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https://hackaday.com/2009/09/19/eduino-arduino-or-avr-breakout/ | EDuino – Arduino Or AVR Breakout? | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"ATmega168",
"AVR",
"breadboard",
"eduino",
"serial"
] | We’ve had a lot of requests in the comments for more Arduino centered posts so we were happy when [Njay] told us about
his EDuino board
. This is a minimal Arduino clone that has a crystal and its capacitors, a pull-up resistor and button on the reset pin, and a detachable serial programming connection. He also has a breadboard-friendly version seen above with all the interface pins on one side of the board. This is certainly a useful project and we’re glad to see the board files available for download. This does get us thinking… is this an Arduino, or is it an
AVR ATmega168 breakoutboard
that happens to use the Arduino boot loader and programming language? | 42 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "95123",
"author": "Larry",
"timestamp": "2009-09-19T18:04:16",
"content": "Arduino – let the hateful comments begin.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "95124",
"author": "Some Guy",
"timestamp": "2009-09-19T18:08:55",
"... | 1,760,377,587.519054 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/19/high-altitude-balloons/ | High Altitude Balloons | Jakob Griffith | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"balloon",
"high alttitude",
"project"
] | [vimeo
http://vimeo.com/6353474%5D
We received quite a bit of tips, after posting about the
150$ high altitude balloon project
, from communities and teams who had done similar tasks. There is more to these projects than simply filling a balloon and attaching a camera, so in order to allow everyone their 7 seconds of well deserved fame, we’ve compiled a quick list of similar high altitude balloons. Catch it after the break.
Do note, these are in no order or rank.
RPI Electronics club, sent in their
Imaging Balloon of Science
. Supposedly built in under 30 hours and runs Linux.
Bang Goes the Theory had their own
Space By Balloon
program after being inspired by
Joe Kittinger
.
Brushing up on my Spanish,
Meteotek08
is a dual high altitude balloon that reached a height of 30,000 meters.
Ensure II
is a very impressive setup that actually recorded its flight with video cameras (video above).
NSTAR, or
Nebraska Stratospheric Amateur Radio
, have sent up several high altitude balloons within the past couple of months.
Last, but certainly not least is the
Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning
group who have been sending up balloons since 2001!
Thanks to everyone who commented and sent in a tip! | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "95115",
"author": "Ivan",
"timestamp": "2009-09-19T17:25:50",
"content": "Good work. The video can probably be improved.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "95131",
"author": "cmholm",
"timestamp": "2009-09-19T18:35:00",
... | 1,760,377,587.779383 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/19/reprap-milling-machine/ | RepRap Milling Machine | Jake W | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"cnc hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"cartesian",
"chris",
"cnc",
"meighan",
"mill",
"milling",
"reprap"
] | [Chris] liked
Cartesian RepRap
idea so much that he decided to design
his master’s diploma project
around it. Though it uses most of the same parts as
the RepRap
(
even the PCBs
), [Chris] has adapted it
so it does milling
rather
than 3D printing
. Most of the parts (such as the stepper motors)
were harvested from old
inkjet printers and typewriters. The thee-axis CNC machine can already etch and
carve styrofoam at an impressively high resolution
. To deal with all of the debris that comes with milling, a vacuum attachment (shown attached) was created. [Chris] is considering adapting it so it can work with wood and aluminum as well. Best of all, it uses
standard G-code files
, just like the RepRap. A publication by [Chris] on the project is also
available through his website
. No plans to release a kit have been announced yet, but we’ll wait and see. If any commenter knows of an open source CNC milling machine available as a kit, feel free to post a link to it below. | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "95111",
"author": "EFH",
"timestamp": "2009-09-19T16:59:23",
"content": "Unless some of the parts are Styrofoam, this has strayed rather far from the RepRap concept. Still, an interesting variation.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id"... | 1,760,377,587.570317 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/timelapse-dolly/ | Timelapse Dolly | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"dolly",
"mount",
"photography"
] | [vimeo =
http://www.vimeo.com/3150715%5D
[Andrew Curtis] does fantastic timelapse photography. He found that he wanted to be able to move the camera while taking the shots to give motion to the final product. While this isn’t exactly a new idea, not too many people mess with it. The dolly to do it with can be quite expensive as it has to support the camera and move it in an automated and controlled fashion. [Andrew] has been working on building his own dolly and has
documented the process
.
[via
Flickr
] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "95001",
"author": "Doug",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T21:52:20",
"content": "IMO; A poor method of documenting a project. No doubt quick and easy, but scatter between 3 pages you can’t just scroll to?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,377,587.733019 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/21/toilet-and-figlet/ | Toilet And Figlet | Mike Szczys | [
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"ansi",
"ASCII",
"figlet",
"linux",
"toilet",
"ubuntu"
] | We thought [Kristofer’s] Tech Tip about
using figlet with scripts
was kind of fun. It’s a throwback to the days of logging onto a BBS and being greeted by a vertically scrolling ASCII art image that had been meticulously hand crafted (although a lot of the
coolest stuff was actually ANSI art
). No hand crafting here, just feed (or
pipe
) your text to figlet and it outputs the message in ASCII style letters.
When we went to try install this in Ubuntu, the toilet package was suggested. This one’s worth checking out too. It works in much the same way as figlet but uses extended characters and has a lot more color and font settings:
Give these packages a try and make character art cool again! | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "95543",
"author": "Spadefinger",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T22:54:51",
"content": "Hmm… can’t say that I have a use for it as most of my scripting stays in the background, but it does remind me of the good old bbs days. I miss them occasionally, but I don’t miss the old 2400 bps modem... | 1,760,377,587.385278 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/21/defocusing-led-clock/ | Defocusing LED Clock | Devlin Thyne | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"clock",
"led",
"machining",
"multiple 7-segment display"
] | [Dennis] has created a well-documented and very beautiful clock in his
latest project
. This clock stands out from the
other clock projects
we have covered with its unique display. The seven segment LED displays mounted on a sled that moves them back and forth behind an array of fiber optic lenses, effectively taking the display out of focus at certain points. Currently, a
Dorkboard
controls the sled, moving it at random intervals. The case is machined and polished aluminium, the top buttons are ball bearings. | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "95506",
"author": "Hackius",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T21:10:02",
"content": "Must be noisy as hell",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "95510",
"author": "RazorConcepts",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T21:54:43",
"content": "Th... | 1,760,377,587.441824 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/21/tweetidor-the-tweeting-humidor/ | Tweetidor, The Tweeting Humidor | Matt Schulz | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"cigars",
"data logging",
"humidity",
"humidor",
"hygrometer",
"temperature",
"tweet",
"twitter"
] | As cigar aficionados will tell you, cigars should be stored in climate controlled humidors to keep them in best condition for smoking. Most of the time a humidor is just a simple air-tight box with a hygrometer attached, which measures the relative humidity inside the box. Feeling as though he needed more control over the environment he kept his cigars in,
[Justin] created the Tweetidor
, a humidor that
tweets its current temperature and humidity
. Yes, you guessed it; the project is built around an Arduino. It’s a simple, useful project that is well documented and would be fun to recreate if you’re into cigars (and not tired of Twitter or Arduinos yet.) Combine this with the
laser lighter
and you’ve got a pretty nice setup. | 20 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "95494",
"author": "misha",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T20:22:21",
"content": "someone needs to post the follow up mod that tweets your white blood cell count while your fighting the subsequent cancer from the tobacco smoke .",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,587.628727 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/21/blokclok-abstract-time-display/ | BlokClok – Abstract Time Display | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"74hc595",
"abstract",
"clock",
"ds1307",
"led",
"matrix",
"multiplex",
"rtc",
"shift register"
] | Clocks made
from
blinking LEDs
always make for fun projects. [Earthshine] built a
clock that displays time abstractly
using an 8×8 RGB LED matrix. The video embedded after the break illustrates how to read the time but here’s the gist of it: One LED is illuminated in the outside box of LEDs and moved in a clockwise motion to approximate seconds. Inside of this, there are four quadrants; upper left indicates hour-tens digit, upper right hour-ones, lower left minute-tens, and lower right minute-ones. This certainly makes for an interesting conversation piece!
There is no schematic and no code available but it’s really the concept that we’re interested in. If you must know, [Earthshine] bases this build around an Arduino. A DS1307
real time clock
keeps the time, while four 74HC595 shift registers are utilized to control the three LED colors and the multiplexing.
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/6668031] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "95476",
"author": "jωt",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T19:08:51",
"content": "cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "95478",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T19:12:28",
"content": "I wonder what his reason is f... | 1,760,377,587.266591 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/21/mp3-hand-grenade/ | MP3 Hand Grenade | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks",
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"bee gees",
"gr3nade",
"hand grenade",
"mp3",
"sansa"
] | One man’s useless machine is another man’s treasure… or something. [Matt] shared a link to his MP3 gr3nade in the comments of our
useless machines
post. The project took a decomissioned
hand grenade and shoehorned an MP3 player
into it. His decision to locate the headphone jack where the safety pin goes is a nice touch.
This reminds us of the boss from a previous job who had a chrome plated hand grenade on his desk. Now that was a useless object (and a useless boss). This project actually does something, but are you really going to ride around on the subway rockin’ out to
the Bee Gees
while holding a hand grenade? | 30 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "95457",
"author": "miked",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T18:15:48",
"content": "This thing is bad ass. I want one lol.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "95458",
"author": "docwhl",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T18:21:57",
"conte... | 1,760,377,587.693312 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/21/eee-pc-nas/ | Eee PC NAS | James Munns | [
"home hacks",
"Netbook Hacks"
] | [
"Asus",
"eee pc",
"nas",
"server",
"storage"
] | Hack a Day reader [The_Glu] shared with us a project of his. He used an
Eee PC 701
he had lying around with a broken LCD, along with three 1TB SATA drives to create a custom
NAS
server for his house. The server features a number of other interesting components, including
USB2SATA
converters to connect the hard drives, as well as a
2 line LCD
to display RAID information and server status. The entire project is wrapped up in a custom made Plexiglas enclosure with case fans to keep the whole thing cool. While this may not be the first
Eee PC NAS
, or
the fastest
, this is a wonderful way to repurpose a broken netbook. We also love the idea of netbooks being used more and more in projects like these as the first generation reaches its end of usefulness age. More pictures after the break.
Thanks [
The_Glu
] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "95456",
"author": "Akoi Meexx",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T17:55:22",
"content": "But where are the arduinos?Really, sweet way to repurpose; is that a custom lcd display or pre-built?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "95460",
"a... | 1,760,377,587.330664 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/21/stop-light-for-hotwheels/ | Stop Light For HotWheels | Caleb Kraft | [
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"attiny",
"cars",
"hotwheels",
"matchbox",
"toys"
] | [Paul] wrote in to show us this little project he did for his kids. His children love playing with their toy cars. In an effort to give them even more fun while playing, [Paul]
built a stop light
for them. He’s using an ATtiny13 to run them and has the source code available on his site. Not only did the kids get a new toy, he got an excuse to go build something in his workshop. | 48 | 48 | [
{
"comment_id": "95399",
"author": "anonymitee",
"timestamp": "2009-09-21T13:38:05",
"content": "One must take notice that it is a Lego’s car in the picture….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "95400",
"author": "daler",
"timestamp": "2009-... | 1,760,377,588.000735 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/nintendo-ds-mini-usb-plug/ | Nintendo DS Mini USB Plug | Caleb Kraft | [
"Nintendo DS Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"charge",
"ds",
"mini usb"
] | Noting that so many of his electronics are using the mini USB plug for charging,
[Xavier] decided to modify his Nintendo DS
to charge via the same adapter. It looks like the existing adapter is basically a proprietary mini USB plug, so replacing it was actually almost a perfectly clean swap job. He has nice pictures of the process and some helpful tips as well. If you’re thinking of consolidating your charging devices, this looks like a step in the right direction. | 37 | 35 | [
{
"comment_id": "94763",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T22:07:10",
"content": "yes another desent hack/mod :)(is prepared to be shot for saying that…)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94772",
"author": "octel",
"tim... | 1,760,377,588.213883 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/mail-e-email-checker/ | Mail-E Email Checker | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"email",
"robot",
"wall-e"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0knvD7wx6A]
[Totoro] sent in this
cool little email notification device he made
. Using a paper model of Wall-E, he added some servos and connected it to his computer using a PIC. Mail-E has independent arm rotation and head rotation. He admits that the PIC processor is major overkill and plans some upgrades such as making it wireless and using a little better suited chip to control it. Not bad for a proof of concept. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "94769",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T22:11:50",
"content": "he needs to make something that when u get enw mail it either 1) beats you on the head or 2) picks up the chair and shakes it :) btw nice job",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [... | 1,760,377,588.565043 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/software-pulse-width-modulation/ | Software Pulse Width Modulation | Mike Szczys | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"attiny2313",
"AVR",
"fade",
"led",
"pwm",
"software pwm"
] | Pulse Width Modulation is a topic that tends to give a lot of beginners trouble. [Daqq],
whose nixie plasma ball we covered
a few days ago, has a simple but effective PWM project that you should take a look at. The circuit used 9 LEDs clustered together into 3 sets of RGB modules and connected them to an AVR ATtiny2313 through some current limiting resistors. Most of the time the PWM function of the AVR’s timers would be used to generate the signal but this application calls for 9 signals which is more than can be produced by this chip. The workaround is to generate the signals using software PWM.
Make sure you
read up on PWM
. Once you’ve got a good idea of what you’re trying to do, check out the code that [Daqq] included with his
YALBlinkie project
. When studying main.c from the project package, notice that a timer is running that periodically adjusts the duty cycle of each signal. Meanwhile the infinite loop within main constantly scans the output pins with the duty cycle values the timer is setting. This results in the amount of time the LEDs are illuminated being slowly changed, making them fade in and out.
Because ATtiny2313’s are very inexpensive, this is a great way to jump into using the AVR line of microprocessors. You will need a programmer but there are ways of
using an Arduino to program these chips
. To learn more about timer interrupts and how these chips work, check out the
tutorial section over at AVR freaks
. Also take a look at the avr-libc documentation for an explanation of how to
fix the deprecated sbi and cbi commands
in [Daqq’s] code.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAT7-fsnA4Q] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "94740",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T21:07:22",
"content": "now that may be usefull. but the music on the video….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94746",
"author": "svofski",
"timestamp": "2009-09... | 1,760,377,588.138084 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/arduino-command-interpreter-shell/ | Arduino Command Interpreter Shell | Matt Schulz | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"Atmel",
"AVR",
"avr shell",
"avrsh",
"bitlash",
"cli",
"flite",
"furby",
"sh",
"shell",
"unix"
] | A lot of people like
fancy GUIs
and
nice graphics
, but some of us just feel more at home in a command prompt. [nevdull] is one of those people. Instead of just using the Arduino dev tools that are available for download, he wanted the ability to shell into his Arduino, so
he created AVR Shell
. AVR Shell is a UNIX-like shell that allows you to “log in” to your Arduino/AVR and see what’s really going on; letting you read registers, scale the CPU speed, create/edit/delete variables, and even set up timers. The shell is even user-customizable! Those of you interested in Arduino shells might also
check out bitlash
, another open source CLI. Someone ought to hook this up to the
Internet enabled Furby
and get
Flite
compiled on there, letting us shell into a Furby from miles away to make it talk.
[Thanks Leesam] | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "94722",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T20:12:34",
"content": "arduino!………",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94725",
"author": "Dielectric",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T20:23:51",
"content": "So what ... | 1,760,377,588.527218 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/build-your-own-joystick/ | Build Your Own Joystick | Mike Szczys | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arcade",
"ballpoint",
"Joystick",
"macgyver",
"ms. pac-man",
"switch",
"tactile"
] | What can you build with a ballpoint pen and some extra parts? [gzip] found himself with a bonus box of right angle switches and other miscellaneous parts and set out to
build a joystick
. Simple
arcade joysticks use switches
that are actuated by the movement of the stick and this design embraces the concept. The four tactile switches are mounted on protoboard facing each other with part of a ballpoint pen in the middle. When the pen is moved it presses against one or more switches to close, completing a circuit. For good measure he even incorporated a fire button into the top of the “stick”. Now we just need someone to make this work with a
tiny Ms. Pac-Man
emulator. | 38 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "94703",
"author": "vv",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T19:24:16",
"content": "Herp! Derp! this is hardly a Hack! its just 4 switches!!! OMG hack a day RIP..Naw.Really cool, dont imagine it would work too well in practicality, cant imagine it being confortable, but awesome nonetheless!!",
... | 1,760,377,588.390874 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/iphone-cop-cam/ | IPhone Cop-cam | Mike Szczys | [
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"cops",
"dashboard",
"Griffin Windowseat",
"iphone"
] | [Tim] wanted to make some recordings of himself driving similar to those made by the dashboard cameras on police cars. In a simple two step hack (1. Measure, 2. Drill), he
altered his iPhone windshield mount so that it didn’t block the lens of the camera
. We will admit (sheepishly) that at first glance we thought this might be connected to the outside of the windshield but it’s not. Take a look at his drive to work after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAAnGoUG3Kc] | 46 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "94680",
"author": "farthead",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T18:18:31",
"content": "So using a drill to drill OE hole is hacking.Wow. let’s just set that bar on the ground guys.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94681",
"author": "t... | 1,760,377,588.473068 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/xmarks-helps-polish-chrome/ | Xmarks Helps Polish Chrome | Brett Haddock | [
"downloads hacks",
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"bookmark sync",
"browser",
"chromium",
"Google Chrome",
"synchronization",
"Xmarks"
] | The guys over at
Xmarks
are working hard to bring their bookmark synchronization service to all browsers and platforms. They’ve recently begun a closed alpha test for their Google
Chrome
/
Chromium
extension. We got an invite and decided to give it a test run. Since
extensions
aren’t yet fully supported, and still a bit buggy you’ll need to use the latest build in the dev channel of Chrome, which means at least version 3.0.196.0 or newer. We tested it on version 4.0.207.0 for Ubuntu with great success. The extension is still pretty basic since it’s still at an alpha stage, but works very well with synchronizing bookmarks across different platforms and browsers. Some of the things left out from the Firefox version are profiles, smarter search, site info and suggested tags. For an alpha release, it’s very well done and functions great, and we’re certainly looking forward to this extension as it develops further. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "94669",
"author": "RHF",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T17:11:30",
"content": "First!And what another non-hacking related article!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94673",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T17... | 1,760,377,588.614436 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/are-you-human-then-type-out-this-book/ | Are You Human? Then Type Out This Book | Mike Szczys | [
"HackIt"
] | [
"books",
"captcha",
"digitize",
"esp game",
"google",
"ocr",
"recaptcha"
] | Google has acquired reCAPTCHA
and plans to use the system for digitizing books. Wait… what?
CAPTCHA
is the method of requiring a user to type in a visually obscured word to prove they are human. How can this digitize books? The answer is a bit obscure and takes some time to discover, but you’ll have fun along the way.
The Google blog links to a Google TechTalk video on Human Computation as an example of how they plan to use their new acquisition. It’s embedded below but at 51 minutes we figure most won’t watch it all so we did it for you. This fascinating discussion looks at how people are already being tricked into solving CAPTCHA challenges, and shows several tested implementations of getting people to input cognitive data computers cannot, under the guise of playing games.
Spammers have to beat the CAPTCHA system in order to get large numbers of free email accounts. There have been examples of software overcoming this test such as the
greasemonkey script that beat MegaUpload’s security
, or
Time Magazine’s poll being hacked
. But, for the most part, only humans can pass the test. People seeking to bypass millions of CAPTCHA challenges either pay for sweatshop laborers to solve them or, more creatively, they get you to solve them when cruising for porn. This is the proof of concept; we
can
use people to interpret words computers cannot if we use the right carrot.
Talked about in the video,
the ESP game
was written in order to correctly tag photographs. Players are shown pictures and asked to type what they see. The round keeps going until the two have typed the same word. With a lot of players, and proper safeguards, these tags are incredibly accurate. Furthermore, the game has been very popular and has the potential to accomplish herculean feats in short amounts of time (namely, tag every image in Google’s image search in just a few months).
It seems that Google plans to use these methods to digitize books that are otherwise very difficult to scan with
Optical Character Recognition
. According to the video, 9 billion human hours were spent playing solitaire in 2003. What if a small portion of this time could be diverted over to playing games that added to the digitized knowledge cache? If the right type of verification game can be developed it will allow Google to tap society as their typing minions. It’s an interesting proposition and frankly we hope to see it happen.
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-8246463980976635143&hl=en&fs=true] | 52 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "94960",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T19:18:15",
"content": "books. 1 word at a time",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94961",
"author": "schlomo",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T19:24:26",
"content": "hehe s... | 1,760,377,588.767809 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/super-game-boy-boot-rom-dumped/ | Super Game Boy Boot ROM Dumped | Mike Szczys | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"boot",
"game boy",
"rom",
"super game boy"
] | [Costis] managed to dump a copy of the boot ROM for the
Nintendo Super Game Boy
. This small piece of code (256 bytes) writes a graphic to the display at boot time as it loads the ROM on the game cartridge. He was able to dump the code by finding the exact point at which the device locks down the boot ROM. Just as that point approached he overclocked the device causing it operate so fast it couldn’t write the lockout bits into the register. Once past that single point of security, he executes a code that writes the boot rom out to a different address that he is able to read from. He’s got a
copy of the dump along with the explanation
up for your enjoyment.
[Thanks Anthony] | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "94937",
"author": "WeblionX",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T18:02:22",
"content": "You know that red button you’re not supposed to press? Press it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94939",
"author": "john",
"timestamp": "2009... | 1,760,377,588.680745 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/how-to-write-udev-rules/ | How To Write Udev Rules | Mike Szczys | [
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"AVR",
"block",
"dragon",
"hal",
"linux",
"notify-send",
"plugdev",
"programmer",
"root",
"rules",
"thumb drive",
"ubuntu",
"udev",
"udev rules",
"usb"
] | Since the adoption of Kernel 2.6, Linux has used the
udev system
to handle devices such as USB connected peripherals. If you want to change the behavior when you plug something into a USB port, this section is for you. As an example, we will use a USB thumb drive but these methods should translate to any device handled by udev. As a goal for this exercise we decided to create a symlink and execute a script when a specific thumb drive was loaded. The operating system we used for this exercise is Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope.
Background Investigation
Before writing rules, we have to gather all the information needed to identify our device. We found the
block device node
that the drive was assigned to by plugging it in and checking
/var/log/messages
. We then pass that location (/dev/sdd1) to two commands that we run at the same time. Some distributions use the “udevinfo” command but with Ubuntu 9.04 the command has changed to “udevadm info”:
udevadm info -a -p $(udevadm info -q path -n /dev/sdd1)
The output of this is pretty meaty. We need to find the top of the chain that provides the block node which is used for mounting removable storage (in our case, /dev/sdd1). Using this KERNEL as identification will ensure that our symlink points to a mountable block device and not some part of the USB controller. We are also looking for device specific identifiers that differentiate this particular thumbdrive from all others:
looking at device '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.1/usb1/1-2/1-2:1.0/host29/target29:0:0/29:0:0:0/block/sdd/sdd1':
KERNEL=="sdd1"
SUBSYSTEM=="block"
DRIVER==""
ATTR{partition}=="1"
ATTR{start}=="63"
ATTR{size}=="31310622"
ATTR{stat}==" 208 15448 16282 776 2 0 2 12 0 508 788"
looking at parent device '/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:02.1/usb1/1-2':
KERNELS=="1-2"
SUBSYSTEMS=="usb"
DRIVERS=="usb"
ATTRS{configuration}==""
ATTRS{bNumInterfaces}==" 1"
ATTRS{bConfigurationValue}=="1"
ATTRS{bmAttributes}=="80"
ATTRS{bMaxPower}=="200mA"
ATTRS{urbnum}=="1858"
ATTRS{idVendor}=="13fe"
ATTRS{idProduct}=="1f00"
ATTRS{bcdDevice}=="0110"
ATTRS{bDeviceClass}=="00"
ATTRS{bDeviceSubClass}=="00"
ATTRS{bDeviceProtocol}=="00"
ATTRS{bNumConfigurations}=="1"
ATTRS{bMaxPacketSize0}=="64"
ATTRS{speed}=="480"
ATTRS{busnum}=="1"
ATTRS{devnum}=="69"
ATTRS{version}==" 2.00"
ATTRS{maxchild}=="0"
ATTRS{quirks}=="0x0"
ATTRS{authorized}=="1"
ATTRS{manufacturer}=="OCZ"
ATTRS{product}=="DIESEL"
ATTRS{serial}=="50E6920B000AE8"
In writing a udev rule, any of these characteristics can be used as conditions for the rule’s execution. That being said, only properties from
one
parent of the device and from the device itself can be match. Trying to match values from more than one parent in the chain will be invalid and will not work.
The Rule
Rule files are stored in the
/etc/udev/rules.d/
directory. We got some advice from the README in that directory on how to name rule files:
Files should be named xx-descriptive-name.rules, the xx should be
chosen first according to the following sequence points:
< 60 most user rules; if you want to prevent an assignment being
overriden by default rules, use the := operator.
these cannot access persistent information such as that from
vol_id
< 70 rules that run helpers such as vol_id to populate the udev db
< 90 rules that run other programs (often using information in the
udev db)
>=90 rules that should run last
We plan to run a script with this rule so we gave it a name that started with a higher number than our other rules but lower than 90. We used the filename:
81-thumbdrive.rules
The first part of a udev rule is the matching keys. We will use the KERNEL entry from the very top of the chain as well as the idVendor, idProduct, and serial attributes from the device specific information. This will positively identify this particular thumb drive and ignore all others. The kernel argument uses a question mark as a wild card so that if our drive were mounted on a different node (ie: sda1, sdb1, sdc1, etc.) it could still be identified.
KERNEL=="sd?1", ATTRS{idVendor}=="13fe", ATTRS{idProduct}=="1f00", ATTRS{serial}=="50E6920B000AE8"
Now that we have the keys necessary to identify the particular hardware we’re looking for we can add assignment arguments. In our case we added two. The first creates a symlink to this device inside of the /dev/ directory. The second executes a script in our home directory:
SYMLINK+="hackaday", RUN+="/home/mike/notify-plugin.sh 'HackaDay Thumbdrive:' 'Connected as: $KERNEL'"
Here is the final rule assembled into one line:
KERNEL=="sd?1", ATTRS{idVendor}=="13fe", ATTRS{idProduct}=="1f00", ATTRS{serial}=="50E6920B000AE8", SYMLINK+="hackaday", RUN+="/home/mike/notify-plugin.sh 'HackaDay Thumbdrive:' 'Connected as: $KERNEL'"
We added this as the only line in our rule file and then restarted udev using these commands:
sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/81-thumbdrive.rules
sudo /etc/init.d/udev restart
The Script (and the bug workaround)
We wanted to use the
pop-up notification we covered a while back
but couldn’t get it to work. After a bit of frustration we found out that
the notify-send package has trouble
putting notifications on a user’s screen when called from a script run by root. There is a
workaround for this bug
. We altered the script just a bit for our purposes and pasted it to a new file named: /usr/local/bin/alt-notify-send
#!/bin/sh
user=`whoami`
pids=`pgrep -u $user gnome-panel`
title=$1
text=$2
timeout=$3
icon=$4
if [ -z "$title" ]; then
echo You need to give me a title >&2
exit 1
fi
if [ -z "$text" ]; then
text=$title
fi
if [ -z "$timeout" ]; then
timeout=60000
fi
for pid in $pids; do
# find DBUS session bus for this session
DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=`grep -z DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS \
/proc/$pid/environ | sed -e 's/DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=//'`
# use it
#icon hack:
if [ -z $icon ]; then
DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS \
notify-send -u low -t $timeout "$title" "$text"
else
DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=$DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS \
notify-send -u low -t $timeout -i "$icon" "$title" "$text"
fi
done
We then created the script that the udev rule calls. This is placed in our home directory at /home/mike/notify-plugin.sh
#!/bin/bash
su mike alt-notify-send "$1" "$2" 6000 "/home/mike/hackaday_icon.png"
The script can do just about anything we want it to. In this case it calls the notification workaround script passing two strings from the udev rule, a delay time, and an icon to display with the pop-up.
Order of events:
Now that everything’s in place, let’s take a look at what happens when our drive is plugged in.
-USB drive is plugged into the computer
-Udev checks the /etc/udev/rules.d/ directory and starts using the rule files in order
-Udev gets to our file: 81-thumbdrive.rules and matches the “sd?1” kernel, idVendor, idProduct, and serial number of the thumbdrive.
-If udev confirms a match on our four conditions, a symlink is created at /dev/hackaday and the /home/mike/notify-plugin.sh script is executed, passing it a message that includes the kernel information.
-Our script executes creating a pop-up notification using the alt-notify-send workaround.
-HAL takes over, automatically mounting our drive (this is part of Ubuntu’s removable storage handling and unrelated to our udev rule).
Here we see the symlink pointing to our block device and the pop-up notification:
Other uses:
Udev rules give you control over the hardware attached to your machine. If you are working on a USB connected project, these rules will allow you to set permissions for access, execute scripts when added or removed, and provide a persistent symlink for accessing this hardware without relying on the same node name each time the device is connected. We use a udev rule to allow
avrdude
to access our
AVR Dragon
programmer without root permission. In this case our rule sets read/write permissions for owner and group, then assigns the device to the “plugdev” group. As long as the user trying to run avrdude is a member of the plugdev group the program will be able to access the dragon. Here’s the rule:
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="03eb", ATTR{idProduct}=="2107", MODE="0660", GROUP="plugdev"
We hope this helps clarify how the udev system works. Give it a try with your next project.
Resources:
Writing udev rules by Daniel Drake:
http://reactivated.net/writing_udev_rules.html
notify-send bug:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libnotify/+bug/160598
notify-send workaround:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=6889270#post6889270 | 36 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "94936",
"author": "medix",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T18:00:58",
"content": "Excellent work Mike! This will come in handy very soon..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94941",
"author": "nave.notnilc",
"timestamp": "2009-09-... | 1,760,377,588.846146 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/touch-sensitive-keypad/ | Touch Sensitive Keypad | Mike Szczys | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"atmega8",
"AVR",
"human capacitance",
"qmatrix",
"touch sensitive"
] | [Viacheslav] built a
keypad that uses human capacitance
to detect key presses. Unlike normal keys which close a physical connection, his project detects touch through the PCB substrate. He uses the analog comparator of an AVR ATmega8 to detect the moment of
zero crossing
and then measures the time it takes to discharge in order to detect key presses.
I use analog comparator to detect the moment of zero crossing and the charge is evaluated by measuring time. Builtin AVR ADC probably wouldn’t be very useful here because the charge that can be built up is very small.
Update:
[Viacheslav] left a comment to let us know we had it wrong. Instead of using the ADC, the analog comparitor is used. This change has been made above.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ft1B62H6P0] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "94906",
"author": "Insipid Melon",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T16:09:01",
"content": "But I *like* my tactile feedback. :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94907",
"author": "Alex",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T16:10:03",
"c... | 1,760,377,588.960043 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/tech-leaders-enlisted-to-help-the-newspaper-industry/ | Tech Leaders Enlisted To Help The Newspaper Industry | Chris Gilmer | [
"News"
] | [
"news",
"social network"
] | It is pretty obvious to everyone that the newspaper industry is in a tiny bit of trouble. They have thus far failed to reach the rapidly changing landscape of news, online news at that. They must do something to keep our interests up, or end up flailing on the ground. Microsoft and Google among others have recently entered the picture with solutions to the problem and some fresh eyes from a digital perspective.
Leading edge tech companies enterend the picture with a plea from the
Newspaper Association of America
on how they can monetize content online through transactions or enhanced ad targeting. Microsoft submitted a news river system that resembles TweetDeck and Sobees. Google is looking at developing an extension of Google Checkout that would help newspapers charge for content through a micropayment system. IBM as well as Oracle have submitted proposals that look at the use of content management systems.
So far the only shining example of the possibilities newspapers have to push things forward is Microsoft’s Next Generation Newspaper that pulls in all sorts of data such as RSS feeds, photos, videos, updates and news from across multiple news as well as social networks, into an information hub. So what does all of this mean for you? Newspapers might not be dead, they are in the hot seat and looking at the best of the best to help them out of the jam with intuitive solutions that meet today’s news viewing needs.
What would you like to see newspapers do to engage you as an online news viewer?
[via
NiemanLabs
] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "94896",
"author": "Kendall",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T15:20:17",
"content": "I look to my local news agencies to find out what’s going on locally. I do not mind advertising as long as it’s not obnoxious. My biggest complaints are that many expect me to register and their search capa... | 1,760,377,588.90962 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/usb-isolation/ | USB Isolation | Devlin Thyne | [
"hardware",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"Ground",
"Ground Isolation",
"Ground Loop",
"Isolation",
"usb"
] | [Oleg] over at Circuits@Home has made a
USB isolator
for his hacking needs. This isolator separates the signal, ground, and power lines of a USB host device, such as a PC, from a USB device like a USB oscilloscope or
logic analyzer
. This might be useful for
Keyboard sniffing
,
ECG
,
EEG
or diagnosing the control system on the positive ground of your autonomous
Ford 8N
. What other applications can you come up with for this tool? | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "94882",
"author": "Richard",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T14:42:23",
"content": "USB audio adapters to get around ground loop issues would be my first idea.Does this count as a hub when it comes to the USB extension limits?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},... | 1,760,377,589.163528 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/18/vintage-video-computing-across-america/ | Vintage Video: Computing Across America | Phil Burgess | [
"classic hacks",
"Lifehacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"behemoth",
"bicycle",
"bike",
"nomadness",
"recumbent",
"solar",
"steve roberts",
"technomad",
"winnebiko"
] | in 1983, [Steve Roberts] packed up a Tandy 100 laptop and a 5-watt solar panel, fleeing suburbia on his
recumbent
bicycle
on what would become a 17,000 mile journey that forever cemented his place in the geek pantheon…not just as a technology hacker, but as one of the preeminent “life hackers,” pursuing his own dreams on his own terms and inspiring others to do the same.
In this 1989 video, recently unearthed by Hack a Day, [Roberts] reflects on the first 16,000 miles of his voyage, detailing some of the technology that went into his then-current ride, the
Winnebiko II.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDaz8vaKzdQ&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
Next time you’re comfortably working from the local park with your laptop tethered to a 3G connection, raise your latte in toast to [Roberts], who was
pioneering the “mobile professional lifestyle”
more than
two decades ago.
There was no Google Maps, no mainstream consumer internet, no 3G wireless. It was all packet radio and acoustic couplers on pay phones. Where he casually speaks of “living in the computer networks,” he’s referring to CompuServe, GEnie and UUCPNET. And next time you’re trapped at a green light while the driver ahead of you is distracted by text messaging, you can
curse
thank [Steve] for that, too…with his handgrip-integrated keyboard, he may well have invented texting while driving.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us19S7cNAVU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
[Roberts] is still blazing trails…tinkering, writing, and living the “technomad” lifestyle, now by sea instead of land. You can follow along with his adventures on two web sites:
microship.com
is now primarily a retrospective of the past quarter century…the
Winnebiko/BEHEMOTH
bike projects and subsequent
Microship
trimaran, along with archives of his writings.
nomadness.com
looks ahead to “open-ended global voyaging” on his new vessel, the
Nomadness.
The site contains articles and reviews, photos, and his
blog
with current status updates. There’s also the Nomadic Research Labs
Store
, where you’ll find [Roberts’] own books, project surplus, and boating and electronic parts. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "94879",
"author": "emperor",
"timestamp": "2009-09-18T14:11:27",
"content": "GAH.THIS was before i was born. 8 bit ascii keyboard? AWESOME.‘i have to stop and deploy the retractable antenna’ for the satelite link.So much awesome",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies"... | 1,760,377,589.287376 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/17/gps-usb-port-repair/ | GPS USB Port Repair | Jakob Griffith | [
"gps hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"Garmin 200",
"gps",
"repair",
"Sazuki",
"usb"
] | [Jair2k4] learned the hard way not to lend out your expensive GPS to untrustworthy people. His
Garmin 200
was returned with a broken USB port and unable to charge. Luckily, all it took was some inventive thinking and he had it repaired in no time. By breaking open a Nokia cellphone car charger, he had a source of 5 volts. After that, it was only a matter of soldering the connections. However, not content with the design he pulled out a Dremel and mounted it in his 1991 Suzuki Sidekick. Quick, dirty, and actually working afterwords, just the way we like it. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "94663",
"author": "sly",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T16:39:45",
"content": "I wonder what he did with the battery. Doesn’t look like it’s still attached (I would think it would just use the car battery after this hack). It would definitely be a good idea not to leave the battery in s... | 1,760,377,589.220625 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/16/how-to-replace-a-netgear-router-antenna/ | How To Replace A Netgear Router Antenna | Mike Szczys | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"antenna",
"mbr624gu",
"netgear",
"router",
"rp-sma",
"sma",
"torx",
"u.fl",
"wifi"
] | a.ntivir.us wanted to use a
different antenna for their Netgear mbr624gu WiFi router
. Unfortunately, this model comes with an antenna that is not removable. As with
other antenna retrofits
, this involves no soldering. But because there is already a mounting area for an antenna, no case altering is needed either. After opening the router with a Torx driver it was discovered that the non-removable antenna was connected to the board with a
mini rf connector (U.FL)
. The antenna and its mounting bracket were removed and a U.FL to RP-SMA adapter was put in its place using a washer to secure it to the rear plate of the router. Now
any external antenna
can be used and the router still looks brand new. | 65 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "94534",
"author": "LOL",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T00:48:00",
"content": "I laugh at this post",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94536",
"author": "Zymastorik",
"timestamp": "2009-09-17T00:53:32",
"content": "Yawn. I th... | 1,760,377,589.501997 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/16/8-bit-binary-calculator/ | 8-bit Binary Calculator | Mike Szczys | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"binary",
"calculator",
"digital logic",
"dip switch",
"led",
"xor"
] | Don’t feel like shelling out $5 for a fancy factory made calculator that won’t even do binary math? [Jeff] decided to prove his mastery of gates and his disdain for base 10 by building a
binary calculator using XOR, AND, and OR chips
. Calculations can be input in two ways: through digital logic headers or by three banks of DIP switches used to enter the operator and the two operands. Although limited to addition and subtraction, this is a great way to make sure you really understand digital logic. Take a look at the rough design schematics in
his album
. The design is modular so if you have one of each gate and a few LEDs sitting around you can give this a whirl. | 41 | 41 | [
{
"comment_id": "94448",
"author": "octel",
"timestamp": "2009-09-16T19:17:41",
"content": "How is a grade-school electronics project considered a “hack”?NEXT UP ON HACKADAY:-A 555-timer LED flasher!-Make an multiivbrator oscillator!-Transformer basics!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"... | 1,760,377,589.833067 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/16/the-blind-juggler/ | The Blind Juggler | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"bounce",
"juggle"
] | [vimeo = http://vimeo.com/1621390]
The
Blind Juggler is a robot that juggles
or bounces balls in a controlled manner without any sensory input. It is basically just a linear actuator with a paddle on the end to smack the ball back into the air as it returns to the ground. The crazy thing is, it is doing this based purely on pre programmed math. There are no sensors telling it to make any adjustments. While we could envision this functioning, we would never have expected it to be as stable as it is. You can see in the video above that they can actually move the entire robot around while maintaining the bounce. Also check out the pendulum version, instead of just actuating vertically, it is mounted as a pendulum allowing the ball to travel back and forth in an arc.
[via
BotJunkie
] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "94421",
"author": "jeff-o",
"timestamp": "2009-09-16T17:30:30",
"content": "Aha, so it accomplishes this seemingly impossible task by using a concave paddle that forces the ball to remain centered, and plain old physics calculations to ensure that (ideally) the paddle is deceleratin... | 1,760,377,589.753461 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/16/routertwitterarduino-clock/ | Router/Twitter/Arduino Clock | Jake W | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"church",
"clock",
"ntp",
"router",
"segment",
"wrt54gl"
] | [Kyle] decided to build
the above LED clock
for his church. Though it may look impressive enough, it is also
hiding loads of features
. [Kyle] wanted to make the clock as easy to control as possible, so rather than use buttons or dials to control what is being displayed, he used Twitter. The clock is connected to the internet through a
Linksys WRT54GL
. The router
was hacked so
not only does it supply the connection to Twitter, it also parses all of the replies
the clock’s feed
gets. The clock responds to commands to turn it on or off, run a countdown before service, display the number of viewers on the church’s live stream, and display a sequence of numbers. The time never needs to be set, as it is
synched from the internet
. The
circuit for actually driving the display
is based off a PIC, but it was changed to run off an Arduino. | 56 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "94400",
"author": "lindan",
"timestamp": "2009-09-16T16:07:41",
"content": "it should tweet the pastor when his sermon starts going over, man my pastor could really use that…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94410",
"author":... | 1,760,377,589.590418 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/16/diy-lincoln-welder-conversion/ | DIY Lincoln Welder Conversion | Jake W | [
"Repair Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"capacitive",
"capacitor",
"conversion",
"spot",
"welder"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yabesdeGKJo]
[Fritz] built this
600 joule
capacitive discharge spot welder in a case scavenged from a Lincoln plasma cutter. All of the circuitry was designed by [Fritz] and the schematics are available
on his website
. He has a few other welding related project also documented on his site that are worth checking out. While this isn’t the first
homemade spot welder
we have seen, it is definitely the first one with a case mod. If you are not up to the challenge of building one quite as complex as [Fritz]’s example, a
microwave can be used
as the donor appliance in simpler designs. | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "94389",
"author": "Pouncer",
"timestamp": "2009-09-16T15:10:33",
"content": "That was a thing of beauty!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94390",
"author": "thedudefrommiamivice",
"timestamp": "2009-09-16T15:11:52",
"... | 1,760,377,589.887378 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/16/zune-hd-teardown/ | Zune HD Teardown | Jakob Griffith | [
"handhelds hacks",
"News"
] | [
"ifixit",
"microsoft",
"teardown",
"zune",
"Zune HD"
] | Our friends over at ifixit are at it again, how they get these devices so early before release and make a complete teardown in time still amazes us. Today they bring us the latest Microsoft media device, the
Zune HD
. Some features worth mentioning: The astoundingly thin, 1mm we’re talking, OLED screen. The Nvidia Tegra 2600 processor,
hinting at 3D game capability
. And finally who could forget the 660 mAh battery. But isn’t that 129 mAh less than the
iPod touch
? Microsoft’s reply, supposedly the Zune HD is using many more low power hardware solutions in this device. Either way, the competition is on, who will be the victor? | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "94370",
"author": "skitchin",
"timestamp": "2009-09-16T14:18:40",
"content": "Me, first!Looks neat, OLED is hawt",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94371",
"author": "3rix",
"timestamp": "2009-09-16T14:19:21",
"content"... | 1,760,377,589.705871 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/securitytube-a-youtube-for-hacks/ | SecurityTube – A YouTube For Hacks | Brett Haddock | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"hacking",
"securitytube",
"videos",
"youtube"
] | SecurityTube
is a site which has recently caught our attention. The site has quite a variety of videos from various sources related to security and hacking. Videos range from
DEFCON
talks, to documentaries, step by step how tos, and even proof of concept vulnerability videos. It’s certainly a great resource for anyone looking for something a bit more involved then a plain text writeup, and offers a way for you to catch those hacker conference talks you missed. Many of the videos come with a bit of a background information as well, so it’s far more informative then your regular YouTube videos. This site is certainly going to become a very valuable resource for many people, and is certainly a great way to kill an afternoon while still learning something. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "94088",
"author": "Jake",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T16:40:13",
"content": "Awesome! looks like a great resource!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94092",
"author": "nave.notnilc",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T16:55:51",
"... | 1,760,377,589.650668 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/phonetag-helps-you-read-your-voicemail/ | PhoneTag Helps You Read Your Voicemail | Chris Gilmer | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"phone",
"speech to text",
"voicemail"
] | Have you ever been too busy to check in with your voicemail service?
PhoneTag
might have the solution for you.
Some of us might have done it before, let voicemails pile up if we know nothing urgent or important is coming down the pipes. Wouldn’t it be much simpler and more convenient if those voicemails played by our rules? PhoneTag is a speech to text service that converts a voicemail into text and sends it via email or SMS which you can read through and reference at will. The accuracy on this type of service is usually pretty good, but some translation is required as spoken words can sometimes be misinterpreted depending on the clarity of the call. On the security side of things, we tend to be a little hesitant of personal and business voicemails running through an extra service. PhoneTag does state that they use some kind of “special algorithm” that will guarantee voicemails are secure and private.
While there is a free trial period, this service is going to cost you. You can sign up for anything from a per message price of $.35 to an unlimited plan of $29.95/month. You are going to have to do your own calculations here to see if this is the best way to go, but this will save you from using your monthly minutes for checking the voicemails in your mailbox. As alternatives,
Google Voice
offers the same service for free and
SpinVox
charges a fee per use. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "94073",
"author": "Grame Miller",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T15:49:35",
"content": "Spinvox is totally discredited and is widely suspected of almost being all manually translated. I suspect the Phone Tag “special algorithm” is a bunch of people in a far flung location.",
"parent_i... | 1,760,377,589.942469 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/nixie-plasma-ball/ | Nixie Plasma Ball | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"ccl",
"cfl",
"neon",
"nixie",
"plasma"
] | This one came out over a year ago and we missed it. [Daqq] has
made a plasma ball out of a nixie tube
. All that was required was the transformer from a cold cathode meant for computers and a nixie tube. He did have to do a tiny bit of modification to the power supply, which you can see on the project page. This isn’t the most useful project, since you can’t really see much of the plasma, but it is really cool nonetheless. We think this would make a really neat button. You can see a video of it in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLB6KLfYwc4]
[thanks geekabit] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "94089",
"author": "sly",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T16:42:38",
"content": "don’t press the big glowy plasma red button",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94094",
"author": "conundrum",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T17:00:37",
... | 1,760,377,590.041277 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/14/bbox-midi-drum-sequencer/ | BBox MIDI Drum Sequencer | Zach Banks | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"drum",
"electronics",
"lcd",
"led",
"midi",
"music",
"sequencer",
"synth"
] | We’ve
covered
sequencers
before
, but reader [Johan] sent in his latest project that is much more minimalistic approach. Dubbed
the BBox
, he based his drum generator on an Arduino and an LCD display. Rather than synthesizing sound, the Arduino just outputs MIDI which is then interpreted by his Roland Juno-D. In building the device he used a
favorite trick of ours
to keep the interface clean. He then found an awesome banana box to use as a case. Although, the project may not be as functional as some of the others out there, it certainly has flair. Video of it in action after the break.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZqrHrpIjH0%5D | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "93951",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T22:02:44",
"content": "needs a yellow lcd",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93963",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T22:52:12",
"content": "just wait t... | 1,760,377,589.988962 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/14/dual-voltage-power-supply/ | Dual Voltage Power Supply | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"breadboard",
"lm33",
"lm50",
"power supply",
"psu",
"voltage regulator"
] | [Melanie] had some time this weekend so
she whipped up a dual voltage power supply
from parts on hand. This design plugs right into a breadboard and, unlike
the last breadboard power supply we saw
, provides two voltages at one time. 5v is delivered to one power bus while 3.3v goes to the other. Her design uses two linear low voltage drop regulators from the
LF00 family
(PDF datasheet) to accomplish this. Nice work! | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "93939",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T21:18:48",
"content": "I did a similar one last year:http://www.flickr.com/photos/macetech/2813231588/I used jumper blocks so that either rail could be switched to 5V or 3.3V. And randomly added an AVR-ISP breakout.",
"parent_... | 1,760,377,590.146087 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/14/android-app-tests-windows-vulnerability/ | Android App “tests” Windows Vulnerability | Mike Szczys | [
"Android Hacks",
"computer hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"exploit",
"server 2008",
"smb",
"smb2",
"vista",
"vulnerability",
"windows"
] | An
Android App for “testing”
the Windows
SMB2 vulnerability we covered last week
has been released. For testing? Yeah right! The availability of this kind of software makes it ridiculously easy for anybody to go out and cause some havoc. Go right now and double check that your machines that run Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008
are protected
(see the “workarounds” section.)
[Thanks Tom101] | 48 | 48 | [
{
"comment_id": "93935",
"author": "Zencyde",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T20:48:05",
"content": "Oh, such sweet, blissful irony.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93937",
"author": "luke",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T20:57:22",
"content": "I... | 1,760,377,590.367722 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/14/head-bangers-beware-motion-sensing-headphones/ | Head Bangers Beware: Motion Sensing Headphones | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"accelerometer",
"ipod",
"pic",
"remote",
"tiltphone"
] | The iPhone doesn’t have the market cornered on the use of accelerometers.
The tiltphone project
incorporates a three axis accelerometer into a set of headphones transforming them into a remote control for an iPod. A PIC16F690 reads in data from the analog sensor, translates specific movements into commands, and like the
Arduino iPod Remote
from last week, relays them to an iPod via the Apple Accessory Protocol. A quick nod left or right skips tracks, holding a sideways nod controls the volume, and setting the headphones down pauses.
This project is a bit older but we’re glad [anon] tipped us off as we hadn’t seen it before. There doesn’t seem to be any code or schematics available but because
the Apple Accessory Protocol is known
, it’s only a matter of working out how to interpret the sensor data. There is video after the break and if you pull off this hack yourself be sure to send in details for a followup.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyRMJqmLCTw] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "93934",
"author": "aaron",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T20:42:07",
"content": "cool. good HID.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93945",
"author": "tx",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T21:40:34",
"content": "I’m not listening the... | 1,760,377,590.28699 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/rotating-lego-dock-take-two/ | Rotating Lego Dock Take Two | Mike Szczys | [
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cradle",
"dock",
"iphone",
"ipod touch",
"lego"
] | Last week we saw a
rotating iPhone dock built from Lego
. This week we’re happy to put up
another example of a dock made of these popular building blocks
. Thank goodness this one takes into account all of the sudden jolts that our desk is prone to by incorporating shock absorbing springs. The design is very sleek with a jazzy red scheme and a less-is-more attitude. We are a bit concerned about our expensive hand held falling out but then again that’s what the springs are for. Who can be the first to put together a step-by-step guide for building this one?
[via
Engadget
] | 45 | 44 | [
{
"comment_id": "94197",
"author": "obligatory",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T22:42:29",
"content": "really? lego again? and from engadget? this website has been going to shit since there was more than 1 hack a day.Bring back 1 hack a daybring back lowercasebring back black and white picturesstop messin... | 1,760,377,590.630471 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/grow-box-controls-heater-fans-and-water/ | Grow Box Controls Heater, Fans, And Water | Mike Szczys | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"automation",
"gardening",
"grow controller",
"plants",
"ssr",
"vegetables"
] | The Cheap Vegetable Gardner wanted more automation than their previous
PS2 controller based grow system
. This time they set out to design
a full featured, compact grow controller
that can measure temperature and humidity as well as control a heat lamp, fan, and water pump. An Arduino provides USB connectivity and interfaces the solid state relays and sensors. The assembled project all fits in a box but we are left wondering how much heat the four SSRs generate and will it be a problem?
[Thanks shawn] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "94180",
"author": "Anon, a moose",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T21:35:18",
"content": "For, vegetables, yeah, that’s it… vegetables.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94185",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T21:52:... | 1,760,377,590.423538 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/using-matchbox-cars-as-a-switch/ | Using MatchBox Cars As A Switch | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Tool Hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"cars",
"hotwheels",
"matchbox",
"toys"
] | [atduskgreg]
posted this interesting setup to flickr
. He’s using two toy cars as a switch. He has wired into their metal undercarriages so when they collide, the circuit closes. We’ve
seen some
pretty nifty
home made interface items, but usually they are posted with a clear purpose or a project. This one is a little puzzling. Does he intend to keep using the cars or was he just fooling around? Is he working on a toy that does something when they crash? Was he merely bored and wanted to see what he could attach to his Arduino. We may never know. | 78 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "94166",
"author": "djrussell",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T20:48:47",
"content": "maybe matchbox crashes with pyro and sound effects?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94171",
"author": "really?",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T20:... | 1,760,377,590.965632 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/135200-scale-train-is-world%e2%80%99s-smallest/ | 1:35,200 Scale Train Is World’s Smallest | Phil Burgess | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Toy Hacks"
] | [
"gauge",
"miniature",
"model",
"n",
"railroad",
"scale",
"train",
"z"
] | This train layout is so small it nearly defies photography as much as it defies expectations. Built by model railroad enthusiast [David Smith], this is a model of a model: an N scale (1:160) layout inside a Z scale (1:220) world! For size reference, the entire layout is shown under a ballpoint pen tip in the photo above. And it
actually runs!
Of course with this being Hack a Day you know there’s going to be some shenanigans involved. Pause
the hi-def YouTube video
at the 0:50 mark and see if you can puzzle it out first. The remainder of the video and [David’s]
project page
reveal how this all works, and it’s no less amazing even with the trick exposed. Check out his other
ludicrously small mechanical wonders
as well!
[via
RetroThing
] | 33 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "94143",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T20:06:26",
"content": "damn. i thought it was some kind of nanomechanichal train. BLAST foiled again…nevertheless, its still clever",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94144",
... | 1,760,377,590.786431 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/color-changing-paint-display/ | Color Changing Paint Display | Mike Szczys | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"7 segment",
"color changing",
"heat",
"paint",
"pcb"
] | We’ve seen
several
creative
projects
from [Sprite_tm] and this one sets a new bar. He got his hands on some paint that changes color with temperature. By covering a circuit board with the paint then heating the circuits he’s created
a heat actuated 7-segment display
(his post is
in Dutch
). Three seconds at about 1 amp is enough to turn the black paint white. When the segment has been disconnected for about one minute the paint fades back to black. Now that we’ve seen his concept, leave a comment and tell us how you’d use it. | 47 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "94125",
"author": "Matt",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T19:11:19",
"content": "Oh wow, that’s fantastic. I wonder what kind of color options are possible? I’d be interesting in using it to make similar segmented displays but with non-traditional characters.",
"parent_id": null,
"... | 1,760,377,590.713994 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/bar2d2-on-the-discovery-channel/ | Bar2d2 On The Discovery Channel | Mike Szczys | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"alcohol",
"bar2d2",
"barkeeper",
"bartender",
"beer",
"Lazy Drinker"
] | The friendly robotic bartender
we’ve covered
a
couple of times
before hit the airwaves last week. [Jamie], the inventor of Bar2d2 sent in a link to
video of the barkeeper in action
. The story runs from 0:30-4:40 and covers a bit about the build, the conversion to automatic drink mixing, and plenty of happy liquor-guzzling party goers.
We get a good look at the
drink ordering interface called Lazy Drinker
. It runs on a laptop and communicates wirelessly with Bar2d2. Looks like you can get your hands on the software for free but the hardware, either in kit form or assembled, is going to cost you. Want to see how the dispenser kits are put together? Don’t miss the
illustrated assembly instructions
.
[image:
popsci
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "94121",
"author": "japkin",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T18:50:40",
"content": "Awesome job, Jamie! I wish I could have gone to see it in person at DragonCon.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "94157",
"author": "BigD145",
"tim... | 1,760,377,590.826384 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/15/modified-rx7-dimmer-control/ | Modified RX7 Dimmer Control | Jakob Griffith | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"bright",
"control",
"dimmer",
"high beams",
"mazda",
"modified",
"rx7"
] | We were a little surprised when we learned the
Mazda RX7’s
high beams were controlled by ECU, compared to typical cars using just a toggle switch.
Ubermodder
[Trent Bruce] realized how much of a pain in the rear end this can be if the ECU ever burns out, meaning no brights. By using a D-Flip Flop setup in a toggle configuration, he is able to
control his once lost high beams
. He also points out that if you plan to do any other electronic modifications to the RX7, you should be sure to pay attention to the unusual ground switching and the other crazy wiring under the hood. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "94096",
"author": "DanAdamKOF",
"timestamp": "2009-09-15T17:05:53",
"content": "I’d assume with RX7s being as “reliable” as they are that you’d need to do lots of crazy hacks to keep them running normally ;)Clean hack though, and great writeup.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": ... | 1,760,377,590.880146 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/12/tube-amplifier-in-a-psu/ | Tube Amplifier In A PSU | Mike Szczys | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"amp",
"psu",
"tube",
"vacuum tube"
] | [Niclas] sent us his
home made tube amplifier
. For the case he used a computer power supply unit, took out the guts and replaced them with the amplifier board. He based this build off of
an existing design
but took a more minimalist approach. The wooden face plate has an on/off switch, an audio jack, and volume control. Apparently, the tubes are floating loose inside of the case. We’d recommend a more secure mounting method for these delicate parts. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "93619",
"author": "CH",
"timestamp": "2009-09-12T20:29:08",
"content": "You know what we really need? A good tutorial on making your own cases/boxes for projects – I’m a stranger to woodworking etc.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id"... | 1,760,377,591.025016 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/12/dot-matrix-clock-on-the-way/ | Dot Matrix Clock On The Way | Jakob Griffith | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"clock",
"dot matrix",
"led",
"open source",
"pic18f"
] | [Kevin] sent in his almost finished
open source dot matrix clock
. Sporting a hefty 40 x 16 display powered by a PIC 18F he has complete pixel by pixel control of the graphics. Combined with with a triple buffer he is at least able to output 15fps, with planned 30fps. While this has great potential for a clock, what about going further? Twitter updates, chat messages, weather updates, the current
airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow
; it will be tough to beat
the competition
without some more features. Either way, its an awesome project and we can’t wait to see it completed. | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "93593",
"author": "seth",
"timestamp": "2009-09-12T18:15:37",
"content": "video on a LED matrix:http://www.instructables.com/id/watch-futurama-on-an-8×8-pixel-screen/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93595",
"author": "pt",
... | 1,760,377,591.088757 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/12/controlling-an-rc-car-with-a-pic16f84/ | Controlling An R/C Car With A Pic16F84 | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"car",
"pic",
"radio control"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hoFxx1EaN8]
[GuySoft] sent in this project. He doesn’t normally mess with electronics, but decided to give it a try. He chose a fairly complicated project to be his first, but seems extremely comfortable with it. This project was to
control his R/C car with a pic16f84
. That chip was chosen simply because it was the only one available at local stores. Though we’ve seen much more complicated projects in the past, he does a great job of showing exactly what has been done. He shares his thoughts and source code with us as well. He has express a little frustration about the closed source compiler he was using, so if anyone has any suggestions for him, he would probably appreciate it. The funny part is that he mentions that people would just tell him to “get an AVR”. We think the readers here will probably be happy with how he pulled it off. | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "93581",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2009-09-12T16:34:40",
"content": "Definitely get an avr. I use a parallel port programmer that cost me nothing to make and use WinAVR and PonyProg for development. The only cost is the avr itself!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,591.227707 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/12/homing-pigeon-email/ | Homing Pigeon Email | Jake W | [
"downloads hacks",
"Lifehacks"
] | [
"africa",
"bandwidth",
"courier",
"data",
"delivery",
"email",
"pigeon",
"transfer"
] | Yes, you read that correctly: electronic mail
carried by birds
. [Ferdinand] tipped us off to this story, which involves combining new and old methods in transferring data.
The Unlimited Group
, a firm in a remote section of South Africa, transfers loads of encrypted documents to a second office 50 miles away. A pricey broadband connection would take between 6 hours and two days to transfer a standard load (4GB) of data between these locations. On the other hand, Winston (seen above) can complete
an equivalent flight
within 45 minutes.
A memory card
is strapped to his leg, and using his wit and instinct, Winston finds his way home. For those without their calculators on hand, Winston’s bandwidth is between 7x and 63x faster than what they had before. If his flash card were to be upgraded to 16GB, that would be an instant fourfold increase on top of current gains. As [Mark] pointed out
on the Daily Mail website
, homing pigeons still need to be taken back to their departure point.
This solution still has its advantages over a courier: they are lower in cost, they work over longer hours, and have potentially faster delivery speeds. Multiple pigeons can be transported back at once, and released with data as needed. | 49 | 49 | [
{
"comment_id": "93567",
"author": "Muelli",
"timestamp": "2009-09-12T14:13:27",
"content": "I love the idea!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93569",
"author": "Johnson",
"timestamp": "2009-09-12T14:34:36",
"content": "I guess they f... | 1,760,377,591.169828 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/11/cablecard-card-tuners-on-the-way/ | CableCard Card Tuners On The Way | Mike Szczys | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"cablecard",
"copy freely",
"digital cable",
"microsoft",
"tuner"
] | We were momentarily excited when we heard that
CableCARD compatible tuners will be available for purchase by the end of the year
. A card like this would allow you to hook up your digital cable to your computer and record programs natively. This has been possible for a long time with analog cable and
PVR software such as MythTV
. Up to this point, recording digital cable has required a
dedicated cable box and workarounds
to allow the computer to change channels.
Wait a minute though, the announcement was made by Microsoft? Indeed. Microsoft has been making a big push into the home theater PC market with
Media Center
. Redmond’s PVR offering is also limited to recording analog television;opening up digital would expand the marketplace for them. But here’s where it gets hairy: if you read the
Microsoft announcement
, TV shows flagged as CF (copy freely) are the only ones that can be recorded.
So, if we have this right: you shell out money for a new tuner then you pay more for the rental of the CableCARD. Both of these expenditures are on top of a digital cable subscription. And yet you can only record shows marked with a “Copy Freely” flag. Who makes the decision on which shows we can pay to record? | 35 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "93474",
"author": "MrX",
"timestamp": "2009-09-12T00:39:19",
"content": "Any hardware or protocol that comes from Microsoft is naively crippled.I didn’t read TFA nor I have cable TV, but this really sounds like reinventing the wheel for more profit.",
"parent_id": null,
"dep... | 1,760,377,593.221725 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/11/avr-controlled-rubiks-cube-solver/ | AVR Controlled Rubik’s Cube Solver | Mike Szczys | [
"classic hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"atmega16",
"robot",
"rubiks cube",
"solver"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThMd9YR1MAg]
[Andrius] just sent in his robot
Rubik’s cube solver
. It isn’t as fast as the
solver we saw last year
but it also doesn’t require as many parts either. This project utilizes two claws, each actuated by just two servo motors. The thinking is done by a PC which calculates the necessary moves to solve the cube. Each instruction is then passed via USB to the AVR ATmega16 microcontroller that is responsible for the servo operation.
Right now it looks like the colors for each starting face have to be entered manually before a solution is calculated. We think [Andrius] is probably planning to upgrade this with the next generation of his software as he already has a webcam setup for this type of analysis. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "93441",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2009-09-11T21:50:41",
"content": "i’ve seen humans who can do it faster, at least i think their human.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93445",
"author": "vv",
"timestamp": "2009... | 1,760,377,593.332481 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/11/linux-via-iloader-out-for-nano-2g/ | Linux (via ILoader) Out For Nano 2G | Jake W | [
"ipod hacks",
"Linux Hacks"
] | [
"gna",
"iloader",
"ipod",
"linux",
"nano",
"uclinux"
] | [
Linux4Nano
] over at the [
Gna! repositories
] have just finalized a breakthrough for their
bootloader
project. Because the iPod Nano 2G has a
hardware encryption chip
, it could previously not be flashed with a custom
firmware
. By digging around in
some assembly code
(and working their magic) the team was able to
get Linux onto the 2G, develop drivers for its peripherals (screen, clickwheel and serial interface are a few), and
put all of that code into a package convenient to install by the end user. If you’ve ever considered
installing uClinux
(the ported distro) on your Nano, the [Linux4Nano] team have
made the iLoader
an easy place to start.
Update:
Closer inspection yields that the iLoader is not yet able to load uClinux onto a 2G because it has not been ported. However, it can reload it with other custom firmware which is still a solid breakthrough. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,592.863386 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/14/classy-hard-drive-speaker-set/ | Classy Hard Drive Speaker Set | Matt Schulz | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Portable Audio Hacks"
] | [
"dock",
"hard drive",
"hdd",
"ipod",
"speakers",
"VU meter"
] | Hard drive speakers aren’t anything new, but they have yet to be done very professionally. Most hard drive speaker hacks are awesome, but aren’t meant to be a showpiece. [Oliver] took the opportunity to put together a set of 20GB drives and a custom-built acrylic case with a horizontal VU meter up front.
The project
is well-photographed and documented and can be recreated without the use of laser cutters or other expensive tools. The only thing it’s missing is
an iPod dock
!
Related:
Giant bulb VU meter | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "93923",
"author": "cyanide",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T19:44:24",
"content": "flirst, awesome",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93929",
"author": "jesus in techicolour",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T20:04:45",
"content": "D... | 1,760,377,592.823248 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/14/disabling-your-cell-phones-mic-for-security/ | Disabling Your Cell Phone’s Mic For Security | Caleb Kraft | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"cell",
"security",
"spy"
] | [Dan] set up this
simple cell phone hack to disable his microphone
when he’s not using his cell phone. He had
read that the government can listen to you
using your cell phone, even when it is off. This concerned him enough to hack into his phone. He removed the expansion port and wired the microphone to a magnetic reed switch. A strong magnet located in the screen side of his flip phone opens the circuit when he closes the phone. He notes that you could always just pop the battery out of your phone, but then you are left completely disconnected. This mod allows you to still receive phone calls. | 115 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "93852",
"author": "3riX",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T15:00:08",
"content": "Yeah, That sucks. I’ve been planning on something similar if I ever got a phone.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "1905675",
"author": "Stephen",
... | 1,760,377,593.424979 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/13/blue-light-special-earn-10-by-installing-spyware/ | Blue Light Special: Earn $10 By Installing Spyware | Brett Haddock | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"FTC",
"kmart",
"marketing",
"sears",
"spyware",
"unethical"
] | Ars technica
is reporting on the ruling from the FTC about the software shenanigans of
Kmart and Sears
. The marketing geniuses behind the parent company of Sears and Kmart decided they needed more information about the users of their website.
Their solution
? Offering $10 to users who install their custom software which phones home with data on just about everything they do on their computer. Not content with just browsing habits of webites, the software apparently recorded everything the user did online, including
secure sessions
. Under the
settlement
(PDF) with the FTC, Sears says they will stop collecting data and promises to destroy any and all information they’ve collected so far. Selling what websites you’ve been to, how much money you have, which prescriptions you take and what products you’re interested in for the low low price of $10 seems like a bargain. | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "93781",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T01:51:24",
"content": "wow.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93783",
"author": "SoundwaveHi",
"timestamp": "2009-09-14T02:16:21",
"content": "I’m pretty sure they’... | 1,760,377,593.285396 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/13/laser-spiro-made-from-junk/ | Laser Spiro Made From Junk | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"determination",
"green",
"laser",
"spiro"
] | Sometimes we need someone like [FireMyLaser] to show us that you really don’t need things like custom PCB’s, expensive tools, or laser cutters to pull of a hack. His
laser spiro subsists mostly of toothpicks, hotglue, and determination.
It is a two motor spiro with a base motor and a motor mounted in a spinning cage. The cage gets power through brushes much like
other projects we’ve covered
. See a video of it in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzk0Gqzs5RI]
[thanks pseudolobster] | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "93763",
"author": "Mark C. Roduner",
"timestamp": "2009-09-13T23:13:57",
"content": "All I can think looking at the video is “Do not look into laser with remaining eye”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93767",
"author": "MrX... | 1,760,377,592.916179 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/13/pictures-from-space-for-150/ | Pictures From Space For $150 | Jakob Griffith | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"digital cameras hacks",
"gps hacks"
] | [
"150$",
"a470",
"balloon",
"canon",
"chdk",
"i290",
"motorola",
"pictures",
"space",
"weather"
] | Ever wanted to be able to launch a balloon into space, track its location via GPS, take some photographs of the curvature of the earth, and recover the balloon, all for the low low cost of $150? [Oliver Yeh] sent in his teams project,
Icarus
, which does just that. The group of MIT students found that they could use a weather balloon filled with helium to reach heights of around 20 miles above the earth; their particular balloon achieved 93,000 feet (17.5 miles). Then, utilizing only off the shelf components with no soldering, conjured up a GPS tracker using a Motorola i290 Prepaid Cellphone. They then used a Canon A470 loaded with the
chdk open source firmware
to take pictures. After seeing
the results
of their launch, the team hopes that this could rejuvenate interests in science and the arts. | 47 | 45 | [
{
"comment_id": "93731",
"author": "Zeno Arrow",
"timestamp": "2009-09-13T20:06:50",
"content": "This is the coolest thing I have ever seen on hackaday (or on many other websites, trying to think of something that comes even remotely close). Thank you for posting it, and thank you to the team behind... | 1,760,377,593.509595 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/13/brewers-temperature-controller/ | Beer Brewer’s Temperature Controller | Mike Szczys | [
"Beer Hacks",
"home hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"beer",
"brewing",
"fermenting",
"relay",
"ssr",
"temperature controller"
] | Steady fermentation temperatures, usually at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, are an important part of brewing beer. Because of this, the wort (unfermented beer) is often temperature controlled during fermentation. [android] needed a
temperature controller for fermenting beer
in a chest freezer. Much like the
energy efficient fridge hack
from last month, the chest freezer is switched on and off to achieve the desired temperature. Instead of buying a controller, [android] built around
an existing design
. His project uses a
solid state relay
to switch an outlet on and off.
The temperature is controlled by a home thermostat. He removed the thermistor from the unit and extended it with 24 gauge wire so that it can go inside of the chest freezer. Utilizing a junction box, the freezer is plugged into one switched outlet and controlled by the thermostat via the relay. The other outlet is unswitched and provides DC power for the relay using a wall wort transformer. Although this thermostat cannot be set cold enough for lagering, it is
perfect for keeping kegs
at the
correct beer serving temperatures
when not being used for fermentation. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "93709",
"author": "st2000",
"timestamp": "2009-09-13T16:29:24",
"content": "Humm, there’s all kinds of things that will get in the way of this working. Off the shelf, the freezer probably has a timer to control the defrosting cycle. So cutting the power would essentially stop the ... | 1,760,377,593.093857 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/12/how-to-build-a-life-sized-electroni-game/ | How To Build A Life-sized Electronic Game | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"christmas lights",
"game",
"solid state relay",
"ssr"
] | We’re very impressed with [Steve’s]
Electronic Snowball Fight game
. It consists of two life-sized players standing opposite of each other. Each can throw a snowball or duck, the object is to hit the other person and not get hit yourself. He’s utilized a lot of good building techniques that could be easily adapted to other types of game play.
For the outlines of the players, [Steve] took pictures of himself standing, ducking, and in a throwing motion. Each picture was used to generate an outline which was then stenciled onto some
Masonite
. He then drilled holes along the outline and pushed christmas lights into them.
One string is used for each circuit.
A solid state relay board was built to take care of switching the strings of lights on and off. [Steve] housed this in a weather-proof utilities box and used extension chords to facilitate connecting the lights. The
SSR
is connected to the controller using CAT5 Ethernet cable. The controller is an Arduino in conjunction with a 595 port expander board to provide enough input/output pins for the game.
Two delightfully creative parts of this project are the buttons and the scoreboard. The buttons are made to match the scale of the game. [Steve] picked up four used push-style lights, patched into their momentary push switches, and added LEDS for feedback. For the scoreboard he used reflective tape and LEDs with a foam bezel to create 7-segment displays.
Well planned, well executed, and an all-around great build! Don’t miss [Steve’s] step-by-step explanation video which we’ve embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlOorpY55SA] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "93627",
"author": "Bob",
"timestamp": "2009-09-12T21:27:20",
"content": "Great idea, I am going to do something similar. Just about any game & watch style game could be easily replicated and modified slightly depending on the season you want this displayed (Christmas, Halloween, et... | 1,760,377,593.149617 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/11/exoskeleton-rental-now-available/ | Exoskeleton Rental Now Available | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"exoskeleton",
"hal",
"paralysis",
"power suit"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_k30yeCk4c]
The
HAL two-leg exoskeleton is now available
for rent in Tokyo for $2300 per month. We saw the HAL in
our power suit roundup
from last year. There is footage of this lower-extremity suit demonstrated by three people. The video is a bit creepy because the they are apparently just out for a stroll in the city.
We really do want to see this succeed. Every time another advancement in exoskeletons comes around we glimpse the future of mobility and freedom for victims of paralysis. The machine is controlled via an interface that picks up electrical impulses on the surface of the skin. The built in battery provides power for up to five hours of operation before recharging is necessary.
[Thanks David] | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "93391",
"author": "brsnow",
"timestamp": "2009-09-11T16:16:05",
"content": "Creepy, dressed in all black matching clothes. Looks like the androids are about to put the hit on someone. Especially the part where they are walking up the stairs, they are all in sync, looks really cree... | 1,760,377,593.616133 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/11/rock-band-drum-set-remake/ | Rock Band Drum Set Remake | Jakob Griffith | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"drum",
"J5",
"mesh",
"rock band"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhAx4l0fvs&feature=player_embedded]
We’ve seen some impressive mods for the popular video game Rock Band, from
new cymbals
to an
air powered kick pedal
, but we cant say we’ve seen someone go as far as the folks over at EDrums. They start off making their own
mesh heads
, a
junction box
to connect everything, and then a
base
to hold it all together. It is definitely some dedication and hard work for a setup that will only be used in the living room in front of the T.V. Check out some more video of it in action, and a comparison to the original Rock Band drum set, after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6kro60i3Hc&feature=player_embedded]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E5Fulh-a3g&feature=player_embedded] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "93421",
"author": "farthead",
"timestamp": "2009-09-11T18:46:35",
"content": "Um stick some Piezos in some Remo practice heads and get the exact same thing.This ain’t “special” guys. many people have been doing this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,593.55357 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/sparkfun-kegerator-goes-to-eleven/ | SparkFun Kegerator Goes To Eleven | Phil Burgess | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"beer",
"beerware",
"eeprom",
"free beer",
"kegerator",
"pcb",
"pressure",
"sensor",
"sparkfun",
"temperature",
"twitter",
"web"
] | It started with a simple need: keep tabs on
SparkFun Electronics
’ in-house
kegerator
so the beer won’t run out at inopportune times. But of course SparkFun and “simple need” make strange bedfellows…throw
beer
in the mix, and you know this can’t end well. The result, as you might imagine, reads like a who’s-who of electronics hackery buzzwords.
Arduino
? Check.
Custom PCB
? Check.
Web interface
? Check.
Twitter feed
? Check.
They’ve assembled a
nice build tutorial on how this all went together
, including code, example circuits, an explanation of some of the sensors used, and links to other tutorials for such things as Twittering and persistent storage in EEPROM using Arduino. Not to mention the eye candy: a custom Arduino shield (solder mask and all), custom acrylic tap handle, custom SparkFun pint glasses. They never do anything halfway, do they? | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "93204",
"author": "Sprite_tm",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T19:15:19",
"content": "…and cue the Arduino-comments :P",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93212",
"author": "Thedudefrommiamivice",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T19:40:24"... | 1,760,377,593.95519 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/tapping-tree-power/ | Tapping Tree Power | Devlin Thyne | [
"green hacks",
"News"
] | [
"energy",
"flower power",
"forest",
"green",
"nanotechnology",
"power",
"tree"
] | [bugloaf] tipped us off about this flower power hack. University of Washington researchers, [
Babak
], [
Brian
], and [Carlton] have
developed
very low power circuits to run directly off of trees. This builds upon the
work
of MIT researchers and
Voltree Power
. A voltage of up to around 200mV is generated between an electrode in a tree and an electrode in the ground. Identical metals can be used as electrodes as the process is not like that of a
lemon
or potato battery. The significant development here is the use of a boost converter and exceptionally low power circuits. What kind of applications can you come up with for this source of power? Maybe you could try to combine this power with the power from
donuts
and
hair
. | 51 | 48 | [
{
"comment_id": "93191",
"author": "sean",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T18:15:00",
"content": "I bet there’s a difference in power output of the tree (that just feels weird saying) between winter and summer, where summer you would get more power because it is more active in photosynthesis and during the... | 1,760,377,594.039265 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/low-cost-arm7-prototyping/ | Low-cost ARM7 Prototyping | Mike Szczys | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"arm7",
"blueboard",
"pinky and the brain",
"prototype"
] | Do you find that the capabilities of your current microcontrollers are holding you back when you
try to take over the world
? Moving up to
ARM7 architecture
will put your projects in the same arena with the iPod and the Nintendo DS.
The
BlueBoard-lpc214x is a prototyping board
with a lot to offer. It incorporates two RS232 connections, USB, VGA, SD card slot, piezo buzzer, JTAG, audio out, PS2 keyboard connector, and a 2-line character LCD. The processor is an NXP Semiconductor LPC2148 with 512KB of programming space and 32+8KB of ram. The board also includes a 256KB i2c eeprom. This is a lot of prototyping power, but the
low purchase price
knocks our socks off: $40.90! Sadly, shipping would cost us another $20.43 but that’s still a lot of functionality for around $60.
Sample code and schematic are
available for download
. All of the pins for the microcontroller have jumpers and there are rows for pin headers around the processors if you want to patch in your own hardware. We’ve seen other
ARM boards that make use of pre-existing shields
. We would love to see someone remove the processor and implement Arduino-like shields for different processors outside of the LPC214x series. Promo video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV5wRTeRFcs]
[via
ScienceProg
]
[Thanks CH] | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "93180",
"author": "H3PO",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T17:11:09",
"content": "arm7 based routers (i’m thinking about avm fritzbox models, but i’m sure there are many more) can be had very cheap and they offer ethernet, spi, preinstalled bootloader and often also an unpopulated programmi... | 1,760,377,593.892755 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/the-old-robots-website/ | The Old Robots Website | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arok",
"ghost",
"medium",
"old robots"
] | We found
The Old Robots Website
this morning and ended up spending way too much time there. It’s a display of mainly consumer robots, though there are some custom jobs tossed in there too. Ranging from silly to awesome and everywhere in between, we found tons of great information. By strange coincidence, we saw
Arok
in a
documentary about eclectic homes
last night. Arok’s creator explained that not only is he an amazingly versatile robot, Arok is also going to be the medium for communication after his creators death. That makes him even creepier.
[via
Robots Dreams
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "93170",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T16:11:50",
"content": "ok that last part is just creepy….(Arok is also going to be the medium for communication after his creators death)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id"... | 1,760,377,593.832762 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/uzebox-video-player/ | Uzebox Video Player | Jake W | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"atmega",
"AVR",
"fuzebox",
"matrix",
"s-video",
"uzebox"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWWsSn_QKLM]
Everyone’s favorite open source game console,
the Uzebox
(also cloned as
the Fuzebox
), just got a new feature hacked into it –
a video player
. At reduced quality (8-bit color), the Uzebox was able to play ‘The Matrix’ off an SD card @ 30fps plus the audio @15kHz. That’s a pretty impressive feat when one considers it is running on
4096 bytes of RAM
. The video file had to first be converted into a series of pictures through a Photoshop macro in order to be playable. A Uzebox can be built with little more than a few resistors in addition to an
overclocked
ATmega644P
, and
AD725
(which has been skirted
in certain incarnations
). | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "93177",
"author": "emperor",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T16:55:34",
"content": "That is the most amazing thing ive seen an avr do yet.Very nice use of the AD725.wonderful work-Dane",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "93210",
"autho... | 1,760,377,594.219431 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/s-p-a-r-k-beginer-robotics-resources/ | S.P.A.R.K. Beginer Robotics Resources | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"education",
"robots",
"spark"
] | We love to see educational resources appear. iRobot has put together
Starter Programs for Advancement of Robotics Knowledge or S.P.A.R.K
to serve as not only education, but amusement with the purpose of getting people interested in robotics. With sections divided into different grade levels, it is obvious that this is mainly meant for school aged kids. There are some games as well to keep them amused when they need a break. We looked around a little bit and it seems that they are still fleshing it out. We hope to see some structured content specifically created for education of youngsters. Right now it is mainly links to other resources.
[via
botjunkie
] | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "93203",
"author": "none",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T19:13:00",
"content": "interesting use of the roomba.also, interesting spelling of beginnerhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/beginnerbeginer – perhaps the one who pours gin on another?begined – to have gin poured over youbegin ... | 1,760,377,594.171343 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/10/cain-and-abel-windows-password-recovery-utility/ | Cain And Abel: Windows Password Recovery Utility | Brett Haddock | [
"downloads hacks"
] | [
"microsoft",
"network",
"password",
"password recovery",
"windows"
] | As far as password recovery utilities go,
Cain & Abel
is by far one of the best out there. It’s designed to run on Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista but has methods to recover passwords for other systems. It is able to find passwords in the local cache, decode scrambled passwords, find wireless network keys or use brute-force and dictionary attacks. For recovering passwords on other systems Cain & Abel has the ability to sniff the local network for passwords transmitted via HTTP/HTTPS, POP3, IMAP, SMTP and much more. We think it is quite possibly one of the best utilities to have as a system administrator, and definitely a must have for your toolbox. | 72 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "93129",
"author": "Erik",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T13:11:18",
"content": "I think it’s a great application, however my virus scanner goes berserk every time I run it, which means I have to turn it off and that’s something I don’t like.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,377,594.35634 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/40-years-of-nerf/ | 40 Years Of NERF | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"nerf",
"toys"
] | In 1968 a guy by the name of [Rey Guyer] came up with an idea for a game
. It involved foam balls as game pieces. After failing to sell the game to Milton Bradley, he approached Parker Brothers. They bought his idea but ended up tossing the game itself and just marketing the foam ball. Named after the padding used on rollbars in offroad vehicles, Nerf balls were an instant success, 40 years ago, in 1969. Many of us have fond memories of Nerf, even before everything they produced was a weapon. That’s not to say we don’t appreciate the Nerf weapons. We certainly have seen some hackers do
some fun
stuff
with them
.
[via
neatorama
] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "92992",
"author": "aztraph",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T00:52:15",
"content": "damn, I’m older than nerf!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92993",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-09-10T00:52:43",
"content": "tho... | 1,760,377,594.269042 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/in-depth-mame-cocktail-cabinet-build/ | In-depth MAME Cocktail Cabinet Build | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"arcade",
"cocktail cabinet",
"games",
"i-pac",
"mala",
"mame",
"ms. pac-man"
] | Recently, a friend of ours got married who is a Ms. Pac-Man fanatic. His best man set out to fulfill the groom’s dream of owning a Ms. Pac-Man
cocktail cabinet
. The problem is that the unit he was after was selling for $2500. It’s great to buy the real thing (and with guest contributions he did,) but if it’s not available consider building your own.
[Alex] has put together a comprehensive
guide for building a MAME cocktail cabinet
. Unlike the
mini-cabinet we saw last week
, this is intended to be used sitting down and features controls on more than one side. His guide details the use of an original arcade CRT or an LCD flat panel, high-end controls via an
I-Pac 4 controller
, and a PC running
MAME
and
MaLa
software for Windows. The result is a professional looking build with controls on three sides of the table.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 16 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "92974",
"author": "M4CGYV3R",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T23:28:15",
"content": "That guide could be awesome……if it wasn’t on like 12 pages instead of one or two.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92979",
"author": "amk",
"ti... | 1,760,377,594.409908 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/how-to-download-books-from-google/ | How To Download Books From Google | Chris Gilmer | [
"downloads hacks",
"News"
] | [
"book",
"google",
"googlebookdownloader"
] | If you want books, but don’t want to pay for them, there is a better way than walking into your local book store and pocketing them. Try grabbing them online, from Google!
Everyone must be aware of the
Google Books Library project
by now. If you’re not, it’s basically a way for Google to ensure all of the world’s book content is accessible and searchable. Through the Book Project, Google works with libraries to scan and archive their older and out of print materials. Up until recently, viewers of books in the Google Library Project web space were limited to viewing books within the browser. Not any more.
Google Book Downloader
is a utility that rips books from Google and saves them as PDFs so you can view them with any device or desktop that can view this file format. Using Microsoft’s .NET framework, the Google Book Downloader application allows users to enter a book’s ISBN number or Google link to pull up the desired book and begin a download, fishing off with exporting the file to a PDF.
Full setup instructions and download are available on Codeplex
. | 80 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "92947",
"author": "MAW74656",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T22:21:04",
"content": "Great post man! I’ve been looking for a way to do this for years! I’m gonna try it tonight! But I do want to ask about something: “fishing off with exporting the title to a pdf.” Did you mean “finishin... | 1,760,377,594.498025 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/12kw-solar-collector/ | 12kW Solar Collector | Jake W | [
"green hacks",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"collector",
"generator",
"mechanical",
"solar",
"stirling"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTvAL7ty53M]
Though not much info is readly available about it on the web, [
Joe Carruth
] is trying to build publicity (and venture capital) for his home-built solar electric generator. At its essence, it is a
Stirling dish system
with an adjustable composite mirror surface. This means that instead of having to rotate the entire contraption in order to follow the Sun, [Joe] only has to make the mirror segments pivot. A
Stirling steam engine
at the tip converts the energy into the movement used to generate electricity.
Solar power plants (or ‘farms’)
that are emerging are beginning to consider the advantages of using more efficient Stirling dishes rather than less efficient
solar panels
. If anyone has an idea as to how [Joe] can automate
sun tracking
for the mirrors, please post it in the comments. A couple more videos on the topic (in general) are available below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi0Y0Kr-_KI]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTQ4cFn5sXs] | 57 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "92923",
"author": "Hackius",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T21:04:02",
"content": "Dean Kamen has been researching stirling engines for a looong time. I’m surprised he’s not the one funding this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92924"... | 1,760,377,594.641328 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/drilling-precise-grids/ | Drilling Precise Grids | Mike Szczys | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"dremel",
"drill",
"drill press",
"grid"
] | Drilling precise grids without a
CNC machine
can be tough to pull off. [Ookseer] has come up with a nifty method for
dilling aligned holes with a drill press
. He uses a right-angle jig on a Dremel drill press with stacks of business cards as spacers. The same number of cards is added between the substrate and the jig to space each new hole evenly. This method comes in handy when drilling grids in an enclosure for speakers, temperature sensors, or for an aesthetically pleasing design. | 13 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "92952",
"author": "st2000",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T22:28:27",
"content": "Moving the bed instead of the drill.Humm…Anyone have 2 printers they can scrap (I mean hack) into an X Y moving bed? I would think the carriage belt & stepping motor would provide enough torque to move low ... | 1,760,377,594.553249 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/update-game-boy-hdd-the-guts/ | Game Boy HDD Update: The Guts | Mike Szczys | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"external drive",
"game boy",
"hard drive",
"hdd",
"nintendo",
"usb"
] | Last week we showed you the ingenious
hard drive enclosure made from a broken Game Boy
. We caught up with [_n3o_], the person responsible for this mod, and he was nice enough to share some pictures of the inside of the project. Let’s get down to business and take a look.
[_n3o_] opened this project back up and took these pictures by popular request. Here’s the overview of the guts. You can see the 2.5″ drive on the right. The circuit board on the top is the SATA to USB converter. The two gray cables are to relocate the LED and USB ports. He did mention that before taking these pictures he swapped the 80GB drive out for a 20GB one in order to use it for another project.
Here we see the inside of the rear half of the Game Boy. The board all the way to the right is the original headphone connector from the Game Boy. At the top the volume control dial can be seen hot-glued in place.
Here is a closeup of the original headphone connector and volume dial of the Game Boy. The dial has been cut in half and glued in place. Both were left in the hand-held for a realistic look.
This is a closeup of the SATA to USB adapter that [_n3o_] salvaged from a generic 2.5″ external USB hard drive enclosure. A second USB socket was connected to the board using some ribbon cable in order to locate the USB connector in the same place the
Game Link Cable
is normally found. The LED was removed from the circuit board and relocated to the front of the case using the gray cable on the right.
Here is the front case of the Game Boy. Cardboard is used to keep the control buttons in place. The electrical tape to the left covers the back of the screen. You will remember from our original post that [_n3o_] simulated an image on the screen by removing the reflective backing from the LCD screen and put a paper printout in its place. The LED from the hard drive enclosure is located in the battery indicator window of the gaming unit. The gray cable seen here connects that indicator to the circuit board in the back half of the unit.
Voilà, the finished product. A peek inside makes this project even more delightful. Thanks for sharing those extra pictures with us [_n3o_]!
Hi Res:
[
photo1
,
photo2
,
photo3
,
photo4
,
photo5
,
photo6
] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "92638",
"author": "_n3o_",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T15:54:07",
"content": "The fun part on the actual 20gigs HDD that is inside the GBHDD is that it’s originally an Xbox 360 hard drive :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92639",
... | 1,760,377,594.737634 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/arduino-crib-rocker/ | Arduino Crib Rocker | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"baby",
"crib",
"cry",
"rock"
] | Anyone with children will understand the value of this project immediately. This is an
Arduino controlled sound activated crib rocker
. [Lars] built a custom suspension system for his baby’s crib which allows a servo, mounted to the floor to rock it gently back and forth. Ok, maybe it’s a vigorous rocking, but that’s what some kids want. At least he’s safe and
moderately immobile
. He had to make a custom amplifier circuit to get his microphone working with the Arduino. It seems to all work perfectly now, triggering to begin rocking when it detects the baby’s cries. This should buy them a few extra minutes of sleep until the baby is truly hungry or annoyed. You can see a video of it in action and download the Arduino code on the project page.
[via
littlebridceo
] | 16 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "92623",
"author": "OrderZero",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T14:35:04",
"content": "Very useful indeed I’d love to see a video of it in action",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92627",
"author": "Jeff",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08... | 1,760,377,594.805266 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/07/snega2usb-update-usb-snes-and-sega-cartridge-reader/ | Snega2usb Update: Usb Snes And Sega Cartridge Reader | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"News",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"AVR",
"cart",
"cartridge",
"diy",
"electronics",
"emulator",
"genesis",
"megadrive",
"microcontroller",
"nintendo",
"sega",
"snega2usb",
"snes",
"super nintendo",
"superfx",
"usb"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNBg_jWjBmI]
When we first posted [Matthias_H]’s
USB reader for SNES game carts
, it was met with enthusiasm. The snega2usb allows you to play SNES and Sega games on your pc right off the cartridge. The latest revision is even more amazing than the first. [Matthias] has added the ability to read
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
cartridges as well as the ability to save games directly to the cartridge. The board has also been updated from the rats nest it used to be to a smart looking dual sided PCB. So far [Matthias] hasn’t had any trouble reading cartridges, even ones with the
SuperFX
chips. [Matthias] also
launched a site for the project
where the lastest information on its development can be found. [Matthias] is getting close to a production version which will feature better firmware, console quality connectors and a shiny case. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "92491",
"author": "tom",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T22:32:36",
"content": "regular nes please!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92493",
"author": "sword77",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T22:41:26",
"content": "Really cool.",... | 1,760,377,594.929356 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/07/proto-board-z80-computer/ | Proto-board Z80 Computer | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"proto board",
"prototype",
"z80",
"zilog"
] | We’ve seen
Z80 processor based computers
before but they usually use a printed circuit board to easily and reliably connect all the components. [Marton] sent us
his Z80 based computer
from a while back that is built entirely on prototyping board. He made his own video board that utilizes a TV as the monitor and his own mainboard incorporating a keyboard controller. The system runs at 4 MHz, has 32k of ram, and runs [Marton’s] own system software which he has posted. Its quite impressive and we love the protoboard porn with thousands of grey wires running everywhere.
[Marton] used
the resources on
[Hans Summers’] site
for his project. Make sure to check it out if you’re interested in a broader
background concerning DIY Zilog Z80 computers
. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "92459",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T19:41:50",
"content": "itneresting",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92463",
"author": "James",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T19:48:52",
"content": "Needs to be w... | 1,760,377,595.0831 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/07/arduino-powered-delta-robot/ | Arduino Powered Delta Robot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"delta robot"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEHdD7pd64I]
We spotted this video of a
delta robot
today that seems to be powered by an Arduino. We were wondering when we would see this, happen. The source code is available on the project page. We really like the mouse control, its just fun to watch. You may recall that we recently covered some
slightly more complex delta robots
.
[via
Makezine
] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "92469",
"author": "gen",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T20:18:45",
"content": "Cute. i know it’s an arduino, as some people here dislike, but anyway.It’s the same kind of movement as the novint falcon, the difference being the novint has feedback like this but is also a controller.",
... | 1,760,377,595.441312 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/07/hard-drive-rgb-clock/ | Hard Drive RGB Clock | Jake W | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"clock",
"hard drive",
"led",
"mb1988",
"POV",
"rgb"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK9en2H7rBA]
We’ve brought you
an HDD clock in the past
, but [mb1988] tried to bring
his project
to another level by fully documenting it (in Polish). Inspired by
[dzgdzzh]’s version
of the same invention, [mb1988] decided to reverse engineer it (as well as make a few changes) and base it on
the powerful ATmega128
. Since this clock, along with most HDD clocks, can only display solid lines of radii, it cannot be used to display text. However, color schemes and animations can be toggled using a remote control. The housing itself is also pretty impressive. The back part of the enclosure was molded
out of Rayobond
, while the front was simply the original HDD case but spray-painted black and etched with some original artwork. The source code, schematics, and PCB layouts are freely available to download on the project’s thread, but you will have to
login to the forum
to access them. | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "92417",
"author": "format c:_",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T15:07:39",
"content": "now THAT is wicked. especially the custom casing blew my mind. need to get my pens out asap!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92418",
"author": "... | 1,760,377,595.555218 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/07/c64-emulator-for-iphone-approved-%e2%80%94-minus-basic/ | C64 Emulator For IPhone Approved — Minus BASIC | Phil Burgess | [
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"64",
"app store",
"c64",
"commodore",
"emulation",
"emulator",
"gaming",
"iphone",
"ipod touch",
"retro"
] | After a lengthy process that had previously met with rejection,
Manomio’s Commodore 64 emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch
has finally been accepted by Apple. This marks the first time a multi-purpose emulation title has been approved by the App Store. The $4.99 C64 app comes bundled with five fully-licensed classic games, and additional titles can be purchased and downloaded directly within the application.
App Store policies prohibit software that could run downloadable code, which barred most emulation attempts in the past. A couple of Sega titles worked around this by nature of being single-purpose emulators. The condition by which the C64 title was finally approved was the removal of the BASIC programming language (though ironically it’s still shown in screen shots, even on the App Store). Since only sanctioned programs can be installed and run from within the application, no user-alterable code is present.
The C64 emulator is neat enough in itself, but the really encouraging news here is that a precedent has been set; the business model may open the floodgates for developers to bring more classic gaming titles to the iPhone platform. So download that SDK and get hacking!
[via
TouchArcade
]
Update: The iPhone Blog
has a simple work-around
for accessing BASIC!
Update 2:
App pulled, no surprise. If you jumped on the opportunity while it was available, [George’s] comment might be of interest. | 42 | 42 | [
{
"comment_id": "92399",
"author": "jbot",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T13:40:49",
"content": "I cannot and will not buy an Apple product as long as this ridiculous approval process exists, as well as the idea of planned obsolescence. I cannot support a company that a) solders batteries directly onto th... | 1,760,377,595.026525 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/diy-solar-panels/ | DIY Solar Panels | James Munns | [
"green hacks",
"home hacks",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"cells",
"hair",
"melanin",
"nepal",
"solar",
"Solar Cells",
"solar panels",
"teenager"
] | Reader [unangst] pointed out to us an article in the
U.K.’s Daily Mail
, where a teenager from Nepal had managed to create a 9v, 18W solar panel using human hair rather than the usual
semiconductors
(usually
crystalline-silicon
). The complex silicon in solar panels are what keep the prices out of reach of developing nations, and while there are
a number
of
new technologies
that are
helping bring down the cost
, [Karki] managed to make his solar panel for only £23 (roughly $38). He also claims that when mass produced the price could drop substantially down to under $10 a panel, which would shatter
the $1/watt sweet spot
.
The
melanin
in hair acts as an organic-semiconductor, and while the hair does not have the longevity that silicon panels have (months rather than years), these panels can be made cheaply and serviced with little to no complex knowledge. Using melanin as an organic semiconductor seems to be a newer idea, because information seems hard to come by, but we managed to find a research paper from 2007 that explored the energy absorption attributes of melanin, as well as some good background info for the science types.
Research Paper
(Warning: PDF)
So, Hack a Day readers, which one of you is going to make your home-brew solar panels first? Let us know when you do.
Thanks [unangst].
[digg=http://digg.com/environment/Teenager_Makes_DIY_Solar_Panels_from_Hair_Hack_a_Day] | 74 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "92715",
"author": "TheFish",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T01:10:28",
"content": "WOW! COOL!, anyone need a hair cut? i could use some extra solar panels. :P",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92716",
"author": "giskard",
"times... | 1,760,377,595.333975 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/build-your-own-browser-extensions-for-google-chrome/ | Build Your Own Browser Extensions For Google Chrome | Mike Szczys | [
"downloads hacks",
"google hacks"
] | [
"api",
"chrome",
"extensions",
"firefox",
"twitter"
] | [Ryan] posted a writeup on
developing extensions for Google Chrome
. The extension system utilizes HTML with a JavaScript API which is still
sparsely documented
. After taking us through his twitter bar extension project, he concludes that the Chrome extensions are not nearly as versatile as
what we’re used to seeing with Firefox
. That being said, this is a move in the right direction for the young browser.
[related:
Google Chrome roundup] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "92727",
"author": "matt",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T01:43:52",
"content": "Good to know. I’ll get started!first",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92791",
"author": "Jason Knight",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T09:22:14",
"co... | 1,760,377,595.131232 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/monome-mainstream-performance-on-letterman/ | Monome Mainstream: Performance On Letterman | Mike Szczys | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"CBS",
"imogen heap",
"late night",
"letterman",
"monome"
] | The monome was spotted being used in a
performance by Imogen Heap on Late Night with David Letterman
. Imogen uses the
monome 256 model
connected to a laptop sitting on the piano. In her performance she uses a combination of live samples and pre-recorded loops proving how great this product is in the hands of an accomplished artist.
Although not identified by name (or function), Letterman does notice the monome at the end of the performance. To see this kind of exposure for an innovative open source product is wonderful. Check out the Letterman clip as well as a monome bonus after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54X7t8bDq_4]
[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/6255134]
This bonus video features a monome that sequences not just audio clips, but video as well. This way you can get a live video perfomance at the same time. [
Eliot
] ran across it a couple of weeks ago and mentioned that it reminds him of the
Amateur – Lasse Gjertsen
video. We agree and think that the monome is perfect for making this kind of product.
[via
soundwidgets
]
[related:
Econo Monome
,
RGB button pad
,
RGB monome clone
] | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "92697",
"author": "TheBadWolf",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T22:53:53",
"content": "this music is bad..check out little boots on youtube,she mkes awesome music using a tenorion and a stylophone …check it out;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcc8gE54Md8&feature=related",
"parent_id": n... | 1,760,377,595.393167 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/time-lapse-light-sculptures/ | Time Lapse Light Sculptures | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"exposure",
"led",
"POV",
"rgb",
"time-lapse"
] | [Jared] sent us a feature he posted involving
time-lapse photography and an LED
. Using a custom built aparatus an LED is moved on two axis’ during a long exposure of around thirty seconds. The frame is wood and PVC with two gearhead motors powered by AA batteries to provide the locomotion. The LED is powered by a 3v button cell and automatically transitions through different colors. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "92692",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T22:34:42",
"content": "A similar project was posted on Make with KNEXhttp://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/09/knex_led_art.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92695",
"auth... | 1,760,377,595.493765 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/digital-camera-lcd-replacement/ | Digital Camera LCD Replacement | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"cracked",
"lcd",
"repair"
] | Turning on your camera to this kind of black blotch will ruin your day. Cracked LCD screens have got to be the biggest digital camera killer out there. Although you can still take pictures with it, a non-functioning screen makes it difficult if not impossible to change settings and take decent photos.
[myles_h] has document the process of
replacing a broken screen in his digital camera
. As professional repair usually costs more than a brand new camera you’ll want to do this yourself. New screens can be purchased online, but we’ve also considered buying the same model of camera from ebay (screen intact but broken in a different way). This model, a
Sony Cybershot DSC-W50
, has fairly easy access to the LCD and its connection to the logic board. Before buying parts, you may want to
investigate how much disassembly your camera will require
. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "92686",
"author": "ino",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T22:01:23",
"content": "I did replace the broken lcd from a friend’s camera a couple month ago.LCD ordered from ebay and a handful of screws later, it was like new.All this for about $30 !Anyone could do this … at least if you can use... | 1,760,377,595.607279 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/poor-exhausted-littledog/ | Poor Exhausted Littledog | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"bigdog",
"littledog",
"quadroped"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuBIclGG3R0]
This video of
littledog doing some terrain navigaion excersizes
is just hilarious. We really don’t have any technological updates since
last time we mentioned him
, but you should watch the video anyway. [Evan] at botjunkie pointed out how tired littledog must be to absolutely collapse at the end of each run. We started out thinking that his comment was humorous, but the bot is obviously going into a tidy configuration for carrying. As we watched, we saw that [Evan] seemed very correct. Littlebot completely collapses at the end of each run, toward the end of the video, it doesn’t even bother to fold up nicely, sprawling out in a very lifelike pose of utter exhaustion. We don’t know if this is intentional, but we think it should be. | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "92648",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T17:13:21",
"content": "Little thing’s plum tuckered.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92653",
"author": "Finger",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T17:50:29",
"content... | 1,760,377,595.783347 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/arduino-as-ipod-remote-control/ | Arduino As IPod Remote Control | Mike Szczys | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"ipod hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"dock",
"easy button",
"ipod",
"remote control",
"sparkfun"
] | [David] had an Arduino in search of a project. He decided to make an
Arduino powered iPod remote control
using an ipod connector breakout board and a 3.3v to 5v level converter (both from SparkFun). The circuit was built on a mini breadboard, controlled by an
Arduino Mini
, and housed in an Altoids tin. To talk to the iPod the
Apple Accessory Protocol
is used. With driving in mind [David] connected a
Staples Easy Button
as the play/pause button. This is a good example of how to interface Arduino with iPod. Using
his example code
we’d like to see more people working on homemade iPod accessories. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "92644",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T16:44:40",
"content": "yet another arduino hack :)…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92649",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2009-09-08T17:13:52",
"... | 1,760,377,595.65617 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/apple-gives-c64-emulator-the-boot/ | Apple Gives C64 Emulator The Boot | Mike Szczys | [
"iphone hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"app store",
"apple",
"c64",
"comodore",
"emulator",
"hot coffee",
"iphone"
] | After making it to the top 20 in most regions, Apple has removed the
c64 emulator for the iPhone
from the App Store. Apparently the thorough app review process didn’t discover that the BASIC system had not been removed from the app, but was instead merely hidden.
Another revision of the emulator has been submitted for review but how long will that take? What is the review process for if they’re not looking deep enough to find specific functions they don’t want an app to have? Approving apps and pulling them a few days later is
another Hot Coffee waiting to happen
.
[
POCKET GAMER
via
Slashdot
] | 37 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "92895",
"author": "napalm",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T19:15:27",
"content": "This is a good reason why Apple sucks, they do the strangest things for the lamest reasons. How come their app team not catch that? (‘cus their not the sharpest tools in the shed)",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,595.731438 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/rotating-iphone-dock-from-legos/ | Rotating IPhone Dock From Legos | Mike Szczys | [
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cradle",
"dock",
"iphone",
"ipod touch",
"lego",
"rotate"
] | Hot on the heels of the
aluminum dock
and the
Lego camera mount
, [Steve] sent in his
iPhone/iPod Touch dock made out of Lego bricks
. It’s very stylish with a black and grey theme but we think the function makes this DIY spectacular. In the design [Steve] has included the ability to rotate the cradle so that the iPhone can be presented either vertically or horizontally. A step-by-step guide is not yet available but resourceful Lego lovers should be able to
build this using his flickr set
. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "92883",
"author": "Steven",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T18:22:02",
"content": "whats next",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92884",
"author": "OrderZero",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T18:27:48",
"content": "Lego robots that c... | 1,760,377,595.831956 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/trim-the-fat-from-gmail/ | Trim The Fat From Gmail | Chris Gilmer | [
"google hacks",
"Lifehacks"
] | [
"ad blocking",
"email",
"firefox",
"Gmail",
"google",
"greasemonkey",
"script"
] | Google’s Gmail is a highly viable option for email. With numerous features and options like widgets, a task list, labels, and chat, Gmail has a slight tendency to get overwhelming and might force us to loose focus on what it is really all about: email.
What can make Gmail better? For starters, how about no ads; they are cluttering and distracting. What about getting rid of the widgets and unnecessary features like labels and chat that we think are supposed to make us more productive but really only make us lose our focus to send, read and reply to email? Nobody knows Zen better than [Leo] at Zen Habits. We weren’t surprised that he and his friends (with Firefox and Greasemonkey) have found a way to
trim all the unnecessary elements from Gmail
and make it into an email powerhouse that focuses on a basic productive email client. The minimalist inbox for Gmail consists of Greasemonkey scripts for:
Removing gadgets
Hiding labels, chat and footer
Removing ads
Removing stars
Getting rid of the Gmail logo and searchbar
Removing menu navigation bar
Cleaning up and removing unnecessary buttons
To get started focusing on email, and only email, head on over to ZenHabits for a list of associated scripts and what exactly they can do to help you on your road to
the minimalist Gmail
. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "92875",
"author": "Matt",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T17:49:07",
"content": "What is this, Lifehacker?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92877",
"author": "Addictronics",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T17:53:29",
"content": "@M... | 1,760,377,595.883824 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/create-a-temporary-phone-number-with-inumbr/ | Create A Temporary Phone Number With Inumbr | Chris Gilmer | [
"Phone Hacks"
] | [
"google voice",
"inumbr",
"phone",
"privacy",
"security",
"temporary phone number"
] | Maybe you don’t want that one person that has barged into your life to know your private phone number? Could be a salesperson or a co-worker who you aren’t that impressed with, but have to get in contact with. Check out
inumbr
.
inumbr
is a free online service that gives US users the ability to set up a unique phone number, have it forwarded to any number within the US and then have it set to expire without a trace when finished with it. The unique inumbr’s are never reused, and can be extended if longer terms are required. Users choose from a list of 22 area codes from major US cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, select an expiry date and set a number that it should be forwarded to. When the term is up, the number is expired from the system, and never used again for any other user. If you wish to use the number at a later date, you can log into the inumbr system and reactivate it.
As we are becoming more and more mobile and security conscious, the desire for these types of services grows. A phone number can now be given out at will, with security and privacy remaining intact.
Google Voice
is a major player in this arena. A somewhat similar service, they allow for a unique number with voice mail to forward to other numbers at will, creating a masked or unidentified private number that can be used to give out to 3rd parties. inumbr makes this process simpler with the ability to cut off and reactivate numbers as desired. | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "92855",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T16:25:54",
"content": "This isn’t really new. Nor a hack… I have used it before when scam-baiting Nigerians though. Pretty useful for that because at any time you can just throw away the number and voila no more problems from angry ... | 1,760,377,596.086321 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/life-size-animatronic-wolf-tail/ | Life Size Animatronic Wolf Tail | Jakob Griffith | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"animatronic",
"Atmel",
"klixx",
"motion",
"tail",
"wolf"
] | We’re not 100% sure the usefulness of this hack, but it is extremely interesting regardless and will probably make a lot of
furries
happy.
WolfTronix
presents their method for creating a realistic
animatronic wolf tail
. It uses an Atmel MCU controlling two servos alongside a mess of
Klixx toys
and paper clips to produce a nice wag motion.
The guide
is extremely detailed and looks to be fun, so long as you don’t mind the monotonous task of shaving off potentially hundreds of ‘nubs’ as they call them. Either way, you’ll definitely have the best (and only…) tail on the block.
Thanks [J. Peterson] | 31 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "92838",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T15:30:27",
"content": "This man is going to make a lot of money if he produces these, I know furries who would pay any amount of money for one of these.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"commen... | 1,760,377,596.160397 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/09/windows-7-and-vista-crash-via-smb-exploit/ | Windows 7 And Vista Crash Via SMB Exploit | Mike Szczys | [
"computer hacks",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"bsod",
"smb",
"vista",
"vulnerability",
"windows",
"windows 7"
] | [Laurent Gaffié] has discovered an
exploit that affects Windows Vista, Windows 7
, and possibly Windows Server 2008 (unconfirmed). This method attacks via the NEGOTIATE PROTOCOL REQUEST which is the first SMB query sent. The vulnerability is present only on Windows versions that include
Server Message Block 2.0
and have the protocol enabled. A successful attack requires no local access to the machine and results in a
Blue Screen of Death
.
[Laurent] has a proof of concept available with his writeup in the form of a python script (please,
white hat
use only). There is no patch for this vulnerability but disabling the SMB protocol will protect your system until one is available.
Update:
According to the
Microsoft advisory
this vulnerability could lead to code execution, making it a bit worse than we thought. On the bright side, they claim that the final version of Windows 7 is not open to this attack, only Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
[via
Full Disclosure
]
[picture:
Inquirer
] | 40 | 39 | [
{
"comment_id": "92815",
"author": "The_Evil_Machinist",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T13:31:32",
"content": "99 bugs in the os that I use99 bugs in the osPatch one bugInstall the new bug fix,101 bugs left in the system that I use!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,377,596.407438 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/08/hand-of-man-mechanical-claw/ | Hand Of Man Mechanical Claw | James Munns | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"claw",
"hand",
"remote",
"robotics"
] | [Christian Ristow], a former Muppet creator, has created a much larger puppet that has caught the attention of
Popular Mechanics
. His
Hand of Man
is a 27 foot long remote control mechanical claw. Powered by a 90 hp diesel engine, the
hydraulic system
can be controlled by a glove worn by the operator. This started as a demonstration for a robotics fair, but has recently made appearances at
Burning Man
,
Maker Faire
, and had the Grand Champions seat of Popular Mechanic’s Backyard Geniuses Award. While not as practical as
some
robotic human
augmentations, it can crush a car. [Christian] is even allowing anyone who is interested at these events to pick things up and crush them at their own whim.
Various promo videos after the jump.
Burning Man 2008:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzy7UCBROzE]
Makers-Faire 2009:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym5SzKC03zw]
Popular Science BG Award Video
[photo
Popular Mechanics
] | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "92733",
"author": "monkeyslayer56",
"timestamp": "2009-09-09T02:08:03",
"content": "now to get 2 of these 2 legs similar to theses and have a harness in the middle and valla a mec bot (over simplified…)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment... | 1,760,377,596.227715 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/06/aluminum-iphone-dock/ | Aluminum IPhone Dock | Jakob Griffith | [
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks"
] | [
"aluminum",
"apple",
"dock",
"iphone",
"ipod"
] | Last week we mentioned an article to
cover up
that ugly iPod dock; [Jozerworx] did one better by creating his own
iPhone dock
entirely. He had access to a machine shop where he combined some spare aluminum with an existing iPhone connection cable, but mentions the dock could probably be created with basic hand tools and a power drill. The design is quite minimalist and we would go as far as to say it has that
shiny-and-made-by-apple-so-I-have-to-buy-one
look. Alternatively, frosted acrylic with some leds would probably look pretty cool too, maybe it would blink whenever there is activity. What kind of dock would you hack? | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "92321",
"author": "OrderZero",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T01:56:51",
"content": "Very simple yet very fitting, I like it :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92330",
"author": "nave.notnilc",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T03:50:3... | 1,760,377,596.473012 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/06/hack-a-day-turns-5/ | Hack A Day Turns 5 | Mike Szczys | [
"News"
] | [
"birthday"
] | September 5th marks the fifth anniversary of Hack a Day. We hope you’ve had as much fun hacking, reading, and sending us stories as we’ve had sharing them with everyone.
Whether you
destroyed your hard drives
or
built your own web server
we tried to keep things interesting over the past year. It was easy at times because of
cool parking meter hacks
, great advances in the world of
hackintosh
, and
steam powered pleasure devices
. But we couldn’t have done any of it without you. So
keep reading
, don’t forget to
send us your hacks
, and we’ll serve up the latest and juciest as we find it. We thought about putting up a list of the best hacks we’ve covered over the last five years. We’d rather hear what you think, so please leave a comment to let us know what your favorites have been. | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "92316",
"author": "Alex",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T01:03:16",
"content": "This was my favoritehttp://hackaday.com/2009/04/03/cnc-music-factory-still-alive/",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92317",
"author": "jamieriddles",
... | 1,760,377,596.535062 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/06/firefox-css-hack-change-navigation-icons/ | Firefox CSS Hack: Change Navigation Icons | Mike Szczys | [
"firefox hacks"
] | [
"classic.jar",
"css",
"firefox",
"home",
"icon"
] | Why settle for the standard home icon on your browser? If your home button brings you to
hackaday.com
, why not make the icon reflect that destination? This hack is quick and simple. We’ll take you through it using Firefox 3 and the default theme with standard sized icons.
We start by using our favorite
graphics program to make an icon
that is 24×24 pixels, and then saved is as a PNG file without compression.
To use the new image as a home icon, we edited a
Cascading Style Sheet
which is stored in the file
classic.jar
. On Ubuntu 9.04, this was found in
/usr/lib/firefox-3.0.13/chrome/
but
the file will be located elsewhere
on other operating systems. We made a backup of
classic.jar
and then unzipped the contents (
JARs
are basically the same as zip files).
In the unzipped archive, we navigated to the folder
/skin/classic/browser/
and opened
browser.css
using a text editor. This is where the magic happens and although we only changed the home button icon, there’s a lot more possibilities you should look into. We changed the
#home-button
entry so that the image URL pointed to our new file using the file:/// format. Here’s what ours looked like after the change:
#home-button {
list-style-image: url("file:///path_to_our_icon/hackaday-icon.png");
}
We saved this file, then zipped up the file structure back into a file called
classic.jar
and copied it to the same location we originally found it. A quick restart of Firefox showed the new icon. Let us know your other Firefox tweaks in the comments!
Update:
[Colby] pointed out that this type of CSS change should be made in the “userChrome.css” file. He’s right and here’s how:
Find your user profile directory
and go to the “chrome” sub-directory inside of it. Create the file “userChrome.css”; there may already be an example file that you can just rename. The important bit of this CSS file is the namespace line that tells Firefox how to use it. Here is what ours looks like:
@namespace url("http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul"); /* set default namespace to XUL */
#home-button {
list-style-image: url("file:///path_to_our_icon/hackaday-icon.png") !important;
}
In order to get Firefox to listen to our new icon we had to had the “!important” keyword. Now just restart firefox and bask in the glory of your new home icon. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "92298",
"author": "EdZ",
"timestamp": "2009-09-06T22:40:46",
"content": "Shouldn’t this be done as a theme, or is this theme-independent?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92300",
"author": "Colby Russell",
"timestamp": "2... | 1,760,377,596.706942 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/06/open-source-digital-camera/ | Open Source Digital Camera | Mike Szczys | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"frankencamera",
"open source",
"SLR",
"stanford"
] | Those brainy folks over at Stanford are
working on an open source digital camera
. This is an effort to advance what they call “computational photography”. Basically they’re looking to combine some of the functionality of
Photoshop
or
Gimp
right into the camera. One example they discuss is utilizing an algorithm to even out the light levels from one side of the picture to the other. Another trick they’ve already accomplished in the lab is increasing the resolution of full motion video. They take a full resolution photo once every few frames and use the computing power of the camera to incorporate that information into the low-res frames around it.
We like the idea of being able to get at the firmware that runs on our digital cameras. Going with open source would certainly provide that access, but cost will be an issue. The Stanford team hopes to produce a model of what they now call Frankencamera that sells for “less than $1000”.
[via
crave
] | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "92288",
"author": "sean",
"timestamp": "2009-09-06T21:09:24",
"content": "to me this is something that should have been expected, it’s like the next evolution of CHDK",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "92290",
"author": "dfsdfd... | 1,760,377,596.60057 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/09/06/cellphone-controlled-home/ | Cellphone-controlled Home | Jake W | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"computer hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"68hc705j1",
"ermes125",
"home automation",
"motorola",
"pic"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/exTpD0–BCo]
[Tixlegeek] used a Motorola 68HC705J1 development board to remotely
control his home
through his cellphone. The video above, as well as [Tixlegeek]’s website, is in French, though the video has been captioned. The development board (called the
ERMES125
) is controlled by a PIC externally. It has an array of LEDs, and apperantly a few high voltage relays. The PIC is connected to a laptop through a serial interface. The laptop is running a small web server, which uses
CGI
to control the PIC from a webpage. This system allows [Tixlegeek] to log onto the webpage from his web enabled phone, click a few buttons, and have appliances turn on or off through relays controlled by
the PIC
(via serial signals from the laptop). | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "92315",
"author": "jimmys",
"timestamp": "2009-09-07T00:01:49",
"content": "Nice job of pulling it all together into a useful system. I prefer to have both feedback sensors and a watchdog circuit on any remotely activated, mains powered project, though.Using UL rated COTS equipment ... | 1,760,377,596.650663 |
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