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https://hackaday.com/2010/12/18/if-youre-photographing-and-you-know-it-clap-your-hands/ | If You’re Photographing And You Know It Clap Your Hands | Joseph Thibodeau | [
"digital audio hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"clapper",
"envelope",
"nikon",
"remote",
"time-lapse"
] | If you’ve ever tried to take pictures of yourself you’ll know that it can be a pain. It’s especially hard to get that perfect shot of your godly features when you’re out of breath from sprinting across the room. OK, yes, they have remote controls for that. But what if you lost your remote or you just don’t want to have to carry it? [LucidScience] put together a sweet, um,
“hands free” alternative
.
Essentially this hack emulates the IR signals sent by a Nikon remote, either to take a picture right away or to take time lapse photographs at regular intervals. We’ve seen a similar
time lapse remote
using an arduino before and
a really thorough
one using an AVR, but they don’t take the same approach as [LucidScience]’s design in terms of monitoring a microphone input for triggering. The project includes several status LEDs and adjustments for ambient noise and triggering, and it can be mounted to the camera body. We wonder how many of the Nikon’s features could be controlled using clap encoding, and how detailed your timing would need to be to have a kind of hand-made (get it?) pulsetrain syntax. You’d probably need to have
world record clap skills
.
Check out the demo vid after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-H0dpP859A&w=470] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "286023",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-18T20:10:09",
"content": "wow interesting hack … i never have had a problem with the nikon IR or wired shutter cables before but this gives me an idea for a hack *gets out sketch book*",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"re... | 1,760,377,316.448659 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/18/domino-clock-uses-an-electromechanical-display/ | Domino Clock Uses An Electromechanical Display | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"actuator",
"coil",
"domino"
] | This clock concept uses big
dominos with changing faces to display the time
. As far as we can tell they haven’t made it through to a finished product yet, but we loved the explaination of the
engineering that went into the prototype
. After the break you can watch [Eric] explain how he accomplished the design requirements of a slowly changing digit that uses no power to keep its state, which also uses low-power when changing state. To accomplish this he designed a flipping circle that stays put in both the white and black positions once set. When it’s time to change the digits, a coil is energized to push against a magnet in what he calls a single poled motor. Whatever the name, we want to build one ourselves!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aORpC9b_Myk&w=470]
[Thanks Alan] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "285961",
"author": "Mahoney",
"timestamp": "2010-12-18T17:09:51",
"content": "I don’t know how innovative this is as it sounds just like some road side construction signs you see. Bright green circles alternate with black ones to produce text. Placing it into a small clock package w... | 1,760,377,316.939345 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/18/inkjet-print-head-made-with-a-3d-printer/ | Inkjet Print Head Made With A 3D Printer | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"ink",
"inkjet",
"piezo",
"reprap"
] | This is
an inkjet print head made using a RepRap
. The manufacturing process is both simple and ingenious. It uses a vibrating piezo buzzer to pump printing liquid through a tiny nozzle. The red disc seen above is exactly the same diameter as the piezo that resides behind it. There is a hole offset from the center to feed ink in between the two discs. Take a look at the test footage after the break.
To make the nozzle a hole was cut in the plastic disc, then a pin inserted and the whole thing was covered with hot glue. The next step was to remove the pin and shave down the glue until the narrow aperture is open. [Adrian Bowyer] is still in the testing phase for this assembly, but once he gets the bugs worked out he plans to test it with a heating element so that it can print using wax and other materials that are liquid when hot.
[Vik] tipped us off about this one after seeing the
printable transistors from the other day
.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/17782515] | 15 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "285944",
"author": "adamziegler",
"timestamp": "2010-12-18T15:47:22",
"content": "Wonder if this is controllable enough to be used as a fuel injector.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "285947",
"author": "Zagro",
"timestam... | 1,760,377,316.557293 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/16/peer-network-using-graphing-calculators/ | Peer Network Using Graphing Calculators | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"calcnet",
"graphic calculator",
"texas instruments",
"ti"
] | These calculators are networked together, able to pass information and play games on a multi-screen playing field. All of this is thanks to [Christopher Mitchell’s]
work on a package called CalcNet
. This networking software takes advantage of [Christopher’s]
shell and GUI for TI calculators called
Doors CS
. To demonstrate the high reliability and throughput of his network he wrote
NetPong
, a multi-calculator version of the popular game that you can watch in a clip after the break.
This is definitely an instance where asking ‘why?’ is the wrong question. We’re more interested in the how, a question you can answer for yourself by reading the whitepapers he provided in both of the links above. [Christopher] knows what he’s doing, he proved that with his
face-recognizing augmented reality
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mjn98Bs2Cg&w=470] | 41 | 41 | [
{
"comment_id": "285056",
"author": "Homer",
"timestamp": "2010-12-16T18:48:55",
"content": "I was promised multi-calculator netpong ಠ_ಠ",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "285057",
"author": "Eirinn",
"timestamp": "2010-12-16T18:50:08",
... | 1,760,377,317.075166 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/16/chat-list-indicator-uses-hacked-xmas-lights/ | Chat List Indicator Uses Hacked Xmas Lights | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"chat",
"christmas lights",
"IM",
"instant message",
"microsoft lync"
] | Here’s a way to
display which friends are logged into chat
. This uses the same
G-35 hacked Christmas lights
we saw earlier in the month. [Andrejk’s] company uses Microsoft Lync as their chat protocol when working in teams. The service has an SDK that allowed him to write some .NET code to check status and display it on the string of lights. It works much as you would expect; red for busy, green for available, purple is out-of-office, and we’d guess that yellow is for away. Watch him demonstrate the system after the break.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/17699178]
[via
Download Squad
and
istartedsomething
] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "285021",
"author": "Noodle",
"timestamp": "2010-12-16T17:19:04",
"content": "Cool, seems really useful.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "285023",
"author": "Luke",
"timestamp": "2010-12-16T17:19:29",
"content": "That ... | 1,760,377,316.822841 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/15/reading-a-digital-caliper-with-a-microcontroller/ | Reading A Digital Caliper With A Microcontroller | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"caliper",
"launchpad",
"msp430g2231",
"ti"
] | [Maris] wanted a way to
read measurements from a digital caliper electronically
. He ended up using the TI Launchpad to accomplish this, but not all of the necessary hardware is seen above. The calipers cost him about $7 on eBay, and they have four interface pins which made this hack quite a bit easier. After a bit of probing he established their purpose; voltage, ground, clock and data. A bit of scoping proved that data was being sent in 24-bit burst in packets that are quite easy to decode.
From there it’s just a matter of interfacing with a microcontroller. The chip he’s using is an MSP430G2231 that runs at 3.3V, but the caliper’s logic high is only 1.5v. By constructing an adapter using a pair of transistors, the data and clock from the calipers are able to pull pins on the MSP430 low. This is collected and analyzed by [Maris’] firmware and can be read on a PC using a terminal program.
[Thanks Chris] | 21 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "284683",
"author": "Kris",
"timestamp": "2010-12-15T20:51:38",
"content": "This is an interesting hack that has already been hashed over a few times in several machinists forums. There’s a couple projects out there to read multiple calipers at the same time so you can use the cheap... | 1,760,377,316.507765 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/15/falling-sand-game-on-and-fpga/ | Falling Sand Game On An FPGA | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"Altera",
"cyclone II",
"falling sand",
"fpga"
] | This
falling sand game runs on a field-programmable gate array
. The Altera Cyclone II resides at the heart of that development board, running the game which was written in Verilog. [Skyler Schneider] modeled his project after a Java version of the game called
Pyro Sand Game
. He treats each pixel of the 640×480 VGA screen as its own cell, following a set of rules to change the cells around it. This is very similar to
Conway’s Game of Life
, except that there are different categories of cells that behave uniquely (oil, water, plant, fire, etc.) and gravity is a key factor. Of particular interest to us were the rules for each cell, and the method [Skyler] used to feed and sync the VGA output. After the break you can see his demonstration videos, which walk through all of the features including the Troll button.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP2Dgi21O2c&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxXG9xpgT5A&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbLXzA9gz7w&w=470]
[Thanks Andrew] | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "284663",
"author": "Stulander",
"timestamp": "2010-12-15T19:52:51",
"content": "This is cool, just like this physics game:http://dan-ball.jp/en/javagame/dust/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "284667",
"author": "BitMage",
... | 1,760,377,316.778531 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/15/developing-a-sega-game-gear-flash-cartridge/ | Developing A Sega Game Gear Flash Cartridge | Mike Szczys | [
"handhelds hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"game gear",
"master system",
"sega",
"sms"
] | [Gerry O’Brien] tackled his most recent project,
designing a flash ROM cartridge for the Sega Game Gear
, with great success. Above you can see the test rig he used to reverse engineer the communications between an original ROM chip and the circuit board that it came on. He removed the chip, soldered a ZIF socket to the pads, then used a DIP socket as an adapter for that chip. Connected to each pin is a test lead for a logic analyzer. That’s a heck of a lot of channels to decipher!
It turns out that the cartridges use Integrated Mapping (does anyone have a link explaining this?) so dropping in a flash memory chip is not an option; you need a memory bank controller. [Gerry’s] solution to this issue is twofold: you can etch your own board with a controller chip and ZIF socket for the flash chip, or you can modify a Sega Master System cartridge to use as an adapter board. We’ve got pictures of both methods after the break, as well as his five instructional videos walking us through the fabrication process.
This isn’t [Gerry’s] first time working with flash cartridges. We looked at
his work with Game Boy ROMS
earlier in the year.
Here’s an etched adapter board. The IDC plug is used for testing with an oscilloscope and logic analyzer.
Here’s a much more compact adapter made from a Sega Master System cartridge.
Check out
[Gerry’s] youtube channel
where you’ll find his instructional videos.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY-Yt31U3Oo&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZZvtaxkz58&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHtsm6M8uDE&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ8TXklpKXA&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5pI5iraq9A&w=470] | 25 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "284623",
"author": "Ben Ryves",
"timestamp": "2010-12-15T17:50:26",
"content": "Excellent work. :-)More information about the two main mappers used on the Sega Master System (and by extension the Game Gear) can be found on the SMS Power! wiki:http://www.smspower.org/Development/Mapp... | 1,760,377,317.00097 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/15/reprapped-transitors/ | RepRapped Transistors | Devlin Thyne | [
"News"
] | [
"3d printing",
"makerbot",
"reprap",
"transistor"
] | [
Mr. Kim
] and [John Sarik] made a presentation(
pdf
) at last weekend’s
Botacon
conference on how they made organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). A wooden RepRap, the fancifully named
Unicorn
from Makerbot (or printed from
Thingiverse
), hacked felt pen, a handful of chemicals, and a couple of pieces of lab equipment were needed to print (plot) out transistors. We were unable to attend the conference, so this is what we inferred from the slides. Silver ink is printed onto a glass slide to form the gate regions, cured and partially masked-off. A layer of CP1 Resin is spin-coated onto the slide to form the dielectric barrier between the gate and the semiconductor, the drain, and source regions. Silver ink is once again used, this time to print out the drain and source regions. The last thing printed is P3HT dissolved in toluene to form the semiconductor region. It would be interesting to see this process modified so that all coatings and curing can be done without removing the slide from the printer. | 23 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "284584",
"author": "jeditalian",
"timestamp": "2010-12-15T16:13:53",
"content": "RepRapped Transitors",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "284610",
"author": "Caleb Kraft",
"timestamp": "2010-12-15T17:03:24",
... | 1,760,377,316.880817 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/15/update-6809-computing/ | Update: 6809 Computing | Chris Nelson | [
"classic hacks",
"computer hacks"
] | [
"6809",
"8 bit"
] | [Matt Sarnoff] is designing his own
8-bit computer
from scratch. This means not only designing the hardware but also writing his own kernel and custom libraries. Since we
last saw this 8-bit machine
hes added both video and sound output which has allowed him to start developing some software for his computer (see it play Conways game of life after the break).
Sticking with the retro theme of his computer he uses a TMS9918 chip to output the video and a YM2149 for audio. The YM2149 was the audio chip used in the
Atari ST
allowing him to play songs generated for that system with a little bit of hacking to account for the fact that the Atari ST ran at 8MHz where his
Motorola 6809
only runs at 2MHz.
Via [
Retro Thing
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwScZU9qwbk&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TLg3MAHWCg&w=470] | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "284551",
"author": "JC",
"timestamp": "2010-12-15T14:19:33",
"content": "Wow, pretty amazing. Can’t imagine how long that would take to design and complete.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "284559",
"author": "fartface",
... | 1,760,377,316.614671 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/17/haptic-feedback-for-the-blind/ | Haptic Feedback For The Blind | Chris Nelson | [
"Lifehacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"haptic feedback"
] | [polymythic] Is helping the blind see with his haptic feedback device called
HALO
. At the heart of the device is an Arduino Mega 2560 which senses objects with a few ultrasonic range finders and then relays the information back to the user using some vibration motors from old cell phones. The user can feel the distance by the frequency at which the motor pulses. The faster the motors pulse the closer an object is.
This kind of sensing is something that it can be applied to pretty much any
sensor
allowing the user to feel something that might be otherwise
invisible
. While haptic feedback is
nothing new
its good to see continuing work with new sensors and different setups. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "285690",
"author": "zeropointmodule",
"timestamp": "2010-12-17T23:02:37",
"content": "Great idea, I like it! :)I always save these motors “just in case” when scrapping a phone, usually they just unplug but some are soldered.if you have a lot of phones surplus which are broken then i... | 1,760,377,317.141756 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/17/rich-decibels-kequencer/ | Rich Decibel’s Kequencer | Joseph Thibodeau | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"blip",
"bloop",
"chip",
"sequencer",
"synth"
] | It’s totally excellent when a simple concept results in something inspiring and
fun
. [Rich Decibel]’s
Kequencer
is a good example, starting off as many projects do: “I had an idea the other day and I couldn’t decide if it was good or not so I just built it to find out.” Be still our hackable hearts!
[Rich] built this sleek little sequencer from scratch and while the design may not seem very novel to begin with–eight square wave oscillators with on/off switches and pitch knobs, played in sequence–but the beauty of it is in the nuances of interaction and the potential for further hacking. From watching the video you can see how the controls can be used in very interesting ways to create and mutate adorable chippy tone patterns. Check it out after the crossfade.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucdcsxbLXME&w=470]
Having been based off of [Nicolas Collins]’ work (as are all the projects on [Rich]’s blog so far) this instrument is ripe for hacking: the circuits are simple and easy to modify, so the addition of more complex (or just more) modules is a cinch. There’s always the
Korg Monotron schematics
to give you some ideas. Maybe incorporate some
digital synthesis
into the mix. Or get crazy and include some noise generators and envelopes into the design for some percussive synth possibilities. Step aside,
Roland
!
In all seriousness, given the quality of [Rich Decibel]’s work we’re interested to see what he comes up with in the future. And if you haven’t already, check out [Collins]’
Handmade Electronic Music
.
A lot of it is review for the seasoned hacker but it is chock full of excellent know-how and fundamental building blocks for audio electronics. Our in-house how-to on
building synths
is also a great place to start | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "285643",
"author": "alex",
"timestamp": "2010-12-17T21:30:28",
"content": "I honestly need a new pair of pants. Awesome.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "285648",
"author": "Gregory Strike",
"timestamp": "2010-12-17T21:43... | 1,760,377,317.472293 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/17/the-heinz-automato/ | The Heinz Automato | Chris Nelson | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"co2",
"ketchup",
"rc",
"robot"
] | [Bill Fienup] and [Barry Kudrowitz]’s robots,
The Automatos,
have been leaving a sticky path of destruction all over the internet. Their sole purpose: to crap ketchup. They accomplish this feat by dumping a CO2 cartridge into a ketchup bottle at the push of a button, leading to some pretty awesome results. While the details are a little sparse it appears that they are using RC cars for the base and a small air gun CO2 cartridge to push the ketchup. The latest version aka the Atuomato 4 appears to be multi-actuated and can shoot more than once for maximum ketchup proliferation. See some videos of it in action after the break.
[youtube=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcniyQYFU6M&feature=related
&w=470]
[youtube=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C3D0rcFXrY&feature=related
&w=470] | 27 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "285614",
"author": "andar_b",
"timestamp": "2010-12-17T20:09:37",
"content": "What a mess!Sillier than heck, but it’s kinda fun. It’d be better with an automatic stopper, or something like those ‘no mess’ bottles that only open once a certain pressure level is reached. Currently, ... | 1,760,377,317.418585 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/17/home-built-knitting-machine/ | Home Built Knitting Machine | Caleb Kraft | [
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"knitting"
] | Wow, we knew it wouldn’t be too long before we would see a
fully automated home built knitting machine
show up. We recently posted a hack where people were
emulating the keyboard input of a commercial knitting machine
, and that was pretty awesome, but we knew we would be seeing some hacked together machines soon. [corex37] hasn’t let us down with this beast. It is mainly composed of old printer parts, a couple servos, and a Picaxe 18-x microcontroller. It seems to do a good job right now, but lets hope he keeps going. It would be cool to see it able to change colors like the other one.
[via
Make
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Fr5R–J2I&w=470] | 25 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "285570",
"author": "James Torky",
"timestamp": "2010-12-17T17:22:15",
"content": "well, i know what i’m doing this weekend…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "285579",
"author": "Elliot Nixon",
"timestamp": "2010-12-17T18:3... | 1,760,377,317.595794 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/17/sd-activity-indicator-for-wii/ | SD Activity Indicator For Wii | Mike Szczys | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"08m",
"led",
"PICAXE",
"sd",
"wii"
] | [DeadlyFoez] wanted to know when the SD card in his Nintendo Wii was in use.
He built and indicator LED
using a PICAXE 08M and added it next to the SD slot. He uses one pin of the microcontroller to monitor the voltage on one pin of the SD card slot. That pin has a specific value when the card is idle, which rises when it’s in use. He didn’t share the details of which pin he’s sampling, or what the magic number from his source code actually represents. But the concept should be enough of a start if you want to do this one yourself. Watch it go blink-ity-blink in the clip after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IchRODxOG6w&w=470] | 31 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "285476",
"author": "alankilian",
"timestamp": "2010-12-17T14:29:39",
"content": "There are five digital signals that have pullupresistors connected. CMD and the four data lines.Since he’s saying tha card is idle if the analogvoltage is greater than a magic value, I’mguessing he’s mo... | 1,760,377,317.66575 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/16/external-ram-for-an-atmega128/ | External RAM For An ATmega128 | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"ATmega128",
"Atmel",
"AVR",
"external",
"ram",
"sram"
] | Those who are familiar with Atmel’s line of 8-bit AVR microcontrollers should already know that some of them have support for external RAM. But have you ever actually used this feature? We haven’t. Now you can
learn how it’s done by reading through this guide
. It touches on all of the hardware, but doesn’t dwell on it. Instead, you’ll get the background you need on how to write to, read from, and test an external module like the one sticking up in the image above. The test routine shows how to make sure everything’s working correctly with your memory mapping before you begin developing firmware around this increased capacity.
[Thanks Spman] | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "285137",
"author": "pdadio",
"timestamp": "2010-12-16T22:08:20",
"content": "Great work!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "285142",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-16T22:27:55",
"content": "i can find a couple... | 1,760,377,317.527569 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/16/diy-breathalyzer-may-be-the-hit-of-the-party/ | DIY Breathalyzer May Be The Hit Of The Party | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"breathalyzer",
"gas sensor",
"party",
"processing"
] | Okay, this may not be saving any lives, but it makes for a fun novelty at your next rager. Most Breathalyzers aim to keep you from driving when you’ve had too many.
The Squidalyzer encourages party-goers to drink more and more
by treating a high blood-alcohol-content with great fanfare. An Arduino, a gas sensor, and Processing all come together for this hack. A television interface tells you when to blow into a cup which houses the sensor, and gives a reading of what it measures. Blow higher than the last guy and you’ll break the record. Watch the demo after the break to see the fun [Geoff] had with it. And remember, friends don’t let friends solder drunk.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/17752413] | 25 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "285106",
"author": "Koolguy007",
"timestamp": "2010-12-16T21:01:31",
"content": "There was something like this at the Dual Core booth during at Linuxfest. Everyone that come with me kept trying to beat each others scores until they finally just got too drink and quit.",
"parent_... | 1,760,377,317.894133 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/20/adding-auto-fire-to-a-computer-mouse/ | Adding Auto-fire To A Computer Mouse | Mike Szczys | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"10f200",
"auto-fire",
"mouse",
"pic",
"rapid fire"
] | [Peter Skaarup’s] been re-living the past by playing old-school games in DOSBox. He’s using a mouse as the controller but longed for the auto-fire button that many joysticks used to have. Instead of looking around for a gamepad with this feature he decided to
add an auto-fire button to the mouse
. He incorporated a PIC 10F200, along with a momentary push switch and a transistor. The push switch enables the autofire feature, causing the transistor to short the left mouse button about seventeen times a second. Problem solved, and with a couple of other pins on the microcontroller there’s room for this project to grow.
Interested in an auto-fire feature for your gaming console? Perhaps this
Xbox 360 rapid fire mod
will give you some inspiration. | 49 | 49 | [
{
"comment_id": "286986",
"author": "The ThunderBird",
"timestamp": "2010-12-20T21:06:11",
"content": "I understand that his analog electronics skills are not up to scratch, but seriously: a 555 would have just sufficed, IMHO.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,377,317.977342 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/20/tape-delay-made-from-recycled-cassette-decks/ | Tape Delay Made From Recycled Cassette Decks | Joseph Thibodeau | [
"classic hacks",
"digital audio hacks",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"audio",
"cassette",
"delay",
"echo",
"tape",
"vintage"
] | Professional tape delay units are great fun, but often expensive. You’d think that with so many derelict cassette decks filling the world’s dumpsters someone must have figured out a way to make a cheap tape delay… not only in the interest of saving money (sometimes quality is worth paying for) but also in the interest of re-using otherwise wasted resources.
Forosdeelectronica forum user [Dano] has made just such a device from
used cassette decks and miscellaneous parts
(
translated
). First he investigated the operation of the playback, erase, and record mechanisms and broke out the tape heads. The playback head is on a plastic rail so that the delay time can be changed, while the record head is fixed. [Dano] encountered some difficulties in ensuring good quality for the recording and erasure, which is an important consideration when working with magnetic tape.
Another fun aspect of this project is the modded drive speed, which would allow for some wacky time/pitch stretching.
You can listen to the audio example of the working system
here
.
We don’t know about you, but we have several old tape cassettes sitting in our “to-hack” box and they’re not exactly hard to find elsewhere–many of them end up on the curb on garbage day. It would be fun to combine this with other audio projects like
Rich Decibel’s Kequencer
–think of matching the delay length to the sequenced pattern length! For a more finicky addition you could play around with the drive mechanism using some
custom gearing
–think multiple loops and reversals.
The images in this post are taken for illustrative purposes from
Forosdeelectronica.com
. If you want to see them in [Dano]’s post you must register on their forums. | 25 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "286980",
"author": "ridefst",
"timestamp": "2010-12-20T20:48:09",
"content": "Not sure about the time/pitch stretching; that would require the tape moving at different speeds past the record and play heads…not possible with a single loop of tape. Changing the motor speed shouldn’t ... | 1,760,377,318.111676 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/20/instructables-hackaday-edition/ | Instructables “Hackaday Edition” | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"ebook",
"instructables"
] | We got a pleasant letter from [Eric Willhelm], the owner of Instructables. He wanted to shoot a token of good will our direction,
in the form of an EPUB
of some of the projects we’ve linked to in the last quarter of 2010. These are Ad-free and have all images included. You can download it and view it on the e-reader of your choice, or even in your browser with the
appropriate plugin
. The videos still link back to Instructables, but he thought our readership might enjoy having an ad-free experience. He says that link should work for about a month.
For those who really want ad free content and are willing to pay for it, Instructables has been putting out publications that are collections of instructables on certain topics. For example, [Eric] pointed out that they’ve compiled some that might be of interest to us like “
Better living through microcontrollers
” and “
Amazing LED Projects
“. Actually, there are a bunch of titles and it looks like some are free as well.
Thanks [Eric], I’m sure your actions gained a little respect, even from those who dislike Instructables generally due to ads and registration. | 67 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "286923",
"author": "alan",
"timestamp": "2010-12-20T19:20:38",
"content": "Caleb,Please learn how to use grammar,learn the differences between “Ads” and “Adds”, and learn how to read your posts before you hit ‘submit’.Dear,Me",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [... | 1,760,377,317.757826 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/20/oxhydrogen-water-rocket/ | Oxyhydrogen Water Rocket | Noah Dunker | [
"chemistry hacks"
] | [
"hho",
"oxyhydrogen",
"rocket",
"rocketry",
"water"
] | [cmwslw] built a
soda-bottle water rocket
that uses the ignition of oxyhydrogen gas to quickly expel the water, as opposed to the usual compressed air and water mixture. His project contains excellent documentation with photos and it builds on other articles he’s written about generating the flammable HHO gas used to launch his craft into the skies. Every aspect of this project uses items most of us have at home or could score cheaply at most hardware stores.
We love seeing projects that re-purpose everyday materials into something fun. Just be sure to dodge the
missile
pop bottle as it speeds back to Earth! | 37 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "286865",
"author": "Kevin",
"timestamp": "2010-12-20T17:05:06",
"content": "Oxyhydrogen….HHO…that sounds suspiciously like water.Also, the site is down.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "286881",
"author": "jammin0",
"time... | 1,760,377,318.050252 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/20/kinetic-sculpture-takes-a-page-from-modern-life/ | Kinetic Sculpture Takes A Page From Modern Life | Mike Szczys | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"cars",
"conveyor",
"industrial",
"kinetic",
"packaging",
"sculpture"
] | The blurry image above is a snap of toy cars as they zoom around a multi-lane, multi-level,
maniacal-maze called Metropolis II
. We originally took a look at the video after the break (do it now!) but found more information on [Chris Burden’s] kenetic sculpture in
this NYT article
. He and eight studio artists began work on the project back in 2006. They built 1200 custom designed cars and gave them a huge city to traverse, with up to 18 lanes at times. The work is not yet done, and the video below is dated (having been filmed in 2009), but project is slated to conclude in about two months and the installation has already been snapped up by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
And here we thought this was the product of an out-of-work packaging system design engineer. Nope, it’s art, and it certainly eclipses other
kinetic sculptures we’ve seen
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UQ2vqFJvpA&w=470]
[via
Tinkernology
] | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "286840",
"author": "Swighton",
"timestamp": "2010-12-20T15:36:58",
"content": "Pretty sweet – takes hot-wheels to a whole-nother level.Though I’m a bit confused about how it could take 9 people over 5 years to make – other than the custom track its simple bolt together steel. I’d l... | 1,760,377,318.17271 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/19/hackaday-unleashes-a-troll-sniffing-rat/ | Hackaday Unleashes A Troll Sniffing Rat | Mike Szczys | [
"HackIt"
] | [
"arduino",
"piezo",
"python",
"rat",
"troll"
] | Sometimes we like to take a few minutes away from
Hackaday
to spend time with our families. But just when you take your eyes off of the incoming comments,
Trolls
are bound to strike. Well, [Caleb] and I found a solution to the problem in the form of a troll sniffing rat. This beady-eyed vermin sits on my desk and waits. When a trolling comment is detected its eyes glow red and an alarm is sounded. Join us after the break for more about this silly project.
Software
To pull this off I need a few things to happen. First, a way to parse our incoming comments. That’s easy, we use WordPress as our content management system and that means there’s already an
RSS feed for global comments
. I just need to grab that data and traverse the comment authors for known trolls (who haven’t been banned). That’s not hard to do with a Python script, especially if you take advantage of the
Beautiful Soup module
which sanitizes and navigates HTML and XML. My script checks the feed every two minutes, stores the number that identifies each comment so as not to have duplicate alarms, and makes decisions based on the author of that comment. A simple list of usernames is used to search for trolls, but it could be used just to notify whenever one of your favorite readers leaves a comment. The script then records a message on the standard output, and sends a coded command via a serial connection.
Here’s what the terminal output looks like:
And here’s the Python script:
#!/usr/bin/python
trolls = [ 'Mike Szczys' , 'Caleb Kraft' ]
signalAllComments = True
signalAllAudibly = False
import urllib2, time, serial
from BeautifulSoup import BeautifulSoup
#start a list of comments to prevent duplicate alerts
dupe = []
#setup Arduino communications
ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyUSB0', 9600)
time.sleep(5)
#get list of comment identifiers
while True:
#Reset Arduino from the last trigger
ser.write('z');
#Get the comments
html = urllib2.urlopen("http://hackaday.com/comments/feed").read()
soup = BeautifulSoup(html)
#Check each one
for item in soup('item'):
thisID = item('guid')[0].string.split('comment-')[1]
if thisID not in dupe:
#Add to the duplicate list for next time
dupe.append(thisID)
#Convert post time to local time
postT = item('pubdate')[0].string
parsedT = time.strptime(postT, "%a, %d %b %Y %H:%M:%S +0000")
offsetT = time.mktime(parsedT) - time.timezone
localPostTime = time.strftime("%m/%d/%y %H:%M:%S", time.localtime(offsetT))
#Check if this is a post we're watching
author = item('dc:creator')[0].string
if author in trolls:
print "(" + localPostTime + ") Troll Alert: " + author + " just posted a comment"
print " " + item('guid')[0].string
print
ser.write('a')
time.sleep(1)
elif signalAllComments:
print "(" + localPostTime + ") New Comment from: " + author
print " " + item('guid')[0].string
print
#audible signal?
if (signalAllAudibly):
ser.write('b')
time.sleep(1)
time.sleep(120)
Hardware
Next, I needed a way to sound the alarm when the parsing script identifies a troll. In my mind the easiest/quickest way to develop hardware connected to a computer is to use an Arduino connected via USB. I have an Arduino that I’ve never actually used for a project so I thought this would be a great start. I dug up a piezo buzzer and some LEDs and started looking around to see what code examples I could repurpose.
I found
a post on making music using a piezo buzzer
, so I altered that code to make the sounds I desired. I also looked at the serial communication examples that come with the Arduino IDE to get communications up and running. Like I mentioned above, I’m sending an ASCII char via serial connection from my Python script. The sketch below just looks for those chars and acts accordingly. I can make the hardware light the LEDs and play a bad sound when ‘A’ is received. It plays a good sound and does nothing with the LEDs when ‘B’ comes through. Any other letter turns the LEDs off, which is what the Python script uses to reset the LEDs two minutes after the last troll alert.
//Piezo code from:
//http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1241248988
void setup() {
pinMode(7, OUTPUT);
pinMode(8, OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
}
#define PIEZO_PIN 8
// defines for the frequency of the notes (.5 x freq of mid C)
#define AN 220 // 440 Hz
#define AS 233 // 466 Hz
#define BN 247 // 493 Hz
#define CN 261 // 523 Hz
#define CS 277 // 554 Hz
#define DN 294 // 588 Hz
#define DS 311 // 622 Hz
#define EN 330 // 658 Hz
#define FN 349 // 698 Hz
#define FS 370 // 740 Hz
#define GN 392 // 784 Hz
#define GS 415 // 830 Hz
// defines for the duration of the notes (in ms)
#define wh 1024
#define h 512
#define dq 448
#define q 256
#define qt 170
#define de 192
#define e 128
#define et 85
#define oo7 1 // 007 jingle
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
void play_tune(int tune){ // play a tune . . .
switch (tune) { // a case for each tune
case 1:
for (unsigned char i=0; i<4; i++)
{
ToneOut(FS*4,et);
ToneOut(CN*4,et);
}
break;
case 2:
ToneOut(CN*8,e);
delay(16);
ToneOut(CN*8,e);
}
}
void ToneOut(int pitch, int duration){ // pitch in Hz, duration in ms
int delayPeriod;
long cycles, i;
//pinMode(PIEZO_PIN, OUTPUT); // turn on output pin
delayPeriod = (500000 / pitch) - 7; // calc 1/2 period in us -7 for overhead
cycles = ((long)pitch * (long)duration) / 1000; // calc. number of cycles for loop
for (i=0; i<= cycles; i++){ // play note for duration ms
digitalWrite(PIEZO_PIN, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(delayPeriod);
digitalWrite(PIEZO_PIN, LOW);
delayMicroseconds(delayPeriod - 1); // - 1 to make up for digitaWrite overhead
}
//pinMode(PIEZO_PIN, INPUT); // shut off pin to avoid noise from other operations
}
void loop() {
if (Serial.available() > 0) {
int inByte = Serial.read();
// do something different depending on the character received.
// The switch statement expects single number values for each case;
// in this exmaple, though, you're using single quotes to tell
// the controller to get the ASCII value for the character. For
// example 'a' = 97, 'b' = 98, and so forth:
switch (inByte) {
case 'a':
digitalWrite(7, HIGH);
play_tune(1);
break;
case 'b':
play_tune(2);
break;
default:
digitalWrite(7, LOW);
}
}
}
The final piece of the puzzle was to put two red LEDs inside of a plush rat that we had lying around the house. The eyes were embroidered so I clipped the LED leads at an angle to make then sharp enough to pierce through to the inside. I used a Dremel sanding drum to make the clear LED package cloudy and to shave off most of the extra plastic. I then used a couple of KK connector patch wires I had around to attach to the leads on the inside of the rat head. After removing the stuffing from the body I pushed the connector all the way on and then bent the leads over the connectors. There’s picture of this below, but without the leads bent.
I restuffed the rat and stapled up the seam that I cut open to do the work. I love the outcome. It’s clearly audible throughout the house, and I had fun along the way.
It turns out that an $8 webcam and an Ubuntu box don’t make up a great video setup. But if you must see a demonstration, here it is:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUNlzNo9tr8&w=470]
Follow me on Twitter
@szczys | 79 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "286517",
"author": "Tom",
"timestamp": "2010-12-19T22:08:06",
"content": "awesome! :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "286519",
"author": "alex",
"timestamp": "2010-12-19T22:11:40",
"content": "hahah thats awesome",
... | 1,760,377,318.263307 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/19/this-fire-extinguisher-serves-frothy-beverages/ | This Fire Extinguisher Serves Frothy Beverages | Mike Szczys | [
"Beer Hacks"
] | [
"cornelius",
"extinguisher",
"home brew"
] | [Ben Krasnow’s] friends always want him to bring a fire extinguisher to their parties, not for safety reasons, but to quench their thirst. You see, [Ben] uses
old fire extinguishers as kegs for his home-brewed beer
. They’re not all that different from the Cornelius kegs that most home brew setups use; they’re intended to dispense liquids under pressure, include a liquid exhaust valve, and a gas pressure valve. All he had to do was clean the stainless steel parts extremely well, replace the gaskets, and modify the input valve to use a quick connect for his CO2 system. For good measure he also added a low pressure meter to let you know the carbonation level.
Recently,
he installed a home tap system
that uses two of the extinguisher kegs. Our favorite part is the refrigerated hose loop that uses a fan to circulate cold air from the fridge all the way to taps. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "286490",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2010-12-19T21:09:26",
"content": "Sounds like he did all he could to make it safe for potables, which is very cool of him.Now to find and/or make an appropriately themed drinking vessel!Well done sir!",
"parent_id": null,
"dep... | 1,760,377,318.464459 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/14/garage-monitor-has-an-extra-arduino/ | Garage Monitor Has An Extra Arduino | Devlin Thyne | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"xbee"
] | [Jody] wanted to know when his garage door was open. He
details
his setup which uses a temperature sensor read by an Arduino to send over XBee radio to a computer running a Windows Service. We have
seen this twice before
, and is noteworthy as a lesson. The XBee radios have the ability to read analog data, relay digital signals, and a lot more. This means the Arduino is completely unnecessary. For example, the
Tweet-a-Watt
uses two of an XBee’s ADCs to measure voltage and current in a Kill-a-Watt power meter. Programming an XBee is really simple, with the help of tutorials from
SparkFun
and
Adafruit
. A bit of programming and soldering should get [Jody] back his Arduino. We hope this note will help you find more creative uses of XBees without microcontrollers.
[Via
Make
] | 57 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "284249",
"author": "John Avitable",
"timestamp": "2010-12-14T23:01:39",
"content": "Where are all the comments about HAD and arduino hacks?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "284251",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2010-... | 1,760,377,318.406936 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/14/inventing-robot-athletes/ | Inventing Robot Athletes | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"athletic",
"leg",
"muscle",
"pneumatic"
] | The human body is an amazing instrument from an engineering standpoint. Replicating just one part of it proves extremely difficult but
these athletic legs
show a lot of promise. This is the work of a Japanese researcher named [Ryuma Niiyama]. He’s been working on the design for years, and is now using pneumatic actuators to mimic the muscles in a human leg. The lower portion of the leg uses a spring mechanism that resembles some running prosthetics currently in use. These serve as a spring to store energy and reuse it by bouncing against the ground. He’s trying to teach his robot to use these legs; taking it through a learning process necessary to use the thigh actuators for locomotion and balance. We were surprised at how life-like the motion in the video after the break is. Even when falling down the movements are very life-like. We thought the movements of
Little Dog
were real enough to be creepy, and this robot may be close enough to our own mannerisms to fall into
the uncanny valley
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXqUjiNw8fo&w=470]
[via
Bot Junkie
] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "284237",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2010-12-14T22:18:43",
"content": "Looks like he’s using air muscles as seen in other projects. I made a pair of these muscles out of silicon tubing and vinyl sheathing. I was impressed with how strong and resilient they are. The downside is c... | 1,760,377,318.319129 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/14/make-your-own-minimalist-avr-isp/ | Make Your Own Minimalist AVR ISP | Chris Nelson | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"attiny",
"AVR",
"isp",
"usbtiny"
] | Giving a programmer is a great way to get people started in microcontrollers so If you want
a cheap simple AVR programmer
this might just be what you’re looking for. It combines the
V-USB
firmware,
USBtiny
software, a few resistors, and some zener diodes. An interesting trick using this programmer is if your trying to program another 8 pin ATtiny you can use some tape to isolate the USB data pins and then piggyback the target ATtiny on the programmer.
Unfortunately in order to flash the ATtiny for your programmer you need a working programmer so it’s somewhat of a catch-22. Make sure your careful when setting the fuse bits because it will use the reset pin making it hard to reprogram
without additional programming hardware
. AVRs in general are a great way to start using microcontrollers so if your interested
give out tutorials a go
. You’ll find some tips to get started in addition to information about using an Arduino, or a DAPA cable to flash the firmware to this chip. | 31 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "284158",
"author": "bogdan",
"timestamp": "2010-12-14T20:00:11",
"content": "It’s nice, it’s simple…But for a little more you can build a similar one with tiny2313 that doesn’t give up the reset pin.(And i think that the tiny 2313 si cheaper than the ’85 too).",
"parent_id": nul... | 1,760,377,318.981177 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/14/my-reprap-is-bigger-than-yours/ | My RepRap Is Bigger Than Yours | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"fume",
"pid",
"reprap"
] | This 3D printer build
is a thing of beauty. It prints in ABS plastic on quite a large base. The platform provides all of the X and Y movement, making the gantry stationary except for the Z axis. it is possible to print parts up to about 15″x15″ by 13″ high. The gray hose snaking down around the right side of the print head is a fume extractor, keeping the air clear around the PID controlled head, and heated base. Judging from the example items this prints with fantastic accuracy.
[via
Make
] | 26 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "284119",
"author": "Hackius",
"timestamp": "2010-12-14T18:33:19",
"content": "Doesn’t the fume extractor cause cooldowns and warps the model?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "284123",
"author": "d3c4f",
"timestamp": "2010... | 1,760,377,318.731351 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/14/avr-hv-rescue-shield-2/ | AVR HV Rescue Shield 2 | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"AVR",
"hvp",
"hvpp",
"hvsp",
"jeff keyzer",
"mightyohm",
"shield"
] | [Jeff Keyzer] has
a new version of the HV Rescue Shield
available. This tool allows you to use an Arduino to reset the fuse bits on AVR microcontrollers. This is necessary if you make a mistake and disable the reset pin, or choose the incorrect clock settings (this will probably happen to you at some point). In order to bring the chip back to life you’ll need to use High Voltage Programming. The last version of the shield only worked with High Voltage Parallel Programming (HVPP) but this rendition can also use High Voltage Serial Programming (HVSP) for 8-pin chips that don’t have enough inputs for parallel communications.
As we talked about in
our AVR Programming Tutorials
this is no replacement for a high-end programmer like the STK500 or an AVR Dragon, but if you already have an Arduino a kit will only cost you $20 (or you can etch and build it yourself). We would have liked to see a breakout header for the HVP signals for off-board use. The absence of a breakout header doesn’t preclude this, but since you need the on board boost converter for the 12V signals, and because this shield can’t be used with a breadboard due to pin spacing, it’s hard to patch into signals for non-DIP use. We also think some clever firmware hacking and this could be used for HV programming, like we needed for that
LED light bulb
. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "284073",
"author": "Martin Espinoza",
"timestamp": "2010-12-14T17:03:35",
"content": "So wait, if you don’t have $25 for a USB STK500 2.0 knockoff, you can spend $20 on a shield that does virtually nothing in comparison? And I say unto thee, feh.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth"... | 1,760,377,318.673379 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/13/mp3-player-barely-larger-than-an-sd-card/ | MP3 Player Barely Larger Than An SD Card | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"18fl88",
"mp3",
"pic",
"player",
"sd",
"vs1011"
] | If your board fabrication and soldering skills are up to it, you can make your own
tiny MP3 player
. This rendition is just about half again as large as a standard SD card, whose slot is on the bottom of the board seen above. The heavy lifting is taken care of by
a VS1011 MP3 decoder
which also has its own stereo headphone driver on-chip. There’s no display and it seems that most of the 4k of program memory on the PIC 18LF88 is being used. Too bad, we’d love to take this to the next level, attaching it to the head unit in a car and spoofing the communications as if this were a CD changer.
[via
Hacked Gadgets
] | 45 | 41 | [
{
"comment_id": "283705",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T23:31:30",
"content": "wow DIY devices are catching up to the pro ones!now lets get a touchscreen in there ^.^",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "283710",
"author": "Whatnot"... | 1,760,377,318.808514 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/13/shooting-fireballs-from-your-wrists-hadouken/ | Shooting Fireballs From Your Wrists – Hadouken! | Mike Szczys | [
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"flash cotton",
"flash paper",
"glow plug",
"mercury"
] | [Glass Giant’s]
wrist-mounted fireball launcher
adds a little stage magic to his life. This method of fire production is several orders of magnitude less dangerous than other
arm-attached flamethrowers
or
instrument-mounted torches
. The module, which is strapped to the underside of his wrist, stores and lights a combination of flash cotton and flash paper. The two flammables are housed in a small aluminum tube touching a glow plug. A slider switch acts as a safety, completing the circuit from the battery, to the glow plug, terminating in a mercury switch which heats things up when held at the proper level. He’s still working out the best way to load the flash materials but as you can see in the video after the break, this is definitely worthy of
the Street Fighter reference
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AIJi763He8&w=470] | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "283651",
"author": "TopHat",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T21:18:50",
"content": "Make magazine did this as a weekend project a long time ago.http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/03/flashback_diminutive_balls_of_fire.htmlhttp://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/03/fireball_shooter_weekend.... | 1,760,377,319.045441 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/13/building-a-spectrophotometer/ | Building A Spectrophotometer | Mike Szczys | [
"chemistry hacks"
] | [
"multimeter",
"photosensor",
"photospectrometer",
"spectrometer"
] | What can you make with a toilet paper roll, duct tape, and a graphing calculator? A stand for your
homemade spectrometer
. This is neither as pretty nor as accurate as a precision scientific instrument, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless. In fact, it works perfectly well for rudimentary observations. Light is shined through a sample solution, passes through a diffraction grating, then shows up as bands of color on the projection surface seen above. The photosensor mounted on the cardboard tube was pulled from a night-light, and is read using the ruler and the multimeter. This results in two data units that are used to graph the results. As long as you’re running test samples as a control this simple setup will yield useful information for the scientist on a shoe-string budget.
[via
BoingBoing
] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "283622",
"author": "ferdi",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T20:11:47",
"content": "when iread thisWhat can you make with a toilet paper roll, duct tape, and a graphing calculatorsorry i must think one thingmacgyver",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"co... | 1,760,377,319.154832 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/13/diy-clamp-helps-with-surface-mount-soldering/ | DIY Clamp Helps With Surface Mount Soldering | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"clamp",
"dowel",
"pcb",
"soldering",
"surface mount"
] | Hackaday writer [Gerrit Coetzee] built
a simple clamp to aid in surface mount component soldering
. This cheap, easily made device uses gravity to hold tiny components in place. The tip of the bolt is pointed, but gently like a ballpoint pen so as not to harm the components with a sharp tip. Roughly position your component, rest the tip of the clamp on its center, then nudge for final positioning. [Gerrit] also points out that this acts as a heat sink, helping to prevent damage to the component if you’re too lethargic with the soldering iron.
It seems like this device has been around in one form or another for quite a long time. But the best ideas do keep on popping up. Another nice tip to go along with this one is the use of
a dowel when ironing during toner transfer
for your PCBs. | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "283584",
"author": "gantzim",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T18:57:10",
"content": "i thought it would be just as good for clamping circuit boards down with the washers so that you could solder easier just tighten down the nut and the board hovers in front of your face while you work",
... | 1,760,377,319.105817 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/13/putting-too-many-horses-in-a-golf-cart/ | Putting Too Many Horses In A Golf Cart | Mike Szczys | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"car of tomorrow",
"golf cart",
"gsxr"
] | Want to
put 100 horses into your golf cart
and then take it to the Dragstrip? Why not? [Mac McAlpine] did just that by dropping a 2007 GSXR 600 EFI into a 1987 gas-powered Yamaha golf cart. After the break you can see a video of the test run, as well as an overview of the modifications made when swapping engines. [Mac] mentions that the setup still uses the stock bike chain and jackshift even with the upgrade in power. He has, however, upgraded both the front and rear axles with caliper and drum brakes respectively. There’s also a
NASCAR Car of Tomorrow
wing on the roof to help keep the wheels on the pavement.
Good thing he’s wearing that helmet. Without a seatbelt it’ll make smashing through the windshield a little more comfortable. Drive carefully [Mac]!
Test run:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1HYkBD5UBU&w=470]
Internals:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kWIaBfQlWQ&w=470] | 49 | 49 | [
{
"comment_id": "283460",
"author": "thatonekid",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T13:36:03",
"content": "nice rims",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "283473",
"author": "sunjester",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T14:04:59",
"content": "When people s... | 1,760,377,319.239102 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/12/game-boy-vga-using-an-fpga/ | Game Boy VGA Using An FPGA | Mike Szczys | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"Altera",
"cyclone II",
"fpga",
"vga"
] | [ViDAR] was looking for a project to keep him occupied and settled on creating
a VGA converter for his Game Boy
. He had some difficulty finding pinouts for the LCD and CPU but working with what was known, and an oscilloscope, he found the necessary signal. Tap into just a few lines using those thin blue wires; Vsync, Hsync, clock, and two data pins. From there a development board with an Altera Cyclone II field-programmable gate array takes care of the heavy lifting. The board already has hardware for a VGA connection so it was just a matter of processing the incoming signals into the VGA standard. His demo video is embedded after the page break.
Want a dedicated solution?
Check out this Game Boy video adapter
inside a VHS cassette.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUIWsUHntf8&w=470] | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "283132",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T00:02:21",
"content": "what cant FPGA’s do? XD",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "283134",
"author": "gcoetzee",
"timestamp": "2010-12-13T00:08:10",
"content": "*coug... | 1,760,377,319.298068 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/12/make-your-own-cookie-cutters-this-year/ | Make Your Own Cookie Cutters This Year | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"cookie",
"cutter",
"processing"
] | In case you needed another reason to build, borrow, or buy a 3D printer, here’s one way to
design and print your own cookie cutters
. [Nikolaus Gradwohl] put together a processing app that aims to make the design process a bit easier. So if you’ve never designed a printable object before, but can get your hands on a MakerBot or similar device through a friend or your local hackerspace, this is for you. Check out the video after the break to see the process of making a cutter in the shape of a mushroom, or just download the app and give it a go.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/17729854] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "283104",
"author": "Hackius",
"timestamp": "2010-12-12T23:09:18",
"content": "I’m pretty sure the makerbot plastic is not foodsafe",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "283118",
"author": "DarwinSurvivor",
"timestamp": "2010-1... | 1,760,377,319.355388 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/12/nook-color-rooted-hands-on/ | Nook Color Rooted: Hands On | Caleb Kraft | [
"Android Hacks"
] | [
"Nook",
"root"
] | Nookdevs have released information on
how to root your nook color
. So naturally, I had to run out and get one. Who doesn’t want a multitouch android tablet for $250? The instructions for rooting are extremely simple. You really only need microSD card and a Linux/Windows/Mac computer to connect to. After rooting, your nook will work exactly as it did before, but you can now install android applications on it. Many applications are built for a phone that has more physical buttons, so I have run into some issues, but over all, the applications that work tend to work well.
Join me after the break for more thoughts, a video of it in action, and a few pictures.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyHTgBbBKPo&w=470]
The specs are decent, with a 1024×600 screen, 8GB internal storage with microSD expansion slot, wifi, and an 800MHz ARM A8 processor. As you can see in the last picture, the viewing angle on the screen is fantastic. The battery probably won’t last the advertised 8 hours playing games, but I haven’t had to charge it yet and it has been playing music, browsing the web, and amusing children for about 24 hours now.
Installing software is a bit of a pain. You can’t install things directly from android stores online through the device
yet.
Instead, you have to search the web for the .apk file to download then install it via the command line on your computer. This can be a pain because the .apk files are rarely labelled with which release they are, so I’ve gotten a few older versions of software that simply wouldn’t work even though I’ve seen them working in
other youtube videos
. So far I’ve gotten decent use out of the Dolphin browser, Google Maps, Pandora, and Angry birds. I wouldn’t be surprised to see torrents popping up with bunches of tested applications for nook.
hint. hint.
Removing applications can be a pain too. The theory is easy, you open the console and view what files are installed, then issue a simple command to remove the one you want. However, they don’t necessarily install with an obvious file name. For example, I installed google voice search. Realizing I don’t have a microphone, I went to remove it. However, there are several files labelled google and none have the word voice. How do I know which one it is? A quick google search would probably find me the answer, but I can’t wait till I can just drag the icon to the trash can.
Over all, I can’t wait to see how much better this gets. If I could install software from the android stores I find online, have flash, and remove applications easier, I’d be very happy. | 72 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "283027",
"author": "GZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-12T19:06:16",
"content": "I’ve been tempted to run out and get one as soon as I heard about the first success. I’m even more tempted now. Time to do a little debian/ubuntu research!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies... | 1,760,377,319.442586 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/12/jacobs-ladder-using-el-wire/ | Jacob’s Ladder Using EL Wire | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"el wire",
"electroluminescent",
"jacob's ladder"
] | For Halloween [Paul] wanted to build a Jacob’s Ladder without the peril that working with high voltage might bring. He was inspired by a sequencer board for electroluminescent wire and
decided to build a Jacob’s Ladder simulator
using the glowing material. What he ended up with is quite convincing. Eight segments of EL wire have been mounted between two diverging towers. When a PIR sensor detects motion in the room, an Arduino switches on the simulation, playing a recording of the classic sizzling voltage sound while using the sequencer board to flicker the wires from bottom to top. See for yourself in the video after the break. We give [Paul] bonus points for constructing the base out of Lego.
But if you’re not one for being cautions, there’s always
this real Jacob’s Ladder build
. Or maybe you just want to
make something glow with the EL wire
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz4ZCiygqmc&w=470]
[via
Make
] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "282979",
"author": "grenadier",
"timestamp": "2010-12-12T16:46:08",
"content": "Why doesn’t this site have a facepalm button?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "282987",
"author": "DarkFader",
"timestamp": "2010-12-12T17:14... | 1,760,377,319.557914 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/11/kids-type-with-their-eyes-robot-arm-prints-their-words/ | Kids Type With Their Eyes, Robot Arm Prints Their Words | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"eyewriter",
"ir",
"led",
"robotagger",
"tracking"
] | F.A.T. took it to the next level, combining a couple of their projects for the Cinekid festival. This contraption lets
kids write their names with their eyes for printing by a robot arm
. The first part is a glasses-free version of
the EyeWriter
, originally developed as an assistive technology. The system uses some IR LEDs to generate a reflection on your eye that a PS3 camera can pick up and use to precisely track your gaze. Just look at each key on a virtual keyboard to spell out your message. From there, a robot arm used previously in the
Robotagger
project prints out the name on a big sheet of paper the kids can take home. This is cool, but more importantly it’s a great way to inspire the next generation of hackers and engineers. Check out the video after the break.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/16282734] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "282640",
"author": "Julien",
"timestamp": "2010-12-11T22:19:36",
"content": "That’s really cool!I love the eye tracking!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "282722",
"author": "ThatGuy",
"timestamp": "2010-12-12T01:36:24",
... | 1,760,377,319.66146 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/11/rc-plane-built-using-pieces-of-an-rc-car/ | RC Plane Built Using Pieces Of An RC Car | Mike Szczys | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"airplane",
"car",
"coil",
"magnet",
"rare-earth",
"rc",
"solenoid"
] | This hack’s old as dirt to be sure, but new to us and a great accomplishment. The plane above, which is meant to fly without an operator, has been
given RC control thanks to parts from that little car
. The transmitter and receiver pair are the obvious transplant, but how do you add steering to a $7 plane that wasn’t manufactured to have that feature? The tail was cut and reconnected with mylar hinges to turn it into a rudder. A rare earth magnet and a coil are also thrown into the mix to provide movement. Basically this is
a simple solenoid
where the coil pushes against the magnet when energized, actuating the rudder. This in combination with an upgraded motor allows for both speed control and yaw. It doesn’t look like you can control roll and pitch but what more can you really expect?
This would be a nice first step on that path to building
an epic flying camera rig
.
[Thanks Rob] | 17 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "282567",
"author": "zool",
"timestamp": "2010-12-11T20:33:44",
"content": "nice, i wonder if it can be done easier though, maybe just with weights attached to the servo somehowwish there was video",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": ... | 1,760,377,319.614771 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/11/using-analog-voltage-references-with-arduino/ | Using Analog Voltage References With Arduino | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"adc",
"analog voltage reference",
"aref",
"voltage divider"
] | Little Bird Electronics posted an article about
using an analog voltage reference with Arduino
. This is a tool available when using an analog-to-digital converter. By setting up either an internal or external AREF, you can better use the ADC considering its resolution limitations. For instance, if you are measuring a signal that you know will always be below 2V, an external circuit, such as a voltage divider or an adjustable regulator, can give you a reference voltage just above that upper limit; say 2.5V. This way the 1024 divisions of resolution will be spread across your signal’s range, rather than just the lower half of the ADC readings.
Analog references are common to microcontrollers that have ADCs. Even if you’re not working with an Arduino, read through the article and use what you learn with your uC of choice. | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "282535",
"author": "Alex Rossie",
"timestamp": "2010-12-11T19:18:22",
"content": "Worst post ever ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "282555",
"author": "tulcod",
"timestamp": "2010-12-11T19:48:19",
"content": "@Alex ... | 1,760,377,320.290762 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/11/using-a-chicken-as-a-steadicam/ | Using A Chicken As A Steadicam | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"chicken",
"steadicam"
] | This has been circulating around the net for a bit. For those that haven’t seen it, let me just give you a quick rundown of what is happening. This guy
strapped a camera to a chicken’s head
. No really, that’s it. There’s some interesting science behind it though. He’s taking advantage of the
Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex
in the chicken. It is basically the reflex that we use to keep our eyes firmly focused on something while our head is moving. In a chicken however, they move their entire head. This means that he can strap a camera to the chicken’s head and have an instant steadicam. At least that is the theory. As you can see in the video after the break, the harder part is getting the chicken to look at what you want it to look at. We also found a conversation about it with the creator,[MrPennywhistle] in some
reddit comments
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UytSNlHw8J8&w=470] | 61 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "282466",
"author": "yetihehe",
"timestamp": "2010-12-11T16:45:47",
"content": "He should use a better chicken, probably those russian chickens are more calm ;)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXUeO3auRZg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_... | 1,760,377,320.160198 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/10/kindle-terminal-with-secret-key-press-activation/ | Kindle Terminal With Secret Key-press Activation | Mike Szczys | [
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"c++",
"kindle",
"terminal"
] | [Luigi Rizzo] has been working on some hacks for his 3rd generation Kindle. There is already a Python based terminal emulator called AjaxTerm but he wanted a lightweight standalone so
he reimplemented the program in C
. The 100k binary monitors the keyboard, launching the terminal emulator when it detects a Shift-T sequence. It also uses alternative key mapping to fill in for some of the keys the Kindle’s keyboard is missing.
We haven’t seen a whole lot of Kindle hacking since it was
hacked to run Ubuntu
. Seems like this terminal emulator is a useful and unobtrusive hack to try out on the beloved reader. | 26 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "282065",
"author": "Modern Life Sucks",
"timestamp": "2010-12-10T22:57:56",
"content": "Can I SSH to my home box from it yet though? That’s what I /really/ care about :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "282071",
"author": "z... | 1,760,377,320.222919 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/10/bluetooth-temperature-module/ | Bluetooth Temperature Module | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"12f675",
"bluetooth",
"DS18B20",
"pic",
"sure electronics",
"temperature"
] | Wanting to know the outside temperature, [Jamie Maloway] built his own
temperature sensor that can be read with a Bluetooth device
. Let’s take a tour of the hardware above from right to left. There’s a linear voltage regulator with two filtering caps and a terminal block to attach a 9V battery or other power source. Next there’s an 8 MHz crystal and it’s capacitors, followed by a programming header on top and a 1-wire temperature IC, the DS18B20 we’re all familiar with hanging off the bottom. These both connect to the 8-pin PIC 12F675 that drives the system, and transmits using a Bluetooth module from Sure Electronics. Since this is using a serial protocol and transmitting ASCII data, it can be read using an automated script, or simply by using a terminal program.
Now, who’s going to be the first to get rid of the battery and
leech off of the mains through inductance
? | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "282028",
"author": "bogdan",
"timestamp": "2010-12-10T21:15:03",
"content": "The idea is great, because it allows for reading on various types of devices. But given the limited range of the bluetooth i see no real advantage to getting the data on a computer/phone to that of having a... | 1,760,377,319.984487 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/10/segfault-balancing-transport-using-a-dozen-op-amps/ | Segfault: Balancing Transport Using A Dozen Op-amps | Mike Szczys | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"analog",
"lmc6484",
"op-amp",
"segfault",
"segway"
] | The Segfault is a balancing transport similar to a Segway, but
it uses analog comparators instead of digital circuitry
. On board you’ll find no less than twelve LMC6484 op amps. They take signals from the gyroscope and the accelerometer, balance and filter them, then drive the motor h-bridges accordingly.
[Charles], the guy behind the Segfault, is also
the one responsible for DeathBlades
. As with that project he does just as well at documenting as he does at fabrication. Take some time to enjoy his posts associated with this two-wheeled-wonder (especially
the build process
) and then watch in the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmsUr2JLXLI&w=470]
[via
Make
] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "281992",
"author": "Nick McClanahan",
"timestamp": "2010-12-10T19:11:41",
"content": "That high pitch motor whine would drive me crazy, but it’s a good exercise in discrete design!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "282003",
"a... | 1,760,377,320.339413 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/10/eeg-the-locomotion/ | EEG The Locomotion | Joseph Thibodeau | [
"Medical Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"eeg",
"mobility",
"WheelChair"
] | The use of brainwaves as control parameters for electronic systems is becoming quite widespread. The types of signals that we have access to are still quite primitive compared to what we might aspire to in our cyberpunk fantasies, but they’re a step in the right direction.
A very tempting aspect of accessing brain signals is that it can be used to circumvent physical limitations. [Jerkey] demonstrates this with his DIY
brain-controlled electric wheelchair
that can move people who wouldn’t otherwise have the capacity to operate joystick controls. The approach is direct, using a laptop to marshall EEG data which is passed to an arduino that simulates joystick operations for the control board of the wheelchair. From experience we know that it can be difficult to control EEGs off-the-bat, and [Jerky]’s warnings at the beginning of the instructable about having a spotter with their finger on the “off” switch should well be followed. Maybe some
automated collision avoidance
would be useful to include.
We’ve covered
voice-operated wheelchairs
before, and we’d like to know how the two types of control would stack up against one another. EEGs are more immediate than speech, but we imagine that they’re harder to control.
It would be interesting albeit somewhat trivial to see an extension of [Jerkey]’s technique as a way to
control an ROV
like
Oberon
, although depending on the faculties of the operator the speech control could be difficult (would that make it
more
convincing as an alien robot diplomat?). | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "281909",
"author": "smoker_dave",
"timestamp": "2010-12-10T14:31:44",
"content": "This article gives me another idea for wheelchair control: A headset with camera attached which points down at the users eyes.When the use looks right, the chair turns right. When looking left it turns... | 1,760,377,319.935319 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/lego-machine-predicts-future-eclipses/ | Lego Machine Predicts Future Eclipses | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"antikythera",
"eclipse",
"greek",
"lego",
"mechanical"
] | Hidden behind the white face plates of this machine are racks of gears that make up a replica of one of the oldest known mechanical computers. This is
a working model of the Antikythera mechanism made from Lego
pieces. In the video, which you absolutely can’t miss after the break, The machine is disassembled into its various components. Each mechanical unit takes advantage of gear ratio combinations to perform numerous levels of mathematical functions in order to display the date and time that future celestial events will occur.
The
background information on the original device
reads like the script for a sequel to
The Goonies
. Believed to date back to 100-150 BC, the
stone
bronze mechanism was recovered from a shipwreck around the turn of the twentieth century. The use of x-ray analysis helped to unlock the functions and confirm the theories of its operation.
Part of what makes this so interesting is the historical connection. But the production quality of the video (which to be fair, seems to be an advertisement) really brings home how complicated this process is. Now it’s time for us to watch the video a few more times, sketching out the gearing to see that this works as they say it does.
Want more of the Antikythera mechanism? Check out the model
built by [Tatyana van Vark]
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLPVCJjTNgk&w=470]
[via
Reddit
] | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "281739",
"author": "cde",
"timestamp": "2010-12-10T05:09:10",
"content": "They just need the movie voice guy. Good editing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "281743",
"author": "Eggman",
"timestamp": "2010-12-10T05:22:47",... | 1,760,377,320.402265 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/skillet-reflow-controller/ | Skillet Reflow Controller | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"electric",
"reflow",
"skillet",
"surface mount",
"temperature",
"thermistor"
] | Using an electric skillet to reflow surface mount circuit boards is a popular alternate use for those kitchen appliances. The real trick is monitoring and controlling the temperature. [Mechatronics Guy]
built his own skillet temperature controller
using a thermistor, a solid state relay, and an Arduino.
He was inspired by [Ladyada’s] work which
used a servo to adjust the temperature dial
on the skillet’s power supply. This started by attaching the thermistor to the bottom of the skillet using JB weld. since this area will be heating up he also attached a terminal block for connecting the feed wires as the heat would melt any solder joints. Those wires travel back to a control box housing the Arduino and solid state relay. To gain finer control over the heating element the relay is switched on and off, resulting in low-frequency Pulse Width Modulation, which should help maintain a consistent temperature better than just turning the temperature dial on the cord.
Pair this up with
the vacuum tweezers hack
and you’re on your way to a surface mount assembly line. If you want to see this process in action
check out this post
. It goes from stenciling, to populating, to reflowing in a toaster oven.
[Thanks Rob] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "281574",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T23:55:27",
"content": "now i want to buy a thermal camera XD",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "281576",
"author": "MrX",
"timestamp": "2010-12-10T00:05:21",
"content... | 1,760,377,320.460591 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/atx-psu-turned-into-an-adjustable-voltage-bench-supply/ | ATX Psu Turned Into An Adjustable Voltage Bench Supply | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"atx",
"bench supply",
"mic29152",
"power supply",
"psu"
] | Here’s a fancy way to
convert an ATX powers supply into a bench supply
. [TG] didn’t just cut off the motherboard connector and add banana plugs, but improved the functionality. Right off the bat you’ll notice that he’s added a control panel. There is an Ammeter and Ohmmeter to let you know what the unit is putting out. He added an MIC29152WT adjustable voltage regulator so that he’s not limited to the fixed voltages of the psu. As a final touch he added an external voltage probe which can be used with the flick of a switch. It’s no replacement for a proper bench supply, especially since it doesn’t have adjustable current limiting, but it’s
a nice improvement upon previous psu hacks
. | 37 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "281538",
"author": "Fallen",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T22:34:45",
"content": "I’ve been using ATX power supplies to make adjustable power supplies for a while now. But I have never been able to make one look that good! Kudos! That and I only had an LCD readout for voltage, not ampera... | 1,760,377,320.527474 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/quick-cheap-and-simple-vacuum-tweezers/ | Quick, Cheap, And Simple Vacuum Tweezers | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"aquarium",
"fish",
"pump",
"vacuum tweezers"
] | [Ken] found that using traditional tweezers is a good way to lose tiny surface mount parts and so
set out to make his own vacuum tweezers
(PDF). He already had a small aquarium pump that he used as a bubbler for etching circuit boards. After opening up the case he found it was possible to connect tubing to the input of the pump to use as the source for the vacuum. The business end of the device is a syringe which he already had for applying oil in tight spaces. A file took off the sharp tip, and a small hole lined with a bit of soft tubing serves as a valve. Put the needle tip in place and plug the hole with your finger to pick it up. Works like a charm and will go well with our next feature, building your own reflow skillet.
We like [Ken’s] work. We just looked in on
his copper clad enclosures
yesterday. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "281481",
"author": "Chris Muncy",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T21:14:33",
"content": "Simplisticly perfect and cheap!Great job!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "281494",
"author": "DanAdamKOF",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T21:35:... | 1,760,377,320.57619 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/designing-an-rf-transceiver/ | Designing An RF Transceiver | Mike Szczys | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"microchip",
"mrf49xa",
"RF",
"transceiver"
] | [William Dillon] is finishing up his degree. His final project as a student was to design an RF transceiver. He decided to work with the Microchip MRF49XA, which runs around $3 but will cost you $20 if you want it in a ready-to-use module. He didn’t find a lot of info on the Internet about communicating with these chips so
he’s shared his design, code, and board files
. If you’re ever wanted to delve into RF design this is a good primer. [William] talks about building around the example circuit from the datasheet but also includes a discussion of the calculations he made in working with the 434 MHz band, and an AVR-based library for using his module. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "281468",
"author": "Jared",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T20:43:55",
"content": "The MRF49XA is used in the Radica Puppy Tweets toy. You get two of these MRF49XA modules, one integrated into a USB dongle. I haven’t yet got to hacking these myself, so I have no idea how easy it is to hack... | 1,760,377,322.65198 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/part-2-help-me-reverse-engineer-an-led-light-bulb/ | Part 2: Help Me Reverse Engineer An LED Light Bulb | Mike Szczys | [
"HackIt"
] | [
"attiny13",
"led",
"light bulb",
"reverse engineer"
] | Almost a month ago I started trying to reverse engineer an inexpensive LED color changing light bulb. With your help I’ve mapped out the circuit, and taken control of the bulb. But there’s still a few mysteries in this little blinker. Join me after the break to see what I’ve done so far, peruse the schematic and source code, and to help solve the two remaining mysteries.
What I’ve Accomplished
First off, thank you to all the commenters on the original post. I figured a lot out about this circuit because of that help. Notably, that the code I had dumped wasn’t any use because the lock bits had been set. There was also a lot of constructive input and conjecture about this when I shared it at the
Sector67
meeting on Tuesday (a hackerspace here in Madison).
I’m happy to say that I was able to program the ATtiny13 chip while in place. I damaged the first bulb I cracked open by drilling through an inductor. The second time I was more careful, and soldered ribbon cable onto each of the microcontroller pins.
I can program this chip without removing it from the board. This is accomplished by using High Voltage Serial Programming (HVSP) while AC power is not connected. I reset the fuses to factory settings to enable the reset pin but I have been unable to program this using ISP. But that’s not really a problem. The diffuser was taped in place and I added an IDC connector for easy interface with the bulb.
The firmware I’ve written is up on GitHub
. It has a few features; the default operation is to fade between red and green every 20 minutes as a porch light during this Christmas season. I’ll discuss the circuit below, but there are two unused pins on the device and I’ve added two test modes that are entered by jumping the pin to ground on the IDC connector. One of the test modes makes the red/green fader happen every 2 seconds. The other scrolls through primary and secondary colors with a 1/2 second delay.
So what we have is a microcontroller that drives two RGB LED modules in series. This chip has two available pins and 1K of programming space. So it should be relatively simple to make this into an I2C addressable module. Ideally this would be done without using AC power, sparking one of the questions I ask at the bottom of the post.
The Circuitry
I traced out the circuit board and recreated the schematic using an Ohmmeter and continuity Tester. There are two separate schematics, one for the LED control circuitry and another for the power supply.
As expected, the power supply uses the example circuit from
the LNK304 datasheet
. The 12V output connects to the two VCC points on the controller schematic but the ground or return path is a bit peculiar. Look at the upper leg on the PSU schematic which includes R2, R3, R10, and C7. I’ve labeled this as ‘GND (5V rail)’ because this connects to the ground side of the ATtiny13. The ‘GND (12V rail)’ connects to the low side of the LEDs but that is separated from the microcontroller ground path. Obviously the Zener diode is clamping power input for the microcontroller (which needs 5V), but I have no idea how the filter circuit leading back to the AC hot is working.
Take a look at the component list and then see if you can help solve two questions.
R1 – inline with center conductor of light socket; ~0.5 Ohm. Might be a fuse
R2 – 1004
R3 – 1004
R4 – 3001
R5 – 1302
R6 – 1201
R7 – 1Bx
R8 – 270
R9 – 270
R10 – 1003
D1 – 1N4007
D2 – 1N4007
D3 – R106 TF
D4 – Looks like a zener
D5 – RGB LED
D6 – RGB LED
D7 – JF S1J
IC1 – PNP Transistor
IC2 – PNP Transistor
IC3 – PNP Transistor
IC4 – LNK304GN AC/DC switching converter
IC5 – ATtiny13
C1 – smd without label
C2 – 50V 22 uF electrolytic
C3 – 400V 4.7 uF electrolytic
C4 – 400V 4.7 uF electrolytic
C5 – 25V 100 uF electrolytic
C6 – smd without label
C7- smd without label
L1 – 102J CEC
L2 – 102J CEC
Help solve these two questions:
1. How does the GND connection for the ATtiny13 work? A complete answer will explain what the path that includes R2, R3, R10, and C7 actually does, and how it works in conjunction with the switching converter.
2. What is the easiest way to power the control circuit using DC?
Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. But if you’re so inclined, I’d love to read a more verbose description so post your thoughts on your own host and leave a link in the comments.
Follow Me
szczys | 43 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "280711",
"author": "godi",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T16:13:33",
"content": "Can’t help you with any answers unfortunately, but just wanted to complement you with a great job done so far.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "280730",
... | 1,760,377,322.801093 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/ice-tube-clock-meet-the-chronodot/ | Ice Tube Clock, Meet The ChronoDot | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks",
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"ATmega168",
"chronodot",
"DS3231",
"ice tube clock"
] | [Alex] ramped up the precision of his timepiece by
adding a ChronoDot to the Ice Tube Clock
. These two items are among our favorites; the
Ice Tube Clock
for its old-style multi-digit display, and the
ChronoDot
for combining a DS3231, battery, and components into a nice small package.
There is a schematic link at the very bottom left of [Alex’s] writeup. He mentions that he depopulated the clock crystal and its capacitor pair from the board and patched into the clock input on the AVR. A 100K pull-up resistor is included in the wiring as called for in the DS3231 datasheet. Although not specifically referenced, we assume that [Alex] reprogrammed the ATmega168 clock select fuses to use an external clock signal.
Now he can sit back knowing that the clock will be within 10 seconds per year accuracy. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "280212",
"author": "therian",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T14:25:12",
"content": "I went for harder solution by building xtalOven",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "280216",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T14:26:... | 1,760,377,322.316626 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/08/home-brew-coffee-machine/ | Home Brew Coffee Machine | Joseph Thibodeau | [
"home hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"automatic",
"coffee",
"espresso",
"rube goldberg"
] | There are already a lot of different ways to brew up a decent coffee at home, from the humble saucepan to the elegant vacuum flask. In an office environment the choice of coffee-making technique can have a major impact on workplace harmony—how can people be expected to work happily when the kitchen is filthy with grounds and the coffee is always stale? “Someone have mercy,” [Christian Finger] lamented, “and boil a pot of fresh.”
In the end he took extreme measures, building a machine that grinds whole beans, measures out a dose, brews a cup and self-cleans. He used all sorts of odds and ends to put the thing together, detailed in his
long and hilarious build log
(
english translation
—and check out the dude’s
sweet ride
). Refer to
his shockwave animation
for a summary of the intended operation.
The end result is an extremely impressive Goldbergian contraption—
download
the video from the build log. It is pretty noisy and probably energy- and water-hungry, but that wouldn’t stop us from using it every day, if given the chance. Hell, this here could form a major part of your next
breakfast machine
.
We’re sure that there is further potential in this, because to get the really
freshest
possible cup of coffee you’d want to roast the coffee beans just before grinding them. Then you’d be well on your way towards something else entirely: a
delicious
breakfast machine. | 23 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "276889",
"author": "teko",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T01:01:50",
"content": "http://www.finger.de-web.cc/kaffee2/kaffee2.mpg",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "277612",
"author": "HackerK",
"timestamp": "2010-12-09T04:08:46",... | 1,760,377,322.492789 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/08/cassette-case-cameraphone-tripod/ | Cassette Case Cameraphone Tripod | Mike Szczys | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"cassette",
"melt",
"phone",
"tripod"
] | We see a lot of comments on shaky video asking why that person didn’t use a tripod. [Aatif Sumar] wants to use one when taking pictures and video with his phone but the threaded mounting hole you’d find in most cameras doesn’t come as a feature on smart phones. That didn’t deter him,
he used an old cassette case for this phone tripod
. The build started with a cheap flexible camera tripod. [Aatif] used a soldering iron to melt a hole in a plastic cassette case. We’re apprehensive about relying on the plastic’s ability to hold threads so we’re recommend epoxy to reinforce the joint. A bit more melting with the iron and he had a cradle on legs with a hole for the camera lens. It’s nothing fancy, but it also cost him next-to-nothing. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "276325",
"author": "VaBeachKevin",
"timestamp": "2010-12-08T23:13:42",
"content": "What’s this ‘cassette case’ you speak of?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "276337",
"author": "Concino",
"timestamp": "2010-12-08T23:17:26... | 1,760,377,322.70563 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/08/copper-clad-enclosures/ | Copper-clad Enclosures | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"case",
"chassis",
"copper clad",
"enclosure"
] | Building a great looking box for your projects can be a challenge. [Ken] boils down his process of
building enclosures out of copper clad
(PDF) circuit board material into an illustrated guide in case you want to try this for yourself. Why would you want to use PC board? The fiberglass substrate makes for a strong and lightweight material. Also, [Ken] is a ham radio operator and the copper coating acts as an electrical shield for delicate components inside.
As you can see above he uses solder to tack the pieces together. There’s some important considerations that go along with this method. First, he cuts the pieces just a bit oversized and then sands them flat and square before assembly. Next, he uses some 20 gauge wire as a shim between a ninety-degree joint and a right angle jig. This shim compensates for the shrinking that occurs as the solder cools, making sure the joint gets pulled to a right angle. He even solders nuts in place so that screws can be used to attach the case cover to the chassis.
Yesterday we saw
toner transfer used to make labels on an ABS case
. If you make your enclosure out of copper clad, using toner transfer for panel labels will be a snap! | 29 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "275817",
"author": "bogdan",
"timestamp": "2010-12-08T21:07:18",
"content": "I was thinking of making the case of my amplifier this way. Now i know the result is great!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "276054",
"author": "nes... | 1,760,377,322.274633 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/08/the-twelve-days-of-self-replicating/ | The Twelve Days Of… Self-replicating | Mike Szczys | [
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"christmas",
"makerbot",
"mendel",
"prusa",
"reprap"
] | Okay, it’s more like the 23 days but who’s counting? [Kliment] is giving the gift of self-replication this holiday season by uploading
one new printable part a day
. If you follow along and print each one you’ll have a
Prusa Mendel
by Christmas (this started on 12/2 so you’ll need to catch up). The Prusa is a variation on
the Mendel
that uses bushings wherever possible, reducing the need for bearings down to just two.
So yeah, you need to have access to a 3D printer in order to make the parts for this 3D printer, but that’s how it always works. [Kliment] has gone the distance to make this little exercise enjoyable. The parts that take longer to print are reserved for the weekends, some have been altered to include a holiday theme, and all of them have been optimized to fit on a
Makerbot
build platform.
[Thanks Christopher] | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "275505",
"author": "xeracy",
"timestamp": "2010-12-08T19:55:15",
"content": "Can we create some community pool for making reprap parts and getting these into the hands of the HaD community who dont have access any 3d printing?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": ... | 1,760,377,322.43332 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/08/vintage-car-audio-gets-mp3-input/ | Vintage Car Audio Gets MP3 Input | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"car stereo",
"input",
"mp3",
"radio",
"stereo"
] | [Nali] is fixing up a 1966 Rambler Ambassador and decided to give the audio a bit of an upgrade. Instead of replacing the head unit
he added a connector for audio input
. The method he used is simple, inexpensive, and allows the original unit to continue functioning as a radio. He cut the feed wires going to the volume knob and patched in a headphone jack. The jack he used has an internal switch that is meant to switch off a pair of speakers when headphones are plugged in. The jack will allow the original signal from the radio tuner to pass through whenever there isn’t a connector plugged in. It seems like this is easier on older hardware than it is
on modern equipment
.
This isn’t where his entertainment enhancements stop. [Nali’s] working on a 7″ in-dash Linux machine so
keep your eye on his thread
to see what he comes up with.
[Thanks Joel383] | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "275020",
"author": "nes",
"timestamp": "2010-12-08T17:46:38",
"content": "Love the Buick straight 8 right at the top of the thread. I guess charging, airbagging and chopping the Rambler is just a warm up for tackling that beast.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies"... | 1,760,377,322.196316 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/08/christmas-tree-low-water-monitor/ | Christmas Tree Low-water Monitor | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"attiny85",
"christmas tree",
"sensor",
"water"
] | The end of the year is rapidly approaching and there’s a good chance you have a slowly dying tree in your living room. Help it hold on a little longer by using [Eric Ayars’]
Christmas Tree water monitor
. He’s built a sensor out of a piece of strip board. Three bus strips on the board allow for a variety of alerts. When all three are submerged everything is ok. When the two longer traces are still under water but the third is not an LED will blink to let you know it’s time. If you don’t pay attention and there’s no water left, a piezo buzzer makes noise until you add water (or the coin cell runs out of juice).
This project centers around an ATtiny85 that [Eric] programmed using an Arduino, one of the methods we covered in our
AVR Programming Tutorial
. But if this simple circuit isn’t high-tech enough for you, we saw a similar method last year that will
send an alert to your iPhone
. | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "273753",
"author": "Pouncer",
"timestamp": "2010-12-08T14:07:57",
"content": "This is something I definitely need to build. I’m forever forgetting to water the tree.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "273838",
"author": "isama... | 1,760,377,322.86338 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/07/how-to-work-with-el-wire/ | How To Work With EL Wire | Mike Szczys | [
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"el wire",
"electroluminescent",
"inverter",
"tron"
] | As you can see, [Phillip Torrone] has a nice start on his Tron costume for the movie premiere. Electroluminescent wire is what
makes these costumes glow
and if you’ve never worked with the stuff before you’re in for a treat. Adafruit posted
a tutorial explaining how to work with EL wire
. The process isn’t hard, but they’ve got a few nice tips, like using copper tape as a platform for soldering the corona wires. There is also a discussion of the math involved with properly powering your setup.
In this case, Adafruit is using ready-made power inverter units. If you’ve interested in hacking together your own inverter take a
look at the background information from [Jeri Ellsworth]
. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "268318",
"author": "asd",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T22:09:05",
"content": "is he the son of the tron guy?!? XD",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "268508",
"author": "jarza",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T22:29:11",
"content":... | 1,760,377,322.366267 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/07/nails-and-some-blacksmithing/ | Nails And Some Blacksmithing | Mike Szczys | [
"HackIt"
] | [
"blacksmith",
"buckle",
"nail"
] | Here’s
a blacksmith turning 4 inch framing nails
into buckles. In the clip after the break he starts by heating and bending the nail around a square form. Next the excess gets cut off and both sides of the square frame are ground flat while in a vise. A smaller nail serves as the prong and a flat piece of metal is shaped so that this can be connected to a leather strap. This ends up as part of the support system for a full suit of armor.
We’ve seen a lot of
great welding projects
over the years, but today’s blacksmithing video leaves us wanting. If you’ve got a favorite project that involved this kind of work
tip us off about it
and we’ll see if we can get some more hacks for the Smithies out there.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40K-ywiB_Sc&w=470]
[Thanks Rob] | 36 | 35 | [
{
"comment_id": "268053",
"author": "pod",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T21:20:45",
"content": "simple and beautiful.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "268178",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T21:44:56",
"content": "Yea… Impres... | 1,760,377,322.936141 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/07/radio-controlled-hard-drive-security/ | Radio Controlled Hard Drive Security | Caleb Kraft | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"radio controlled",
"rc",
"security"
] | [Samimy] has put together this really neat video tutorial on building a
Radio Controlled secure hard drive
. How can a hard drive be radio controlled? That’s the first thing we thought too. He has torn apart a remote-controlled car and is using the guts to remotely switch on power to the drive. This means that the drive is only active if you boot the computer after you put the fob in the hidden security system. It looks like it would be fairly effective. We’re curious though, if he is putting the entire drive assembly inside his PC, why rely on batteries for the circuit? Why not pull from the PC power supply? Another neat upgrade might be connecting to an internal USB connection on the motherboard so a reboot isn’t necessary.
Check out the entire video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BLqC8CGKy0&w=475] | 46 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "267120",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T19:43:00",
"content": "i have used RC cars for just about every RC job i can think of XD have not thought of this one!interesting project!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "2671... | 1,760,377,323.158666 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/07/project-hosting-a-common-question/ | Project Hosting, A Common Question | Caleb Kraft | [
"Ask Hackaday"
] | [
"hosting"
] | Ok, you’ve finished your project, you’ve taken great notes along the way and photographed every step. Now you want to share. Where will you post it? There are a lot of options out there, private hosting, Hackaday, instructables, and tons of others. How can you decide? Here are some handy break downs to help you figure it out at a glance.
Each has its own pros and cons. Take a peek at our list after the break and share your own as well.
1. Send it to Hackaday.com
What? Hackaday will host my project? Yes, possibly. We won’t host everything, but we really do like to host cool stuff. As far as we’re concerned, it isn’t much different from linking to your project on another site. We still write an article, we still give you full credit, you just don’t have to put it up elsewhere.
Pros: Tons of readers. Free.
Cons: Not a system where you can log in and edit. You send to us, if it is cool, we post it.
2. Instructables.com
This is a very common option. It is easy to set up, quite popular, well promoted. However, we see complaints about it daily due to the cons.
Pros: Huge reader base already there. Tools to make documenting easier. Free.
Cons: The advertisements are overpowering sometimes. People have to log in to view all of your photos.
3.Your own private site.
Absolute control.
Pros: You have full control of the look, feel, and behavior.
Cons: This can cost a little money for hosting and be time-consuming. It isn’t that fun if you hate web design either.
4. A forum.
This is a pretty common one. It can be nice to follow along as a project develops but popular ones can string out over many pages. It can get tiring trying to dig the important information out of a popular forum thread.
Pros: You have full control of the content.
Cons: not a great layout for following a project. People might need to log in to see it.
Our Suggestion:
Your own personal site. Sure, it can be a pain to set one up and get hosting. Ultimately though, you have the most control of your content. With
Fantastico
becoming more common on hosts, you may not even have to learn any html. Just pay your hosting fee, log in and push a button and you have
wordress
or
joomla
or
drupal
installed.
Tell us what other places you host your projects and why you would choose them. Would anyone like a basic tutorial on setting up a simple site to host your own project? | 79 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "265623",
"author": "Daid",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T16:56:36",
"content": "And how about just hosting it on wordpress.com instead of setting up your own wordpress(.org)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "265625",
"author": "Kev... | 1,760,377,323.025436 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/07/tuesday-two-fer-battery-cases-and-abs-lettering/ | Tuesday Two-Fer: Battery Cases And ABS Lettering | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"battery",
"case",
"compartment",
"toner transfer"
] | These are both interesting, unrelated, and can’t quite stand on their own so we threw them into one post.
On the left you see the product of
using toner transfer on ABS plastic
. [Bogdan] tried this out as a way to make front panels for his enclosures. It really shouldn’t work very well because ABS has a lower melting point than toner does. But it seems that it takes a while for the ABS to heat up. If you’re quick, ironing for about 10 seconds, you can get the toner to stick to the plastic and then soak the paper off, leaving your printed design looking nice and clean.
To the right you see
a printed battery case
. [Nikolaus Gradwohl] ran across the same problem we’ve face many times: how to attach batteries to your projects? We’ve duct-taped them together,
used the blister packs they’re sold in
, Dremeled them out of thrift-store toys and just about every other thing you can imagine. He decided to make them easy to manufacture with a 3D-printer. This is accomplished with an OpenSCAD file he wrote. Plug in the size and number of batteries and a printable package will be automatically generated. | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "265213",
"author": "nes",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T14:58:56",
"content": "That toner transfer onto plastic is very neat. I wonder if it would work as well with color toner onto black abs.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "265266",... | 1,760,377,323.076134 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/06/original-shell-houses-a-game-boy-advance-sp/ | Original Shell Houses A Game Boy Advance SP | Mike Szczys | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks"
] | [
"advance",
"sp"
] | [Jackson] decided he wanted to give his original Game Boy a bit more power so
he replace the internals with those from a Game Boy Advance SP
. This keeps the case work to a minimum, as the original was larger than the SP. He kept the buttons, speaker, headphone jack, and power switch but modified the enclosure to use the volume, charger, and battery from the newer hardware. The cartridge connector was relocated to match the slot in the back half of the case, with the color screen being the biggest giveaway that someone’s monkeyed with the device. Not a bad use for a dead Game Boy, as least you’ll be playing this one instead of
dedicating it to virtual storage
. | 19 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "260136",
"author": "mark",
"timestamp": "2010-12-06T22:41:47",
"content": "Are those tiny black dots on the sides the L and R buttons?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "260185",
"author": "LazyMegaMan",
"timestamp": "2010-... | 1,760,377,323.512268 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/06/meter-clock-with-pleasing-design-considerations/ | Meter Clock With Pleasing Design Considerations | Mike Szczys | [
"clock hacks"
] | [
"led",
"meter",
"rgb",
"servo",
"wood"
] | [AndyO] embraced his inner geek by
building this meter clock
. It exhibits a lot of features that you’d want to see in a home-built timepiece, include over-complexity, abundant features, and RGB LEDs. We’re fascinated by the design he put into this. For instance, the two indicator LEDs on the clock face are not poking through the surface, but use brass tubes as light pipes. Also, the three buttons on the top are almost indistinguishable, and have an RGB back light that places a halo around each. The case itself was built by first making a form, then laminating thin sheets of wood (a difficult task due to the tight curves). The needles themselves are not actually meters, like
the clock the inspired the build
, but are attached to servo motors. This all comes together into a fascinating build, and a great writeup.
[Thanks Graham] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "259903",
"author": "mess_maker",
"timestamp": "2010-12-06T22:07:04",
"content": "I am impressed by the design. I, for some reason, have been wanting to build clocks and timers and that is the reason I have been learning Atmel AVR’s. This is a cool project that shows off some decen... | 1,760,377,323.460301 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/02/make-your-own-solenoids-then-play-the-xylophone/ | Make Your Own Solenoids, Then Play The Xylophone | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers",
"Musical Hacks"
] | [
"mosfet",
"solenoid",
"xylophone"
] | Learn to manufacture your own solenoids
and then use them to play the xylophone by watching the tutorial video after the break. [Humberto Evans] and the team at Nerd Kits do a great job of not only manufacturing the coils, but the xylophone itself. The bars are machined from some aluminum stock and they take you down the rabbit hole with they why’s and how’s of engineering the keys.
We’re unlikely to replicate this machining process but the solenoids are another story all together. Starting at about 3:30 you can learn about designing, building, and using these little marvels. They’re basically an electromagnetic cuff with a metal slug in the middle. The solenoid seen above uses a body milled from HDPE and wrapped with magnet wire. The slug in the center is steel, with a few rare-earth magnets at the top. When you run current through the coil it repulses the magnets on the slug, witch then strikes the xylophone key. Using a MOSFET and a protection diode, actuating them is as simple as sending a digital high from your microcontroller of choice.
We’ve seen
solenoids used to play a vibrophone
before, but those were commercial units. Making your own hardware is far more hardcore. | 25 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "234766",
"author": "mp",
"timestamp": "2010-12-02T20:13:26",
"content": "Which witch? The they? Get an editor.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "234785",
"author": "Avery",
"timestamp": "2010-12-02T20:22:19",
"content"... | 1,760,377,323.845509 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/02/heater-for-bending-acrylic/ | Heater For Bending Acrylic | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"acrylic",
"bend",
"lamp",
"oven"
] | We like using acrylic in our projects but there are a couple of tricky techniques, particularly getting clean cuts for glued edges and bending the material into curves. [Giorgos Lazaridis] has a great solution to the latter,
a dedicated acrylic heater
. Instead of using an oven to warm the material for bending he’s using localized heat produced by a high-powered lamp pulled from an old laser printer. The next part of his solution is to keep the heated area of the acrylic as small as possible. This was achieved by creating heat sinks on either side of the bulb. The metal bars seen above have water running through them to help isolate the softening of the material to a narrow strip. See how well this system works in the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmYRmPYFovc&w=470] | 22 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "234302",
"author": "ponja",
"timestamp": "2010-12-02T18:52:53",
"content": "Sooo hot.Liked it thanks.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "234451",
"author": "BiOzZ",
"timestamp": "2010-12-02T19:11:08",
"content": "wow … ... | 1,760,377,323.403332 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/02/steam-powered-rickrolling/ | Steam-powered Rickrolling | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"record player",
"rickroll",
"steam punk",
"steam-powered",
"turntable"
] | This is
a steam-powered record player
; awesome. But wait, that’s not all. Watch the video after the break for about two and a half minutes and you’ll realize that it’s also
a Rickroll
. No, you’re not getting baited into clicking through to Rick Astley’s music video, the LP that’s playing on the turntable is a copy of “Never Gonna Give You Up”; all kinds of awesome.
This all started with a steam engine machined from a stainless steel bolt and a brass cylinder. It was tested using compressed air before
building the boiler
. But what’s a steam engine without a purpose? The problem with using a steam engine as a turntable motor is speed control. This is where we move to modern technology, using an Arduino to measure the RPM and adjust the steam engine using a servo motor.
The builder makes a comment that this sounds terrible, but considering it’s steam-powered we think it sounds just fine.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuWcU3EDw94&w=470]
[Thanks Simon and Fred] | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "233991",
"author": "Necromant",
"timestamp": "2010-12-02T17:47:38",
"content": "Steampunk… That’s back to the 80s… 1880s… Anyway, good work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "234069",
"author": "guffguff",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,323.573912 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/01/j1-a-small-fast-cpu-core-for-fpga/ | J1: A Small, Fast, CPU Core For FPGA | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"cpu",
"forth",
"fpga",
"j1",
"verilog",
"von neumann"
] | [James Bowman] of the Willow Garage published a paper on his
J1 CPU core for field-programmable gate arrays
. This was originally developed and used for the Ethernet cameras on the PR2 (you know,
that incredibly expensive beer delivery system?
) robot. It uses a 16-bit
von Neumann architecture
and lacks several processor features you’d expect a CPU to have such as interrupts, multiply and divide, a condition register, and a carry flag. None-the-less, its compact at just 200 lines of Verilog and it can run at 80 MHz. [James] compares the J1 to three different FPGA CPU Cores commonly used and discusses how the system is built in his 4-page paper that has the details you’re interested in but won’t take all day to dig through. | 25 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "228696",
"author": "alan turing's dog",
"timestamp": "2010-12-01T21:24:25",
"content": "A forth machine. It’s been done a few times, but this guy’s work is excellent. Nice paper and writeup. If you want to see other versions of this (complete with schematics) you can look athttp://w... | 1,760,377,323.635679 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/01/you-know-that-they-say-about-guys-with-big-lenses/ | You Know That They Say About Guys With Big Lenses? | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"baffle",
"flare",
"lens",
"stippling"
] | [Tony Lovell] and [dkpeterborough]
built a sizable camera lens
using optics from a flight simulator projector. What they ended up with is a 900mm lens that can make a beautiful photo of the moon, or capture distant landscapes in great detail. The body of the lens was designed in CAD and sent off for fabrication out of aluminum, as seen above. The concentric baffles help to prevent lens flare but it can’t be used in its bare-aluminum condition. The internals were coated using a stippling finish that leaves a sandy texture. That was covered with matte black barbecue paint, doing a great job of preventing optical interference, and the outside received a glossy white coat. Finished weight: 59 pounds, but once you see the pictures you’ll agree it’s worth lugging the bulky instrument around to grab that killer shot.
[via
Make
] | 35 | 35 | [
{
"comment_id": "228367",
"author": "walt",
"timestamp": "2010-12-01T20:18:38",
"content": "ummm they have small … eyes?1st!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "228404",
"author": "CGross",
"timestamp": "2010-12-01T20:25:26",
"content": ... | 1,760,377,323.78552 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/01/developing-an-animatronics-platform/ | Developing An Animatronics Platform | Mike Szczys | [
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"animatronic",
"lithium polymer",
"max1555",
"predator",
"servo"
] | This Predator costume has an animatronic element in the shoulder cannon. It tracks the movement of the mask, aiming wherever the Predator gazes. [Jerome Kelty] was asked by a friend to help develop the costume and he ended up with
an animatronics platform which can be adapted for many different uses
.
Starting with an Arduino Pro Mini [Jerome] designed a host board which would breakout the pins of the Arduino and make it easy to connect and drive multiple servo motors. The board is powered by a 3.3v Lithium Polymer battery with charging handled by a MAX1555 that was included in the design. Check out the video after the break which shows off the Predator suit. Looks like [Jerome] got it right, and he’s also put the platform to use with an Ironman suit that has an arm-mounted missle feature.
Need some inspiration for you next costume build? Take a look at this
animatronic collection
to get you started.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYScDwP3v8w&w=470] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "228207",
"author": "Eirinn",
"timestamp": "2010-12-01T19:41:28",
"content": "Really neat! Although if it had been me i’d have put in three lasers so it looks like the speargun reticule – granted it wouldn’t look as snazzy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,323.954447 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/01/fake-christmas-tree-makes-it-fake-snow/ | Fake Christmas Tree Makes It Fake Snow | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"christmas tree",
"snow",
"styrofoam",
"umbrella"
] | Let it snow inside your house this Christmas by
building your own snow making tree
. [Trey] was inspired by a snowing lamp-post he came across in a story. He looked around the house and came up with all the stuff necessary to make this happen with a Christmas tree. The snow is loose Styrofoam like you’d find in a bean bag chair. At the bottom of the tree there’s an inverted umbrella to collect the snowfall and funnel it into a blower salvaged from an inflatable Halloween yard ornament. The blower shoots the Styrofoam up through a PVC pipe, which also serves as the trunk of the fake tree, and it erupts from the top bringing Christmas cheer to an otherwise quiet room.
See for yourself
. | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "227571",
"author": "Rogan Dawes",
"timestamp": "2010-12-01T17:32:11",
"content": "Good luck getting it all off the roof! :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "227613",
"author": "bunedoggle",
"timestamp": "2010-12-01T17:50... | 1,760,377,323.905392 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/01/hacked-led-christmas-lights/ | Hacked LED Christmas Lights | Devlin Thyne | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"ATtiny13A",
"christmas lights",
"led"
] | [Robert] wanted
more out of his GE Color Effects G-35 LED Christmas lights
. He reverse engineered and then hacked the protocol the lights use to communicate so that he can control each bulb. A 26-bit frame contains a 6-bit address, an 8-bit brightness value, and a 12-bit color value. The daisy chain topology of the data bus allows for modular bulbs with addresses enumerated during the startup of the string of lights. With this information, a 5 volt capable microcontroller is able to control a whole string of these lights with a refresh rate of up to 24Hz. In this case, [Robert] used an ATtiny13A microcontroller to control the string of lights. You can see a video of them in action after the break.
Also taken apart and analyzed, were the wireless transmitter and receiver that came with the lights, revealing a cheap ISM band receiver and transmitter module pair. Perhaps they will be useful for another project. We look forward to seeing people put these hacked lights to use throughout the year.
[via
Make
]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/AySja69jvHM&w=470] | 35 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "227318",
"author": "alan",
"timestamp": "2010-12-01T16:13:27",
"content": "That’s pretty neat. I wonder if you can just keep adding strands of these together without having to adjust the 5v chip circuit.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"commen... | 1,760,377,324.116193 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/30/single-led-ultraviolet-exposure-box/ | Single LED Ultraviolet Exposure Box | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"box",
"exposure",
"led",
"pcb",
"uv"
] | [Jacques Lebrac] built
a UV exposure box for printed circuit boards
using just one LED. He usually makes boards that are just a few square inches and didn’t think building
a box that had upwards of 80 LEDs
was worth his time. He passed by the low power LEDs for a single 5W unit. Pumping 1.5A through this LED makes for some quick exposures, but causes heat issues. To solve this, an aluminum arm was used to mount the LED, acting as mechanical support and heat sink at the same time. The voltage regulator was glued directly to the chassis, providing at least some heat dissipation.
[Jacques] came up with an eloquent solution for holding the transparency and copper clad in place. A piece of acrylic is hinged on the back using a piece of aluminum tubing. The front has a magnet glued to it, with another one in the base to hold the cover tight to the work surface during operation. | 40 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "223916",
"author": "rapps",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T22:11:23",
"content": "Wow, really neat solution! Kudos to him!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "223934",
"author": "JeremyC",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T22:18:27",
"... | 1,760,377,324.042985 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/30/hacker-classifieds-featured-find-thin-clients-on-the-cheap/ | Hacker Classifieds Featured Find: Thin Clients On The Cheap | Caleb Kraft | [
"HackIt"
] | [
"classifieds",
"thin client"
] | [Bissinblob] has about 70 of these WYSE 3125SE thin clients and is
offering them up at $15 a piece
plus shipping. That’s quite a steal!
The specs are as follows:
NS Geode GX1 core (SC2200)266Mhz
Flash 32MB
RAM 64MB
Video 1280×1024(at 8-bit color), 1024×768 (at 16-bit)
10/100 network
3x usb
1x serial
1x parallel
2x PS/2
Be sure to let us know what you’re doing with them if you happen to get one. If you have something lying around that needs to go, feel free to post it on
our classifieds
. | 40 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "223776",
"author": "arfink",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T21:05:53",
"content": "Um, very cool I guess. But this isn’t a hack…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "223780",
"author": "Jake",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T21:06:56",
... | 1,760,377,324.195155 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/30/time-lapse-camera-dolly/ | Time-lapse Camera Dolly | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"dolly",
"skateboard",
"time-lapse",
"track",
"tube"
] | [Brian Grabski] was asked by a friend to design and build a dolly that would move a camera during a time-lapse sequence. Above you can see
the product of his toils
, and the videos after the break show off the parts that went into the design and showcase effectiveness of the build.
The dolly is designed to ride on a pair of tubular rails. These can be bent to match any desired path and the dolly will have no problem following it thanks to two features. First, the triad of skateboard wheels on each of the three corners are mounted on a swivel bearing that allows them to rotate without binding. The other piece of the puzzle is a set of drawer slides that let the third support move perpendicular to the other two sets of rollers. A motor drives a geared wheel to move the dolly along the track with speed adjustments courtesy of the motor controller. There’s also a failsafe that will shut the system down when it runs out of track, protecting that fancy piece of hardware taking the pictures.
We’ve seen
timelapse
equipment that moves
the camera
in the past, but those hacks usually involve rotating the camera along and axis. This track-based setup is a well executed tool useful at all levels of photography. We can’t wait to see the arch-based dolly that is teased at the end of the demo video.
Component walk through of the dolly:
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/17289279]
Short film featuring shots taken with the dolly:
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/15750376]
[Thanks Tyler] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "223607",
"author": "zool",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T20:11:24",
"content": "pretty good",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "223621",
"author": "Cap'n awesome",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T20:17:56",
"content": "Not trying to... | 1,760,377,324.312595 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/30/pencil-balancer-a-bit-noisy-for-desk-use/ | Pencil Balancer A Bit Noisy For Desk Use | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"balance",
"dynamic vision sensor",
"nxp2103",
"pencil",
"servo"
] | Who wouldn’t want to install
this little bot as your newest pencil holder
? Place a pencil tip-down and it will keep it from falling using two motors. There is a Dynamic Vision Sensor for each axis that provides feedback, but it’s not the same as using a camera. These sensors pick up changes in pixel contrast, outputting a positive or negative number based on the direction the pencil is beginning to fall. An NXP2103 running at 64 MHz reads in the values and drives the pair of servo motors accordingly.
If you’re interested in the nitty-gritty the full paper is available from the page linked above. It goes into great detail about the algorithm used, and includes plots and histograms showing the data capture during a balancing session. Or you can skip the eggheaded exercises and watch the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9UngTdngY4&w=470]
[via
ycombinator
] | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "223244",
"author": "WutanG",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T18:26:15",
"content": "I was just thinking of the possibilities if you could scale this thing up! This would be fun if you could scale it all the way up for a person. Then sell it to the Tomato juice company V8 for a witty commer... | 1,760,377,324.254731 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/30/unlocking-rs232-serial-comm-on-a-multimeter/ | Unlocking RS232 Serial Comm On A Multimeter | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"data logging",
"multimeter",
"rs232",
"serial"
] | [Craig] cracked open a multimeter to
unlock RS232 serial communications
that can be used for data logging. There’s a couple of things that make this possible. First of all, the multimeter’s processor is not covered in a black epoxy blob, leaving the pins exposed for hacking. Second, the chip model is known and [Craig] was able to get his hands on the datasheet. One of the pins enables serial output when pulsed low. Touching it to V- even turns on an RS232 icon on the display, as seen above. To make this accessible without opening the case a momentary push button can be added, as well as connector for signal output, and a bit of parsing on the PC side to handle incoming data. | 20 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "223084",
"author": "Dan J.",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T17:42:14",
"content": "Could you simply tie the pin to V- to have it permanently enabled or does it require a momentary pulse?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "223130",
"a... | 1,760,377,324.419372 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/29/phillip-torrone-answers-your-questions/ | Phillip Torrone Answers Your Questions | Caleb Kraft | [
"Interviews"
] | [
"interview",
"torrone"
] | September 5th, 2004, [
Phillip Torrone
] posts the
very first article
on a new site called Hackaday.com. He designed our logo, forged our identity, and then moved on to help shape many other hacker friendly groups including
Make magazine
, and
Adafruit technologies
.
We’re going to be interviewing him once we’ve compiled a decent list of questions. We’ve got a few of our own, but we really want to get yours to him. Leave your questions in the comments and we’ll compile the most popular to send along.
[image via
Wired
] | 71 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "221149",
"author": "SexieWASD",
"timestamp": "2010-11-30T00:38:35",
"content": "It’s really only been since 04? It seams like I grew up reading hackaday!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "221152",
"author": "alankilian",
... | 1,760,377,324.506474 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/06/knitting-machine-hack-by-keypad-emulation/ | Knitting Machine Hack By Keypad Emulation | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"brother",
"keypad",
"knitting",
"travis goodspeed"
] | [Travis Goodspeed] and Hackaday alum [Fabienne Serriere] joined forces to
develop an alternative interface for a knitting machine
. They’re working with the Brother KH-930E machine. We saw [Becky Stern]
use the same model
by manipulating data on an emulated floppy drive for the device. [Travis] and [Fabienne] went a different route, and are emulating the keypad using an Arduino and a set of transistors.
They started by reverse engineering the keypad matrix using a continuity tester. Once they worked out the column and row layout they connected each to an NPN transistor. The Arduino sketch simulates button presses to set knitting bits for each row, with just one reset button for user input. This can be used to send data from a PC, or as a standalone system. Either way, it’s not only a great way to add functionality to the kitting machine, but a good example of how to interface with the keypad on just about any device. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "261619",
"author": "Life2Death",
"timestamp": "2010-12-07T02:21:22",
"content": "This is what I thought about doing to a sewing machine before cheaper USB ones came out",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "263808",
"author": "fbz... | 1,760,377,324.540304 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/06/star-trek-inspired-pocket-doors/ | Star Trek Inspired Pocket Doors | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"air compressor",
"door",
"pneumatic",
"sliding",
"star trek"
] | Do you have enough confidence in your hacking abilities to build a project into the walls of your home? [Marc] used his skills to build
an air-powered sliding door
for his bedroom. It is similar to the sliding door you’d find on the Enterprise, two sections that slide nicely into the wall to let you pass. Although the picture above shows the internals, he followed through and ended up with a fully finished room that looks fantastic. A compressor in the attic provides the pressure necessary to move the door sections. It is automated, but uses a button press or keypad combination to run instead of detecting motion. Of course, since he’s using a PIC microcontroller to drive the system there’s always room for future changes. Check out how great the finished look is in the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVtB2Lrd1vg&w=470] | 60 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "258927",
"author": "Jim",
"timestamp": "2010-12-06T18:21:25",
"content": "Me Like….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "259059",
"author": "BLuRry",
"timestamp": "2010-12-06T18:24:13",
"content": "Epic win. Good stuff, ... | 1,760,377,324.625275 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/05/hot-resistors-used-for-color-changing-clock-face/ | Hot Resistors Used For Color-changing Clock Face | Mike Szczys | [
"chemistry hacks",
"clock hacks"
] | [
"heat",
"paint",
"resistor"
] | [Sprite_TM] built a full
clock display using thermochromic paint
. This picks up where he left off with his
paint-based 7-segment display
prototype. He never really saw that design through to a finished project, but he recently came across the leftover paint and decided to do something with it. Instead of making thin traces on a PCB he’s heating up resistors mounted on protoboard. Each resistor has been coated with the black/light grey paint after getting a rough sanding on the tops of the packages. Run around 500mW through a segment and they heat up enough to change the paint to light grey. Once shut off, the segments gradually fade over the next 60 seconds. | 38 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "252417",
"author": "Convi",
"timestamp": "2010-12-05T20:04:42",
"content": "How about sticking it in a nice project box and using painted resistive wire instead of resistors? You could make a nixie-tube-esque display that way!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": ... | 1,760,377,324.789904 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/05/breathing-motion-powered-usb-charger/ | Breathing Motion Powered USB Charger | Mike Szczys | [
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"boost",
"breath",
"charger",
"gear",
"rectify"
] | When your batteries run low you can use your body to recharge them. This contraption
generates power from chest expansion while breathing
. [Jmengel] used some gears from old optical drives to boost the RPM generated by a belt around your torso that he calls a thorax expansion coupler. When you breath in, that belt pulls on a plate that spins the gears, ultimately rotating a small motor. The AC current generated by that motor is run through a rectifier and a boost converter, then fed to a charging circuit.
Does it work? Not really, as this only outputs around 50 mW. But we like the twinge of Dune nostalgia we get looking at it. Wouldn’t this be a perfect addition to a
stillsuit
? | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "251874",
"author": "Henrik Pedersen",
"timestamp": "2010-12-05T17:35:13",
"content": "I remember reading somewhere that your lifespan is shortened by wearing a corset because of the extra pressure being put on your body.However I really don’t think that this device is directly harmf... | 1,760,377,324.949139 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/04/classical-vcr-head-jog-wheel/ | Classical VCR Head Jog Wheel | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"jog wheel",
"vcr"
] | [Osgeld] takes on the
classic VCR head jog wheel in this instructable
. He has done a fantastic job not only in his build quality, but in the quality of the writeup. As he points out, the idea of using the head as a jog wheel isn’t new. His construction and build quality however have yielded a fantastic looking reliable device that we would be proud to have sitting on our desk.
As usual, the most interesting bits of the writeup are how he solved problems he encountered. For example, he’s using an optical mouse to detect the motion of the wheel. This requires that he print out a pattern to mount opposite the optical sensor. This sounds straight forward enough, but he found the results to be less than stellar. He documented his fix, basically reworking it in GIMP, so others can save some time. That is how tutorials should be. Great job [Osgeld]. | 52 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "247188",
"author": "bobdole",
"timestamp": "2010-12-04T20:57:28",
"content": "grr… instructables.I really wish someone would come up with a good alternative to that horrible site. One that respects your licensing and doesn’t put vital steps of your project behind a paywall. If I lic... | 1,760,377,324.882863 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/04/sluggy-wind-speed-sensor/ | Sluggy Wind Speed Sensor | James Munns | [
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"linksys",
"mouse",
"nas",
"nslu2",
"ps2",
"sensor",
"slug",
"speed",
"wind"
] | Sometimes when we look at a hack, its to see how someone chose those parts for the project. In this case, it would have been hard to see it coming. [Janne Jansson] decided to combine a set of measuring cups, a hacked Linksys NSLU2 NAS, and a PS/2 Mouse together to make a
self-contained Wind Speed Sensor
for his roof. The measuring cups act as wind catchers, which in turns drives the rotation of one of the mouse ball sensors. This data is then logged and transmitted by the NSLU2. The NSLU2 is running a
custom Linux based firmware
, similar to how OpenWRT works for wireless routers.
To calibrate the device, he also made the best logical choice: to duct tape it to the hood of his car along with a much more expensive wind sensor and use that data to make his own device as accurate as possible. When placed atop his house with a 1500VA 220V UPS, the device managed 250 days of uptime before meeting its demise. Those 250 days also included 5 days of being frozen solid, yet still transmitting (somewhat meaningless) data. All of the relevant code and build instructions are available, for those of you with similar parts to spare. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "247864",
"author": "Malvineous",
"timestamp": "2010-12-04T23:45:51",
"content": "I wonder why the UPS was required? I would’ve expected it’d be cheaper/more efficient to run the NSLU2 off a battery, apparently it only needs a 5V DC source.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,324.993849 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/04/composite-video-with-msp430-chip/ | Composite Video With MSP430 Chip | Mike Szczys | [
"Microcontrollers"
] | [
"composite",
"launchpad",
"RCA",
"ti",
"video"
] | [NatureTM] used part of the Thanksgiving holiday to
get composite video output working with an MSP430
microcontroller. He’s using one of the chips that came with the TI Launchpad, which is a big hardware limitation because of the relatively small code memory and RAM. The chip displays one still image at a resolution of 192×40 pixels. Still, this is a great way to learn about composite video signals, as a lot of other projects
use a TVout library to save you the headaches
. All you’ll need is a TI Launchpad, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, two resistors, and an RCA jack. Dig through the code and see what a great job [NatureTM] did of offloading as much work onto the chip’s peripherals as possible. | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "246258",
"author": "st2000",
"timestamp": "2010-12-04T16:27:39",
"content": "Wow, you got all that into a TI launch pad? No cheating? I’ve two of those just sitting here loosing value as we speak. No wonder they haven’t shipping my TI robot – they’re waiting to see if it’s worth ... | 1,760,377,325.107202 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/28/wiffletree-a-mechanical-digital-to-analog-converter/ | Wiffletree: A Mechanical Digital To Analog Converter | Mike Szczys | [
"HackIt"
] | [
"binary",
"digital to analog con",
"selectrix",
"typewriter",
"whiffletree"
] | This isn’t a hack. But it is a decidedly interesting piece of mechanical technology. The Whiffletree shown above is a way to turn binary data into a mechanical analog value. [Bill Hammack] explains how
this assembly is used in a typewriter
and how
a whiffletree can convert binary data to a set of analog outputs
.
These linkages are what makes an
IBM Selectrix Typewriter
work. You know, the one with the globe stylus instead of individual hammers for each key? [Bill] uses the typewriter as the example in his illustrations that show how each bit of data positions the output in a predictably different location. We’re familiar with other
mechanical representations of binary data
but converting to an analog value mechanically is a new concept for us. Lukily, the videos that [Bill] put together are fantastic at explaining the concepts. Not surprising, since
he is a professor
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign . See them both after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRCNenhcvpw&w=470]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_SC7oWL78A&w=470]
[via
Tinkernology
and
Make
] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "220450",
"author": "grenadier",
"timestamp": "2010-11-28T21:39:04",
"content": "Cool, now build an analytical engine.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "220498",
"author": "zool",
"timestamp": "2010-11-28T23:29:20",
"co... | 1,760,377,325.047545 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/28/audio-controlled-party-lights/ | Audio Controlled Party Lights | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"tlc5940"
] | [Thibault Brevet] wanted his own party lighting that pulsed and faded along with the tunes.
He ended up building a system
based on an Arduino and a PC running Processing. The output from a mixing board is fed into a PC and measured by the Processing script. From there, the calculated light levels are sent to the Arduino to address the LEDs via the control board seen above. [Thibault] built four LED modules that each have two 4-channel LEDs (red, green, blue, white) separated by a few feet. This means 32 PWM signals are necessary to drive the system. To get there, he utilized a pair of TLC5940 16-channel PWM chips, which function like cascading shift registers but have some fantastic current limiting and dot correction features. Take a look at the demo after the break to see what he’s accomplished.
The TLC5940 is a
popular choice for driving RGB LEDs
, and would be a nice part to use if you decide to make yourself
a Ping Pong LED Wall
.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/17200281] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "220428",
"author": "Bill Porter",
"timestamp": "2010-11-28T20:09:07",
"content": "Very cool, and good work. But i’d like to see the need for the computer removed in a future version.You’ve offloaded the PWM to dedicated chips, and the audio processing to a computer, what’s left for ... | 1,760,377,325.160159 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/28/rfid-spoofer-with-code-and-instructions/ | RFID Spoofer With Code And Instructions | Mike Szczys | [
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"125khz",
"emulator",
"rfid",
"spoofer",
"tag"
] | Here’s
a field-programmable RFID spoofer
developed by [Doug Jackson]. He was
inspired by the spoofers we looked
at near the end of September that didn’t have source code available. With the idea seeded in his mind he figured he could develop his own version, and then
decided to share the build details with the rest of us
.
The tags that he purchased for testing and developing the spoofer have a code printed on the back of them. A bit of sleuthing at the data from a tag reader and he managed to crack the code. From there he built this tag spoofer with a keypad on which you enter the number from the back of any 125 kHz tag and the device becomes that tag. If you have been waiting to test your RFID hacking skills there should be nothing holding you back now that [Doug] shared the details of his own adventure. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "220417",
"author": "Decius",
"timestamp": "2010-11-28T19:29:09",
"content": "Nice, what uses RFID entry though? To break into businesses? 0,0",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "220426",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2010-... | 1,760,377,325.210833 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/28/hackaday-links-november-28-2010/ | Hackaday Links: November 28, 2010 | Mike Szczys | [
"Hackaday links"
] | [
"binary",
"clock",
"laser",
"parts",
"POV"
] | The Clock Clock
This digital display
is made from several analog clocks with thick hands. Together they make something of a 7-segment display, which can be used to display the time. It reminds us of the “Shared Time” installation
we covered previously
. [Thanks Drum365 via
Anonimiss Files
]
Quickly desolder lots of parts
[Rhys Goodwin] is grabbing parts from junk PCBs but he’s not using a rework station.
Instead it’s a hot-air gun and a brisk tap on the bench
to send the parts flying. Well, at least he’s not using a blow-torch like [Ben Heck] does.
Binary Hero
This bank of 8 toggle switches is the controller for
Binary Hero
, a geeky take on Guitar Hero. When you see a decimal number come down the screen set your toggle to the binary equivalent in time or the game will be over before you know it. [Thanks Fabien]
Quick fan POV
[GMG] took a small persistence of vision board and slapped onto an oscillating fan blade. Along with a couple of magnets on the safety cage this display is
a persistence of vision hack you can pull off
in an hour or two.
Speed up laser etching
[James] figured out a way to
cut down on the time it takes to etch multiple copies of one item
with a laser cutter. It doesn’t run the laser faster, but orients the pieces in a way that means less movement of the head while the laser is not on. Read through his article and see if this method can help you out when doing some CNC work. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "220382",
"author": "nes",
"timestamp": "2010-11-28T16:42:10",
"content": "Depopulating a board using hot air is good so long as there isn’t too much on it. I’ve done it with old PSUs and CRT monitors where the components are relatively big and can be sorted easily afterwards.For com... | 1,760,377,325.253464 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/27/epic-wooden-marble-run-for-kids-room/ | Epic Wooden Marble Run For Kids’ Room | Mike Szczys | [
"home hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"marble run",
"marbles"
] | Some parents buy kinetic sculptures for their kids at art or craft fairs. Not [Steve Moseley], he turned his kids’ hovel into a sculpture by
wrapping a marble run around the entire room
. It’s big enough, with so many features that finding a banner image was a bit tough. After the break we’ve embedded a video where you’ll see a wagon wheel lifter, plenty of gravity-fed curves, loops, inclines, rockers, a stair-step lifter, and… well you get the idea.
Considering the scope of the project it was remarkably inexpensive; about $70 in wood, $40 for the glass marbles, and around $60 for everything else. We’re glad he shared his building methods with such verbosity. You’ll need a well-stocked shop. Fine work like this requires tools common for woodworkers, but we’d bet the band saw and oscillating spindle sander were a godsend.
[Thanks Ferdinand via
Flabber (NSFW)
] | 30 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "219927",
"author": "Eirikur Hrafnsson",
"timestamp": "2010-11-27T23:19:39",
"content": "Beautiful :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "219938",
"author": "roy",
"timestamp": "2010-11-27T23:42:46",
"content": "noice",
... | 1,760,377,325.315575 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/27/balancing-inverted-pendulums/ | Balancing Inverted Pendulums | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"articulated",
"balancing",
"pendulum"
] | The
robot above can balance an inverted pendulum
. But wait, it gets better. It can balance an inverted pendulum that is articulated in the middle like the one seen above. Wait, wait, wait… it gets even better. It can start with the pendulum hanging below the sliding carriage, flick back and forth to get the two segments swinging, and then come to equilibrium with the pendulum as seen above. Once there, it can recover from a bit of a shove,
like some of the big boys
. Very impressive, even when compared to
two-wheeled balancers
. See for yourself after the break.
We don’t have very much information on how this works. We do know that it was a seminar paper from a student at the University of Stuttgart but the rest is pretty much a mystery. Does it use visual processing? What kind of controller is driving this thing? We want to know the details but haven’t yet found a copy of the paper. If you know where we can get our mitts on it please leave a comment below.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/2952236]
[Thanks Ferdinand via
Flabber (NSFW)
] | 38 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "219863",
"author": "Michael Bradley",
"timestamp": "2010-11-27T21:20:54",
"content": "Very interesting, curious if we can put a camera pole atop a base like this? but move in x and y.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "219865",
... | 1,760,377,325.754497 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/11/27/barcode-challenge-for-radio-operators/ | Barcode Challenge For Radio Operators | Mike Szczys | [
"Radio Hacks"
] | [
"barcode",
"matrix",
"qr code",
"spectrograph"
] | [Scott Harden] came across a few posts about QR code matrix barcodes coming through on the 40m baud radio band. A few operators had captured the signals and assembled them into the code block seen above but they weren’t able to get a clear enough shot for a smartphone to decode the image. [Scott] took on the challenge and
decoded the mysterious message himself
. He tried some graphic editing to separate and enhance the color channels in order to up the contrasts of the image. This helped, but still couldn’t be read automatically. In a move similar to those seen in
Hackaday’s own barcode challenges
he dropped the image into Inkscape so that he could manually clean it up. Once it was overlaid on a grid the job was pretty simple. the left side did require some more image manipulation and precision”squinting” to eliminate interference from the vertical banding, but he managed to get the message. We won’t spoil it here in case you want to take on the challenge yourself. Good luck! | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "219816",
"author": "Jimmy Hartnett",
"timestamp": "2010-11-27T19:08:17",
"content": "it isn’t “40m baud band” it’s the 40m band (as in 40 Meters wavelength), in digital mode (looks like a PSK31 digital mode waterfall maybe)-Jimmy, ke5tuz",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,325.901571 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/03/nerf-gun-converted-to-co2-powered-semi-automatic/ | Nerf Gun Converted To CO2 Powered Semi-automatic | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"delrin",
"gun",
"nerf",
"pom",
"rifle",
"semi-automatic"
] | [Philysteak527]
modified a Nerf rifle
, making it semi-automatic thanks to the powers of compressed air. This is not a simple change to make, and rests on his ability to design and manufacture a bolt-action that fits in the gun, works with the Nerf ammo, and uses a CO2 canister and solenoid valve for the firing action. Knowing that, it’s not surprising to find that he’s an engineering student at Stony Brook University. He started with some POM, or
polyoxymethylene plastic
sold under the brand name Delrin, and used a CNC lathe to machine the parts for the bolt. Add in some brass fittings, a solenoid, tubing, and the electronics and you’re in business.
We’ve embedded the test footage after the break. Looks like the new internals allow a rather fast firing rate (maybe 2-3 shots per second?) and achieve a distance between seventy and one hundred feet.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwA4CqpO7nI&w=470] | 33 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "241736",
"author": "Durgo",
"timestamp": "2010-12-04T00:55:17",
"content": "Want",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "241913",
"author": "heatgap",
"timestamp": "2010-12-04T01:35:59",
"content": "This would have been my d... | 1,760,377,325.672427 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/03/make-your-own-tsa-naked-scanner/ | Make Your Own TSA “Naked” Scanner | James Munns | [
"classic hacks",
"Medical Hacks"
] | [
"enhanced",
"millimeter",
"naked",
"nude",
"satellite",
"scan",
"TSA"
] | Have you ever wanted to ability to see through objects? Perhaps you have been looking for something special for your own personal TSA role playing adventures? Well, [Jeri Ellsworth] has your back. She has managed to cobble together her own
millimeter
centimeter wave scanner
using a hacked set of
Feed Horns
(like from a satellite dish) to create the image. By reversing the power transistor on one of the Feed Horns, one of the horns is made into a transmitter, while one of the other horns stays as a receiver. This data is then fed into a FPGA by way of an A2D converter, where an image is assembled when the scanner is moved over a surface. X and Y axis tracking is handled by an optical mouse also controlled by the FPGA, and the whole setup is output to a monitor.
Right now there is no text write up, or any specific details as the hack will vary by whatever Feed Horn is available. However, the video does a great job of explaining some of the electrical concepts, as well as some very useful schematics. Be sure to watch the whole video after the break, and don’t blame us for any health complications, whether the radiation is ionizing or not.
[youtube =
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyo_OQFdAc&w=470%5D | 82 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "241485",
"author": "Erik Johnson",
"timestamp": "2010-12-03T23:52:47",
"content": "You mean “TSA Rape Scan” or “Pornographer”?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "4218198",
"author": "tim",
"timestamp": "2017-11-25... | 1,760,377,325.603747 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/03/water-blob-launcher/ | Water-blob Launcher | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"launcher",
"pneumatic",
"PVC",
"valve",
"water balloon"
] | This
rifle-shaped water cannon
looks great and packs a big punch. We guess you could say that it’s a water balloon launcher, but the balloons are torn off and drop like the wad from a shotgun shell when fired. So we think this launches water blobs, or orbs, or something along those lines.
[Wolf] built it using PVC and some brass fittings that allow for the injection of compressed air. There’s a slick valve system that he developed which we don’t get a great look at in the build pictures. Fortunately, there’s an animated GIF that shows the various stages. Using his valve there’s no need for any electrical system like a lot of other
pneumatic launcher systems
use.
Just like
the water-filled ping-pong gun
, you’ve got to be careful with this thing. As you can see in the clip after the break there’s lethal force behind these projectiles. Especially when [Wolf] swaps out the water balloons for big steel darts.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRk6-fdAL4M&w=470] | 39 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "241249",
"author": "CutThroughStuffGuy",
"timestamp": "2010-12-03T22:48:42",
"content": "[Sarcasm] Alright! Another compressed air and PVC gun! [/Sarcasm]Compressed air and PVC do not mix. Shattered under 100+ psi PVC is really dangerous.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,326.041166 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/03/benddesk-multi-touch-furniture/ | BendDesk Multi-touch Furniture | Mike Szczys | [
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"desk",
"frustratedtotalinternalreflection",
"infrared",
"ir",
"projector"
] | The
BendDesk is a horizontal and a vertical multi-touch display
connected as one curved surface. Think of it as a smart white-board and a multi-touch desk all in one. It can be used to sort and edit information, or to play games. Check out “Bend Invaders”, a game demonstrated in the video after the break. When you touch two fingers to the display the two points are used to aim a laser at the oncoming monsters.
The system uses a combination of two projectors shining on the surface from underneath and behind. A series of LEDs around the edges of the display bathe it in infrared light. Three cameras with IR filters peer at the underside of the acrylic surface and detect touches by distinguishing variances in the IR pattern through a process called
Frustrated Total Internal Reflection
. If you’re interested in more of the math and science involved there are a couple of papers available from the project site linked at the top of this post.
We’ve seen so many
displays using the Kinect
lately, it’s refreshing to see one that doesn’t.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VNTPwVvLzE&w=470]
[Thanks Ferdinand via
Flabber
(NSFW)] | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "240335",
"author": "Addidis",
"timestamp": "2010-12-03T19:44:59",
"content": "Awesome, I want one ! :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "240353",
"author": "Graham",
"timestamp": "2010-12-03T19:50:23",
"content": "Link... | 1,760,377,326.099916 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/03/power-all-over-your-body/ | Power All Over Your Body | Joseph Thibodeau | [
"chemistry hacks",
"green hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"energy",
"mechanical",
"piezo",
"research"
] | We know that you can transform the mechanical motions of your body into electrical energy, like when you turn the crank or shake a mechanically-powered flashlight. These types of mechanical motions are quite large compared to many of the day-to-day (and minute-to-minute) actions you perform–for example walking, breathing, and thumb wrestling.
What if we could harvest energy from these tiny movements? Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology are
seeking the answer
to this question with piezoelectric
barium titanate
. The electrical output of their devices is very small (in the nanoAmps) but over a long period and over many repetitions it would be possible to run a small electric device–even a biologically-embedded one. An alternative to
blood power
?
There is clearly a lot of potential in this technology, and we’ll be interested to see if and when we can start messing around with this stuff. Heck, it’s already been used to power a small LED and you all know just how much everyone would jump at the chance to
cover themselves in self-powered LEDs… | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "239777",
"author": "Drake",
"timestamp": "2010-12-03T16:46:47",
"content": "What if the device was implanted near an artery? Couldn’t it be powered by the pulse then? No need to move and constant power.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment... | 1,760,377,325.963687 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2010/12/03/next-level-robotic-hijinx/ | Next-Level Robotic Hijinx | Joseph Thibodeau | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"rov",
"WheelChair"
] | Oberon
is a wheeled remotely operated vehicle that [LucidScience] built based on an electric wheelchair. The detailed and helpful build log is valuable enough even before considering the vast potential of Oberon’s intended use: strutting around town, scaring the neighbours.
We’ve seen other ROVs before, of course, but none with the same kind of
War of the Worlds
“real-life invasion” kitch.
Running down hapless pedestrians
or
raining hell
upon your enemies
are great and all, but once you’ve destroyed the surrounding population you’re out of laughs. Not so with Oberon, with which you can convince Mr. Nutcase down the road to go on wild quests for the glory of the new robot empire. The fun doesn’t stop there–enjoy the Hubbard side of life by starting a cult to worship the great Oberon and enjoy decades of financial payoff and moral depravity…all from the comfort of your own living room!
It would be wicked rad if we could move forward with this idea by combining the abilities of specialized ROVs like
this camera-bot
and
this termite-killer-bot
. Face it, who
wouldn’t
want a smooth-talking camera-snapping chemical-spraying avatar for christmas? | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "239732",
"author": "spiritplumber",
"timestamp": "2010-12-03T16:22:00",
"content": "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m6H5se6-nEAll worthy goals, but how about a grocery run?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "239993",
"author": ... | 1,760,377,326.144747 |
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