url stringlengths 37 208 | title stringlengths 4 148 | author stringclasses 173 values | publish_date stringclasses 1 value | categories listlengths 0 12 | tags listlengths 0 27 | featured_image stringlengths 0 272 | content stringlengths 0 56.1k | comments_count int64 0 900 | scraped_comments_count int64 0 50 | comments listlengths 0 50 | scraped_at float64 1.76B 1.76B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://hackaday.com/2009/08/03/defcon-status-at-a-hosting-company/ | Defcon Status At A Hosting Company | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"computer hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"error status",
"hosting",
"server maintenance"
] | [Aaron] has been working at iweb hosting for about 5 years. When he started, the number of servers was small enough that managing them was fairly painless and could be done by just manually verifying that everything was operational. As the number of servers grew, this task became more and more difficult. They employed various methods of tracking problems, but found them all lacking in one way or another. They got an idea to
build a Defcon status page
based on all of the information collected about their server status. The page was built and all rejoiced. As with most projects, they just couldn’t leave it alone. Next, they built an android app to be able to see the defcon status from their phones. As cool as that was, they felt they needed to have yet another way to keep track. They What you see above is the prototype for the office defcon status display. It is extremely simple, using an Arduino (yes, we know, massive overkill) to receive status updates to change the display number. [Aaron] says that right now it is a mess, and you have to shield it from the light with your hands to see it, but it works. What should the next step be? A giant Alpha Numeric LED indicator? A nixie tube? | 33 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "83908",
"author": "The Moogle",
"timestamp": "2009-08-03T14:30:09",
"content": "why the hell is he using transistors?total fail lol",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83910",
"author": "Xargle",
"timestamp": "2009-08-03T14:... | 1,760,377,620.308891 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/08/03/diamond-thermal-paste/ | Diamond Thermal Paste | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arctic silver 5",
"diamond",
"overclocking",
"paste",
"silicon grease",
"Thermal"
] | [Jared Bouck] over at InventGeek writes about
his experience making his own thermal paste
. Diamonds can be up to five times as thermally conductive as silver, the primary ingredient in most popular thermal compounds. He combines 60,000 mesh diamond dust he ordered off eBay with non-conductive silicon grease using a special mixer he constructed to keep down the dust. After some experimentation he achieved a max load temperature of 38 degrees Celsius versus a leading silver paste’s temperature of 57c on the same system. | 48 | 47 | [
{
"comment_id": "83895",
"author": "mr. sandman",
"timestamp": "2009-08-03T12:56:32",
"content": "sure, it keeps the cpu cool, but what about the longevity of the paste?would something like this last for a couple of years with no re-application?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies"... | 1,760,377,620.499912 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/08/01/smartphone-anti-virus-software/ | Smartphone Anti-virus Software | Zach Banks | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"anti-virus",
"av",
"Black Hat",
"black hat 2009",
"cellphone",
"defcon",
"defcon17",
"defcon2009",
"flexilis",
"pda",
"security",
"smartphone"
] | With
DEFCON
and
Black Hat
going on, a lot of security issues are being made public. This year, cellphones have been a larger target than before. More and more people are carrying complex smartphones that have more ways to go wrong. Even worse, since phones are tied to a billed account, it is possible for malicious software to charge phones discreetly. However,
Flexilis
promises to keep your phone safe. It’s a free mobile anti-virus that works on most smartphones and PDAs with more clients in the works. It also provides easy backup and recovery options, as well as the ability to wipe the phone if it’s lost. The phone makers really need to fix the probelms, but in the meantime Flexilis can provide a quick response.
[via
WSJ Digits
] | 37 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "83776",
"author": "tatsh",
"timestamp": "2009-08-01T15:01:57",
"content": "Windows Mobile has IE as its default browser. I bet that is getting the most attacks. This is not the vendors’ faults, this is Microsoft AS USUAL.Who can you trust? Microsoft makes an insecure system regardle... | 1,760,377,620.241849 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/31/defcon-17-badge-details-released/ | Defcon 17: Badge Details Released | Nick Caiello | [
"News"
] | [
"badge",
"Black Hat",
"black hat 2009",
"defcon",
"defcon17",
"defcon2009",
"grand",
"wired"
] | Defcon
is upon us once again, and that can only mean one thing: new badge designs. Our friends over at Wired posted the picture above along with a description of
this year’s new badge
. Since our
last post
, there has been little new information released regarding the components used for the new badge. However, we now know that it utilizes a microphone and a full color LED along with the Freescale mc56f8006, an advanced digital signal processing microcontroller. [Grand], the badge designer, told Wired that while this year’s design is a bit simplified compared to
last year’s design
, it is not nearly as easy to hack. Just like last year, the functionality of the badge hasn’t been announced yet. We’re hoping for some kind of communicator. Be sure to check out
Wired’s article
if you want to see the high res pictures. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "83710",
"author": "St.Jimmy",
"timestamp": "2009-07-31T19:05:02",
"content": "full-colour led?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83713",
"author": "digidev",
"timestamp": "2009-07-31T19:23:29",
"content": "@St.Jimmymay... | 1,760,377,620.171389 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/31/1wire-attic-cooling/ | 1wire Attic Cooling | Steve Watkins | [
"computer hacks",
"home hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Uncategorized"
] | [
"1-wire",
"Attic",
"Attic fan",
"controller",
"electronics",
"usb",
"x-10"
] | [RagingComputer] built this
1-wire attic cooling
fan. He’s using an Ubuntu server loaded with
OWFS
to control everything. The
1-wire
temperature sensor is interfaced using USB while a serial x10 module sends out commands to be received by another x10 module near the fan. Back in the day we had covered a
linux home automation
project. We also covered HVAC hacks such as the
smart attic fan
and a
1-Wire HVAC monitoring system
. | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "83697",
"author": "jeremiah",
"timestamp": "2009-07-31T17:19:30",
"content": "seems like something better suited for an arduino, actually. Rather than have an entire PC taken up with the task of managing this, one could have an arduino powered by a small solar panel, or even a plai... | 1,760,377,620.422527 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/29/music-visualizer-oscilloscope/ | Music Visualizer (oscilloscope) | Steve Watkins | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"home hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"crt",
"music",
"oscilloscope",
"tv",
"TV Oscilloscope",
"video",
"visualizer"
] | The Music visualizer
is actually a second build based on an earlier design[Thanks Roger]. The build was influenced by Zyra’s
How to make an oscilloscope out of a television
. The hack is quite simple, patch the output of an amplifier into the vertical deflection coils of the CRT. This is a good use for that old TV you may have laying around but don’t want to recycle it just yet. While on the subject we had covered the
Mac SE/30 audio visualizer
in 2006. For those looking for something a little more hard core, here is a bit about
Homemade cathode ray tubes
. | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "83472",
"author": "zake",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T18:53:12",
"content": "Simple(ish) sawtooth oscillator (/|/|/| etc) and triggering circuit = great success.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83478",
"author": "bcoblentz",
... | 1,760,377,620.057406 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/29/perpetual-ball-roller/ | Perpetual Ball Roller | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"kinetic",
"PICAXE",
"sculpture"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te9X4VRj8dU]
This interesting little sculpture caught our eye. Called the
Perpetual Ball Roller
, it simply rolls a ball on a track. It has both manual and automatic modes with variations in the automatic mode to keep it amusing. This is very elegant, and would be fun to have sitting around to play with. The only problem is the noise. The servo that he is using is quite loud. What could he do to make it function silently?
[via
Instructables
] | 45 | 45 | [
{
"comment_id": "83443",
"author": "Skyte",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T16:35:18",
"content": "If you spring mount the rail – you could use an electromagnet to compress one of the springs. Totally silent – no motors.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,377,620.572418 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/29/intografix-portable-turbografix/ | IntoGrafix: Portable TurboGrafix | Caleb Kraft | [
"Portable Video Hacks"
] | [
"turbo graphics",
"turbografix"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xb6KRD8Aso]
[Bacteria] tipped us off to his latest
portable system mod called IntoGrafix
. The
TurboGrafix-16
was awesome when it was released. the graphics were, compared to Nintendo, astonishing. Its games were these little cards, like a thick credit card. [Bacteria] wanted to revive his old one in a more portable fashion. He designed a custom case to fit the whole thing into, which is pretty impressive itself. The screen is the trusty old PSone screen. The last time we saw a TurboGrafix, it was in a
mini Arcade cabinet
. | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "83429",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T14:47:31",
"content": "Remarkable work as is evidenced by this remark I’m making right here.emulators, shmemulators, this is some really incredible work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,620.622908 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/28/rotary-dect-phone/ | Rotary DECT Phone | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"DECT",
"phone"
] | [Al] sent us over to his
Rotary DECT phone project
, and we think its pretty cool. He’s attending
Hacking At Random
, and as usual, there will be a
DECT network
there. Rather than having a normal DECT handset like everyone else, [Al] wanted something a little homier. He chose to combine the guts of the DECT handset into an old rotary phone. He had to use an Arduino to convert the rotary output to someting the DECT handset could use. There’s plenty more information as well as some source code on the project page. | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "83348",
"author": "concino",
"timestamp": "2009-07-28T18:09:06",
"content": "HackaDay: your link is messed up.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83349",
"author": "concino",
"timestamp": "2009-07-28T18:10:25",
"content... | 1,760,377,620.11621 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/28/making-a-tilt-shift-lens/ | Making A Tilt-shift Lens | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"lens",
"tilt-shift",
"time-lapse"
] | [Bhautik] is on
version 2 of his tilt-shift lens
, and wrote in to share what he has learned. Some aspects of the design on version 1 made it a bit quirky to use. You had to hold the lens in place, manually adjusting the focus. This meant that no two shots were the same. Since [Bhautik] wanted to do time lapse with it, he needed to re design it. He kept it simple and cheap, around $22 total. Version two takes a lot longer to setup for the shot, but the result is reproducible. This means he can make
his tilt-shift time lapse videos
. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "83327",
"author": "AS",
"timestamp": "2009-07-28T14:19:33",
"content": "Not to sound stupid, but nowhere on his site or here does it describe what this is for – any hints?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83329",
"author": "a... | 1,760,377,620.359469 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/27/hack-a-day-shirts-at-defcon/ | Hack A Day Shirts At Defcon | Eliot | [
"cons",
"News"
] | [
"defcon",
"hack a day t-shirt",
"john keppel",
"shirt",
"tank top",
"tshirt"
] | We’ve printed [John Keppel]’s winning t-shirt design. They’ll be available for purchase in the vendor area at Defcon. If you’re at the con, pick one up because we don’t have any plans yet to distribute them online. We will have a small number of women’s tank tops as well. See you there! | 53 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "83255",
"author": "allonby",
"timestamp": "2009-07-28T01:43:31",
"content": "do want! please do something with these where i could purchase online!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83257",
"author": "JimXugle",
"timestamp... | 1,760,377,620.930567 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/27/sewer-clog-alert-system/ | Sewer Clog Alert System | Zach Banks | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"alert",
"alert system",
"clog",
"python",
"sms",
"txt",
"xbee"
] | [miketysklar] noticed that a local business was having trouble with their sewage lines. People kept flushing tampons down toilets and it ended up clogging the pump. They had already installed a set of lights and horns to go off when it clogged, but they were hoping for SMS capability so they would know wherever they were.
The new system
piggybacks off the flashing lights by
powering an XBee
when they are activated. The signal it sends is recieved by another XBee attached to a computer running a
python script
. The script then sends a SMS via email to the poor fellow who has to fix it.
Related:
Wireless Bootloading | 34 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "83253",
"author": "barry99705",
"timestamp": "2009-07-28T01:13:43",
"content": "That’s both cool and awful at the same time. Could have used something similar to this at my wife’s old office building. The sewer line wasn’t tilted enough so by the time anything made it to the main ... | 1,760,377,620.833522 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/31/text-on-an-oscilloscope/ | Text On An Oscilloscope | Caleb Kraft | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"display",
"oscilloscope",
"text"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLpfq4tHZxE]
This is an interesting little toy. A tiny board that can
display text on an oscilloscope
. The components, or rather just component, is a PIC16F628A. Aside from a power supply, that’s it. It can display 10 characters at a time and, as you can see above, scroll them as well. We don’t really know of a practical use for this, but it would make a nice practical joke tool. If you want some more complicated oscilloscope effects, check out
Tennis for Two
.
[via
HackedGadgets
] | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "83683",
"author": "james burgett",
"timestamp": "2009-07-31T14:00:50",
"content": "I have a synertek sym-1 that has an option for using a scope as a display.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83686",
"author": "chicosoft",
... | 1,760,377,621.383602 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/30/black-hat-2009-parking-meter-hacking/ | Black Hat 2009: Parking Meter Hacking | Eliot | [
"cons",
"Security Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"Black Hat",
"black hat 2009",
"chris tarnovsky",
"jacob appelbaum",
"joe grand",
"parking",
"parking meters",
"sf",
"sfmta",
"silver card",
"smart card",
"transportation"
] | For day two of Black Hat, we sat in on on [Joe Grand], [Jacob Appelbaum], and [Chris Tarnovsky]’s study of the electronic parking meter industry. They decided to study parking meters because they are available everywhere, but rarely considered from a security perspective.
They focused on the San Francisco’s MTA implementation of electronic smart card meters. To start they purchased several meters on eBay just to see the different styles. SF MTA lets you purchase disposable payment cards with values of $20 or $50. They decided to sniff the interaction between the meter and the smartcard using a shim. With that first capture they were able to easily replay the transaction. This didn’t require a smartcard reader, just an oscilloscope. They then took the attack a little further.
[Joe] built a smartcard emulator using a PIC16F648A. They used it to capture multiple transactions and then decoded the interactions by hand. Luckily, the card was using the
IEC 7816
standard so they had some insight into the protocol. They found that the card has a stored maximum value and only writes how many times the value has been decremented. As a proof of concept, they change the maximum value, which you can see on the meter above. They could also have just changed the acknowledgement so that the card never writes any deductions.
The PIC16F648A was a good choice because it’s available in a smart card format called a ‘silver card’. You can find the emulator code and slides from the talk
on [Joe]’s site about the project
. | 53 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "83633",
"author": "speedpsycho",
"timestamp": "2009-07-30T23:11:21",
"content": "well this could be useful! haha",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83636",
"author": "hah",
"timestamp": "2009-07-30T23:27:02",
"content":... | 1,760,377,621.027968 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/30/lazy-mans-usb-rfid-reader/ | Lazy Man’s USB RFID Reader | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"rfid"
] | [Don] had some Serial RFID readers that he needed to
work and be powered by USB
. He went out and purchased a simple serial to USB converter, but was left with the problem of the operating voltage. He supplies the schematics on his site for his solution. Basically he gutted the converter and integrated it all with the appropriate voltage broken out. The final project is nice, using the serial to USB convert as the project box and even including a nice LED to show when an RFID tag has been read. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "83622",
"author": "first",
"timestamp": "2009-07-30T20:44:13",
"content": "first… and cue uppity replies from everyone who can do it better but has never done it in321",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83623",
"author": "super... | 1,760,377,621.08265 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/30/amazing-robot-dexterity/ | Amazing Robot Dexterity | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"crab fu",
"dexterity",
"high speed",
"personification"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfdHY26E2jc]
Ishikawa Komuro Laboratories
are doing some amazing stuff with robots right now. The video above starts out looking like a clumsy and somewhat failed attempt at dribbling a ping pong ball. Once it goes into slow motion however, we see the true action. This robot is dribbling that ball amazingly. Utilizing 1000 FPS cameras, it readjusts and hits the ball on every bounce. As the ball drifts out of the reach of the bot, suddenly we are struck with the lifelike motion.
Personification
can be a fleeting thing, appearing so strongly as the little bot tries in vain to reach for that ball, then disappearing again an instant later. If you really want to see some personification worthy of the
crab fu challenge
, check out their
tool manipulation by a multi fingered hand video
.
[via
BotJunkie
] | 37 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "83582",
"author": "g3n",
"timestamp": "2009-07-30T14:29:30",
"content": "Wow.amazing.scary.nothing else to say.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83584",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2009-07-30T14:31:16",
"content"... | 1,760,377,621.267245 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/29/black-hat-2009-breaking-ssl-with-null-characters/ | Black Hat 2009: Breaking SSL With Null Characters | Eliot | [
"cons",
"downloads hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"Black Hat",
"black hat 2009",
"CA",
"certificate authority",
"firefox",
"moxie marlinspike",
"nss",
"ssl",
"sslsniff",
"sslstrip"
] | Update:
The video of [Moxie]’s presentation
is now online
.
[Moxie Marlinspike] appeared on our radar back in February when he showed
sslstrip at Black Hat DC
. It was an amazing piece of software that could hijack and rewrite all SSL connections. The differences between a legitimate site and the hijacked ones were very hard to notice. He recently stumbled across something thing that makes the attack even more effective.
If you apply for a certificate, the certificate authority looks at the common name on the form and contacts the domain owner. The CA ignores the subdomain. The trick is to drop in a null character in the subdomain. If you register,
http://www.paypal.com[null
character].thoughtcrime.org, the CA will contact the owner of thoughtcrime.org and issue the cert. When clients like Firefox use NSS to verify the cert, the null character causes them to think the certficate is valid for
http://www.paypal.com
because they stop at the null character. Even if the person examines the cert in their browser, it will show
http://www.paypal.com
.
Wildcards work as well. You could get a certificate for *[null character].thoughtcrime.org and appear as any site you want. [Moxie] has worked out ways to prevent certificate revocation and browser updates too. This new code will be part of
sslsniff
0.6.
[Apologies for the odd notation. WordPress apparently strips null characters…] | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "83503",
"author": "Smokes",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T22:03:46",
"content": "Auch",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83513",
"author": "stevecrozz",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T22:55:31",
"content": "yeah, ouch is right",
... | 1,760,377,621.472096 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/29/black-hat-2009-powerline-and-optical-keysniffing/ | Black Hat 2009: Powerline And Optical Keysniffing | Eliot | [
"cons",
"Laser Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"andrea barisani",
"atxmega128a1",
"AVR",
"Black Hat",
"black hat 2009",
"con",
"conference",
"daniele bianco",
"hacker conference",
"hackercon",
"keylogger",
"las vegas",
"ps2",
"sniffer",
"usb"
] | The 2009 edition of the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas has just begun. The first interesting talk we saw was [Andrea Barisani] and [Daniele Bianco]’s
Sniff Keystrokes With Lasers/Voltmeters
. They presented two methods for Tempest style eavesdropping of keyboards.
The first attack was against PS/2 keyboards. Inside the PS/2 cord, the data line isn’t shielded very well from the ground line, so all data could end up being transmitted back to the building’s electrical ground. The clock signal is also very slow compared to other signals generated by the computer. At about 10-16.7kHz, it should be easy to sample and filter out of the ground noise. They decided to monitor the ground line in an outlet 20meters from the keyboard in question. They used a ~150ohm resistor between the electrical ground and their reference ground. The reference ground was the building’s plumbing and is used to determine what’s actually noise in the electrical ground. They measured the voltage drop across the resistor and used finite impulse response to act as a bandpass filter for 1-20kHz. They were easily able to pick up the keyboard’s signal. It worked so well that they built a remote monitoring board that uses an AVR ATxmega128A1 to do the sampling and send the data over ethernet. In closing, they noted that USB uses differential signaling which should negate any leakage but the processor is more intensive and may end up being easy to pick up. They also stated that many ATMs are probably using PS/2 style keypads that leak this information.
For the second part of their talk, they covered using lasers to collect keystrokes. They pointed a laser at the back of a laptop lid and recorded the resulting vibrations just like a normal laser mic (closer to the hinge provided a cleaner signal). One of the first things they noticed was that the spacebar, being physically larger, created a very distinct signal that was much larger than all others. They used this information to determine where word breaks were. By comparing the captured waveforms to each other using dynamic time warping, they could determine the letter patterns. They then used these sequences with a dictionary to figure out what words had the same pattern and made sense in the same order. It worked quite well and they said it would go much faster if you can guess the context. They mentioned that logos on laptop lids were very reflective and worked well even in daylight and through glass.
You can find
whitepapers and example code on their site
. | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "83495",
"author": "addictronics",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T21:42:49",
"content": "*pulls out tin foil hatneat stuff!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83504",
"author": "Smokes",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T22:04:25",
"co... | 1,760,377,621.323834 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/29/1-wire-hvac-monitoring-system/ | 1-Wire HVAC Monitoring System | Steve Watkins | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"home hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"controller",
"electronics",
"Heat pump",
"hvac",
"microcontroller",
"Monitoring",
"SCADA"
] | The 1
-Wire HVAC monitoring system
is for residential Geothermal HVAC systems. This project utilizes the so called
1-wire temperature sensor
. A single board computer handles the brunt of the work including
web accessible trend data
. With access to the underling temperatures, the over all system performance may be gauged. Earlier this year we covered a
HVAC web enabled monitor
that adds an element of control. As the industry adopts modern control architectures, we hope to see more HVAC hacks around. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "83490",
"author": "RagingComputer",
"timestamp": "2009-07-29T21:04:39",
"content": "ourcoolhouse inspired me to use 1wire in my attic cooling. cool house indeedhttp://www.ragingcomputer.com/archives/101",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment... | 1,760,377,621.196618 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/27/scanner-sensor-multi-touch/ | Scanner Sensor Multi Touch | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"multi touch",
"openframeworks",
"scanner",
"visioneer"
] | [vimeo= http://vimeo.com/5765795]
[Kyle McDonald] had a Visioneer XP 100 portable scanner laying around, so he started trying to come up with alternative uses for it. In the video above, we can see a
multitouch setup
rigged together using
Openframeworks
in Ubuntu. As you can see in the video, there’s some considerable lag. That is due to the 250-500 ms of buffering built into the scanner. It does have nice resolution; 10k pixels wide at 60 fps, so it has to be useful for something (aside from scanning). Anyone got any ideas?
He says
if the field of view was wider, he’d use it on a river bed to watch fish. | 28 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "83207",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-27T16:50:18",
"content": "Could make a good thermin if he brings the lag down.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83210",
"author": "dreamspending",
"timestamp": "2009-07-27T17... | 1,760,377,621.544819 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/27/stereo-guitar/ | Stereo Guitar | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"guitar",
"music",
"stereo"
] | [Megatronix] wrote in to show us this pretty crazy guitar mod. He has re wired the pickups to make the guitar a “
Stereo Guitar
“. Generally, the two pickup locations on a guitar are there to provide tonal variation. You can adjust the influence of each to get the sound you want. [Megatronix] decided to re wire the setup so that one is the left channel and one is the right. Thus providing actual stereo sound from his guitar. This will limit his tonal variation considerably, but should at least serve as a proof of concept. We really want to hear a recording of it in action though. | 39 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "83190",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2009-07-27T14:39:47",
"content": "Stereo Guitars were big in the 80’s. The coolest part is to mess with channel-varying effects. Cool hack!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83191",
"au... | 1,760,377,621.666852 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/26/nokia-schematics-via-shenzhen/ | Nokia Schematics Via Shenzhen | Zach Banks | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"handhelds hacks",
"News"
] | [
"bunnie",
"cellphone",
"china",
"electronics",
"leak",
"nokia",
"phone",
"repair",
"schematics",
"teardown"
] | The
silicon hacker
behind the
Chumby
, [bunnie huang], was browsing through the
Mobile Phone Megamarket
in Shenzhen, China and stumbled upon an unusual repair book. It turns out the book had the
schematics to hundreds of Nokia phones
. It’s hard to tell if they are legitimate, but the amount of information makes them seem so. [bunnie] claims that the book is a learning experience because it shows how some sub-circuits are implemented. Also, it can be a good reference for sourcing parts. Since Nokia buys millions of each component, the supply of parts they use are stable. There are also editions for other brands, such as Motorola and Samsung. | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "83126",
"author": "threepointone",
"timestamp": "2009-07-27T01:12:34",
"content": "I’ve seen similar schematics on the ‘net before. Pretty sure these are legit (or at least real)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83129",
"auth... | 1,760,377,621.827546 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/26/doorway-subwoofer/ | Doorway Subwoofer | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"discojones",
"infinite baffle",
"speaker",
"subwoofer"
] | We’ve seen some crazy speaker builds in the past (
massive folded horns
for example). [DiscoJones] wanted to build a set of speakers that could reach very low frequencies and be very efficient. Instead of constructing a large box, he built a
baffle that could be placed in a doorway
and use the blocked off room as an enclosure. It has eight 12inch subwoofers, eight midrange drivers, and four tweeters. The speakers are fairly cheap and he built a simple crossover to help them work a little better together. The goal was always deep bass though, so don’t expect very high fidelity from a setup like this. | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "83117",
"author": "psuedonymous",
"timestamp": "2009-07-27T00:00:57",
"content": "Aw, I was hoping he’d actuated an actual door to provide REALLY low frequency bass.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83119",
"author": "sizzle"... | 1,760,377,622.033164 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/26/thin-client-as-robot-platform/ | Thin Client As Robot Platform | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"aa",
"amd",
"extra ketchup",
"gentoo",
"geode",
"robot",
"thinclient"
] | [Extra Ketchup] has a couple Neoware thin clients and thought they would
make a good robotics platform
. It’s a Geode based board that came with Windows CE. He built a small Gentoo system to fit on the 130MB solid state drive. He likes the idea of using it as a platform because the board has serial, parallel, and USB support. The best part is shown above; it can run off of just 4 AA’s. | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "83112",
"author": "Brownsy67",
"timestamp": "2009-07-26T23:16:18",
"content": "This may be simple stuff for some, and this may seem like a noob comment….But seeing a computer run off of 4 AA’s blows my freakin mind.can’t wait to see what kind of robot(s) this will be used on.",
... | 1,760,377,621.73255 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/26/dencon/ | DENCON | Eliot | [
"cons",
"News"
] | [
"defcon",
"defcon17",
"jason scott",
"las vegas",
"pdp-11",
"retro",
"vintage computing",
"vintagetech"
] | Defcon
, the world’s largest hacker convention, is this coming weekend in Las Vegas. While the convention generally focuses on breaking new technology, digital archivist [Jason Scott] has an interesting surprise for attendees this year. With some help from
VintageTech
, he’ll be assembling a
massive den of retro computing machinery
. They’ll have fully functional systems like the
PDP-11/70
for people to play with. It sure to be one of the more unique things to see at the con. | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "83108",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2009-07-26T22:11:45",
"content": "Good way to warm up that water…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83109",
"author": "Jim",
"timestamp": "2009-07-26T22:27:01",
"content"... | 1,760,377,622.111895 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/25/propeller-based-terminal/ | Propeller-based Terminal | Zach Banks | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"briel",
"electronics",
"kits",
"microcontroller",
"parallax",
"propeller",
"ps2",
"serial",
"term",
"terminal",
"vga",
"video"
] | [Vince Briel] has created an embedded device based on the
Parallax Propeller chip
that acts as a serial terminal. It takes input from a standard PS/2 keyboard and outputs color VGA. It also has a second serial port to connect to a PC for debugging or programming. He is selling kits and has the schematics available. The board has a lot of hacking potential and it could easily be made into a video game or a
Wikipedia browser
.
[via
RetroThing
] | 15 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "83059",
"author": "Oldbitcollector",
"timestamp": "2009-07-25T22:53:27",
"content": "Awesome Vince. Any chance we’ll see you at UPENE?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83076",
"author": "kevin mcguigan",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,622.237903 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/25/vacuum-gloves-for-climbing-buildings/ | Vacuum Gloves For Climbing Buildings | Zach Banks | [
"Transportation Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"bang goes that theory",
"bbc",
"climb",
"gloves",
"jem stansfield",
"suction",
"vacuum"
] | Suction is incredibly powerful and can be put to use in
several
different
ways
. [Jem Stansfield] built a set of vacuum gloves for a BBC TV series to show how powerful suction really is. He climbed up the side of a 100 foot building, yet had to rely on his safety line near the top. The video of his daring ascension after the jump.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXhyyD2Ddcw%5D
[via
DVICE
] | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "83053",
"author": "Tyler",
"timestamp": "2009-07-25T21:24:26",
"content": "A little bit better than Adam Savage.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "83055",
"author": "Oliver Mattos",
"timestamp": "2009-07-25T22:02:43",
... | 1,760,377,622.184125 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/25/custom-flex-sensors/ | Custom Flex Sensors | Zach Banks | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cheap",
"custom",
"diy",
"electronics",
"esd",
"flex",
"instructables",
"power glove",
"sensor"
] | Flex sensors, like the ones used in the
Nintendo Power Glove
, are generally expensive and hard to find. However, [jiovine] demonstrates that they are easy enough to
make from spare parts
. He sandwiched a strip of plastic from ESD bags between pieces of copper foil, and wrapped the whole thing in heat shrink tubing. The sensor is able to detect bends in either direction, unlike the original power glove sensors. His version had a nominal resistance of about 20k ohms, but by choosing a different resistive layer you could create sensors that are more or less resistive.
Related:
5-cent tilt sensor | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "83049",
"author": "Xeracy",
"timestamp": "2009-07-25T20:29:14",
"content": "there are also ductape+conductive thread diy flex sensors on the sidebar of that instructable. this one however, seems much more robust.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,622.299051 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/24/pet-squirting-waterwall/ | Pet-squirting Waterwall | Zach Banks | [
"computer hacks",
"home hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"cats",
"diy",
"electronics",
"intrusion",
"ir",
"motion sensing",
"parallel port",
"pets",
"squirt",
"sump.org",
"water",
"water pump",
"webcam"
] | Sometimes, pets need to be
trained to stay away
from certain things. Over at sump.org, his cats needed to be kept out of his room. He used their natural fear of water by
creating the waterwall
, a motion-sensing device that sprays water. The project is incredibly simple and uses very few components. It is based around an IR intrusion detector and a windshield washer pump. Although that worked well enough, he also hooked it up to his computer via the parallel port so that
he could take pictures
as the cats (or people) are sprayed. Although the project is old, it shows how few components are really needed to achieve this kind of behavior.
Related:
Motion detecting cat toy
[thanks todd] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "82991",
"author": "Namelesswonder",
"timestamp": "2009-07-25T01:39:32",
"content": "Cats don’t fear water, They are just lazy. Lions will just go ahead and swim across a river just to get food. But it is a good project, But it probably won’t keep humans away, For one they will atlea... | 1,760,377,622.428685 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/24/greenhouse-guard/ | Greenhouse Guard | Zach Banks | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"air",
"arduino",
"controller",
"diy",
"electronics",
"fan",
"greenhouse",
"grow",
"heater",
"light",
"microcontroller",
"pid",
"plants",
"relay",
"soil",
"water",
"xbee"
] | [Seth King] sent in his latest hack where he used an Arduino to
regulate various aspects of a greenhouse
. He has sensors for soil and air temperature as well as light and moisture. He
built a custom circuit
that uses relays to power fans, lights, and heaters. Using timers and the sensor data, the devices can be triggered to create the perfect environment for sprouts. He hopes to make the whole thing wireless by integrating XBees, but for now he ran a USB cord to his computer.
Related:
Automatic grow light | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "82973",
"author": "Jim K.",
"timestamp": "2009-07-24T21:20:51",
"content": "Sweet! I’ve been looking at building something similar, but haven’t gotten around to making the time yet. Nice to have a bit of inspiration to push me along.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,377,622.38022 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/24/nes-workbench/ | NES Workbench | Caleb Kraft | [
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"game",
"nes",
"nintendo",
"video game"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkuDaVadyOU]
[Miltron] dropped us a tip about his
NES workbench
. Knowing that when you get frustrated with whatever project you are beating your head against, you need an outlet, [Miltron] decided to build some relaxing NES fun into his workbench. He’s using a NES on a chip though any multi game-in-a-controller setup should work. He has gutted a PSone LCD and mounted it all together nicely so he can game at any moment. You might recall one of [Miltron]’s earlier projects,
Das Uber Airsoft Turret
. How long will it be before we see integrated LCDs into our toolbox lids or workbenches from the factory? | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "82951",
"author": "Nonya-Biz",
"timestamp": "2009-07-24T18:06:48",
"content": "why dose everyone use the ps1 screen? the game cube one is alot easier to work with.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82953",
"author": "Del",
... | 1,760,377,622.492998 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/24/adding-rds-decoding-to-a-vintage-radio/ | Adding RDS Decoding To A Vintage Radio | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Portable Audio Hacks"
] | [
"radio data",
"rds"
] | [Edo] wrote in to show us how he
added RDS decoding to a radio made in 1957
. RDS or
Radio Data System
is a protocol for data transmission. This allows date, time, artist info, and more to be broadcast along with the music. Its a nice feature that many new cars come with from the factory. [Edo] wanted to add it to his old radio though. He kept the radio stock looking, choosing to use an external LCD to display the data. He has posted the information on where to splice in to add this unit to pretty much any FM radio as well as
posting the schematics and source code
for the unit itself. Look at the very bottom of the page for the download link, its a bit hidden with the advertisements. | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "82932",
"author": "grovenstien",
"timestamp": "2009-07-24T15:38:57",
"content": "Nice hack! Its a shame the UK government are planning to scrap FM radio broadcasts in favour of an as yet crappier digital setup! We must stand and fight for FM radio broadcast before it is to late!On ... | 1,760,377,622.877149 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/23/bus-pirate-preorder-2-update/ | Bus Pirate Preorder 2 Update | Ian | [
"News",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"bus pirate",
"microchip",
"preorder",
"preorder updates",
"tools"
] | A few weeks ago we
held a preorder
for
the Bus Pirate universal serial interface tool
. We split the preorder into two parts due to a shortage of
PIC 24FJ64GA002-I/SO
chips. The first preorder is
arriving worldwide now
, the second preorder
has a longer lead time
. Here’s everything we currently know about preorder 2, it’s subject to change, but we wanted to keep you up to date.
Preorder 2 contains orders for 563 Bus Pirates.
Seeed Studio
noticed an error in our quality control testing routine that misclassified about 50 preorder 1 Bus Pirates as defective. We
updated the test
and passing units will ship immediately to preorder 2 participants on a first come, first serve basis. Another 500 PICs are scheduled to arrive after August 1, which should take care of most remaining orders.
A special thanks to the fantastic engineers at
Microchip
who took the time to peruse the Bus Pirate code, and immediately gave the correct solution to our quality control problem. Great job Microchip, thank you!
We released
an updated version
of the Bus Pirate firmware package. The firmware is exactly the same, we just changed a speed setting in the P24qp.exe quick programmer utility for MS Windows. During development we increased the baud rate of the quick programmer to make development faster, and we forgot to change it back to a safe speed for normal use. | 60 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "82848",
"author": "luke",
"timestamp": "2009-07-23T22:27:33",
"content": "So I missed out and did not get one. When will you be selling them again?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82853",
"author": "xun",
"timestamp": "2... | 1,760,377,622.661587 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/23/camera-peltier-cooler/ | Camera Peltier Cooler | Zach Banks | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"astrophotography",
"canon",
"digital camera",
"gary honis",
"peltier",
"peltier cooler"
] | [Gary Honis] has been modifying his Canon Digital Rebel XSi in order to do astrophotography. He previously
removed the IR filter
and replaced it with a
Baader UV-IR cut filter
that lets most infrared light through. However, in order to reduce noise in the pictures, he had to
cool the camera down
. He based the project on a peltier cooler that he salvaged from a powered beverage cooler. He made a small aluminum box and insulated it with styrofoam to hold the camera body. The peltier cooler was then attached on the side. It takes just over an hour to cool the camera down to 40 degrees, but the shots come out a lot clearer.
[thanks adam] | 36 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "82829",
"author": "blarneyfellow",
"timestamp": "2009-07-23T21:24:51",
"content": "Brings back memories of overclocking PCs. The guy should totally use water cooling though (watercooling + peltier can easily go bellow -20C).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []... | 1,760,377,622.734993 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/23/open-source-logic-analyzer/ | Open Source Logic Analyzer | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"butterfly light",
"butterfly platform",
"fpga",
"Gadget Factory",
"Jack Gasset",
"logic",
"logic analyzer",
"salae",
"xilinix"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqwtzUUPqu8]
[Jack Gasset]
sends in the logic analyzer he’s been working on
. The logic analyzer boasts an impressive array of features, it can sample 32 channels at 100MHz, 16 channels at 200MHz, SPI, UART, I2C and more. The analyzer’s maximum sample size is 4K for now, and it supports RLE to reduce the memory consumed. The analyzer connects to a java client on a standard PC via USB. The
open source hardware based on a Xilinix FPGA
can be
purchased pre-assembled for $100
which makes it a direct competitor for the
Salea logic analyzer we reviewed
earlier this year. | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "82822",
"author": "BartB",
"timestamp": "2009-07-23T20:59:48",
"content": "I always found the Saelig unit quite expensive for its limited features. This is quite an improvement, and if you want to you can change it into a general purpose FPGA dev board. It has a nice beefy FPGA on b... | 1,760,377,623.398342 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/23/snake-bot/ | Snake Bot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"final project",
"prehensile",
"snake robot"
] | [Husstech] wrote in to share his
Snake Bot
with us. Initially inspired by this post about
SickSack, a snake bot
, he set out to build his own version. While the concept and even the design aren’t particularly new or groundbreaking, he is very thorough in his documentation. Since this was a project for school, the
PDF of his project
includes research, schematics, cost breakdowns, and results. We really like the camera and head design, it looks very insect like. You can see a video of the final version being shown off after the break, or you can
see an earlier version
that is decidedly more phallic.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4KWI4TWurw] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "82780",
"author": "sansan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-23T16:23:09",
"content": "Wow!!! Totally blew my mind. It is a very professional project! I am a professional guy who work in the industry and I am very impressed how well was this done. I wish the projects I work with (from other pe... | 1,760,377,622.932624 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/23/touchpad-arduino/ | Touchpad + Arduino | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"laptop",
"touch pad",
"TouchPad",
"track pad"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt_VmJljmKU]
[Jani] directed us to his
tutorial on making a laptop touchpad work with an Arduino
. After seeing the recent post on
touch pad and VFD hacking
, he couldn’t resist finding one of these to play with. He shows us how to connect it all up and offers two methods of using the data from it. The first method is to determine the direction of finger travel and the second, shown above, is to use it more like the volume control on an iPod. Source code for both is available on his site. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "82768",
"author": "Jeremy",
"timestamp": "2009-07-23T14:51:38",
"content": "This is just awesome! Finally a use for all those old broken laptops I’ve been keeping.Now if someone can come up with a hack that will give me more then 24 hours in a day, I’ll be set.",
"parent_id": nu... | 1,760,377,623.33963 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/22/printing-a-reprap/ | Printing A RepRap | Zach Banks | [
"cnc hacks",
"Robots Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"3d printer",
"abs",
"extruder",
"hdpe",
"hydraraptor",
"nophead",
"printing",
"rapid prototyping",
"reprap",
"repstrap",
"robot"
] | The
RepRap project
has been working on bringing 3D printing to the masses by creating a extrusion printer that can also make the majority of its own parts. For the most part, these print ABS or HDPE plastics which are strong and recyclable. In order to create these replicating printers, similar machines called RepStraps are built out of either laser-cut parts or machined elements. They are functionally equivalent to RepRap printers, but are not made of printed parts. [nophead] documented his RepStrap,
HydraRaptor
, that is based off a milling machine. He had already printed a set of RepRap parts, and he
documented printing a second set
. The machine worked for about 100 hours over the course of 2 weeks, printing about 1.5 kg of parts. He made a few adjustments, such as replacing ABS bearings with HDPE to reduce friction. The parts are for
Factor e Farm
so they can get started with 3D printing.
Related:
RepRap pinch wheel extruder | 61 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "82707",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-23T00:39:32",
"content": "Self replicating robots???? Its a sign of the apocalypse! Run for your god dammed lives!!!!!!!Seriously though, thats cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_i... | 1,760,377,623.037434 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/22/archie-the-helper-bot/ | Archie The Helper Bot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"archie",
"joke",
"robot"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaGnnMavbAg]
We noticed
this article on BotJunkie about Archie the helper bot
. Archie is supposed to help out around the house with cooking, cleaning, and other mundane tasks. [Evan] makes a very good point though. Why do people insist on putting creepy heads on their robots. They aren’t making them any more endearing, it’s just creepy. While that is a very astute observation, we would like to add some more. Watch the video above, and study the image after the break. Archie doesn’t seem to be a functional bot. He never moves in the video under his own power. The scene where they “walk” him along is comedy gold. His head keeps falling backwards,or possibly off. And what use is a helper bot that doesn’t have actuated hands? The video is in German, so maybe we’re missing something. Maybe Archie is a mock up or a joke and we just needed translation. | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "82667",
"author": "Jeff",
"timestamp": "2009-07-22T16:45:33",
"content": "That thing is the very definition of “not ready for primetime”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82669",
"author": "Sprite_tm",
"timestamp": "2009-... | 1,760,377,623.11325 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/22/ceiling-fan-pov/ | Ceiling Fan POV | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"fan",
"POV"
] | We know some of you are getting sick of POV projects,
but this one was just so cool
, we couldn’t resist. [UncleBone] thought POVs were pretty cool, and wondered if he could use one on his ceiling fan. It would have been a breeze just to toss something like the
RGBike POV
on there and call it finished, but he designed his own. Opting to blow away the norm of using a single row of LEDs, he chose to do 5 different rows of LEDs, one for each blade. The whole thing is controlled by an Arduino, with a spreadsheet for image manipulating. Unfortunately, we don’t see any source files for the project available. Maybe he’ll put them on there if we ask really nicely. If he could get it playing animations, we would just chill and watch it for hours. | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "82649",
"author": "Agent420",
"timestamp": "2009-07-22T14:31:31",
"content": "POV projects do seem to be over-saturated, but I agree this is a pretty clever implementation…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82650",
"author": "... | 1,760,377,623.292736 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/21/ar-flash-library-released/ | AR Flash Library Released | Zach Banks | [
"downloads hacks",
"News",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"actionscript",
"ar",
"as",
"augmented reality",
"camera",
"flash",
"onezerothrice",
"video"
] | [youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMpJLTU9qCA%5D
[onezerothrice] has been working hard on creating
ARtisan
, a flash library for bringing augmented reality to the browser. His goal in creating the library was to make
AR projects
quicker and easier to develop. The library can provide the location, size, and rotation of multiple markers on screen with little work from the developer. It is licensed under the GPL and comes bundled with
Papervision3D
, another flash library for manipulating objects in 3 dimensions. He has posted several demos with source and accompanying video. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "82591",
"author": "bluehash",
"timestamp": "2009-07-22T01:05:49",
"content": "slick!But the update rate seems a bit low.You could also use openCV. This is me trying ithttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivOBb-WwIcM&feature=channel_page#t=28",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,377,623.441972 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/21/pwnie-award-nominees-2009/ | Pwnie Award Nominees 2009 | Eliot | [
"cons",
"Security Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"Black Hat",
"black hat 2009",
"fail",
"kaspersky",
"pwnie",
"pwnie award"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pSsLnNJIa4]
The Pwnie Awards
are an annual event at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. They award the Golden Pwnie in a variety of categories: mass 0wnage, most innovative research, most overhyped bug, most epic FAIL, and our favorite: Best Song. Embedded above is [Paco Hope]’s
50 Ways to Inject Your SQL
. While a strong entry, it doesn’t touch last year’s winner
Kaspersky & Me: “Packin’ The K!”
. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "82569",
"author": "Xeracy",
"timestamp": "2009-07-21T22:18:03",
"content": "The nerdcore scene is populated with some shitty one-hit-wonderWhyTheyPostedIt’s like those. Its too bad for some serious artists who are trying to hold down a personal style for a genre, when there are weir... | 1,760,377,623.578797 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/21/gentle-safe-cracker/ | Gentle Safe Cracker | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"safe cracking"
] | [Carlito] found a safe in his garage with mystery contents. It shows signs of attempted entry and makes interesting noises when shaken. What is the best solution to find out what is inside? Hack it open? Smash it? Blow it up? No, the best solution is to
build a robot to try brute force cracking
. The robot, housed in an old power supply case, is little more than a servo and a servo controller, communicating with his PC via USB. It seems like a good idea though. Unfortunately, he found it to be seriously lacking in torque, so he’s waiting now to upgrade. The contents of the safe are still a mystery.
[thanks ubernoober1477] | 51 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "82530",
"author": "eggman",
"timestamp": "2009-07-21T18:36:57",
"content": "i had this idea a while ago but lacked the resources and knowledge required. im glad someone finally at least attempted it. no combo lock is safe from this attack either, which makes it practical.",
"p... | 1,760,377,623.535158 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/21/4d-systems-micro-drive/ | 4D Systems Micro Drive | Steve Watkins | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"controller",
"electronics",
"FAT16",
"Micro drive",
"microcontroller",
"sd card"
] | 4D Systems micro drive
provides both raw and FAT level access to microSD cards. The module contains a dedicated host controller that transforms what may be an otherwise intimidating card spec into a group of simple serial commands. With a wide supply range of 3.6-5.5 and .1″ lead spacing, this should be cake walk to tinker with. The device doesn’t support FAT32 yet. According to the
GOLDELOX-DOS command set
page 9, “FAT32 is currently not supported, if you mount a FAT32 formatted disk, you will not be able to access it at all, both FAT and RAW commands will fail”. At the moment the device seems limited at 2GB FAT16 partitions. This sure does seem like cheating after implementing SPI and Nibble mode SD card protocols.
[via
Electronics-Lab.Com
thanks mozzwald] | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "82500",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-21T15:24:13",
"content": "I wouldnt call it a microdrive. Id call it easyflash. One day though i want to impliment an actual seagate microdrive into a robot. you know, for bragging rights.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,623.641709 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/21/defcon-17-early-badge-details/ | Defcon 17: Early Badge Details | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"badge",
"defcon"
] | Every year, the Defcon badge takes a technological step forward. The
details are starting to emerge
for this years hardware lineup.
Last years badge
, pictured above, had LED status indicators and an IR transceiver. There’s no telling what this years badge will do, but we do know it has a new processor. They have chosen the Freescale MC56F8006 to build everything around this year. We think it would be cool to see some RFID, maybe a heat map of the traffic in the facility. Maybe some distributed computing would be cool. What could we do with an embedded camera? We eagerly await more details. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "82510",
"author": "RoboGuy",
"timestamp": "2009-07-21T16:40:06",
"content": "“Welcome to Defcon 17, here’s your borg implant.”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82524",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-21T17:47:4... | 1,760,377,623.685694 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/20/portable-large-interactive-display/ | Portable Large Interactive Display | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"Multitouch Hacks",
"Portable Video Hacks"
] | [
"hype",
"multi touch",
"multitouch",
"naturaluserinterface",
"nui group",
"projector",
"surface"
] | [vimeo
http://vimeo.com/5452585%5D
[HyPe] over at the Natural User Interface Group developed this concept as part of his Master’s Degree in Industrial Design. This
suitcase sized projector and computer
allows people to have a 60″ multitouch screen available wherever there is a large enough surface. The current software is designed for ad-hoc meetings about large-scale construction plans. The rolling case includes a short-throw projector and webcam. Just set it on top of your work surface, lift the lid, and it’s ready to go. | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "82407",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2009-07-20T20:25:08",
"content": "Hmm, how does it detect that you are actually touching the table?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82410",
"author": "joe",
"timestamp": "2009-07-2... | 1,760,377,623.751298 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/20/parts-unboxing-the-bus-pirate/ | Parts: Unboxing The Bus Pirate | Ian | [
"Parts",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"1-wire",
"bus pirate",
"i2c",
"jtag",
"parts",
"preorder",
"serial interface",
"spi",
"unboxing"
] | For months we’ve used our
Bus Pirate universal serial interface tool
to demonstrate
electronics parts
, so it’s only appropriate that the Bus Pirate get it’s own parts post. We recently had a
Bus Pirate preorder
, and today we received the pre-production Bus Pirate prototype from
Seeed Studio
. This prototype was mailed just a few days before
preorder 1 started to ship
, so those packages should start arriving any day.
Follow along as we unbox the prototype Bus Pirate, and connect it to a debugger to determine the
PIC24FJ64GA002-I/SO
revision that shipped with this board. Use this post to share your own Bus Pirate unboxing experience. Pictures and discussion after the break.
Most Bus Pirates will ship
in a padded envelope
(JPG), but ours came in a box with some PCBs for future projects and an AVR programmer.
Inside the box, the Bus Pirate is protected by a
static dissipative
bag. The Bus Pirate pin headers are stuck in foam to protect the packaging.
We ran a battery of functionality tests that covered USB, the user terminal, protocol libraries, power supplies, and pullup resistors. Everything passed our tests.
Next, we used a Microchip ICD2 debugger/programmer to make a backup of the firmware prior to doing a test upgrade/downgrade with the bootloader.
Connecting to MPLAB ICD 2
…Connected
Setting Vdd source to target
Target Device PIC24FJ64GA002 found,
revision = Rev 0x3042
…Reading ICD Product ID
Running ICD Self Test
…Passed
MPLAB ICD 2 ready for next operation
All of our previous Bus Pirate version were built using Rev 0x3003 (A3) of the PIC 24FJ64GA002. Version A3 has a few issues, known as
errata
(PDF), one of which is a
flaky hardware I2C module
. These chips aren’t ‘defective’, they just have a few quirks like any complicated integrated circuit. The Bus Pirate firmware works around these issues using software techniques. Most desktop computer processors go through a similar stepping process.
Our Bus Pirate appears to have a B4 revision PIC (0x3042) that corrects some, but not all, of the errata from A3. This is no guarantee that every Bus Pirate will have a B4 PIC, preorder 1 and 2 are both sourced from multiple international vendors. Additionally, there’s no immediate benefit from having a B4 chip, someone will have to write software that takes advantage of the hardware. The next firmware update will print the PIC revision in the user terminal, check the
nightly compiles
if you’re anxious.
There is a revision B5 mentioned in the PIC errata. Some of these might find their way into preorder 2 boards.
Now that you’ve got your Bus Pirate, what do you do with it? We’ve got a bunch of
part demonstrations
to get you started.
Please leave a comment about your unboxing experience, and the devices you plan to interface. | 43 | 43 | [
{
"comment_id": "82446",
"author": "snorkle256",
"timestamp": "2009-07-21T01:19:23",
"content": "I just got mine in the mail and there must be some mistake. I was sure I ordered a Butt Pirate, not a Bus Pirate. :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,377,624.010369 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/20/volver/ | Volver | Caleb Kraft | [
"LED Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"led",
"nodeblinky",
"volver"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmkW5PpjfNg]
Volver is a 3.75 inch square LED matrix
that will display over 1600 unique patterns. Designed by members of Image Node and Disorient, it is a fundraiser for burning man 2009. While it is certainly less colorful than its
older sibling the Nodeblinky
, it features 8 more LEDs and a bit smoother and faster graphics. Volver can be picked up as a kit, or fully assembled from their site. Just like last time, you don’t have to buy from them. They freely offer the
source code and schematics
. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "82392",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-20T18:27:13",
"content": "40 years ago today, man played golf on the moon. Now we have blinking leds.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82397",
"author": "fdp",
"timestamp... | 1,760,377,624.06295 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/20/touchpad-and-vfd-hacking/ | Touchpad And VFD Hacking | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"capacitive",
"laptop",
"touch",
"TouchPad",
"trackpad",
"vfd"
] | [Agent420] brought up this
touchpad and VFD
hack in the comments on our
capicitive sensor guide post
. He had broken dell laptop from which he harvested the touchpad and an HP laserjet that contributed the VFD. Though the touchpad communicates using standard PS2 protocol, he wanted to use it with his Atmel 8535 AVR which required him to write some custom code. In the picture above, you can see the VFD displaying the coordinates of his finger. You can download his code as well as the spec sheets for the different pieces on the project thread. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "82382",
"author": "Jynx",
"timestamp": "2009-07-20T16:25:40",
"content": "That’s neat. I would love to see a touchpad hacked into something ^^",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82386",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,623.869801 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/19/home-automation-via-twitter/ | Home Automation Via Twitter | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"home automation",
"twitter"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVm1VKB43ww]
We’ve seen tons of stuff hooked up to send updates to twitter when something happens. That’s what we expected when we first read this tip from [Matt]. We were pleasantly surprised to see he’s actually doing the opposite. He has rigged several items to an IoBridge module and he can
control them by sending tweets
to his account. In the video you can see him sound a buzzer and change a display on an LCD. Its nice to see twitter being used as part of the control as opposed to
updating us every time someone flushes
. | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "82293",
"author": "Jeetu",
"timestamp": "2009-07-19T21:54:18",
"content": "Why twitter? Just because you needed an asynchronous communication mechanism? And whats the practical utility apart from the cool hack?To display a message I could use jabber protocol to hook something up wit... | 1,760,377,624.402726 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/19/cyclonic-dust-seperation/ | Cyclonic Dust Seperation | Caleb Kraft | [
"cnc hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"dust",
"powder",
"vacuum"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6j-psU1aWs]
[Don] was having issues with dust when working with MDF. He had a shop vac overheat and die because of it. When looking for solutions, he saw several systems that used
cyclonic dust seperation
. Not wanting to buy something he could make for cheaper, he left the store and started scrounging parts. You can see
his home made system
in the video above. This seems like an absolute must have item for any workshop. Great job [Don]. | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "82285",
"author": "Alexander",
"timestamp": "2009-07-19T20:51:44",
"content": "This is how the ‘Dyson’ vacuum cleaners work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82286",
"author": "grovenstien",
"timestamp": "2009-07-19T20:52... | 1,760,377,626.673218 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/18/capacitance-sensor-guide-ad7746/ | Capacitance Sensor Guide (AD7746) | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks"
] | [
"ad7746",
"arduino",
"breakout",
"calibration",
"capacitance sensor",
"capacitive",
"i2c",
"marcus",
"processing",
"wiring"
] | [Marcus] has written up his
experiences using the AD7746 capacitance sensor
. He used the
SparkFun breakout board
in conjunction with an Arduino. The available Arduino code wasn’t that great so he rewrote it to be easier to understand. The AD7746 is an I2C device that can be continuously read, but this doesn’t mesh well with the Wiring libraries. Additionally, the calibration routine from the data sheet is difficult to understand. He’s included all of the code he used plus a Processing sketch to help visualize the input which will hopefully make your experience with the chip much more smooth. | 20 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "82217",
"author": "therian",
"timestamp": "2009-07-18T22:55:01",
"content": "the cheaper way of doing is is transistor oscillator small capacitor and diode. or with little hacking single micro controller can handle this by it self",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replie... | 1,760,377,625.994189 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/18/visual-hardware-identification-guide/ | Visual Hardware Identification Guide | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"bus",
"computer hardware",
"cpu",
"deviantart",
"gizmodo",
"isa",
"memory",
"pci",
"ram",
"socket",
"sonic840"
] | Check out this
visual hardware guide
from deviantART member [Sonic840]. It has everything from memory modules, to bus sockets, to power connectors, to an entire array of CPU sockets that have been used over the years. You’re bound to see something in there you didn’t know existed.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "82197",
"author": "darkblackcorner",
"timestamp": "2009-07-18T20:20:33",
"content": "Handy :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82198",
"author": "xGROMx",
"timestamp": "2009-07-18T20:30:28",
"content": "Wow, so very u... | 1,760,377,626.240413 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/18/toilet-paper-dispenser/ | Toilet Paper Dispenser | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks",
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"bathroom",
"dispenser",
"toilet paper"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsXlTKaFq0]
Solving the age old problem of… wait, what problem are they solving? These students at UC Berkeley have built a
toilet paper dispenser prototype
. Not only does it meter out an exact amount for you, it will fold it and cut it as well. They mention this being the perfect accessory for a high tech bathroom, and we can agree. To be serious though, in public places, metering out limited amounts of toilet paper at a time could possibly result in major cost savings. We think the next prototype should have different preference settings such as; wadded, folded, or wrapped around your hand. Anyone else’s mind suddenly filled with unpleasant imagery?
[via
Makezine
] | 47 | 47 | [
{
"comment_id": "82172",
"author": "Kris",
"timestamp": "2009-07-18T18:26:02",
"content": "Wow, just wow.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82174",
"author": "Sc00ter",
"timestamp": "2009-07-18T18:29:48",
"content": "There’s a commerci... | 1,760,377,626.615101 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/17/build-a-wireless-keylogger/ | Build A Wireless Keylogger | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"keylogger",
"security",
"wireless"
] | Hardware Keylogger solutions has
released the plans and files
for their wireless logger. It has a range of about 50 yard between the transmitting dongle and the receiver. It is based around an Atmel AT91SAM7S64 and the PCB is pretty tiny. In case you hadn’t noticed yet, they sell them as well. The cool thing about this is that key data is transmitted in real time, allowing you to see it as it happens instead of
having to go retreive the log physically like you used to
. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "82097",
"author": "Namelesswonder",
"timestamp": "2009-07-17T22:01:33",
"content": "Easier to see what people are typing…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "82106",
"author": "Daley",
"timestamp": "2009-07-17T22:44:23",
... | 1,760,377,626.295274 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/17/little-dog/ | Little Dog | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"bigdog",
"littledog",
"robotics"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBSK7LYpg9w]
Dating back to September of 2007, this certainly isn’t new news, but its new to us. This is
Little dog
, the miniature version of the
ever so creepy
Big Dog
. We aren’t sure if the lack of Big dogs signature jogging in place makes this little guy seem more lifelike or less. Little dog was designed to be a research platform into study automated navigation of natural terrain. We wouldn’t mind having one of these around the office, though we would have to add some kind of a head or face to give it some character.
[via
Bot Junkie
] | 36 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "81975",
"author": "donniedarko",
"timestamp": "2009-07-17T14:28:57",
"content": "In the name of all that is holy, give this creature a head, and take the antennae off its pooper. Otherwise very cool in a hellish nightmare kind of way.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,377,626.483283 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/16/cnc-tetris-theme/ | CNC Tetris Theme | Eliot | [
"cnc hacks",
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"cnc",
"cnc kit",
"lumenlabs",
"micro",
"music",
"neorazz",
"servo",
"tetris"
] | [youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt3sPV5mzgM%5D
Here is a nice video to wind down the day. It’s [neorazz]’s micRo
playing the theme from Tetris
. The
micRo
is a simple CNC kit sold by the team at Lumenlabs. For more servo music, peruse our
CNC category
.
[Thanks grayson] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "81908",
"author": "vikki",
"timestamp": "2009-07-17T01:33:42",
"content": "what no mario theme?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81909",
"author": "Fry-kun",
"timestamp": "2009-07-17T01:46:19",
"content": "boo, it’s o... | 1,760,377,626.534003 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/16/arduino-shield-with-offset-headers/ | Arduino Shield With Offset Headers | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"News",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"adafruit",
"adafruit industries",
"arduino",
"ladyada",
"protoboard",
"prototyping",
"seeeduino",
"shield"
] | Here’s another adafruit product launched today:
a prototyping shield
that compensates for the Arduino’s stupid oddly spaced headers.
Related: The Seeeduino has an
alternate row of headers
with protoboard friendly spacing. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "81900",
"author": "jamieriddles",
"timestamp": "2009-07-17T00:13:10",
"content": "anyone have any info about why the arduino has those offset pins? Is it to prevent/deter people from making their own shields? If so wouldnt that kinda ruin the whole open source initiative?",
"par... | 1,760,377,626.41071 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/16/adjustable-breadboard-supply/ | Adjustable Breadboard Supply | Eliot | [
"News",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"adafruit",
"adafruit industries",
"breadboard",
"dc",
"dc-dc",
"kit",
"ladyada",
"Li-ion",
"LM317",
"mic2941",
"power supply",
"tool"
] | adafruit industries’ latest product is an
adjustable breadboard power supply kit
. We’ve seen breadboard supplies before, but like most of adafruit’s kits, this is the best design you’re going to encounter. It uses an MIC2941 voltage regulator instead of the more commonplace LM317. It has a very low dropout which means your output voltage can be much closer to the input voltage. Their example is using 3AAA or a Li-Ion battery for an output of 3.3V. Input can be through a barrel jack or terminal blocks. There is a selection switch for 3.3, 5, and adjustable voltage. Using the adjustment pot you can select an output voltage anywhere from 1.3V to within .5V of the 20V maximum input. The adjusted output voltage will remain the same even if you increase the input voltage. Like all of their kits, you can find
schematics
,
assembly
and
usage
instructions, on their
project site
. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "81862",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2009-07-16T19:44:17",
"content": "At $15, that’s a great price for novices who don’t have the knowledge to design/build something like this from scratch. Another well designed and useful kit from LadyAda.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth":... | 1,760,377,626.351572 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/16/15-hdr-camera/ | $15 HDR Camera | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"hdr",
"photography",
"viliv"
] | [Steve] was planning a 15 mile hiking trip when he came up with this idea. He wanted to get some good HDR photography, but didnt’ want to lug around his 5D MKII. He managed to pick up a couple of cheap Polaroid X530s. These have decent optics and record in RAW format, which is pretty impressive for something he got for 99cents plus shipping. He had all of the buttons
wired for external control via a Viliv umpc
. As you can see on his site, his results are quite nice. Of course, you
don’t actually have to hack your camera
to make HDR images. | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "81821",
"author": "cryptochronolite",
"timestamp": "2009-07-16T17:12:37",
"content": "what the deuce? where’s the story?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81826",
"author": "jay",
"timestamp": "2009-07-16T17:23:07",
"c... | 1,760,377,626.168906 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/16/bus-pirate-preorder-1-ships/ | Bus Pirate Preorder 1 Ships | Ian | [
"hardware",
"News"
] | [
"bus pirate",
"bus pirate update",
"preorder",
"seeed studio"
] | A few weeks ago we held a
pre-order
for
the Bus Pirate V2go
, the first official Hack a Day hardware. We had initially hoped for a group purchase of 20 or 40 Bus Pirates, maybe 200 if it was extremely popular. In total, nearly a thousand Bus Pirates will be made.
The first 350 Bus Pirates (pre-order 1) have already been manufactured and tested.
Seeed Studio
has done a great job handling the orders, pre-order 1 should start shipping more than a week early. How long will it take to get to your mail box? It will vary for everyone, but our packages usually arrive from Seeed in 7 days.
Seeed sent us pictures of the Bus Pirate depaneling, programming, and quality control process. Check them out after the break.
A panel of Bus Pirates.
Depaneling
, also known as cutting a big sheet into individual circuit boards.
Visual inspection of each Bus Pirate.
Programming the
unified bootloader/V0g firmware
via the ICSP header.
Testing the bootloader and terminal interface after programming the firmware.
Completed Bus Pirates are stored on anti-static foam, we like the shiny quality control stickers.
Individual Bus Pirates are cut out for packaging.
Finished Bus Pirate packaged in an anti-static bag.
A box of Bus Pirates ready for handling.
One Bus Pirate, ready to ship. This might be be yours. | 40 | 40 | [
{
"comment_id": "81811",
"author": "Sam",
"timestamp": "2009-07-16T16:17:47",
"content": "Great, now when does preorder 2 ship?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81813",
"author": "cde",
"timestamp": "2009-07-16T16:30:03",
"content": "... | 1,760,377,626.806646 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/16/musical-typewriter/ | Musical Typewriter | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"circuit bent",
"music",
"typewriter"
] | [vimeo
http://vimeo.com/5411878%5D
We have often commented that we’re a bit tired of hearing random notes when someone sends us a musical project. We love home made instruments, circuit bending, and creative sound, we just like some intentional direction to the noise. This just might be an exception to the rule.
This typewriter plays random notes as you type
. While it might annoy your cohabitants into a violent rage, it seems oddly cathartic. We have heard people talk about the pleasure of hearing the keys clack as they type. It just seems like you would get used to this and find it just as pleasurable. Maybe we’re crazy. Unfortunately, they don’t divulge any technical details, but we can imagine a simple way of wiring directly into a cheap keyboard to get the same effect. | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "81805",
"author": "polymath",
"timestamp": "2009-07-16T15:38:24",
"content": "I knew a guy back in college that had perfect pitch and could “sing” his phone number on a pay phone to dial the number instead of punching the keys. Makes me wonder what a song would look like as text ins... | 1,760,377,627.610999 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/16/lunar-lander-remade/ | Lunar Lander Remade | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"apollo",
"atari",
"games",
"lunar lander"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnKzeHPgWy8]
For those that are lucky enough to remember it, Lunar Lander was a fantastic game. Though it had simple vector graphics and highly repetitive game play, it kept us captivated. We probably lost entire weeks of our lives competing with friends to be the best. Well, now we can relive that experience with a
physical version of the game
. [Lain] built this fantastic arcade style game to replicate Lunar Lander’s game play exactly. The style of the project is fantastic with giant analog meters and dials giving real time feedback. You even get a prize if you complete all 3 levels. You can get plenty of build details by going through
his blog
. Maybe he should hook up with the folks that built the
Apollo landing computer replica
to build the ultimate simulator.
[thanks Mike] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "81797",
"author": "grovenstien",
"timestamp": "2009-07-16T14:24:16",
"content": "Thats one small game for geeks and one giant repeat for geek kind.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81801",
"author": "Bryan T",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,377,627.194303 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/15/augmented-reality-business-card/ | Augmented Reality Business Card | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"downloads hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"actionscript",
"ar",
"augmented reality",
"business card",
"fiduciary marker",
"flash",
"james alliban",
"josh spear",
"vimeo"
] | [vimeo 4979525]
Embedded above is a neat
augmented reality business card
by ActionScript developer [James Alliban]. After seeing “
the most impressive business card you will ever see
“, he was inspired to update his own business card. His new card has a fiduciary marker on the backside and directs you to his site. A flash app on the site displays a video where he tells you more about himself. The 3D grid of planes in the video varies in depth based on the brightness of the section. He has a few more
AR and tracking demos on Vimeo
.
Updated:
While we’re talking augmented reality, it’s worth checking out the tech behind
ESPN’s baseball tracker that uses doppler radar
.
Related:
Augmented reality in Flash
[via
Josh Spear
] | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "81721",
"author": "Jordan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-15T21:53:26",
"content": "That’s just likehttp://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/popsci/, I have the magazine it’s pretty cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81729",
"author... | 1,760,377,627.669748 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/15/gimbal-camera-stabilizer/ | Gimbal Camera Stabilizer | Zach Banks | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"Tool Hacks",
"Video Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"cheap",
"gimbel",
"indie",
"steadicam",
"steadycam",
"video",
"yb2normal"
] | Professional cameramen use steadicams to make their shots look smooth and clean. However, their prices are generally way too high for an indie’s budget.
Previous attempts
have tried adding a counterweight and moving the camera away from the hands. [YB2Normal]
took a different method
and used a bob and gimbal to hold the camera upright. The gimbal is free to rotate along 3 axes, so the camera can stay in place. The whole thing cost less than $15. The first video he made with he mount is after the break.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXB0ncUQLn4%5D
Related:
Building a Snorricam
[via
Gizmodo
] | 38 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "81718",
"author": "jelengar",
"timestamp": "2009-07-15T21:25:42",
"content": "The video is not available in your country….fu you tube.seems like a nice project though",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81720",
"author": "Berto"... | 1,760,377,627.146714 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/15/avr-isp-programming-via-arduino/ | AVR ISP Programming Via Arduino | Steve Watkins | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"Arduino AVR ISP",
"atmega",
"attiny",
"attiny13",
"AVR",
"AVR ISP",
"electronics",
"isp",
"microcontroller",
"usb"
] | We found this
Arduino AVR ISP programmer
particularly interesting. AVR microcontrollers can utilize an interface called In-System-Programming. ISP allows the chip to be programmed or reprogrammed while in an actual circuit via a pin header. Atmel’s solution is the
AVR ISP MKII programing tool
. The MKII can also be reprogrammed just as an AVR. The difference here is that most people are not likely to modify the MKII to be used as anything but a programmer. On the other hand if you already have the Arduino,
fetch the avr.isp.03 firmware
and AVRdude. Then program a device, for example an
ATtiny13
using the Ardunio as the programmer. All the project information is provided under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license. On a related note we covered a
Microcontroller cheat sheet
which covers AVR devices and ISP pinouts. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "81690",
"author": "ReKlipz",
"timestamp": "2009-07-15T17:23:24",
"content": "If you already have a programmer to program the AVR, why on earth would you need another programmer?I could see this being useful in only a certain few situations, but those are situations in which having a... | 1,760,377,627.266904 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/15/integrated-steering-wheel-radio-controls/ | Integrated Steering Wheel Radio Controls | Caleb Kraft | [
"Portable Audio Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"integrated radio controls",
"steering wheel"
] | [Graham] bought a new stereo for his Peugeot 406. Unfortunately, the built in radio controls in his steering wheel didn’t interface directly with the head unit, but rather with the vehicle itself. His solution was to
build a device to decode the button presses
and send them to the head unit in the appropriate fashion. All source code and schematics are available on his site. He states that this should work on any PSA/Renault vehicle with a 125Kb VAN bus. We’re curious how similar some of the American systems are. We have seen something similar where someone wanted to
control their Zune
from the steering wheel. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "81684",
"author": "anon",
"timestamp": "2009-07-15T16:02:00",
"content": "hey graham, i found your problemyou bought a 406nice hack",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81686",
"author": "BMW-Ibus",
"timestamp": "2009-07-15T1... | 1,760,377,627.498931 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/15/the-helicontrol-project/ | The HeliControl Project | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"helicopter",
"mini copter",
"picoz",
"rc"
] | We’ve all seen those little toy helicopters appearing everywhere. They’re getting cheaper and cheaper with some models getting down to roughly $30. The JRL team wanted to be able to control them with a PC, and figured the best way to do it was to
build somewhat of a universal remote
for them. The HeliControl module currently has several different types of copters programmed in, and they plan on adding more. Its not surprising to see the rise in popularity of these mini choppers, we’ve even seen some pretty extensive mods to the bodies and even mechanicals. Click around
this forum
to see what some people are doing to them. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "81679",
"author": "JD",
"timestamp": "2009-07-15T15:02:17",
"content": "This is for infrared-controlled helis, not radio-controlled ones.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81680",
"author": "hooooooooorj",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,627.45637 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/13/4-led-rgb-controller/ | 4 LED RGB Controller | Caleb Kraft | [
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"blinkm",
"led",
"shiftbrite"
] | [Steven] was inspired by the
BlinkM
and
Shiftbrite
modules, but really wanted something that could be controlled via RS232. He decided to
build his own RGB LED module capable of PWM
that fit his needs. He’s using a PIC16F628 microcontroller as the base. Each module has 4 individually addressable LEDs with multiple intensities for each color. The units can be daisy chained as well. The schematics and PCB files are available on his site for download.
[via
Hacked Gadgets
] | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "81417",
"author": "DerAxeman",
"timestamp": "2009-07-13T22:59:43",
"content": "why do so many projects get on this board that just make lights blink?This guy managed to get video and sound to play on an 8 bit processor and do TCP/IP at the same timehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBr... | 1,760,377,627.306211 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/13/parts-4x20-vfd-character-display-na204sd02/ | Parts: 4×20 VFD Character Display (NA204SD02) | Ian | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Parts"
] | [
"bus pirate",
"character lcd",
"futaba",
"hd44780",
"lcd",
"parts",
"serial interface",
"vfd"
] | Futaba
makes
vacuum florescent character displays
that can be used as a drop-in replacement for common character
LCDs
. VFDs have a wider viewing angle, and generally look cooler.
Futaba’s character displays can be interfaced using the standard
8-bit or 4-bit parallel LCD interface
, or a simple two-wire protocol. The protocol type is set by resistors on the back of the display, so it’s not particularly easy to change without a
hot-air rework station
. Today we’ll demonstrate a serially-interfaced VFD using the Bus Pirate.
Futuba VFD
character LCD replacement (
NA204SD02
, $7.00).
Datasheet
(PDF).
VFD (pin #)
Bus Pirate
GND (1)
GND
+5volts (2)
+5volts, Vpullup
Data (3)
MOSI
Strobe (4)
CS
N/C (5)
—
Clock (6)
CLK
We used our
Bus Pirate universal serial interface
to demonstrate the Futaba VFD, but the interface operations will be the same for any microcontroller implementation. The connections we made between the VFD and the Bus Pirate are shown in the table above.
We setup the Bus Pirate for raw2wire mode (menu M, 7) with
open drain outputs
(HiZ). The open drain outputs let us interface the 5volt VFD from the 3.3volt Bus Pirate using the on-board pull-up resistors (menu P, 2). Finally, we enabled the on-board power supply (capital ‘W’).
The VFD’s strobe pin is connected to the Bus Pirate CS pin. The auxiliary pin doesn’t have it’s own pull-up resistor but CS does. CS is otherwise unused in raw2wire mode, so we reassigned the auxiliary commands to the CS pin (menu C,2).
Interfacing
The two-wire interface uses a straight-forward 16bit (2byte) protocol (datasheet page 20). The LCD control bits (R/W, RS) go in the first byte, and eight data bits go in the second. All transactions start with strobe low and end with strobe high. Read operations are similar to writes, except the R/W bit is set and the second byte is read.
The Futaba VFD accepts all the standard HD44780 LCD commands (datasheet page 27), see
these tables
for a detailed description of each command. After a reset (power-up), the VFD expects the first command to be the function set command.
RAW2WIRE>@
<–start with strobe high
AUX HIGH IMP, READ: 1
<– aux pin (CS) is now input, pull-up resistor holds strobe high
RAW2WIRE>a 0b11111000 0b00111000 @
<–command
AUX LOW
<–strobe low
WRITE: 0xF8
<–start byte (R/W=0, RS=0)
WRITE: 0x38
<–instruction byte (function set)
AUX HIGH IMP, READ: 1
<–strobe high
RAW2WIRE>
Function set configures the data interface length (bit 4), display lines (bit 3), and brightness/luminescence (bits 1,0). Before we start we set the strobe pin high (@) in case it’s currently low. Then, we start the transaction by taking the strobe pin low (a), and send the first byte with the R/W and register select (RS) settings.
The second byte is the command. We set the data interface length to 8bits (bit 4 = 1), but in serial mode this is probably ignored. Our display has multiple lines (bit 3 = 1), and we set brightness to full (bits 1,0 = 0). The sequence concludes when the strobe pin returns high (@).
RAW2WIRE>a 0b11111000 0b00001111 @
AUX LOW
<–strobe low
WRITE: 0xF8
<–start byte (R/W=0, RS=0)
WRITE: 0x0F
<–instruction byte (display on/off control)
AUX HIGH IMP, READ: 1
<–strobe high
RAW2WIRE>
The display ON/OFF command enables the display (bit 3), toggles the cursor (bit 1), and blinks the cursor (bit 0). We enabled the display (bit 3 = 1) with a blinking cursor (bit 1,0 = 1) so it’s obvious that the display is working.
RAW2WIRE>a 0b11111000 0b10000000 @
AUX LOW
<–strobe low
WRITE: 0xF8
<–start byte (R/W=0, RS=0)
WRITE: 0x80
<–instruction byte (DDRAM address set)
AUX HIGH IMP, READ: 1
<–strobe high
RAW2WIRE>
Before writing characters to the display we need to position the cursor by sending the DDRAM address set command (0b10000000) summed with the desired cursor position. We set the cursor to the first character on line 1.
The second character on line 1 is located at 0x01. To set this address we’d send 0b10000001 (0b10000000 +0b00000001).
Character display memory isn’t linear, the first line starts at 0x00, the second line starts on position 0x40, the third at 0x14, and the last line begins with position 0x54. Most displays have a similar configuration, here’s some
tables for determining the layout of different character displays
.
RAW2WIRE>a 0b11111010 0x48 0x61 0x63 0x6b 0x20 0x61 0x20 0x44 0x61 0x79 @
AUX LOW
<–strobe low
WRITE: 0xFA
<–start byte (R/W=0, RS=1)
WRITE: 0x48
<–ASCII letter ‘H’
…
WRITE: 0x79
<–ASCII letter ‘y’
AUX HIGH IMP, READ: 1
<–strobe high
RAW2WIRE>
Finally, we can enter some characters at the position set with the previous command. Characters are entered as their
ASCII equivalent values
. We displayed “Hack a Day” with proper capitalization.
Multiple characters can be entered at once, but because the memory space isn’t contiguous it’s necessary to manually position the cursor at the beginning of each new line. After writing the last position of line 1, the cursor will advance to the first character of line 3. Use another position command, 0b10010100, to set the cursor to the beginning of line 2 (0b10000000 + 0x14 = 0b10010100).
Like this post? Check out the
parts posts
you may have missed. Want to request a part post? Please leave your suggestions in the comments.
Hack a Day review disclosure: We bought the serial VFD demonstrated here on eBay, Futaba also sent us a sample with a parallel interface that we’ll demo later (
shown here
). | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "81383",
"author": "Chris_C",
"timestamp": "2009-07-13T18:30:01",
"content": "ooooh *actual* tech info on hack-a-day….",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81387",
"author": "error404",
"timestamp": "2009-07-13T18:39:36",
... | 1,760,377,627.564755 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/13/the-prism-laser-synth-guitar/ | The Prism: Laser Synth-Guitar | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Laser Hacks"
] | [
"circuit bent",
"guitar",
"music"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP2zbGes2Bg]
This is an
interesting instrument
. Part laser harp, part guitar, the Prism seems to have some potential. [Jeff-o] put some major time and effort into refinishing a guitar, building the circuit and putting it all together. He did a great job, the instrument looks fantastic and appears to work. We do have a request though; please post a video of it being played as an instrument. So many of these electronic instrument projects just spit out random noises. While we understand that some people are into that, we would love to hear some control. How about intentionally changing notes to make a melody? Based on the description, it should have control for pitch, and even speed of the oscillation. So let’s hear some music. We don’t care if you’re any good, just please play some music with it. If you would like to build your own, he has the schematics and PCB layout available for download. | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "81357",
"author": "TheKhakinator",
"timestamp": "2009-07-13T14:24:15",
"content": "Thank you! Cool post and yes I am also so fucking sick of those goddamn projects “oh look at me complicated synthamabob with a million wires and it sounds like a dead hard drive on ecstasy”.",
"pa... | 1,760,377,627.728358 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/12/photo-interrupters-explained/ | Photo Interrupters Explained | Caleb Kraft | [
"LED Hacks",
"Parts",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"interrupter",
"ir led",
"parts"
] | [Eric] sent in this very informative writup on
how to use Photo interrupters
. These things can be used for many things, he lists pellet dispensing and limit switches. He found one in his junk box and realized he knew very little about it. After some exploring and research, he’s here to educate the rest of us. There’s a good breakdown of the circuit itself which is pretty simple as well as a test circuit and some sample code. | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "81251",
"author": "jason",
"timestamp": "2009-07-12T15:00:44",
"content": "i had tons of theese from various scrap electronics thanks for this now i have some use for them",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81255",
"author": "... | 1,760,377,627.795708 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/11/chainsaw-powered-bicycle/ | Chainsaw Powered Bicycle | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"2stroke",
"bicycle",
"bike",
"chainsaw",
"diy",
"motor",
"weed eater",
"weed whacker"
] | We’ve covered weed whacker bicycles before
and you can even buy 66cc conversion kits now. [geoff390] posted a few videos over on YouTube about another motor option. In the first video embedded below, he
goes over the basic parts of his bike
. The chainsaw motor is mounted to the side of the back tire and a metal drive wheel extending from the chainsaw shaft makes contact with it. The motor assembly is mounted on a hinge and the friction between the drive wheel and the back tire is adjusted with a turnbuckle. He posted a
more detailed second video
in which he goes over some of the finer details of the bike and some of the issues he’s had.
[youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeofT8lUmAY%5D | 37 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "81188",
"author": "1049",
"timestamp": "2009-07-11T21:16:54",
"content": "Awesome!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81191",
"author": "Really?",
"timestamp": "2009-07-11T21:30:03",
"content": "Seriously? Another wort... | 1,760,377,627.871578 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/11/cheap-cup-holder-laptop-tray/ | Cheap Cup Holder Laptop Tray | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"computer hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"car",
"cupholder",
"laptop stand",
"PVC",
"tray",
"truck"
] | [Michael Davis] sent in
his homemade laptop tray
. He does a lot of traveling in his Toyota Tacoma and was looking for a good way to mount his laptop inside. Unfortunately, [Michael] soon discovered that commercial laptop trays can be very expensive and difficult to install. He saw an opportunity in the empty cup holder in his car. Fifteen dollars worth of PVC pipe fittings and a piece of plywood later he had a laptop tray. | 52 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "81170",
"author": "Ryan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-11T19:50:48",
"content": "Awesome, I’d always had trouble balancing my laptop in my lap while on the road. This way I might even be able to watch a movie and drink coffee while I drive!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"re... | 1,760,377,628.336514 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/11/strobit-wireless-widget-project/ | Strobit Wireless Widget Project | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"solar",
"strobit",
"wireless widget"
] | Strobit looks like it could be a project to
keep an eye on
. The entire project is open source, including the hardware. The aim is to build a low cost, low power, wireless enable arduino powered widget. This seems like it could really cut down on the development time of many projects we’ve seen here. Development is still ongoing but it looks like they’ve already implemented some mesh networking similar to the
zigbee systems
.
[via
hackaday flickr pool
] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "81163",
"author": "M4CGYV3R",
"timestamp": "2009-07-11T17:51:53",
"content": "Forgive me if I’m out-of-date here but what does it do? It seems like it’s more of a crammed-together zigbee and PIC/ATMEL chip board. That doesn’t seem hack-worthy unless they actually use it for somethin... | 1,760,377,628.44722 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/15/la-guitare-a-crayon/ | La Guitare à Crayon | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"drawdio",
"guitar",
"music",
"wacom"
] | [vimeo
http://vimeo.com/5212424%5D
As with most electronic musical instruments, we saw this in the tip box and expected the usual random noises to show off the instruments range. Consider us pleasantly surprised. They cut strait to it and
showed us what la Guitare à crayon really is
. It is an instrument of both audio and visual art. You draw while you play. The guitar appears to have a wacom attached to the front where you would normally strum. different areas of the wacom seem to effect the music much like a string being plucked. In one of the videos we see some fret board action as well. Watching the screen, we can see that she is drawing a picture, and we are in fact hearing that picture being drawn. The site has a section for source code, but states that it will only posted if there are requests. We are officially requesting it, we want one. May we suggest some improvements? Get some color variation, possibly opacity too. Gimp can do it with the wacom. We can’t wait to see how this project matures. How about another video? Watch it after the break.
[vimeo
http://vimeo.com/5596196%5D | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "81661",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2009-07-15T13:39:47",
"content": "there is magic here, let there be no doubt.nice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81662",
"author": "Hip Hop RnB Radio Streaming",
"timesta... | 1,760,377,628.837328 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/14/binary-reversing-comic/ | Binary Reversing Comic | Zach Banks | [
"cons",
"downloads hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"b300",
"ctf",
"defcon",
"defcon17",
"hackerschool",
"mongii",
"sapheads"
] | Last month, in preparation for
Defcon 17
, the qualifiers were held for
capture the flag
, one of Defcon’s most well known events. One participant, [mongii], did a
writeup on how to solve problem B300
. The challenge was to find the decryption key used by a program that had several twists that hindered debugging. After grappling with self-modifying code and junk instructions, the team was finally able to find the answer. This win helped Sapheads place in the top 10. Over at
xchng.info
, they are collecting solutions to the other problems. Sadly, they’re not all in comic form. | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "81556",
"author": "TMH",
"timestamp": "2009-07-14T23:10:49",
"content": "ugg asm. This is why I don’t do all that security hacking crap. lol",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81559",
"author": "paperboy",
"timestamp": "200... | 1,760,377,628.397197 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/14/live-android/ | Live Android | Caleb Kraft | [
"Android Hacks"
] | [
"android",
"chrome",
"google"
] | Excited about google Chrome? Can’t wait? Why not play with google’s other OS, Android.
You can now run Android from a live cd on any X86 computer
. Just pop it in and go without any damage to your existing data. They’ve already gotten it working on the EEE_701, let’s see one with touch screen installed. | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "81546",
"author": "mr. sandman",
"timestamp": "2009-07-14T21:29:54",
"content": "neat!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81547",
"author": "Tim",
"timestamp": "2009-07-14T21:46:03",
"content": "Or you can just download... | 1,760,377,628.516052 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/14/building-a-snorricam/ | Building A Snorricam | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"arm",
"boom",
"digital video",
"jib"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoZOe3gOkco]
With digital cameras getting cheaper and higher quality, we find ourselves more capable of using them to make videos.
A Snorricam
can be a very useful tool if you like the effect it produces. This specific design allows for adjustment of the height and angle of the camera allowing for even more possibillities. As you can see in the video after the break, it seems to work pretty well. It might be nice to add some kind of vibration absorbtion though. Anyone got any ideas on that?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsKCFoyd2i8] | 33 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "81531",
"author": "absolutezero",
"timestamp": "2009-07-14T20:03:29",
"content": "I hear for steadycam they just use a counterweight, but I’m not sure how precisely it would fit into this design.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "... | 1,760,377,628.638406 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/13/homemade-regenerative-tube-radio/ | Homemade Regenerative Tube Radio | Steve Watkins | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"radio",
"regenerative",
"tube radio",
"vacuum tube",
"variocoupler",
"wireless"
] | There are no microcontrollers in this project. In fact you wont find a single transistor. This
classic regenerative tube radio
, modeled after an early 20th century homebrew is complete with schematic and additional photos. For those who are not familiar with tube designs and for simplicity, the regeneration circuit can be thought of as feedback though this relation may be argued. Read the rest after the break which includes a crash course in tube operation.
A basic vacuum tube generally consists of a heater, grid, and plate. A current is passed through the heater which as the name suggest, creates heat. This allows electrons to “boil off” under proper conditions. That is the hot heater emits electrons when the grid and plate are positive potential. Opposite charges attract so the electron is attracted towards the grid and plate. The grid has holes very much like a screen door does. Some of the electrons pass through these holes missing the grid and strike the plate. The greater the electrical potential the greater the attractive force in the grid and plate. When an electron is permitted to move from one potential to another an electrical circuit is created. This circuit forms the basics behind vacuum tube operation.
With that said, the project uses a heater powered from two D size batteries. There doesn’t seem to mention of the plate source, though we suspect a few 9 volt batteries wired in series does the trick. Some of the newer
commercialized radios
(World War II era) operated from considerably higher heater and plate voltage potentials, rendering the common shock hazards associated with tube designs. Tuning is accomplished with an air cap and
home made variocoupler
. We covered a
VFD based regenerative reciever
earlier this year. | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "81438",
"author": "tom mac",
"timestamp": "2009-07-14T01:49:16",
"content": "He mentions plate source voltage…Its a typical “B” battery of about 45volts.Very common in old radios.see;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B_battery_(Eveready_-762-S).jpg",
"parent_id": null,
"dept... | 1,760,377,628.572492 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/13/etch-pcbs-with-ferric-chloride-and-a-sponge/ | Etch PCBs With Ferric Chloride And A Sponge | Zach Banks | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"circuit",
"circuitboard",
"copper",
"etch",
"etchedpcb",
"fecl",
"ferric chloride",
"pcb",
"sponge",
"tutorial"
] | Etching a printed circuit board generally takes a bit of time and uses a lot of etchant. [TechShopJim] posted
a method that uses a sponge
to reduce the amount of etchant used while speeding up the entire process. First, a resist is applied using either a sharpie or the
toner transfer method
. Using gloves to handle everything, he soaked a sponge in ferric chloride and continually wiped a copper-clad board until all the exposed copper was removed. This technique moves the etchant around more, keeping “fresh” etchant closer to the copper. If you can’t procure ferric chloride, you can also use
our method
that uses 2 household chemicals: hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid. | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "81423",
"author": "The Brown-Eyed Albino",
"timestamp": "2009-07-13T23:34:22",
"content": "Sounds great! One would have to be careful to not scrub off the etch resist, but that shouldn’t be an issue if you’re just rubbing the sponge against it. Have you tried this method? I’d li... | 1,760,377,628.787146 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/13/arduino-nano-updated/ | Arduino Nano Updated | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"arduino nano",
"ATmega168",
"atmega328",
"nano",
"usb"
] | The official Arduino Nano design has been
updated to version 3.0
. Like other new Arduino designs, it’s using the ATmega328 instead of the ATmega168. It’s also a slightly more reasonable $35. The small board is designed to be plugged directly into a breadboard and accessed via mini USB cable. This new design is also two layers instead of four making it easier to produce and modify. The new Nanos will ship at the end of the month. | 22 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "81407",
"author": "googfan",
"timestamp": "2009-07-13T22:13:09",
"content": "nice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81408",
"author": "pburgess",
"timestamp": "2009-07-13T22:32:12",
"content": "Ordered.I swear, Arduin... | 1,760,377,628.88755 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/10/balloon-based-satellite/ | Balloon Based Satellite | Steve Watkins | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"amateur radio",
"ARHAB",
"ballooning",
"camera",
"controller",
"diy",
"electronics",
"Experiments",
"near space",
"satellite",
"space"
] | This project provides an opportunity to conduct near space experiments. The flight computer,
BalloonSat Extreme
, is controlled by a BASIC Stamp 2pe. The complete BOM with PCB artwork is provided. There is enough hardware to control cameras, servos, a Gps, and five digital I/O. The computer is also equipped with a 12 bit ADC to log experiment results. The device seems limited to 30KB of storage. Though the author suggests this memory limitation is more than adequate, we are wondering if an implementation of the Nyquist sampling theorem is in use at all. For further reading the author has provided information regarding
Amateur Radio High Altitude Ballooning
.
[via
adafruit
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "81103",
"author": "therian",
"timestamp": "2009-07-10T22:25:37",
"content": "why they put all the heavy crap like serial port on it and make huge pcb isn’t it suppose to be light",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "81109",
"auth... | 1,760,377,628.939888 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/10/smart-can-crusher/ | Smart Can Crusher | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"cans",
"recycling"
] | [vimeo
http://vimeo.com/4821403%5D
[Mangonha] has put together this interesting project involving
aluminium can recycling
(
translated
, sortof). They’re using an arduino to tally up how much aluminium they have accumulated. That information is then passed on and displayed on a google map. There are families that go around collecting the cans as a means of income, and this system could be very helpful to them. They state that their goal is to eventually have restaraunts and more families included. We’re a bit curious about how helpful this really is. How is that information actually changing the actions of the collectors? Would a simple flag on your door or window signalling enough cans to pick up or not be just as effective?
[via the
Make flickr pool
] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "81092",
"author": "sky",
"timestamp": "2009-07-10T21:00:20",
"content": "The obvious advantage over a flag on the door is a visual representation of all pickup locations. This way, you wouldn’t waste a drive across town just to check for flagged doors.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,629.148536 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/10/robots-learning-facial-expressions/ | Robots Learning Facial Expressions | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"einstein",
"emotion",
"expression"
] | Researchers at UC San Diego have been working on a
robot that learns facial expressions
. Starting with a bunch of random movements of the face “muscles”, the robot is rewarded each time it generates something that is close to an existing expression. It has slowly developed several recognizeable expressions itteratively. We have a few questions. First, are we the only ones who see a crazy woman with a mustache in the picture above?
Why is that
? What makes [Einstein] look so effiminate in that picture? Secondly, what reward do you give a robot? You can actually see this guy in action in a video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBUtxfUY_w0] | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "81069",
"author": "Taylor",
"timestamp": "2009-07-10T18:57:49",
"content": "Maybe its the orange cutoff on the side and the exposed chest area that many feminine clothing styles sport. If you put your hand over his chest, It looks like a masculine einstein lol.As for the project its... | 1,760,377,629.014229 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/09/hacking-an-ibutton/ | Hacking An IButton | Zach Banks | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Security Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"1-wire",
"atmega",
"AVR",
"diy",
"electronics",
"ibutton",
"maxim",
"microcontroller",
"money",
"security"
] | Maxim’s
iButtons
, which are small ICs in button-sized disks, are starting to show up in more and more places. They have a range of uses, from temperature loggers to identification, and all use the 1-wire protocol to communicate. Over a
furrtek
, they hacked an iButton used for buying things from vending machines and created an infinite money cheat. They built a small rig based on the ATmega8 to read and write data to the chip. The data was encrypted, so it wasn’t feasible to put an arbitrary amount on the card. Instead, they used a similar technique to the
Boston subway hack
and restored a previous state to the iButton after something was bought. They also created a hand-held device to backup and restore the contents of a button for portable hacking.
[Thanks furrtek] | 36 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "81012",
"author": "Jen",
"timestamp": "2009-07-10T03:48:44",
"content": "As much as I like iButtons, this is the fault of whatever engineer decided that it was a good idea to use the NVRAM button instead of one of the secure buttons. The DS1961S or DS1991 would have been a much bet... | 1,760,377,629.085202 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/09/midi-controlled-fire-drums/ | MIDI Controlled Fire Drums | Nick Caiello | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"fire cannons",
"fire drums",
"highly liquid",
"midi",
"MIDI controlled",
"msa",
"msa-t",
"MSA-T MIDI Decoder"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmp74fO2a38]
Using an
MSA-T MIDI Decoder
from Highly Liquid, [Rob Darman] was able to take the MIDI output of his Roland V-Drums and use that output to control fire shooting cannons, forming a setup that he calls fire drums. As seen in the video above, the response time between the V-Drums and the fire drums is pretty impressive. While this is by far one of the coolest things that we’ve seen controlled by MIDI, we’re naturally thinking about taking this to the next level; MIDI-controlled fireworks, anyone?
You may remember the MSA decoder devices from people wiring up
MIDI drums to Rock Band
. | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "80997",
"author": "PodeCoet",
"timestamp": "2009-07-10T00:51:52",
"content": "Irresistibly awesome!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "80998",
"author": "Hirudinea",
"timestamp": "2009-07-10T00:54:14",
"content": "Its l... | 1,760,377,629.336086 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/09/inside-the-asus-eee-keyboard/ | Inside The Asus EEE Keyboard | Nick Caiello | [
"computer hacks",
"News"
] | [
"Asus",
"Asus EEE keyboard",
"blogeee",
"blogeee.net",
"eee",
"take apart",
"teardown"
] | It seems that our french friends over at BlogEEE.net have gotten their hands on a prototype of the Asus EEE Keyboard all-in-one keyboard computer. After plugging it in and messing around it a little bit,
they decided to take it apart
. Although BlogEEE.net is in French, we were able to learn several things about this prototype. According to the site, the PCB in their EEE keyboard is marked as Revision 1, meaning that it is very possible that this could be the finalized version of the PCB that will be seen in retail units. Also, they mention the presence of a Silicon Image sil1392cnu, a chip responsible for sending HD graphics via the EEE’s onboard HDMI port, supporting resolutions anywhere from 480i to 1080p. Perhaps one of the most impressing details uncovered was that when weighed the EEE keyboard clocked in at an impressive 2.1 pounds, lighter than most keyboards that don’t have an onboard CPU or display. While we’ve learned a lot about the Asus EEE Keyboard so far, there is still no information available regarding its release date.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 37 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "80982",
"author": "bobdole",
"timestamp": "2009-07-09T22:53:01",
"content": "“…an impressive 2.1 pounds, lighter than most keyboards that don’t have an onboard CPU or display”I take it you use an IBM Model M?Most standard cheapo keyboards these days are a couple ounces at most. Othe... | 1,760,377,629.284626 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/09/chalkbot-vs-graffitiwriter/ | Chalkbot Vs GraffitiWriter | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"advertising",
"chalkbot",
"fulgurator",
"gpl",
"graffiti",
"nike",
"public domain"
] | For those who watched the Tour de France, you may have been pleasantly surprised to see some cool tech. Nike was using a robot to paint pictures on the street in chalk dot matrix style. It was accepted by the general public as new and innovative, as well as generally cool. In the hacker community though, a bit of trouble began to brew. The
Chalkbot bears more than a passing resemblance to a project called GraffitiWriter
. GraffitiWriter was a bot
initially designed
to protest the militarization of robotics. As it turns out, one of the early developers of the GraffitiWriter is behind the Chalkbot in a legitimate contract. The trouble doesn’t seem to be one of intellectual property legalities. People are mad at the corporatization of public work. They want kids watching to know that this system was designed by regular people in their spare time at their homes, not by a team of researches in a secret underground Nike laboratory.
The article takes a bit of a turn and talks some about the possibility of projects being taken and used for corporate advertisement. The specific item they are talking about is the
Image Fulgurator
which secretly projects images on objects in your photographs. You’ll have to go check that one out to see how it works. | 30 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "80929",
"author": "blubb",
"timestamp": "2009-07-09T14:56:04",
"content": "“in a secret underground Nike laboratory” :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "80931",
"author": "BikeGeek",
"timestamp": "2009-07-09T15:01:31",
... | 1,760,377,629.209586 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/09/compaq-motherboard-power-mod/ | Compaq Motherboard Power Mod | Caleb Kraft | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"atx",
"compaq",
"power supply",
"proprietary",
"psu"
] | Some companies insist on using proprietary pieces. It can be really frustrating when there is no apparent reason other than consumer lock in. It irritates us to feel like we’re being forced to buy their pieces. This is one of the more popular reasons listed when you ask a hacker or modder what got them started. This project takes us through
making a normal power supply work with the compaq proprietary 14 pin plug
found in some smaller desktop PCs.
Aside from the plug itself being different, the motherboards require a 3.3v standby voltage. A normal power supply usually only has a 5v. Though there are even simpler ways of bypassing the issue, he chose to put an inline voltage regulator. Schematics are available on the site.
[via
Hacked Gadgets
] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "80921",
"author": "McSquid",
"timestamp": "2009-07-09T13:44:20",
"content": "Good, don’t buy that non standard force-you-to-buy crap. They do that so they can still charge top dollar for outdated tech just because no one else’s fits. I approve any mod that denies them. nicely done."... | 1,760,377,629.612423 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/08/continuous-ink-project/ | Continuous Ink Project | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"cis",
"continuous ink",
"ink",
"printer",
"refill ink"
] | This ancient by internet standards, circa 2002, but its a great read.
[Eddie], frustrated by the high cost of ink cartridges set out to build a continuous inking system
. This would mean that the cartridges would be filled from larger, cheaper reservoirs of ink continually. Along the way he transitioned from simple tubes with some putty to more complicated systems. Eventually he had to
hack the chips that told the printers the cartridge was in need of replacement
. While the systems he’s using may be difficult to find now, the execution should work on other models. Completely unrelated to the project itself, is that [Billy Mays] as the site favicon? We suspect it is [Eddie] himself.
[via
hacknmod
] | 32 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "80832",
"author": "tashwold",
"timestamp": "2009-07-08T16:53:21",
"content": "I thought one of the reasons for replaceable cartridges was that the printheads wore out (or got gummed up or something)…for this reason, i’m not sure how well this would work with modern low cost printers... | 1,760,377,629.499511 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/08/15-ton-robotic-arm-wiimote/ | 15 Ton Robotic Arm + WiiMote | Caleb Kraft | [
"Nintendo Wii Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"crane",
"grapple",
"wiimote"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1AJ_OBJUpY]
These 15 ton robotic arms can reach 16 meters. Not content to control them by a simple joystick,
the team hacked together WiiMote controls for them
. Ok, we get it. Everybody loves the Wii. What is different about using the WiiMote in this scenario? You can see that they are only using the pitch, yaw, and roll. They’re not utilizing the tracking aspects at all. The only difference between the WiiMote and their joystick in this scenario is that the WiiMote connects via bluetooth. Frankly, we just like the fact that people are playing with the robotic arms, WiiMote or not. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "80807",
"author": "KVirtanen",
"timestamp": "2009-07-08T14:09:11",
"content": "I wonder if the guy operating the arm should use the Wiimote’s lanyard – I wouldn’t want him dropping the Wiimote now that it’s controlling the arm.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies":... | 1,760,377,629.798012 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/07/apple-adjustable-keyboard-usb-hack/ | Apple Adjustable Keyboard USB Hack | Nick Caiello | [
"computer hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"apple adjustable keyboard",
"keyboard hack",
"microsoft comfort curve 2000",
"usb hack"
] | When [Tom] got tired of the large size of his Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 keyboard, he decided to hack a recently acquired Apple Adjustable Keyboard for use with Windows. After removing the ancient ADB based control board from the Apple keyboard, he was able to map the keys and transplant the Microsoft keyboard’s USB control board into the Apple keyboard. After soldering the control board into the keyboard with old IDE cables, all that was left was to add some diodes to prevent ghost key presses, and
the keyboard hack
was complete. [Tom] offers a spreadsheet of the results of his key mapping on his site, and while you’re there be sure to check out his other projects, like his
DIY Proton Pack
that he made for Halloween last year. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "80757",
"author": "David Mudkips",
"timestamp": "2009-07-08T01:32:52",
"content": "I don’t get those split keyboards, my hands go straight out in front of me when I type, are they for mutants with strange wrists or arms?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}... | 1,760,377,629.561262 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/07/intel-8008-clock/ | Intel 8008 Clock | Gerrit Coetzee | [
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"8008",
"clock",
"diy",
"electronics",
"intel",
"len bales",
"microprocessor"
] | Every year [Len Bales] designs and builds a new clock. His 2006
clock runs on the classic Intel 8008 microprocessor
. The design is definitely not for the faint of heart, but he includes all code, diagrams and a good description on his site. The project is an interesting look into the not-so-distant past of computing. While the function of the project is a clock, it is actually a fully programmable 8008 computer running at 500khz with 16k of memory space and 4io ports. [Len] also links a lot of useful 8008 resources for anyone wanting to tackle a project of their own. | 11 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "80741",
"author": "Kyle",
"timestamp": "2009-07-07T23:28:36",
"content": "Why build something like this? Because it’s so amazingly cool!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "80744",
"author": "Tony",
"timestamp": "2009-07-07... | 1,760,377,629.656186 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/07/avr-boost-converter/ | AVR Boost Converter | Zach Banks | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"attiny13",
"AVR",
"boost converter",
"coil",
"electronics",
"pwm",
"sprite_tm",
"uc"
] | Over at SpriteMods, [sprite_tm] realized that a
microcontroller could be used as a boost converter to power itself
. A boost converter steps up voltage from a battery by switching the output of a coil. First, it is tied to ground so a magnetic field can build up in the coil. It is then released as a higher voltage than the input. Normally dedicated chips do this at an incredibly high frequency, but the PWM signal from an AVR works well enough. This can be used in low-power situations
where space is an issue
.
[via
EMSL
] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "80721",
"author": "compukidmike",
"timestamp": "2009-07-07T21:18:41",
"content": "Wow, that’s genius! I hope you don’t mind if I use this in my next project!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "80725",
"author": "zake",
"tim... | 1,760,377,629.85025 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/07/various-cantenna-builds/ | Various Cantenna Builds | Steve Watkins | [
"home hacks",
"Roundup",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"cantenna",
"dish",
"parabolic",
"satellite",
"satellite dish",
"waveguide",
"wifi",
"wireless",
"youtube"
] | Here is a classic project used to increase wireless signal strength. Cantennas focus using a waveguide very much like a magnifying glass focuses light. [Robert] made a
Natural Light beer cantenna
, pictured in the upper left. His approach used three beer cans, a paper towel holder, and a shower curtain rod. On the
tipline
, he noted a signal boost from 11Mbps to 54Mbps. This is certainly something we can hack together if our room lacks adequate signal. Read about parabolic and seeking versions after the break.
The lower right image is an example of a
parabolic soup cantenna
constructed using an old satellite dish. No figures seem to be cited, though the construction is worth noting. We’ve had success with
old satellite dishes
in the past. The upper right and lower left pictures are scanning Cantennas. They use servos to seek out stronger connections by moving and checking the signal strength. Below is an in line video of the lower left
cantenna while scanning
. Maybe you want to know
How to build a tin can waveguide WiFi Antenna
. All the instructions are provided complete with a rough cost break down, and the site has a calculator to determine cut off frequencies given a can’s diameter.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SzbjeIbtls] | 27 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "80716",
"author": "xrazorwirex",
"timestamp": "2009-07-07T20:47:21",
"content": "“a signal boost from 11Mbps to 54Mbps” – something about this doesn’t make sense to me. Isn’t signal measured in decibels?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comme... | 1,760,377,629.973006 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/07/tiny-medical-bot/ | Tiny Medical Bot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Medical Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"blood vessel",
"medical",
"tiny",
"vein"
] | This
tiny bot wants to go inside your body
. That’s right, it was designed to travel through veins. The little bot has no on board propulsion system. It is controlled by a magnet outside the body. See those little spines? Those straighten out to keep the bot in place when it isn’t supposed to move. Creepy right? In all the articles we’ve seen on this bot, there aren’t any details about what actually is on board. They mention adding a camera in the near future, but why are they calling it a robot? Surely there’s something cool in that little body. This is a quite practical application of a
project we covered recently
. Commenters weren’t impressed with the external control system, likening it to the old vibrating football player game. Well, here’s where it could be usefull. | 28 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "80679",
"author": "Project",
"timestamp": "2009-07-07T16:43:24",
"content": "Sounds creepy. What are the chances it gets stuck where it shouldn’t? Or ruptures sensitive tissue? How will they get it in? It’ll probably involve a really large needle for it to fit through.shudderI hate ... | 1,760,377,629.914106 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/07/willow-garages-pr2-robot/ | Willow Garage’s PR2 Robot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"autonomous",
"charge",
"plug in",
"pr2"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S2dc_B-6Kg]
We would like you to
meet PR2
. Made by Willow Garage, PR2 is a platform for research into robotic programming. The bot itself is simple compared to some of the humanoid bots we see, but its behavior is quite complex. In the video above, you see PR2 completing milestone 2 of its development. This includes navigating an office with closed doors and plugging itself into a standard wall outlet for a charge. We’re especially fond of the “wiggle”. You can hear some of the developers talk more about PR2 and its completion of milestone 2 in the video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1emTXIzhZw]
[via
BotJunkie
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "80668",
"author": "Jake of All Trades",
"timestamp": "2009-07-07T15:23:53",
"content": "pr2 is so…cute! His behaviorisms (wiggling, etc) are seemingly quite un-robotic, and therefore endearing :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": ... | 1,760,377,630.099056 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/06/diy-avr-usb-rgb-led-notifier/ | DIY AVR USB RGB LED Notifier | Zach Banks | [
"LED Hacks",
"Netbook Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"attiny45",
"AVR",
"diy",
"EeePc",
"electronics",
"email",
"justblair",
"led",
"pidgin",
"rgb",
"twitter",
"usb",
"V-USB"
] | Giving us a chance to break out the
TLAs
, [Blair] sent in his latest hack where he
embedded an RGB LED into his EeePC
to display twitter, pidgin, and email notifications. It is based around the ATtiny45, and requires very few additional parts. He based the project on a
foundation of work
laid by [Dennis Schulze] on notifications and the
work of [Dave Hillier
] that used
V-USB
, a library for implementing USB on AVRs. The entire circuit was done freehand and crammed inside the netbook. He says that it is a lot easier to see notifications, even when the laptop is shut.
Related:
Email notification via RGB LED | 37 | 37 | [
{
"comment_id": "80564",
"author": "chris",
"timestamp": "2009-07-06T20:54:06",
"content": "omg wtf bbq",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "80569",
"author": "Zorink",
"timestamp": "2009-07-06T21:33:17",
"content": "anyone know a 3 lette... | 1,760,377,630.049872 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2009/07/06/c64-usb-keyboard/ | C64 USB Keyboard | Steve Watkins | [
"computer hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"atmega",
"AVR",
"bit bang",
"c64",
"commodore",
"controller",
"electronics",
"hid",
"keyboard",
"microcontroller",
"usb",
"V-USB"
] | [Maarten] told us about a
C64 USB keyboard
that was modified to be used as a standard input device. An interesting aspect of the project is the
use of V-USB
(formerly known as AVR-USB). V-USB is a software only approach to slow speed USB HID. In essence this is a two fold mod, The C64 keyboard is patched to a PC, and an off the shelf AVR is software-hacked to bit bang the USB communications. The author notes an initial problem with multiple key presses that was later corrected in the application. For the other side of the spectrum, we had covered the
C64 twittering client
, and a
commodore 64 laptop
. | 10 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "80559",
"author": "Bjonnh",
"timestamp": "2009-07-06T20:22:22",
"content": "I would have use an usb keyboard circuitry instead but that wouldn’t be such an hardaware-hacker keyboard.Must try this with my MSX or ZX one.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,630.14531 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.