignment he programmed
his own sequencer which runs on a Cyclone-II FPGA
development board. We’ve embedded a video below the fold that shows you what it can do. The buttons and LEDs offered on the board actually allowed him to create a nice user interface. Each slide switch has a surface mount LED above it, giving feedback for which beats in the loop are on and off. There’s also a bank of momentary-push buttons seen in blue above. [Matt] uses these to tweak settings like the pitch that is stored for each slide switch. He even puts on a light show with the VGA output.
We’ve seen this Altera board before,
used to drive a falling sands game
. The hardware will run you around $200 but that’s not bad considering all of the fun things you can do with it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMf7V_3iFXc&w=470] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "376172",
"author": "steve",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T12:24:54",
"content": "i have one of these for college. The software running it is closed source and EXTREMELY expensive and documentation is really hard to find.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{... | 1,760,377,221.043167 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/08/body-heat-sensing-pc-security-system/ | Body Heat Sensing PC Security System | Mike Nathan | [
"computer hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"ir",
"security",
"software",
"temperature monitoring"
] | [Didier Stevens] wrote in to tell us about a little piece of PC security software he put together recently. His application,
LockIfNotHot
, works in conjunction with your PC as well as an IR temperature sensor in order to lock your computer the moment you step away.
The theory behind the system is pretty simple. Basically, the IR temp sensor monitors when you are at your desk, sensing your presence by the heat your body gives off. As soon as you step away however, it locks the computer since the temperature of the surrounding area immediately drops. It’s pretty simple, but as you can see in the video below, it works quite well.
The software has configurable set points and timeout values, which make it flexible enough to adapt to your specific situation. He happens to use an off-the-shelf IR sensor, but we assume any USB temperature module will do the trick. If you happen to work with sensitive information but often forget to lock your workstation, this is the program for you!
Continue reading to see a quick demonstration of his software in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QynGtoxpRg4&w=470] | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "376132",
"author": "elektrophreak",
"timestamp": "2011-04-08T11:13:51",
"content": "it works great, but it would be even better if web cam could be used for this. maybe a range finder app on already integrated web cam?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,220.995655 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/one-eyed-one-armed-metal-rolling-roomba-robot/ | One-eyed, One-armed Metal Rolling Roomba Robot | Mike Nathan | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"robot",
"roomba",
"servo",
"webcam"
] | [Erik] was
looking for a sturdy robotics platform
and was initially considering the iRobot Create, until he found that he could score a Roomba Discovery series for a fraction of the price. The Discovery includes a battery, which is missing from the iCreate, though it also has all of the standard vacuum bits included as well.
He immediately removed all of the vacuum parts once he got his hands on the Roomba, and began adding the support structure to house the rest of his robot’s components. The robot is controlled via a small laptop which sits on top of the Roomba’s base, and features a panning and telescoping webcam to provide feedback to the operator.
The robot has been under construction for a little over a year now, and has had a few upgrades over that time. The original laptop was swapped out for a newer dual-core model, and the webcam was upgraded to a model featuring motion tracking. The whole thing has been skinned in thin sheet metal for a sleek look, and he has added a servo-driven arm as well.
The project is not quite complete, and he hasn’t really stated what he plans on using the robot for, but it looks good so far – we can’t wait to see it when it’s finished. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "375805",
"author": "Payne",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T22:33:09",
"content": "…. so is this a ‘one-eyed monster’???OK, I can go back to being an adult!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "375812",
"author": "Bill",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,377,220.93397 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/simulating-vhdl-of-an-avr8-soft-processor/ | Simulating VHDL Of An AVR8 Soft Processor | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"arduino",
"avr8",
"fpga",
"papilio",
"simulator",
"xilinx"
] | Okay, now we’re beginning to feel a bit like [Alice].
This tutorial shows you how to simulate VHDL code
. This code is intended to run on an FPGA and includes a software-only version of the AVR 8-bit microcontroller core. Essentially, you’ll simulate VHDL code that simulates AVR hardware. Wrap your mind around that!
The code is intended to run on a
Papilio Field Programmable Gate Array development board
. We saw an
early version of this board
running the AVR8 core about a year ago. However, you don’t need to have any hardware to follow along and recreate this simulation yourself. It might be a great way to get your feet wet with FPGA programming before making that first hardware buy. Five different screencasts take you through the process of getting the AVR8 code, using an altered Arduino IDE for it, setting up a free version of Xilinx ISE to run the simulation, then setting it free and interpreting the data that the simulator spits out the other end. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "375415",
"author": "CutThroughStuffGuy",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T13:50:54",
"content": "“Essentially, you’ll simulate VHDL code that simulates AVR hardware. Wrap your mind around that!”We have to go deeper! Run it in a virtual machine!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"... | 1,760,377,221.089064 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/super-vmw-cpu-meter/ | Super VMW CPU Meter | Kevin Dady | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cpu meter"
] | After many delays, restarts, and years, [Vince ] has finally finished his
Super VMW CPU Meter.
Featuring six alphanumeric red led displays, two 10 segment bar graphs, twelve red LEDs, and six color LEDs its got plenty of “screen” space to show all sorts of useful information.
Electrically its driven by four SAA1064 LED driver chips attached to an i2c bus which is banged by a PC’s parallel port and driven by software in linux. The software allows you to build displays for what ever application you may want, and even includes a color ASCII output so you can see what it will look like before you even have hardware.
Four examples are given, one is a cpu meter which uses the bar graph displays to show load per core. Another uses the bar graphs as a VU meter for your music while displaying the song’s information. There is a clock in all the normal formats + UNIX time, and some scrolling text demos.
Construction gets a little odd as overhang of chips and connectors was not really taken into account so some “lofting” was needed to raise the trouble spots above the rest of the board. It is not something we would want to do, but a handy trick if we are ever faced with that situation.
Join us after the break to see this wild light show in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxlrvzy30pg&w=450] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "375362",
"author": "Fallen",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T12:30:30",
"content": "“which is banged” probably should be which is bit banged…makes a bit more sense.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "375383",
"author": "Pedro",
"t... | 1,760,377,221.134256 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/pic-based-ham-radio-autotuner/ | PIC-based Ham Radio Autotuner | Mike Nathan | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"cw",
"ham radio",
"pic"
] | A few years back, [Floyd, K8AC]
built a high frequency autotuner as an addition to his Ham radio setup
. Based off a design he saw in QST magazine back in the early ’90s, he has been using the tuner almost daily for the last few years, on both the 3.5 MHz and 7 MHz bands.
Built into the wall in his radio room, it is a pretty impressive sight. His “L” circuit is controlled by a pair of mechanically coupled inductors which are driven in concert by a pair of two-way motors. The positioning of the C and L components are monitored by a PIC controller which stores the tuning data for up to 30 predefined frequencies. A couple of button presses on his controller’s front end sends the tuner into action, dialing in his unit’s inductors and capacitor to their proper settings. The PIC monitors the tuner’s progress, informing him when the proper frequency has been tuned in, or if the frequency can not be set, indicating issues with the equipment.
His setup has undergone several revisions over the years, with the most recent iteration being the most automated of the bunch. Check out his site for plenty more details, or keep an ear out for [K8AC] on 40 or 80 meters.
[Thanks, Rich V] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "375335",
"author": "Garreth",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T11:21:30",
"content": "This will not make you sound like mega-gigabyte T pain",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "375395",
"author": "Scott",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T13... | 1,760,377,221.181464 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/circuit-building-with-a-hammer-and-nails/ | Circuit Building With A Hammer And Nails | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"breadboard",
"circuits"
] | [Collin Cunningham] over at Make recently wrapped up another edition of “Collin’s Lab” –
this time around, the subject is breadboards
. He starts off by discussing a common solderless breadboard, something you are no doubt familiar with. What you might not know however is how breadboards got their name.
Way back when, before there was a RadioShack in every strip mall across the country, fancy prototyping supplies like your solderless breadboard did not exist. Amateur radio operators would prototype circuits on wooden boards, often using whatever was around as a substrate. Many times, this meant that the family’s cutting board ended up as a makeshift prototyping station.
One popular method of building circuits was to drive small nails into the breadboard, using wire wrapping to connect things together. [Collin] demonstrates this technique in the video, constructing a simple LED flasher circuit.
He says that the process works decently enough, and was kind of fun to do. He does mention however that building any sort of circuit requiring an IC would likely be out of the question.
If you have a few minutes to spare, check out the video embedded below – [Collin’s] take on technology is quirky and entertaining as always.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrG98HJ3Z6w&w=470] | 34 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "375009",
"author": "Alan Yates",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T22:36:28",
"content": "Copper roofing nails work well, you can solder to them easily.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "375010",
"author": "Drew",
"timestamp": "201... | 1,760,377,221.258143 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/building-an-augmented-reality-display-using-obsolete-technology/ | Building An Augmented Reality Display Using Obsolete Technology | Mike Nathan | [
"classic hacks"
] | [
"augmented reality",
"projector"
] | Augmented reality might be all the rage these days, but when you take a closer look at the technology, you will find that these sorts of optical illusions are not new at all.
Artist [Sebastian Schmieg] was pondering augmented reality for a bit and
decided he could replicate the effect
using old and obsolete technology. His creation, called “81 Points of View”, uses an old Kodak slide projector and an elaborate mechanical setup to simulate the effect.
The slide projector resides on a platform that can be rotated around its center in 81 steps. After each movement, the mechanism swaps out the current slide, selecting the next image depending on which direction the user turns. The resulting effect is similar to the implementations of augmented reality you might see today, with a 3d visualization superimposed on the surrounding room.
The concept dates back all the way to the 1860’s, when [John Pepper] first demonstrated
the technique
. Using mirrors and panes of glass, he was able to project translucent images in front of his audience, which is the same idea [Sebastian] uses in his project. You are likely quite familiar with the effect, if you have ever visited the Haunted Mansion at a Disney theme park.
It’s a neat project, though the resultant augmented reality display is obviously not quite as smooth as you would see from a smartphone. Either way, it is definitely worth checking out. Keep reading to see a video of the project in action.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/21386967 w=470] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "375063",
"author": "Spayum",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T00:59:34",
"content": "I hate to be this kind of person, especially on a website about home-brew tech, but slides and slide projectors are nowhere near obsolete. (Feel free to argue about resolution and crap all you want, that’s ... | 1,760,377,221.475444 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/15-digit-nixie-clock-contains-mostly-non-useful-information/ | 15-digit Nixie Clock Contains Mostly Non-useful Information | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"ATmega168",
"clock",
"ds1307",
"metronome",
"nixie",
"rtc"
] | [Jarek Lupinski] is at it again, this time building
a clock using 15 Nixie tubes
. Just look at the time…. wait, how do you read this now? It’s not seconds since the epoch, but an homage to a very expensive New York City art piece. [Jarek] took his inspiration from the
Metronome art installation
in Union Square.
We hadn’t heard of it before and were shocked to learn that this art was commissioned at $4.2 million. It belches steam and confuses passersby with its cryptic fifteen digits. It seems that the eight digits on the left mark the current time – two digits for hours, two for minutes, two for seconds, and the final digit for hundreths of a second. The seven remaining digits count down the time left in the day. So when you watch it, you see the significant digits of the display increasing, and the insignificant half decreasing.
The Nixie version rests snuggly on a 15″x4″ PCB. We’re sure it doesn’t number in the millions, but that couldn’t have been cheap to have manufactured. Each tube has its own driver chip, removing the need for multiplexing. An ATmega168 controls the clock (along with some shift registers to expand the I/O count), reading time from a DS1307 RTC chip. It looks fancy, but where’s the belching smoke on this version? | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "374964",
"author": "CutThroughStuffGuy",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T21:06:10",
"content": "I have one for sale at $4.1 million.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "374970",
"author": "ColinB",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T21:15:56... | 1,760,377,221.422777 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/baking-pan-tube-amp-sounds-better-than-youd-expect/ | Baking Pan Tube Amp Sounds Better Than You’d Expect | Mike Nathan | [
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"amplifier",
"tube amp",
"vacuum tube"
] | A few years back, [Gio] decided to try his hand at building a couple of tube amplifiers.
The first amp was more of an experiment
to see how well a DIY single-ended tube amp would sound. The amp is based off the 6T9 design created by Spare Time Gizmos, and incorporates a pair of 6T9 vacuum tubes, hence the name. He wired things up in an afternoon, then got busy drilling holes in a baking pan, where he mounted the amp. Bear with us for a second, it’s not as bad as it sounds. The amp actually looks pretty good mounted in the dark black steel, and this sort of enclosure is far cheaper than most DIY amp enclosures. He says that he was sure to be extra careful in isolating all of the electronic components from the metal chassis.
The second amp
was built to test the performance differences between Pentode-mode and Ultra-Linear mode configurations. While both amps share a substantial amount of the same components, his UL amp benefits from slightly better capacitors and an uprated power supply, not to mention a more conventional case.
Both amps sound great, according to [Gio], but should be paired with efficient speakers for the best experience. He does note that the ultra-linear amp is the better choice, mounting options aside.
[Thanks, Philippe]
[via
RetroThing
] | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "374910",
"author": "Pedro",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T19:37:39",
"content": "Metal enclosures should always be connected to earth.He should have mounted the whole thing on a breadboard. The kitchen kind…It always shocks me how expensive amplifiers are, even DIY ones.",
"parent_id... | 1,760,377,221.373167 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/a-breakout-board-for-your-android-phone/ | A Breakout Board For Your Android Phone | Brian Benchoff | [
"Android Hacks",
"Cellphone Hacks",
"Phone Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"sparkfun"
] | [sparkfun] announced a
new board
called the IOIO (pronounced “yo-yo”) this week that allows communication from your Android devices to your upcoming projects.
The board hasn’t been released yet; [sparkfun] is still pulling together documentation and waiting on their first production run. We do know that the board contains a PIC24F MCU, and will give your phone analog input, and Digital I/O, PWM, I2C, SPI, and UART control. Communication with the board is over the USB port on your phone.
The brilliant thing about this board is that an external programmer isn’t required. Everything you connect to this board can be controlled from within Android apps. We covered Android development
in a hackaday tutorial series
before, so now it’s possible to put these skills to give your projects a touch screen, internet and bluetooth connections, a camera, or your phone’s accelerometers. Very slick.
Video of some basic functions demonstrating what possible with this board after the jump, but feel free to comment and tell us what you’d like to see done with this board. | 50 | 48 | [
{
"comment_id": "375714",
"author": "dbear",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T20:06:16",
"content": "Way cool. Any idea on price yet?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "375716",
"author": "cde",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T20:09:01",
"content": "5... | 1,760,377,221.897092 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/sticky-sweet-animatronic-peep-show/ | Sticky Sweet Animatronic Peep Show | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"leds",
"peeps"
] | With Easter quickly approaching, [Kyle] decided to finally build a project that is as tasty as it is wrong.
Behold, the
Animatronic “Peep” show!
Using nearly a dozen marshmallow Peeps, he constructed a stage for his “performers” and a seating area for their “clients”. The structure was built mostly from balsa wood and foamboard, featuring a retractable curtain, stage lighting, and music.
Once triggered, the embedded Arduino gets to work animating the stage lights and blaring “Cherry Pie” while the sugar-coated onlookers await their entertainment. The curtain is drawn back and a trio of winged dancers emerge one by one, ready to entertain the crowd. The onlookers even offer up dollar bills to the dancers via a servo-mounted arm.
The project uses a total of 10 servos driven by the Arduino, along with an audio decoder chip to provide the proper ambiance for the marshmallow debauchery. [Kyle] says that he put together about 650 lines of code to get the whole thing running, but there doesn’t seem to be any way to download it at the moment – hopefully we’ll see something posted soon.
It might not be high-brow, but it sure beats blowing up old, stale Peeps in the microwave!
Stick around for a trio of videos demonstrating the Peep show as well as revealing some of the stage’s inner workings.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrLFgKnDPMA&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4nd9pJFwE8&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwP9dqq-j8Q&w=470] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "375657",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T18:51:05",
"content": "Yay, Sony Music Entertainment is restricting embeds. So, YouTube only.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "375666",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,377,223.87583 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/geiger-counter-built-in-an-ohmmeter-enclosure/ | Geiger Counter Built In An Ohmmeter Enclosure | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"geiger counter",
"radiation",
"tube"
] | Here’s
a Geiger Counter that makes itself at home inside of an old Ohmmeter
(
translated
). [Anilandro] set out to built this radiation detector in order to learn how they work. Like
other diy Geiger Counter builds
we’ve seen, this project assembles a circuit to interface with a gas-filled tube which serves as the detector. [Anilandro] takes a few paragraphs to discuss how this works; the Geiger tube is basically a capacitor whose electrical characteristics change as an ionizing particle passes through it.
Once he had the theory worked out he scavenged some parts to use. A broken emergency light donated its transformer to provide the high voltage needed. The rest of the circuit was built on some protoboard, and a speaker was added to output the clicking noises that have become a familiar part of the detector hardware. The tube itself is housed in a wand that attaches to the base unit through a cable. Check out some test footage of the finished unit after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrImIHO2Mng&w=470]
[Thanks J] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "375660",
"author": "bothersaidpooh",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T19:02:44",
"content": "Nice hack!BTW you can make a basic alpha detector ionisation chamber using a single JFET and a suitable chamber with a sensor glued to it in order to offset temperature drift.I also ran into an inte... | 1,760,377,223.967963 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/shift-register-is-all-it-takes-to-make-a-3-wire-serial-lcd/ | Shift Register Is All It Takes To Make A 3-wire Serial LCD | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"595",
"hd44780",
"lcd",
"serial",
"shift register"
] | This hack is a bit older, but one aspect of the setup makes it worth sharing. Shift registers are a common component to include in a project when you need to increase the number of I/O pins available. We’ve used them to drive LCD screens before, but we never realize you could
use a 595 chip to make a 3-wire serial LCD interface
. That’s because we’ve always thought of shift registers as having three control pins which must be addressed: data, clock, and latch. But it seems that’s not the case. This hack gangs the pins for clock and latch (called the storage register clock input on this chip) together. This causes the shifted data to be latched to output register one clock cycle after it is shifted into the chip.
This means you can operate the 595 chip with just two pins, but alas, you do need one more connection to drive the LCD properly. This is an HD44780 compliant display. It is being used in 4-bit mode; four of the shift register pins provide that data, while a fifth controls the Register Select pin. Since the shifted data from the 595 appears on the pins after each clock strobe, you must control the Enable pin on the LCD separately or it will behave sporadically.
So there you have it, control an HD44780 display with just 3-pins by using a $0.42 part. Are we going a little too fast for you? Check out this
595 tutorial
and give the
shift register simulator
a try. That should bring you up to speed.
[Thanks Rajendra] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "375604",
"author": "Emil Eriksson",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T17:43:34",
"content": "Better yet, use a 74HC164 which doesn’t have the latch register, only the shift register. The benefit of this is that the output won’t be one bit behind the shift register as is the case when you use... | 1,760,377,223.924763 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/art-installation-lets-you-be-your-own-souvenir/ | Art Installation Lets You Be Your Own Souvenir | Mike Nathan | [
"cnc hacks",
"Kinect hacks"
] | [
"3d",
"Kinect",
"printing",
"reprap"
] | The team at [blablabLAB] have been hard at work on their latest project,
which they unleashed on the streets of Barcelona
in the La Rambla pedestrian mall. Their art installation allows you to pose in the middle of the mall and receive a plastic statue of yourself as a souvenir.
Not unlike the “
Fabricate Yourself
” installation we saw a short time ago, this project also uses the Kinect to create a 3D representation of the subject, though it uses three separate sensors rather than just one. Each sensor is positioned around a centralized platform, creating a complete 3D model, which is then sent to a RapMan 3D printer stationed nearby.
Each user is then gifted a plastic representation of themselves to take home – it’s almost like an interactive human Mold-A-Rama. While the figures are neat, it would be great to see what sorts of plastic statues could be made using a higher resolution 3D printer like the one
we featured a week ago
.
Check out the video below to see the souvenir printer in action.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/21676294 w=470] | 17 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "375554",
"author": "hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T16:37:06",
"content": "Neat, but they should do the head and sell it as part of a DIY bobblehead kit (Head, body & paint.) I alwayswanted to be a bobblehead. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,224.022627 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/hacking-electronic-price-tags/ | Hacking Electronic Price Tags | Kevin Dady | [
"HackIt"
] | [
"e-ink",
"electronic price tag"
] | Something new is coming to a store near you:
electronic price tags
. [deadbird] decided to get one and see what makes it tick. First off it just looks like an LCD with some coin batteries and a simple board, but removing the batteries it was found that the text still appeared on the screen meaning its an E-Ink display.
Close examination of the chips on board shows that this model has an ATMEL ATMEGA16L, and a ATMEL952 25128AN (a 128k eprom with SPI interface), which makes this thing possible to bend to ones will. Also, dumping the eprom with an Arduino gets everyone a bit closer to decoding the instructions this thing needs to display its graphics, similar to the HP VFD hack we posted about not too long ago.
We have not seen these yet in our local shops, but give it time and it is bound to start popping up in our favorite surplus locations soon enough. | 67 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "375479",
"author": "jeicrash",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T15:04:43",
"content": "Electronic price tags are not really new, KOHL In Quincy il has them, they allow the store to remotely change prices. An alternate use would be kind of neat if the tags could be picked up cheap.",
"pa... | 1,760,377,223.824627 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/07/ir-remote-control-jammer-makes-you-lord-of-the-livingroom/ | IR Remote Control Jammer Makes You Lord Of The Livingroom | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"555",
"ir",
"jammer",
"remote control",
"tv-b-gone"
] | Bring communications jamming technology into your TV viewing experience by
building this infrared LED driver circuit
. You’re probably familiar with
the TV-B-Gone
, which let’s you turn off any television at the touch of a button. But what if you actually want to watch the program that’s currently on the screen when the person with remote-in-hand doesn’t? That’s where this little marvel comes in.
[KipKay’s] IR jammer uses a 555 timer to constantly transmit infrared traffic. The signals it’s sending out don’t correspond to commands the TV (or any other IR remote-controlled device) will respond to. But if the light intensity is strong enough, they will interfere with any signals coming in from a remote or even from a TV-B-Gone. [KipKay] wisely hides this circuit inside of another remote control so that the other couch potatoes you are thwarting won’t get wise to what’s happening. If they want to watch something else they’ll have to get up and walk over to the entertainment center to do something about it, and what’s the chance that’s going to happen?
Don’t miss [KipKay’s] infomercial-esque presentation of this gadget after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW9p_JLYFUE&w=470] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "375438",
"author": "HackerK",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T14:17:32",
"content": "simple and yet effective idea. ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "375443",
"author": "Pwnsauce",
"timestamp": "2011-04-07T14:21:35",
"cont... | 1,760,377,223.604032 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/avr-hvsp-on-a-tiny-breadboard/ | AVR HVSP On A Tiny Breadboard | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"attiny13",
"attiny2313",
"AVR",
"breadboard",
"hvsp",
"isp"
] | AVR chips are convenient because you can program them in circuit at their operating voltage. That is, unless you screw up the fuse settings and they’ll no longer listen to an In System Programmer. If you find yourself facing this problem, just build this circuit on a breadboard and
‘unbrick’ by holding down the button
.
The circuit seen above is a High Voltage Serial Programmer. This is one of two high voltage protocols used by AVR chips; HVSP is for chips that don’t have enough pins to use High Voltage Parallel Programming. This rendition uses a 12V power source, which is the level necessary for the high voltage method. A 7805 linear regulator joins the mix to provide operational voltage, along with one transistor, an ATtiny2313 to control the circuit, a four-digit 7-segment display for feedback, and one button for control.
Watch the video after the break to see an ATtiny13 programmed to disable the reset pin
using a breadboarded programmer
. That chip is then easily rescued, having been automatically recognized by using its device signature.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHaswi-OYXo&w=470] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "374871",
"author": "Pedro",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T18:47:15",
"content": "Looks like a useful device – I’ve never really messed with fuse bits but I have a project or two that need one more I/O pin than the ATtiny13A provides. I should probably get round to making a HV programmer ... | 1,760,377,223.552854 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/alternate-keyboard-layouts-for-geekiness-and-other-reasons/ | Alternate Keyboard Layouts – For Geekiness And Other Reasons | Mike Szczys | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cleaning",
"colemak",
"dvorak",
"keyboard",
"qwerty"
] | [BiOzZ] wanted to try a different keyboard layout than the ubiquitous Qwerty, so
he grabbed an old keyboard and converted it to the Dvorak setup
. This was accomplished by first popping off all of the keys from the black keyboard seen above, and boy did he find a mess underneath. It was nothing that a trip through the dishwasher (for the case only) wouldn’t fix, and the next step was to replace the keys in a different order. He found that a couple of them wouldn’t just go back in a different place, but had to be rotated 90 degrees to fit. Not a huge problem, you can see that he overcame the visual speedbump of letters facing the wrong way by adding his own letter labels. From there he walks us through the process of getting Windows to switch to the Dvorak layout.
I went through a similar process at the end of last year. I was experiencing a lot of pain in my hands from my prolific feature writing here at Hackaday so I chose to try out
the Colemak keyboard
. The white keyboard above is the one I repurposed using that layout. I found it quite easy to switch between two keyboard layouts using Ubuntu. After you’ve
set it up in the keyboards dialog a layout icon appears
on the panel. It wasn’t hard to pick the new key locations up, but it did reduce my typing speed by a factor of 8. In the end I found that adjusting my chair height and
keeping my hands warm
did the trick and I’m back on the Qwerty where I belong. | 54 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "374833",
"author": "christian",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T17:41:56",
"content": "A friend of mine has been using this keyboard for about five years now.http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n66/bunnyf00f00/keyboard003.jpg?t=1302111546This is what happens when you buy 35 keyboards for £1... | 1,760,377,224.371795 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/blu-ray-laser-plotter-writes-on-glow-in-the-dark-screen/ | Blu-ray Laser Plotter Writes On Glow-in-the-dark Screen | Mike Szczys | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"blu-ray",
"diode",
"glow in the dark",
"laser",
"pololu",
"servo"
] | This laser display is persistent
thanks to a glow-in-the-dark screen. [Daniel] built it using a Blu-ray laser diode. As the laser dot traverses the screen, it charges the phosphors in the glow material, which stay charged long enough to show a full image.
The laser head is simple enough, two servo motors allow for X and Y axis control. A
Micro Maestro 6-channel USB servo controller
from Pololu drives the motors, and switches the diode on and off. This board offers .NET control, which [Daniel] uses to feed the graphics data to the unit. Check out the video demonstration below the fold to see a few different images being plotted. It’s shot using a night-vision camera so that you can really see where the laser dot is on the display. It takes time to charge the glow material so speeding up the plotting process could actually reduce the persistent image quality.
This is yet
another project that makes you use those geometry and trigonometry skills
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akY24gXPyYs&w=470] | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "374820",
"author": "JP",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T16:53:45",
"content": "Does anyone else see large item 3d printing possibilities with this?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "374825",
"author": "jordan",
"timestamp": "201... | 1,760,377,223.503986 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/keep-fun-in-check-with-a-parental-count-down-timer/ | Keep Fun In Check With A Parental Count Down Timer | Jesse Congdon | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"AVR",
"capacitive sensor",
"timer"
] | Gaming industry software engineer [Pedantite] writes in to let us know about his latest endeavor, an AVR based parental assistant timer:
Good Times
. Looking for a new project that would be both useful and interesting, his wife suggested a “time out/ time’s up timer”. Like most of us [Pedantite]’s children are well studied in the arts of procrastination and mischief. In the kids’ case this leads to time outs and break time running amok. The solution, in this case, is pretty much an advanced DIY egg timer with fun sounds.
The timer sports all of your basic countdown-timer functions including a 4 digit 7-segment LED output display, stop light style LED indicators, and controls to start/pause and stop the count down. The count down time can be input via the +5 minute, +1 minute, and +15 second buttons. There is even a happy/sad button to toggle between “time out” and “break time” modes. Two Atmel micros power the device, an AT Tiny 2313V for the capacitive touch keypad and an AT Mega 644P for the display, audio, and time measurement. There are a lot of excellent techniques used in the build, some which we have covered here: Four 595 Shift
registers
for the display; A 4 bit r2r
DAC
for audio output.
[Pedantite] is still in the process of writing up the project in multiple posts, and would love to know what you all want to hear about. Check out
his blog
for details and a quick video of the timer in action! Also, if you are interested in capacitive buttons, check out
part 2
of the writeup. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "374811",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T16:20:52",
"content": "For whatever it’s worth, stimuli correlated with the removal of a fun activity (the passage of time on the display in this case) tend to become aversive. His kids might appreciate it more if it counted down... | 1,760,377,223.644212 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/bluetooth-headset-battery-swap-keeps-going-and-going/ | Bluetooth Headset Battery Swap Keeps Going And Going… | Mike Nathan | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Musical Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"headphones"
] | [Reginaldo] purchased a cheap Bluetooth headset adapter, and while it worked well with all of his devices, he was disappointed to find that the battery life didn’t quite live up to the manufacturer’s claims. Advertised as capable of operating for 10 hours, he discovered that the device would typically die after only 7. He wanted more from the headset, so he took things into his own hands and
replaced it with a much larger battery
(
Google Translation
).
His goal was to keep the modifications as cheap as possible, so he repurposed a lot of items he had sitting around the house. He used a battery out of an old cell phone, with a capacity over six times greater than that of his original headset battery. He built a charging circuit using a MCP73863 microchip, specifically designed for managing Li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries. The Bluetooth headset was dismantled and repackaged in the shell of a cheap “audio amplifier” that he had on hand, along with the new battery and charging circuit. A nifty Hackaday logo was included on the outside of the new battery case, and the project was deemed complete.
[Reginaldo] reports that he is quite happy with his battery retrofit. The new power brick only takes about half an hour longer to charge, but can now be used for approximately 44 hours before requiring a recharge – not too shabby! | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "374747",
"author": "MrX",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T14:04:19",
"content": "Just a note to editors: “amplificador” in Portuguese means indeed amplifier but in this context, Brazilians actually refer to it as an FM radio (amplifier).Other than that, great hack! Juicing 44 hours out an ... | 1,760,377,224.132139 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/everything-you-need-to-know-about-wall-warts/ | Everything You Need To Know About Wall Warts | Kevin Dady | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"power",
"wall wart"
] | If you work with electronics at any skill level you need juice. [Jon] has a great, and clearly worded tutorial about
Wall Wart Power Supplies
with pretty much everything you need to know about those little black boxes hanging off of your outlets.
The whole thing starts off with the basics like transformers, rectification smoothing and regulation, then moves on to the different basic types, dedicating a page to linear, regulated and switching types, giving output performance charts under different situations.
Also included is a run-down of DC barrel jack structure so you get the right plug every time, wall wart type identification, a random sample comparison test, and a good selection of formulas to even keep the old hats reading along. Although you might want to set aside a little time at 9 pages and some Q/A in the comments, it might take a moment to read. | 25 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "374703",
"author": "TMXOD",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T12:24:59",
"content": "500 Internal Server Error‽",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "374711",
"author": "tamasko",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T12:38:32",
"content": "Thi... | 1,760,377,224.213283 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/06/reverse-engineering-led-vodka-bottle-displays/ | Reverse Engineering LED Vodka Bottle Displays | Mike Nathan | [
"LED Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"alcohol",
"Atmel",
"led",
"pic",
"wireless"
] | When [Tyler] heard about the LED matrix display that Medea Vodka was building into their bottles, he immediately wanted to get his hands on one. Who could blame him? Someone had finally combined two things we love dearly: booze and LEDs.
He struggled to find a bottle at any of his local stores for the longest time, but was absolutely stoked when he finally came across one of their reps promoting the brand while he was out shopping.
Once he got home, he pulled the display off the bottle and
began poking around to see what made it tick
. The display is made from a flexible PCB, and attached to the bottle with some clear elastic film. It is powered by two CR2032 batteries and controlled by a PIC16F chip, which pulls stored messages from a small Atmel EEPROM.
Once he figured out how to control the LED matrix, he uploaded his own fonts and added a LINX wireless module
to remotely send messages to the board
. He mounted it in a wooden frame and now uses it as a simple marquee display.
If you have one of these displays hanging around your house, be sure to swing by his site for schematics of his wireless interface board as well as the code he uses to drive the marquee. You can check out a video of the display in action there as well. | 10 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "374680",
"author": "dkavanagh",
"timestamp": "2011-04-06T11:40:04",
"content": "Man, I hunted down one of these a year ago for the same intent, but we moved and I still don’t know where that thing got packed (9 months after moving!) Glad for the docs, thanks!",
"parent_id": null... | 1,760,377,224.422436 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/atmega-analog-two-pack/ | Atmega Analog Two Pack | Kevin Dady | [
"how-to"
] | [
"analog",
"atmega"
] | Back in February, [ProtoStack] posted a pretty good tutorial on how to do
Analogue to Digital Conversion on an Atmega168
. Based on a bread board, the tutorial also shows the often forgotten low pass filter on the AVCC lines to ensure an extra stable reference and an analog input connection to a simple voltage divider as a study point.
Moving on into the micro controller, the registers you’re going to need to twiddle are laid out and explained in detail. Finally you’re shown how to put it all together in a software project that outputs the analog reading onto a standard character LCD.
But hold on! There is more. Just released is a follow up to that tutorial which adds on
Analogue to Digital Conversion Interrupts on an Atmega168A
. So if you’re sitting there looking at an Arduino and want to know more about what’s going on under the hood, these are a good place to start. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "374003",
"author": "Daid",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T14:05:23",
"content": "The 2nd tutorial contains some wrong information:“Because we set the prescaler to 128, it take 128 clock cycles to read the analogue input. Whilst this is occuring we could be doing other things.”This is wron... | 1,760,377,224.467262 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/redeye-printer-interface/ | Redeye Printer Interface | Kevin Dady | [
"LED Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"ir",
"printer"
] | This
handy printer interface
started out as a request on our very own
forums
when forum member [victorf] needed some output via thermal printers. He had scored a number of HP82240B thermal printers intended for use with HP calculators, but of course they used the somewhat arcane HP protocol first drafted in the 1960’s and needed some help.
Fellow forum member [wireb] started to look into it, found out it uses a standard 32KHz carrier signal, and started asking questions about its use. Grabbing a pdf of the manual he was able to find out all the details to what the printer was expecting in the form of communications.
After a few weeks, [wireb] was able to make a convenient, logic level serial to HP-IR adapter based around a PIC16F1824 who’s firmware supports 9600 8N1 or 2400 8N1 speeds, ASCII text, and the printer’s “advanced” graphical modes via escape sequences.
If you have not checked out our
forums
yet we suggest you do! | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "373950",
"author": "Life2Death",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T12:08:59",
"content": "I wish this were an article, it would be easier than digging through forums (early in the morning before work, you see)But this is cool. I think its better than newer printers, if I assume correctly, it... | 1,760,377,224.518104 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/04/retrofitting-lcd-projectors-with-high-powered-leds/ | Retrofitting LCD Projectors With High-powered LEDs | Mike Nathan | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"lcd",
"led",
"projector",
"retrofit"
] | [Devon] recently repaired a handful of Phillips LCD projectors which he was quite excited to use. The only problem is that he didn’t want to mess with replacing the bulbs after every 2000 hours of use at $100 apiece. He was pretty confident that he could
find a better way to drive the projectors
, so he disassembled them once more and started looking around for bulb replacements.
He figured that a high-powered LED would do the trick, so he ordered a handful of parts and went about his first retrofit. Using his oscilloscope, he found that the control board pulses the high voltage board when the projector is powered on, and continues to pulse a signal until the machine is turned off. At this point, the HV board powers down the bulb.
He created a small circuit using a PIC that is used to interpret the initial pulse from the control board as well as watch for the steady “heartbeat” pulses that occur while the projector is powered on. This board is used to control the driver board for the high-powered LED he purchased.
His bulb replacement works well as far as color fidelity is concerned, but is not nearly as bright as he hoped for. He has plans to source some far brighter LEDs or automobile HID lighting in the very near future, and we look forward to seeing if he can match the brightness of the original bulbs. | 56 | 49 | [
{
"comment_id": "373679",
"author": "_matt",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T22:11:42",
"content": "He doesn’t say what LEDs he is using, but Dealextreme has some nice high power LEDs for cheap, I’ve seen some white ones over 900 lumens.Also, if he is using white, could that be the brightness problem? If h... | 1,760,377,224.656312 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/04/class-up-your-next-party-with-the-drink-making-unit-2-0/ | Class Up Your Next Party With The Drink Making Unit 2.0 | Mike Nathan | [
"Beer Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"alcohol",
"atmega",
"bar"
] | The crew over at [Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories] has been hard at work preparing for the Barbot 2011 cocktail robotic exhibition. This year, they are packing some serious drinking fun with the
Drink Making Unit 2.0
. The predictably named follow-up to last year’s wildly popular
Drink Making Unit
doubles the mixing capability with six, rather than three fluids, and provides a visually stimulating drink mixing experience.
While they are similarly named, the new unit has been completely redesigned since last year. No longer are they relying on breast pumps to move the alcohol along. Instead, they are using compressed air to dispense fluids from wash bottles which were constructed from laboratory beakers. The fluids are measured in specially altered graduated cylinders that are designed to tip over and release their contents when the appropriate amount of alcohol has been poured. These cylinders are designed to mimic the movement of Japanese garden fixtures called “deer chasers”, tipping back and forth solely powered by the ingress and egress of liquid.
The dispenser’s control panel houses an ATmega164, which orchestrates the entire operation. It interfaces with the LED driver boards that make up the display via SPI. The micro controller is also tasked with monitoring when the graduated cylinders tip their libations into the dispensing funnel, which is done using IR LEDs and photogates.
It’s a great looking machine, and while there isn’t any drink mixing video as of yet, we can’t wait to see it in action. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "373670",
"author": "Rich",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T21:37:11",
"content": "What a party piece. I could see this behind a glass plate at some bar fascinating anyone that orders a drink. And then the more you drink the more entertaining it becomes.. It would sell itself. I wish they ... | 1,760,377,224.564803 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/04/kinect-hack-makes-april-fools-prank-a-reality/ | Kinect Hack Makes April Fools’ Prank A Reality | Mike Nathan | [
"Kinect hacks",
"News"
] | [
"april fools",
"faast",
"gmail motion",
"Kinect"
] | Unless you have been hiding out in a cave for the last week or so, you have heard about this year’s April Fools’ joke from Google. Gmail Motion was purported to be an action-driven interface for Gmail, complete with goofy poses and gestures for completing everyday email tasks. Unfortunately it was all an elaborate joke and no gesture-based Gmail interface is forthcoming…at least not from Google.
The team over at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies
have stepped up
and made
Google’s hoax
a reality. You might remember these guys from their Kinect-based World of Warcraft interface which used body motions to emulate in-game keyboard actions. Using their Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST), they developed a Kinect interface for Gmail which they have dubbed the Software Library Optimizing Obligatory Waving (SLOOW).
Their skeleton tracking software allows them to use all of the faux gestures Google dreamed up for controlling your inbox, however impractical they might be. We love a good April Fools’ joke, but we really enjoy when they become reality via some clever thinking.
Stick around for a video demo of the SLOOW interface in action.
[via
Adafruit
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfso7_i9Ko8&w=470] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "373621",
"author": "Drew",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T19:18:55",
"content": "It would be really cool if somebody could get the Kinect to read sign language.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "373623",
"author": "Squintz",
"ti... | 1,760,377,224.709984 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/04/rfid-drink-system-eliminates-the-need-for-change/ | RFID Drink System Eliminates The Need For Change | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"rfid"
] | [Avatar-X] snagged a drink vending machine online a few years back, and has been selling drinks to his neighbors ever since. People are always asking him for change, and just the other day he was thirsty and out of change himself. He considered adding an override key so that he could snag free drinks whenever he pleased, but decided to go all out and
built a cash card system instead
.
He didn’t know how to interface with the machine’s logic board, so after poring over the service manual he consulted with a support rep from the company that manufactured it. Luckily, he was able to get enough information from them to start making some headway. With his friend’s assistance, he was able to figure out which pins on the Bill Validator Interface needed to be shorted in order to simulate the addition of funds.
Using an Arduino with an Ethernet shield, LCD display, and an RFID reader, he had his PopCARD system up and running in no time. Now all his neighbors have to do when they want a drink is swipe their card in front of the machine and hit a button to add funds from their account.
As you can see in the video below it works great, and we’re sure his neighbors are pleased with the improvements he has made.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b88BoPQTxJg&w=470] | 61 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "373579",
"author": "Bryan",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T18:14:15",
"content": "I can’t wait for the first one of his neighbors to spoof his card and get free drinks",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "373580",
"author": "Cold_Turke... | 1,760,377,224.902465 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/04/power-sipping-msp430-mini-alarm-clock/ | Power-sipping MSP430 Mini Alarm Clock | Mike Nathan | [
"clock hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"alarm",
"clock",
"msp430"
] | [Markus] had a TI MSP430 sitting around from the LaunchPad kit he bought a while back. He didn’t know what to do with it, but eventually decided that it would make a
great miniature alarm clock
.
He added a shift register to the mix in order to drive his 7-segment LCD display, using two of the MSP430’s output pins in the process. Four more pins were tied to the display’s cathodes, while the remaining two pins are connected to push buttons which register user input.
He crammed the clock’s logic as well as an alarm tune into the chip’s scant 2KB of memory space, literally occupying everything up to the last available byte. The clock is quite a power-miser, using just 2 µA in standby mode. According to [Markus’] calculations, that should enable the clock to use one set of batteries for 10+ years.
While this isn’t the
first MSP430 clock we have seen
, it certainly is the smallest and most simple. Stick around to see a quick video of his clock in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6q4vUfasKw&w=470] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "373556",
"author": "rusty",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T17:25:38",
"content": "beautiful.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "373559",
"author": "Marvin",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T17:31:04",
"content": "I like the well thou... | 1,760,377,224.95113 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/04/thinkpad-dock-picking/ | Thinkpad Dock-Picking | Caleb Kraft | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"lockpicking",
"thinkpad"
] | Hackers at the “RaumZeitLabor” hackerspace in Mannheim Germany have noticed that the locking mechanism on the thinkpad mini dock is
extremely easy to circumvent
. Sold as an additional layer of security, the mechanism itself is not really secured in any way. The button that actuates it is locked by a key, but the latch isn’t secured and can be accessed via a vent on the side. They are using a lockpicking tool in the video, but they say that even a long paperclip would suffice.
We know that no security device is perfect, and if someone really really wants it, they’ll take it, but this seems a bit too easy. Maybe the next version will have a little plastic wall protecting the latch from being actuated manually. Hopefully if security is your main concern you are using something a little more robust that a dock-lock.
[via the
RaumZeitLabor hackerspace
(google
translated
)]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFLiyzZ_FyQ&w=470] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "373515",
"author": "MrX",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T15:54:10",
"content": "So far kensington locks have been pretty reliable..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "373526",
"author": "Alan",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T16:21:14",... | 1,760,377,225.004885 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/04/solar-powered-gameboy-color-never-runs-out-of-juice/ | Solar-powered GameBoy Color Never Runs Out Of Juice | Mike Nathan | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"gameboy color",
"handheld",
"solar"
] | Instructables user [Andrew] was given a free, but damaged GameBoy color by a friend. The friend’s dog had done quite a number on the outside of the handheld, but it was definitely usable. After replacing some of the outer shell, [Andrew] decided that he would try tweaking the GameBoy to
utilize a solar cell in order to keep the batteries topped off
.
He bought a solar garden light for $5 and disassembled it, being careful not to damage the heavily-glued solar panel in the process. The GameBoy was pulled apart next, and the solar panel was soldered to the handheld’s battery leads. Once the wires were properly routed through the case, he reassembled the handheld and picked up a pair of rechargeable AA batteries to test things out.
[Andrew] tells us that the solar panel works nicely, and that simply setting it out face-down keeps his batteries charged and ready to go.
Stick around for a quick video demo of his solar-powered GameBoy.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPxrb7jX4Do&w=470] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "373512",
"author": "Fallen",
"timestamp": "2011-04-04T15:48:49",
"content": "Probably not a big deal, but without a charge controller there is a possibility of damaging the batteries if it gets left out in the sun too long. Probably not since a lot of solar lights seem to charge nim... | 1,760,377,225.049763 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/03/gun-turret-built-into-a-cake-box/ | Gun Turret Built Into A Cake Box | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"18f4520",
"airsoft",
"ir",
"pic",
"remote control",
"turret"
] | Couch potatoes have a new line of defense thanks to
this remote-controlled turret
. The gun itself is a hacked down airsoft model. The mount started with a servo motor in the center of a plastic cake box. A thin strip of plywood was added, along with a couple of sliding furniture feet to stabilize the platform as it rotates. A second servo mounts to that platform, which allows the trajectory of the projectile to be adjusted up or down. A PIC 18F4520 controls both of the motors, as well as the firing of the airsoft module, all while listening for commands from an IR receiver. Just adjust the firmware to match an unused device on your universal remote and the power to annoy your roommates will be at the tips of your fingers.
You can see an overview of the build process, as well as a demonstration of the final project in the video after the break. The page linked at the top has a very detailed build log but some of the ‘next’ buttons on that page don’t work for us. Luckily you’ll see a table of contents in the right column which lets you navigate around these bad links.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHS1PFXkgnM&w=470]
[via
Dangerous Prototypes
] | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "372990",
"author": "Brett W. (FightCube.com)",
"timestamp": "2011-04-03T20:48:48",
"content": "That’s a really neat project! Might I suggest mounting the IR receiver on the top center?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "373004",
... | 1,760,377,225.869355 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/03/kapton-tape-aids-in-drag-soldering-surface-mount-parts/ | Kapton Tape Aids In Drag Soldering Surface Mount Parts | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"drag soldering",
"kapton tape",
"smd",
"smt",
"solder mask",
"surface mount"
] | Drag soldering works exactly as its name implies, by dragging a bead of solder across fine-pitch pins you can quickly solder an entire row. The method relies on clean joints, so liquid solder flux is often used to make sure there is good flow. But if you’re drag soldering on boards that you’ve etched yourself the solder can sometimes run down the trace, rather than staying where you want it. Professionally manufactured boards don’t have this problem since they have solder mask covering the copper that doesn’t need soldering. [Ahmad Tabbouch] has
a method that uses Kapton tape to act as a temporary solder mask
on diy boards.
The process involves several steps. First, three strips are place horizontally across the board, leaving just a portion of the upper and lower pads exposed. Those pads are then tinned with solder, and a light touch with an X-acto knife is then used to score the tape covering the vertical rows of pads. Once the waste as been removed, two more strips are added and those rows are tinned. From there the chip is placed and soldered as we’ve seen before; first tacked in place, then fluxed, and finally drag soldered to complete the connections. This achieves a crisp and clean connection, presumably without the need to clean up your solder mess with solder wick.
Kapton tape resists heat, making it perfect for this process. We’ve also seen it
used on hot beds for 3D printers
, and as
a smoothing surface for sliding mechanisms
.
[via
Dangerous Prototypes
] | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "372951",
"author": "turbochris",
"timestamp": "2011-04-03T19:37:39",
"content": "Usually when I hear Kapton I think of flaming aircraft falling from the sky. Good to see it put to good use.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "372960... | 1,760,377,225.110133 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/03/aftermarket-visor-mounted-gps-better-than-oem/ | Aftermarket Visor-mounted GPS Better Than OEM | Mike Nathan | [
"gps hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"gps",
"retrofit",
"tomtom"
] | When [Roberto] bought his Mini Cooper, he opted to forgo the factory GPS system as it was over priced and didn’t have the best of reputations. He decided that he still needed GPS in his car, so
he committed himself to install a TomTom unit
in a way that would not detract from the car’s interior.
He dismantled the driver’s side sun visor, taking measurements of the original plastic housing that contained the mirror and lighting. He then drew up a 3D model of a replacement housing that would allow him to fit both the GPS unit and the speaker in the same amount of space formerly occupied by the mirror.
He gutted his TomTom unit, removing any extraneous parts he could find. A smaller speaker was sourced due to size constraints, then everything was mounted in his new housing once it arrived.
The end result is amazing. The GPS unit looks like it was installed at the factory – there is no sign that this was any sort of aftermarket modification. We are sure people will be quick to say that would be difficult to keep your eyes on the road while looking at the navigation screen, but as [Roberto] points out, you should be following the spoken directions once the car is in motion anyhow. | 40 | 40 | [
{
"comment_id": "372904",
"author": "MrJackson",
"timestamp": "2011-04-03T18:04:28",
"content": "I think the passenger visor would have been a better location. You can follow the voice once your moving if alone, or the passenger can assist as needed when you’re not.",
"parent_id": null,
"dep... | 1,760,377,225.322244 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/03/adjustable-prank-box-growls-and-screams/ | Adjustable Prank Box Growls And Screams | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"555 timer",
"prank",
"screamer"
] | [Brett] over at FightCube was tossing around ideas to build a
screaming prank circuit that fits inside an Altoids tin
. Sound familiar? We featured a story just a few days back about the construction of
a very similar item
by [Dino Segovis]. It seems that great minds think alike after all!
[Brett’s] version is a bit more robust than the one we featured the other day. It’s similar to [Dino’s] in that it uses a 555 timer in astable mode, triggered by a normally-closed microswitch when the tin is opened. However, this version also includes a photoresistor which is used to increase the pitch and speed of the output as more light enters the box. This creates a growling effect that builds up into a scream as the box is opened. [Brett] has also included an adjustable pot which allows the sound range to be tweaked to his liking.
Stick around for a video walkthrough of the screamer circuit as well as a demo of the Altoids tin in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRaC9TAcKlc&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpK6yHVJUNQ&w=470] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "372863",
"author": "Dino",
"timestamp": "2011-04-03T17:03:42",
"content": "Nice variation on a theme! :)I like the growliness. Nice job Brett!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "372876",
"author": "Brett W. (FightCube.com)",
... | 1,760,377,225.156094 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/03/using-your-pc-as-a-simple-signal-generator/ | Using Your PC As A Simple Signal Generator | Mike Nathan | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"DC offset",
"signal generator"
] | [Debraj] needed a simple signal generator for a project he was working on, but didn’t have one handy. He found that the easiest and cheapest way to get clean, reliable signaling was by
using something that was already sitting on his desk
– his PC.
He found that the tone generator built into Audacity was quite useful, at least for generating waveforms at less than 20 KHz or so. Upon plugging his scope into his sound card’s audio jack, he observed that the PC had good frequency fidelity, though it required an additional DC offset as most cards are built to remove that offset from the waveform.
Using a LM358 as a non-inverting summing amplifier, he was able to apply a steady DC offset and generate usable signals for his micro controller projects. A schematic for his offset circuit is available on his site, should you wish to build one of your own.
[Debraj] also notes that though Audacity is a
cheap
free way to generate simple signals, any number of complex signals can be generated using MATLAB if you happen to own a copy. | 29 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "372795",
"author": "addidis",
"timestamp": "2011-04-03T14:59:58",
"content": "This isnt a bad idea, you could merge this with a simple sound card scope mod and have a relatively cheap usable tool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": ... | 1,760,377,225.247581 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/pid-sous-vide-slow-cooker-bon-appetit/ | PID Sous-Vide Slow Cooker – Bon Appétit! | Jason Komp | [
"cooking hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"cooking",
"pid",
"sous-vide"
] | In search of a perfectly-cooked brisket, [Aaron] recently completed this DIY
PID-controlled sous-vide slow cooker
. Sous-vide (French for “under vacuum”) is a cooking technique in which foods are typically vacuum-sealed and then cooked in a relatively low temperature water bath for an extended period of time. This is done to minimize temperature gradients throughout the food to ensure even cooking. Precise regulation of the water temperature is the key to ensuring that the results are exactly as desired – when cooking for many hours or days, even a few degrees discrepancy can greatly influence the final product.
A few months ago we featured a
similar hack
that utilized a simple switching temperature controller spliced into an extension cord. Although probably sufficient for most aspiring “hacker-chefs”, the temperature was not as stable as it could be. The problem is that it takes time for the heat generated in the slow cooker’s heating element to reach the temperature probe (and food) suspended in the water bath. By the time the probe reads the elevated temperature, the element is already too hot and the temperature overshoots the target. One way to mitigate this effect is to circulate the water to minimize temperature gradients, as is done in many of the expensive commercial units. In order to achieve similar results, [Aaron] instead created a PID controller that uses temperature feedback over time to precisely maintain the desired temperature and reduce any deviations resulting from outside disturbances.
The build is covered in detail and looks great in a custom acrylic enclosure. All of the board schematics, enclosure layout files, and source code are available under Creative Commons licensing at the bottom of his blog page. A good deal of time is also spent addressing the actual PID programming and tuning – something that could be useful for many different hacks requiring precise feedback control.
The end result is a professional looking control box and a slow cooker that is able to maintain temperature within 1°F even while using a DS1820 temperature sensor that is only rated as accurate to 0.5°C (0.9°F). From the pictures it looks like [Aaron] has finally achieved brisket bliss! Now the only question remaining is: what is the best setting for reheating left-over pizza? | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "374300",
"author": "macw",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T21:11:47",
"content": "why shouldn’t it be accurate to 1 degree if the sensor is accurate to 0.9 degrees?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "374307",
"author": "Wilin",
"t... | 1,760,377,225.57944 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/xbox-360-briefcase-is-ready-to-go-wherever-you-do/ | Xbox 360 Briefcase Is Ready To Go Wherever You Do | Mike Nathan | [
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"briefcase",
"portable",
"xbox"
] | Hackaday forum member [azazelcrey] recently wrote in to share his
portable Xbox 360 build
. This is not his first attempt at constructing one of these, as he completed his first portable console a few years back. This time, he has taken what he learned from the first go round, making his newest creation a bit cleaner and more compact.
He sourced an LCD monitor with built-in speakers to use as the display, mounting it into a $20 metal-sided suitcase from Home Depot. He disassembled his Xbox and added it to the case, installing a couple extra fans to keep things cool. Some standard Xbox functions were externalized, allowing him to power on the console, load games, and synchronize controllers, all while keeping the briefcase shut.
This obviously isn’t something that you would carry on a train or bus for on-the-go gaming, but it’s a great way to travel with your Xbox as well as a handful of gear. We imagine this rugged, fully-contained gaming center is quite useful for one-off Xbox LAN parties, and it seems like it would be a good way to get your game on if stuck overnight in a hotel.
Check out his web site if you are interested in seeing
his first build
or
more pictures of this one
. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "374288",
"author": "Abbott",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T20:46:59",
"content": "Not bad. Needs a little finishing, but looks good otherwise.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "374339",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2011... | 1,760,377,225.505114 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/hacking-automated-hand-sanitizers-with-ben-heck/ | Hacking Automated Hand Sanitizers With Ben Heck | Mike Nathan | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"ben heck",
"hand sanitizer",
"propeller"
] | If you have visited a hospital any time recently, you probably noticed quite a few automated hand sanitizer dispensers scattered throughout the hallways and in each patient’s room. Since hospital-acquired infections are a growing problem, there has been a push for all personnel to use these hand sanitizers regularly to lessen the likelihood of spreading disease.
In the
most recent episode of his web show
, [Ben Heck] took on the challenge of hacking one of these dispensers to use motion sensors in order to sense when hospital personnel are near, as well as to remind them that they should sanitize their hands on the way out.
He disassembled the dispenser to see how it operated, then worked on replacing the IR sensor pair with a set of motion detectors. He hooked the motion sensors to a Propeller board, which uses a separate add-on board for keeping time. Once the motion sensors are triggered, the passer-by is given a window of time before the machine notifies them to kindly sanitize their hands. All movements and sanitizer dispensing events are logged to an SD card connected to the controller, which can be reviewed to ensure policy compliance.
If you have about 20 minutes to spare it’s worth checking out, and if you are interested in more hand washing tech, check out
this DIY hand dryer
we featured a while back. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "374248",
"author": "Nick McClanahan",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T19:48:27",
"content": "Hey, Ben’s using a Propeller Platform USB! Also, is it me, or does he sound intentionally robotic when reading the Element14 plug?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,225.631149 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/chill-your-phone-for-longer-battery-life/ | Chill Your Phone For Longer Battery Life? | Mike Szczys | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"battery",
"cooler",
"heat sink",
"lithium",
"peltier"
] | The first specs we look at when choosing a cellphone are the battery life numbers. We know that eventually we’re going to see performance loss, and [Dr. West] wanted to see if there’s a way to delay the inevitable. What he found is that ambient temperature affects the battery throughout its life. He set out to
build a phone chiller to slow the degradation of the battery
.
The research that he points to shows that at room temperature, a Lithium battery will lose 20% of its capacity each year. This seems like a dubious number so do share links to studies that state otherwise in the comments. Whether that 20% is right or not, the point is that cooling the battery will preserve it. With that in mind, [Dr. West] put together a pod that uses a peltier cooler and a heat sink to host his Blackberry while he sleeps. He figures he can reduce the capacity lost per year from 20% down to 14%. This of course comes at the expense of running that cooler every night (in addition to charging the phone when it needs it). But perhaps this solution will spark an idea that leads to a better one. | 45 | 44 | [
{
"comment_id": "374134",
"author": "valbaca",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T18:05:56",
"content": "good idea. perhaps having something that taps into your already-running refrigerator for cooling power (as opposed to just putting your cell in the freezer or pulling watts from the outlet). I do already m... | 1,760,377,226.110629 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/ti-adds-some-linux-support-for-evalbot-weve-got-hardware-coupon-codes-for-you/ | TI Adds Some Linux Support For Evalbot – We’ve Got Hardware Coupon Codes For You! | Mike Szczys | [
"News"
] | [
"arm",
"codesourcery",
"cortex-m3",
"evalbot",
"linux",
"texas instruments",
"ti"
] | In case you missed it, Texas Instruments sells a little robot called the Evalbot as a development platform for ARM Cortex-M3 microcontrollers. Since its release we’ve seen a few hacks on the hardware; the image above is a proof of concept for
developing for the device under Linux
. We have criticized TI in the past for not natively supporting Linux with their IDEs. We’re not sure how it will play out, but they have added new software package options to go along with the hardware. You’ll notice
on their PR page
that there is now an option to use CodeSourcery. It is a trial of the full version, but at least it is a step in the GNU direction from their previous offering.
The Hackaday team has been talking off and on with TI about the hardware. We’re happy to say that they’ve been listening to the Internet community about their likes and dislikes; following various online groups that have sprouted up to talk about Evalbot projects. It sounds like they’re thinking about hosting a contest using the hardware. So maybe you want to get your hands on one so that you can familiarize yourself and hit the ground running if/when that contest starts. You’re in luck, we can help save you a few bucks.
The
first time that Texas Instruments tried out a $125-off coupon code
the deal got away from them. It had been meant for attendees of the ESC Boston conference. They honored the deals that went through before the proverbial run-on-the-bank got shut down. This time around they’re using serialized deal codes to limit the number of give-aways. We’ve got 200 of them just waiting for our loyal readers to use. One code will let you purchase one Evalbot for just $25 (instead of $150).
Please take a moment to decide if you actually want (and will use) one of these robots, and decide if you are willing to shell out the $25 to order it. You see, we don’t want this deal going to waste.
If you decide this is for you, send an email requesting a code to:
We’re all out!
We’ll dish out the deal on a first-emailed-first-served basis. We will update this post when all 200 have been claimed.
We will not tolerate anyone gaming the system and so we reserve the right to disqualify any email submission for any reason in an attempt to maintain some semblance of fairness. Also… if you’re planning to pick this up just to resell it for cash you’re a loser.
[update: Those who emailed us requesting a code should begin receiving replies this evening or tomorrow.]
[Update 2:
here is the specific bot you should be trying to buy
. ] | 109 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "374096",
"author": "biozz",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T17:16:16",
"content": "i have the evalbot thanks to your first cuponhttp://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/065/d/6/owned_by_biozz-d3b2jtd.jpgit was easy to set up and get to work but it has no examples for the SD card or Ethernet ... | 1,760,377,225.717885 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/retake-on-a-wii-remote-controlled-balancing-robot/ | Retake On A Wii Remote Controlled Balancing Robot | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"balancing",
"pololu",
"remote",
"segway",
"segwii",
"sparkfun",
"wii"
] | [Tijmen Verhulsdonck] built
his own version of a Wii remote-controlled balancing robot
. He drew his inspiration from
the SegWii
, which was built by [Ara Kourchians].
The body is built using one of our preferred fabrication methods; threaded rod makes up a rail system, with three sheets of hard board serving as a mounting structure for the motors, electronics, and battery. This does away with the 9V batteries used on the original SegWii, opting for a very powerful lithium battery perched on the highest part of the assembly. It uses an Arduino as the main microcontroller. That detects roll, pitch, and tilt of the body by reading data from a Sparkfun IMU 5 board (we’re pretty sure it’s
this one
). Check out the videos after the break. The first demonstrates the robot balancing on its own, then a Wii remote is connected via Bluetooth and [Tijmen] drives it around the room by tilting the controller. The second video covers the components that went into the build.
This is impressive work for a 17-year-old. [Tijmen] lists his material cost at $800 but since he’s Dutch this might not be a USD currency.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNjMjCtNWs0&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mciuuKh-RyA&w=470] | 4 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "374076",
"author": "MattQ",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T16:36:52",
"content": "Dutch vampire builds upright robot. This is actually pretty cool. I’m curious as to how much weight it can carry. Terrific design, thumbs up.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,225.763843 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/05/cocktail-cabinet-to-be-proud-of/ | Cocktail Cabinet To Be Proud Of | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"cocktail cabinet",
"mame",
"sketchup"
] | At a glance you might think it’s the real thing, but if you look closer you’ll see that The Distraction Contraption is an extremely well-executed cocktail cabinet recreation that hosts a MAME setup. [Sam Freeman] took pictures of the entire build process and
has posted them, along with captions, as a Flickr collection
.
The project started after some inspiration from
this diminutive cocktail cabinet
. He wanted his own version that was closer in scale to the coin-op versions that would have been found in bars a few decades ago. He designed the case to fit a 17″ LCD screen using Google Sketchup. From there, he cut out the parts and routed the edges. The controls feature buttons and joysticks, as you’d expect, but that red cap on the end works as a spinner. He tried out a few different ideas for this auxiliary control. He found that using LEGO gears to map the spinner’s motion to the axle of a mouse worked best. To give the plastic knob a better feel he loaded it with pennies to increase the mass, bringing momentum into play. The final look was achieved using wood-grain contact paper, and custom printed skins. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "374018",
"author": "TopHat",
"timestamp": "2011-04-05T15:05:43",
"content": "Those are some pretty interesting build techniques. Awesome cabinet.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "374020",
"author": "Wizzard",
"timestamp":... | 1,760,377,225.815227 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/03/hacking-game-port-peripherals-to-work-with-modern-pcs/ | Hacking Game Port Peripherals To Work With Modern PCs | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"analog",
"game port",
"pc",
"pc gaming",
"wheel"
] | [Atiti] has a bad habit of hanging on to old things. Some people call this sort of behavior “hoarding”, but around here we understand his affliction. It turns out that in his collection of old computer peripherals, he located a Thrustmaster Formula 1 racing wheel he used back in the day. Analog racing wheels can cost a pretty penny nowadays, depending on what you buy, so he decided to see if he could
hack this outdated controller to work with his new PC
.
You see, the problem with this wheel is that it utilized a “game port” connecter to interface with the computer. If you don’t remember the game port, go dig up an old PCI sound card and take a look on the back. That 15-pin connector? That’s a game port. Microsoft discontinued support for the game port once Vista was released, so [Atti] had to figure out how in the world he would get it to work on his new PC.
His solution was an Arduino, which is used to read the analog signals output by the wheel. Those signals are processed and sent to a parallel port joystick emulator, enabling him to use the wheel with any game supporting a standard joystick.
Obviously he could have just gone out to the store and bought a USB wheel, but where’s the fun in that?
Stay tuned for a video demo of his refreshed wheel in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9oggKK5w5Y&w=470] | 25 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "372773",
"author": "ftorama",
"timestamp": "2011-04-03T13:30:38",
"content": "Hey I had a project like this in a part of my head….but I would have used a Teensyduino or Teensy++ to get the HID class directly",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"... | 1,760,377,226.028108 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/02/macro-lens-and-image-stacking/ | Macro Lens And Image Stacking | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"bellows",
"helicon focus",
"macro",
"nikon",
"zeiss"
] | [Samuel Sargent] built his own lens for making stacked macro images.This project, which was completed as part of his senior thesis, utilizes a Zeiss enlarger lens. The aperture ring was broken, making it difficult to tell how much light was being let into the camera. Instead of scrapping the whole thing he turned it around, making it a macro lens when combined with a few other parts. He’s used a Nikon PB-5 belows, a PK-13 extension tube, and a body cap to provide a way to mount the lens to his camera. A hole was added to the body cap using his Dremel, and a liberal dose of epoxy putty seals all of the gaps.
After the break you can see a couple of photos that [Samuel] made of bismuth. He estimates the sharpest focal length by taking a few test shots. Next he captures a series of images, moving the bellows slightly between each shot. Finally, this set is combined using
Helicon Focus
image stacking software. Maybe for his graduate thesis he can build
a mechanized platform to move the subject automatically
. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "372516",
"author": "Eric",
"timestamp": "2011-04-02T22:19:35",
"content": "http://bigwww.epfl.ch/demo/edf/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "372571",
"author": "d",
"timestamp": "2011-04-03T01:13:35",
"content": "Where... | 1,760,377,226.160841 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/02/3d-printed-gun-fires-nerf-darts/ | 3D Printed Gun Fires Nerf Darts | Mike Szczys | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"dart",
"gun",
"nerf"
] | [Vik Olliver] adds a bit more power to what has traditionally been a store-bought toy by
designing this printable dart gun
. His design prints the follower in the track where it belongs, which means it’s not going to come loose unless the material itself fails. After printing you’ll need to clean up that track just a bit, and ream out the pivot holes for the trigger parts. Two pieces of filament are used as the axles for pivot points and can be melted in place after assembly. A third length of filament acts as a spring, making this a completely plastic gun. Well, not completely; a couple of strong rubber bands deliver the stored energy which sends the Nerf dart on its way. The design is parametric so you can adjust it for the dart dimensions of your choosing before printing begins.
If you still haven’t managed to boot-strap your own 3D printer don’t fret. You can always
give this Nerf dart sniper rifle a try
. | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "372420",
"author": "Bob D",
"timestamp": "2011-04-02T17:51:54",
"content": "While printing the follower in the track is neat it’s a pain on extruderbots since it’s nearly impossible to print embedded parts that are actually separate with any quality. The same goes for a smooth track... | 1,760,377,226.218642 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/02/robotic-berimbau-plays-itself/ | Robotic Berimbau Plays Itself | Mike Nathan | [
"Musical Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"berimbau",
"capoeira",
"music",
"robot"
] | If you have ever seen capoeira, you have undoubtedly heard the music of a berimbau. If you are not familiar, Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that melds martial arts, acrobatics, and music. This graceful fighting form is often accompanied by the sounds of a berimbau, a single-stringed musical instrument comprised of a gourd, a wooden bow, and a steel string.
[Ivan Monsão] and [Paulo Libonati] have constructed what is considered to be
the first robotic berimbau in existence
, capable of playing music without any human interaction. The robot strikes the berimbau’s metal string, mechanically muting the gourd when appropriate, and even shakes the caxixi (a rattle) in time with the music.
The builder claims that the berimbau learns songs by “listening” and repeating rather than having songs pre-programmed into the system. We can’t see any evidence of that functionality from the video, though we’d love to see the learning process in action.
While we try to find our VHS copy of “Only the Strong”, be sure to take a look at the following video of the berimbau playing itself.
[Thanks, Camilo]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24GUKRheXDc&w=470] | 10 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "372408",
"author": "Just L. Pauls",
"timestamp": "2011-04-02T17:05:51",
"content": "Love it !!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "372413",
"author": "Brett W. (FightCube.com)",
"timestamp": "2011-04-02T17:16:46",
"cont... | 1,760,377,226.269693 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/02/manage-your-rechargeables-at-a-glance/ | Manage Your Rechargeables At A Glance | Kevin Dady | [
"hardware"
] | [
"rechargeable"
] | If you enjoy photography, radio controlled vehicles, or any other activity that requires you to keep multiple sets of rechargeable batteries on hand you know how much of a pain it can be if you get a dead battery mixed in with your charged batteries. This easy approach to
managing your batteries while on location
does not require fancy electronics, meters or anything else that might pop into mind, but rather simple stickers and storage.
The first set of labels get stuck on the battery, offering a green and red color code along with a number so its easy to keep track of which group of batteries go where and to catalog date / life. The second set of labels gets attached to your storage compartment, when a battery is charged, place it in the box so the positive end is facing the green on the storage label, and when its dead just flip it around.
While this mainly focuses on AA batteries (and even shows you how to make a simple but effective holder out of some elastic band and staples) this idea can be used with just about any type of battery for a quick glance to see where you stand on juice. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "372347",
"author": "sneakypoo",
"timestamp": "2011-04-02T14:29:49",
"content": "Similar approach to how you manage magazines to keep track of which are full and which are empty/low. You simply place them in the holster with the bottom facing up or down. At least that’s how we were d... | 1,760,377,226.369046 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/02/simple-dtmf-decoder-pulls-numbers-from-youtube-videos/ | Simple DTMF Decoder Pulls Numbers From YouTube Videos | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"dtmf",
"pots",
"telephone"
] | While many of us have banished land line telephones from our houses, there are still quite a few people who utilize POTS lines today. These analog phone systems use Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signals in order to audibly represent all of the keys on a telephone keypad and place calls. [Brad] over at LucidScience decided that it would be useful to have a DTMF decoder on hand,
and got busy building one
.
His DTMF decoder box uses a CM8870 DTMF decoder chip, which you might assume is all you need to get the job done. This chip performs its duties very well, outputting a 4-bit binary code for each button press it registers, but that doesn’t do a whole lot of good without being able to represent those codes in a meaningful fashion. He first built a breadboard decoder circuit that would light 1 of 16 LEDs depending on the detected button press. This was well and good, but he decided that an Arduino-driven LCD display would work far better.
When he was finished, he had a compact decoder box with an LCD display, which accepts input from either an RJ-11 cable or an audio jack. He says that the audio jack is particularly useful for decoding tones from computer audio, such as YouTube clips. [Brad] praises the CM8870 chip, stating that it can pull phone numbers from pretty much any audio or phone signal you throw at it, regardless of quality. We think it would make a great basis for a telephone-based security system, if that was something that appealed to you.
Be sure to stick around to see his DTMF decoder circuit in action.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gIwB_pdb00&w=470] | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "372298",
"author": "YT2095",
"timestamp": "2011-04-02T12:40:42",
"content": "something like this would be useful in Ham radio too, for listening to the repeater access codes.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "372314",
"author"... | 1,760,377,226.435694 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/awesome-portable-n64-keeps-your-games-in-hand-out-of-sight/ | Awesome Portable N64 Keeps Your Games In Hand, Out Of Sight | Mike Nathan | [
"handhelds hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"n64",
"nintendo",
"portable"
] | [David] recently wrote us to share the
portable Nintendo 64 he constructed
with the help of the friendly people over at the ModdedbyBacteria forums. We are
no strangers
to
N64 portables
, as
you may have noticed
, but this one was just too good to pass up.
Sheathed in a metallic blue case, this console is an instant standout among the other portable N64 mods we have seen. As you would expect, he trimmed down an N64 console board and some various controller bits in order to fit them into the case, finishing it off with a 5″ PSOne display panel. A small fan protrudes out of the back side of the device, which seemed out of place at first. However, it not only keeps the console cool, but it can serve as a bit of a “kickstand” as well, if the console is placed on a flat surface. [David] also added a dongle for the bottom of the console, which allows him to use an external N64 controller if he so desires.
To be honest, one of our favorite features is that the game cartridges do not stick up from the back of the case when inserted. He included just enough room to allow the game to be completely hidden while playing. Nice job!
Continue reading to see a video build log and demonstration of his portable N64.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZZNuM0pSQc&w=470] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "371900",
"author": "G-reg",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T21:50:55",
"content": "Like it, dont love it. Portable is the purpose of handheld. Orig. gameboy knew that above sega. A hack… yes. But some how I feel jipped that its mostly a case mod thats just as thick as the n64 itself. Kudo... | 1,760,377,226.546362 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/bluetooth-bot-constructed-from-thrift-store-rejects/ | Bluetooth Bot Constructed From Thrift Store Rejects | Mike Nathan | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"bluetooth",
"robot"
] | [John] wrote in to share his latest creation,
an Arduino-controlled Bluetooth robot
. You might remember him from one of his previous hacks,
the Lawnbot 400
. This time around, he has decided to scale things down a bit and focus his hacking on small R/C toys.
His Bluetooth bot was constructed using a cheap R/C tank he scored at a thrift store for about $1.50. He removed all of the bot’s parts, aside from the frame, the battery compartment, and the motors that drive the treads. He added in an Arduino, which he paired with an Ardumoto shield from SparkFun. The motor shield costs about $25, but he does have schematics available so that you can roll your own if you so desire.
A Bluetooth Mate was added to the car, which allows serial communication with any other Bluetooth device. Once everything was wired up, he paired the robot with his computer and got down to driving it by simply pressing keys on his keyboard.
It looks like a fun little toy to have around, and it seems fairly easy to construct. Check out the videos below of his robot in action, and be sure to check out his code/schematics if you are interested in building your own.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsgKESSfxdg&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4aGYvWbGzg&w=470] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "371836",
"author": "David Kavanagh",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T19:30:35",
"content": "Great! I’ve been a proponent of repurposing RC toy platforms for years. Back in ’94, I got one almost exactly like this for $10 after christmas at RadioShack. I added a 68HC11 controller and motor d... | 1,760,377,226.490328 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/sparkfuns-has-da-kewt-kitty-parades-of-stuf/ | SPARKFUNS HAS DA KEWT KITTY PARADES OF STUF | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"News"
] | [
"butts",
"icanhaz",
"kitteh",
"lol",
"sparkfun",
"the death of the english language"
] | HAY GUISE! SPARKFUN ADDED AWESUM NEW STUF 2DAY. DA PICTURZ WERE SUPER BORING NERD STUF SO I ADDED SUM AWESOME KITTEHS TO THEM. THA WUN ABUV IZ AN ADORUBLE RED HAIRED KITTEH OVER DA SPARKFUN
SOLDERING IRON KIT
! IT’S SUPER KEWLS FOR SURE.
HAH, I DUNNO WHAT
THIS DOES
BUT LOOK AT DAT KEWT KITTEH DAT JUS OPEN ‘IS LIL EYES. SO KEWT!
LAST IS DIS KITTEH. HE IS IMPRESHED BAI DA SPARKFUN
MAGIC BLUE SMOKE REFILLING KIT
. I DUN RELLY UNDASTAND DIS, BUT I THINKS DAT WHEN NERDS PHAIL DIS BLUE SMOKE COMES OUTS N DATS WHAT MADES DAT PUTER STUFF WERK. I DUN RELLY GET ITS CAUS’ I GETS DA LIBRARY LADY HELPS ME WID DA PUTERS. | 39 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "371769",
"author": "The Ideanator",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T18:06:03",
"content": "FIRSTEST!!!T3H LIEZ!!!11!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371771",
"author": "Danj",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T18:08:37",
"content": ... | 1,760,377,226.691527 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/whistle-to-make-the-art-flow/ | Whistle To Make The Art Flow | Kevin Dady | [
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"augmented reality",
"generative art"
] | A new project from [James] targets the iPhone with this wild
generative art in an Augmented Reality environment
(free) app for 3GS and 4 running running iOS 4+. Powered by the
String
augmented reality library, and written in C + OpenGL the combo present a power AR platform offering over 100,000 polygons on screen with no noticeable dip in frame rate.
The artistic part is influenced by noise the app is picking up through the microphone. Speaking, whistling or blowing at the device creates 3D generative art, which you are then free to explore in 3 dimensions. It would be interesting to see what it comes up with in a naturally noisy environment. Features also include variety of 3D shapes, color palettes, and settings that can be mixed to create “endless” combinations along with a good to have save snapshot feature.
Join us after the break for a quick video, and be sure to check out some of [James] other work, like the
Augmented reality business card
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/21537332 w=450] | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "371751",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T17:39:38",
"content": "Is this an advertisement? Or am I getting pulled into the 4/1 joke",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371788",
"author": "Masta Squidge",
"t... | 1,760,377,226.836544 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/3d-printer-gets-a-big-resolution-improvement/ | 3D Printer Gets A Big Resolution Improvement | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"projector",
"resin",
"resolution"
] | [Jose Carlos Veloso Junior] has been
working on his 3D printer to improve the resolution
. We looked in on his project back in October when
he was printing the blue busts
like the one seen above.
We were impressed by the resolution he was able to achieve back then, using liquid resin that is cured with visible light. The resin creates a thin layer on a glass tray, and is cured when a projector shines precisely positioned light from below. The cured resin is then lifted on the Z-axis, and the next layer in the printing process is hardened by the projector’s light.
Well, this newest rendition far outperforms the initial iteration. The bust on the right looks like it’s been hand-buffed to remove the layer lines, but it actually just came off of the printer. [Jose] made a video of the new equipment in action, which you can watch after the break. He’s keeping most of the juicy bits to himself but he did tell us that the improvement he achieved were due to multiple changes in the process. He tweaked the software to use a more precise curing time, the resin formula has been improved, the ability to isolate pixels without hardening resin around them has been stepped up, and he’s made changes to the way the printer is calibrated and how it lifts the hardened model.
This is fantastic. Kudos to you sir!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snOErpOP5Xk&w=470] | 48 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "371692",
"author": "Will",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T16:15:52",
"content": "um. WOW",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371695",
"author": "Chalkbot",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T16:17:50",
"content": "That is awesome. Nice ... | 1,760,377,226.795694 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/kinect-produced-autostereograms-magic-eye-pictures/ | Kinect Produced Autostereograms (Magic Eye Pictures) | Mike Szczys | [
"Kinect hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"autostereogram",
"Kinect",
"magic eye"
] | [Kyle McDonald], working collaboratively with [Golan Levin] at the Studio for Creative Inquiry, has come up with
an application that can produce autostereograms
. These are pictures that appear to be three-dimensional thanks to a visual illusion created by forcing your eyes to adjust focus and vergence differently than they normally would. The program is called ofxAutostereogram and it comes with a couple of examples. Both are show in [Kyle’s] video (embedded after the break), starting with a depth image of a shark. This combines with a texture tile, then is processed through the openFrameworks software in the package to produce the final image.
If that’s all it did you might find it rather unimpressive… these images have been around for some time although they were never so easy to produce on your home computer. But the second example is a pretty fantastic one. You can use a depth image from a Kinect as the starting point. As seen above, there is a preview window where you can adjust the clipping planes in order to include the correct depth. This also allows you a preview of your pose. Once it’s just right, snap a pick and process it through the software.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/21666082 w=470]
[Thanks AnarchyAngel via
Kinect Hacks
] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "371656",
"author": "pRtkL xLr8r",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T15:22:38",
"content": "Cool – now use it to make full-motion video autostereograms…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371666",
"author": "hunternet93",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,377,227.202507 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/transmitting-power-and-data-through-thick-metal-enclosures/ | Transmitting Power And Data Through Thick Metal Enclosures | Mike Szczys | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"nuclear",
"piezo",
"submarine",
"transducer",
"wireless electricity"
] | So let’s say you have a submarine, or a nuclear containment chamber which has walls made of thick metal. Now let’s say you want to transmit power or data through this wall. Obviously you’re not going to want to drill a hole since this wall is either keeping seawater out, or potential contamination in, but wireless signals aren’t going to travel well through dense metal. [Tristan Lawry’s] entry in the Lamelson-MIT Rensselaer Student Prize seeks to address this issue by
using ultrasound waves to transmit data and power
.
In the video after the break [Tristan] speaks briefly about his project, then demonstrates the transmission of power and digital audio simultaneously through a two-inch thick steel plate. This is accomplished with a set of piezo transducers attached to both the inside and outside of the plate. Communications originate by feeding electricity to one transducer, which sends ultrasonic vibrations through the material to be received by its counterpart on the other side. It’s easy for us to understand data transmission conducted in this manner, after all that’s how
the knock block
receives information. What we don’t understand is how it can “transfer large amounts of electrical power”. If you can explain it in layman’s terms please do so in the comments.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc51vpEgoYA&w=470]
[Thanks Larry via
The Register
] | 49 | 49 | [
{
"comment_id": "371565",
"author": "nardella",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T13:18:14",
"content": "04 01 perhaps?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371570",
"author": "xorpunk",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T13:24:27",
"content": "Hope the fac... | 1,760,377,227.283608 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/04/01/i-can-has-hackz/ | I Can Has Hackz? | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"annoying april fools site pranks"
] | AFTR NARROWLY AVOIDIN TEH AQUIZISHUN BY AOL FEW YEERS AGO, HACKADAI HAS DECIDD IT IZ TYME 2 PARTNR UP WIF TEH CHEEZBURGER NETWORK.
THOUGH U CUD NOTICE SUDDEN AN SHARP INCREASE IN KITTEHS LOCATD IN R POSTS, WE WILL STRIV 2 CONTINUE DELIVERIN TEH HIGHEST QUALITY HACKZ WE CAN FIND ON TEH NET. WE EXPECT DAT DIS NEW POSISHUN SHUD HALP PLANT US FIRMLY IN DA HEARTS AN SOULS OV TEH GENERAL POPULACE AN HALP MAK HACKIN MOAR ACCEPTABLE 2 TEH MAINSTREAM.
PLZ CONTINUE 2 SUBMIT UR TIPS AS WELL AS ANY CUTE PICTUREZ U CUD HAS OV KITTEHS OR DAWGGIEZ. COMBININ TEH 2 WILL GIT U BONUS POINTS.
aaaaand, that’s it. Enjoy your April first and rest assured that the following posts will all be LEGITZ. | 42 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "371502",
"author": "benji skool",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T11:13:39",
"content": "this is great idea!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371504",
"author": "chris",
"timestamp": "2011-04-01T11:15:39",
"content": "pretty... | 1,760,377,226.913973 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/03/31/thanks-for-ruining-a-good-thing-or-trying-to/ | Thanks For Ruining A Good Thing, Or TRYING To! | Kevin Dady | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"oshw"
] | It seems that there has been some shenanigans happening with the OSHW logo voting page
as some are using scripts to game the system for their favorite design
. Why? Who knows… How? Well one of the advocates of OSHW [Bill Porter] set about figuring that out, and things should be patched up now, though that still leaves 3,122 faulty votes to weed out on the final day (April 5
th
).
While it is hard to imagine how someone would be so attached to a logo to write a script just to game votes, its not that surprising considering that we can be a pretty outgoing bunch when it comes to certain topics. Organizers are asking if you’re one of the listed IP addresses, and had good intentions to fess up, and tell which logo(s) you voted for to make the process easier. If not, well, “this is not going to stop everyone’s good efforts.”
If you’re just now getting wind of the OSHW logo voting check out
our previous article
highlighting this event, and to get more details. | 44 | 44 | [
{
"comment_id": "371271",
"author": "Bill Porter",
"timestamp": "2011-03-31T22:45:34",
"content": "Fess up people! I still don’t understand why someone would do this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371278",
"author": "hpux735",
"timesta... | 1,760,377,227.098044 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2011/03/31/diy-camera-stabilizer-keeps-your-video-shake-free-on-the-cheap/ | DIY Camera Stabilizer Keeps Your Video Shake Free On The Cheap | Mike Nathan | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"stabilizer",
"video"
] | Commercial vest-based camera stabilizer systems are quite expensive, sometimes bearing price tags in the $700-$800 dollar range. Photographer [Miguel Vicente] has a pretty well-stocked workshop and decided there was no way he would shell out that much cash for a rig,
so he simply built his own
.
“Simply” is a bit of a misstatement, to be honest. The system looks relatively complex, judging by the build videos embedded below. Constructed of steel tubing, custom-built springs, and a really snazzy vest, the rig is adjustable in almost every direction. He has tested its capacity up to 2.5 Kg (roughly 5.5 pounds), though he says it’s pretty unruly to manage at that weight. [Miguel] says that 1.5 Kg (3.3 pounds) is a far more reasonable limit, and that the stabilizer works quite well at or below that weight.
While it looks pretty good to us, he says that there are plans to improve the design even further. One particular point that he wants to address is the ability for the stabilizer to accept asymmetric camera setups, i.e. cameras with attached lighting and microphones.
Stick around to see a short “highlight” film of the build process, as well as a video featuring a more thorough documentation of the stabilizer’s construction.
Interested in more DIY camera equipment? Check out this
overhead camera dolly
and this
DIY gimbal mount
we featured a short while back.
[via
Make
]
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/21390411 w=470]
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/21316057 w=470] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "371272",
"author": "Doug",
"timestamp": "2011-03-31T22:46:47",
"content": "The link is light on build details, the video is merely an assembly sequence video. From the video we get there are two equal length parallel arm assemblies, supported by a pair of springs each. A gimbal at t... | 1,760,377,227.154417 |
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