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/2008/12/14/high-speed-photography/ | High Speed Photography | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"high speed photography"
] | [Shakir] sent us this fairly easy way to do
high speed photography
. The idea is to use a microphone to detect a sharp sound on a surface and trigger the flash. The camera is set up with a long exposure to capture the action. Assuming your room is dark enough, you shouldn’t get much ghosting in your exposure. The circuit is a two stage amplifier that engages the flash using a
silicon controlled rectifier
. Be sure to check out the photos, some are pretty stunning. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "55199",
"author": "Cyrozap",
"timestamp": "2008-12-14T20:31:56",
"content": "long exposure? don’t you mean short exposure?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "55200",
"author": "cptfalcon",
"timestamp": "2008-12-14T20:39:54"... | 1,760,377,711.202226 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/13/a-shiftbrite-christmas/ | A ShiftBrite Christmas | Eliot | [
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"daisychain",
"garret",
"led",
"macetech",
"rgb",
"RGB LED",
"serial",
"shiftbrite"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PVC5jABuB8]
[Garrett] took 30 of his ShiftBrite modules and
mounted them to his front fence
for Christmas. The
ShiftBrite
is a serially addressable high output RGB LED. The individual modules are quite adept at applications like this where you’re stringing multiple lights together. They have identical buses on either side, specifically for daisychaining. The installation above looks great. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "55144",
"author": "blitzcat",
"timestamp": "2008-12-14T05:39:24",
"content": "Neighbors must just love that. Yuk",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "55145",
"author": "steveorama",
"timestamp": "2008-12-14T05:40:27",
"co... | 1,760,377,711.37285 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/13/year-in-ideas/ | Year In Ideas | Eliot | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"brickley",
"brickley engine",
"crow",
"crow vending machine",
"josh klein",
"knee brace",
"max donelan",
"new york times",
"nyt",
"waxy",
"year in ideas"
] | The New York Times has published their
8th annual Year in Ideas
. It’s a collection of interesting research and policy changes that have happened in the last year. They cover several projects that we’ve found noteworthy in the past. Pictured above is [Max Donelan]’s
power generating knee brace
. It generates power as you perform mundane daily activities. Another pick was the
Brickley Engine
. It has a unique piston layout to reduce friction for increased efficiency. We were particularly interested in the research that discovered drone pilots become exhausted
far quicker than pilots in real aircraft
. It’s doubtful that this problem of “sensory isolation” will go away and we wonder what other fields it might appear in. They even mention [Josh Klein]’s
crow vending machine
. You’ll find something to pique your interest in the Year of Ideas, even if it’s
DNA forensics for dog poop
.
[via
Waxy
] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "55159",
"author": "Dave",
"timestamp": "2008-12-14T07:41:56",
"content": "The Brickley engine seems neat at first glance but when the inventor is touting the improvements over a traditional 4 cylinder engine he doesn’t take into account that you would either need double the number o... | 1,760,377,710.901602 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/16/sony-vaio-ux-64gb-solid-state-upgrade/ | Sony Vaio UX 64GB Solid State Upgrade | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"computer hacks"
] | [
"sony vaio",
"ssd",
"storage"
] | This Sony Vaio UX50 came with a 30GB hard drive from the factory. This hacker wanted to do an upgrade and move to solid state, so he started hacking away. He ended up with a total of
64GB of solid state storage crammed into the computer
. The hard drive was replaced with a 4GB compact flash drive and the rest is spread through out the device. Apparently any crevice or crack in the Sony UX50 can have memory shoved into it. He managed to somehow get 60GB of storage in there through various USB extensions and adapters. Notice the sticker on the inside of the case. Is this the latest fad? Decorating the inside of the unit where only you know it exists?
[thanks Jorn] | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "55484",
"author": "tom61",
"timestamp": "2008-12-16T22:31:03",
"content": "Why was the harddisk removed anyway? It didn’t seem to free up any space needed by the other mods. Also, why go with only 4GB CF card in the internal slot instead of the 16GB, when this is by far a lot faster... | 1,760,377,711.097245 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/16/iphone-3g-unlocked/ | IPhone 3G Unlocked | Caleb Kraft | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks"
] | [
"3g",
"dev team",
"iphone",
"unlock"
] | iPhone dev team
is at it again. They claim to have finally
hacked the iPhone 3G
. Originally codenamed “yellowsn0w”, it is targeted to be released on December 31st. This should free you from your locked in carrier as long as you have version 2.11.07 or earlier.
[via
Engadget
] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "55472",
"author": "alex whittemore",
"timestamp": "2008-12-16T19:58:59",
"content": "That is, BASEBAND 2.11.07, in other words, the version of the baseband that shipped with the last iphone OS 2.1 update just before 2.2 was released.The skinny is that, if you updated to iPhone OS 2.... | 1,760,377,711.154028 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/16/twittering-toaster/ | Twittering Toaster | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"iobridge",
"toast"
] | [nothans] felt that there were enough people curious about his toaster’s status that he
built a system to update the world via twitter
. Using the
ioBridge
module and a switch on the toaster, the world can now know when [Hans] is making toast. We recently saw someone use the same unit to
feed their dog remotely
. | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "55470",
"author": "twistedsymphony",
"timestamp": "2008-12-16T19:49:10",
"content": "In the Quiet Words of the Virgin Mary… Come Again?I want to see the next evoloution of this where _EVERYTHING_ and I mean _EVERYTHING_ in someone’s house is fed into twitter to make it some kind of ... | 1,760,377,711.026767 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/16/6990/ | Rideable Hexapod | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"chair",
"hexapod",
"robot"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuRT9gC0CGs]
Who hasn’t fantasized about
riding on a hexapod robot
? With these detailed instructions, you very well could be living out your fantasy very soon. As you can see in the video, they opted for connected legs instead of 6 independent ones, so your dreams of riding the
dancing Lou Bega bot
may have to wait for another day.
[via
Hack N Mod
] | 22 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "55440",
"author": "hogiewan",
"timestamp": "2008-12-16T15:10:37",
"content": "no title!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "55443",
"author": "spiderwebby",
"timestamp": "2008-12-16T15:25:41",
"content": "blank rss feeds... | 1,760,377,711.424529 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/15/a-welcome-train-for-the-holidays/ | A Welcome Train For The Holidays | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"christmas",
"infra red",
"infrared",
"ir",
"train"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnFyI0a-55s]
[Eric] was charged with the task of
setting up the train to welcome people on the porch
. The train had been in the family for a long time, so he didn’t want to modify the train itself. Luckily, it has an IR port. He recorded the IR signal from the remote and used a home made pressure sensor to signal the train to start. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "55399",
"author": "omley",
"timestamp": "2008-12-16T04:31:22",
"content": "controlling something like this is pretty sweet. i did it before using XML and Windows2000. you could just as easily use a batch script, take a look here:http://variableghz.com/2008/11/why-i-still-use-dos/and... | 1,760,377,711.244769 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/15/lazy-knitting/ | Lazy Knitting | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"motorized",
"yarn"
] | As much as we love crazy prototype style hacks, we really enjoy seeing things that get used after their creation. [Marcus] sent us the information about his
automatic yarn winder
. Noticing that his friends who knit had to go through the monotonous process of winding a ball of yarn each time they started the process, he sprung into action. After finding only a few commercial solutions, which were out of his price range, he decided to build his own. He found a hand cranked version and gutted it to add a motor. Now, they simply need to get it started and walk away. Great job [Marcus]. | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "55353",
"author": "LMM",
"timestamp": "2008-12-15T21:55:55",
"content": "Something exactly like this was on a recent episode of “Pushing Daisies”. The inventor became a millionaire of sorts. I had no clue someone would actually BUILD the thing, but it looks like a functional, useful... | 1,760,377,710.962562 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/15/orbita-mouse/ | Orbita Mouse | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"jog dial",
"jog wheel",
"mouse",
"puck",
"spinner"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qCwlw9DO7g]
The
Orbita mouse seems to be finally coming to production
. After watching that video, it seems that the mouse could be quite nice actually. We’ve seen several people
build jog wheels
for their computer and others try to
make scrolling more ergonomic
, and this product seems to add both decently. Well, it could probably be more ergonomic, but it is a start. At less than $100 it isn’t cost prohibitive either. The question is, have any of you built an alternative? Using a puck shaped device seems like it could get bothersome on the hand, how would you improve the design?
[via
Engadget
] | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "55317",
"author": "EdZ",
"timestamp": "2008-12-15T17:29:05",
"content": "That looks horrible to use. Having to lift your hand off of the mouse every time you want to scroll? No thank you. Touch sensitive clicking? Horrible design flaw (see ‘mighty mouse’). Well, actually it’s worse ... | 1,760,377,711.323152 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/24/multitouch-mame-cabinet/ | Multitouch MAME Cabinet | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"computer hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"arcade",
"mame",
"multitouch",
"mutli touch"
] | [rdagger] sent us this really well done
multitouch MAME cabinet build
. He ha penned to find a used, and fairly worn cocktail cabinet. The monitor was damaged, keys lost, and internals had been home to mice for some time. He promptly tore out the old guts, replaced the smelly mouse damaged base and began building the projection system. For touch sensing, he’s using a web cam with the IR filter removed to detect disturbances in some IR laser beams. We’re not completely clear on how he mounted the lasers, he skips over that part. There’s nothing groundbreaking in the technology here, we’ve done multitouch many times before. This project stands out in its execution. [rdagger] has done a fantastic job, the construction looks fantastic. Check out a video of it working after the break.
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6831860176977006864&hl=en] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "56424",
"author": "fractalrock",
"timestamp": "2008-12-24T15:15:20",
"content": "@caleb: You may need to use this url instead:http://rototron.info/MT/MT.aspxThe link you provided didn’t work directly for me, even though that is where it is forwarded to…",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,711.629692 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/24/parts-1k-1-wire-eeprom-ds2431/ | Parts: 1K 1-Wire EEPROM (DS2431) | Ian | [
"Parts",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"1-wire",
"bus pirate",
"eeprom",
"electronics",
"interfacing",
"memory",
"serial interface",
"to-92"
] | The Maxim
DS2431 1K EEPROM
is
1-Wire
device that adds storage to a project using a single microcontroller pin. We previously interfaced a
1-wire thermometer
, but this EEPROM is slightly different because it draws power directly from the 1-Wire bus. Grab the
datasheet
(PDF) and follow along while we read and write this simple 1-Wire memory.
DS2431
1-Wire 1K EEPROM (Digikey #
DS2431+-ND
, $1.67)
We used our
Bus Pirate universal serial interface
to demonstrate the DS2431 EEPROM, we covered the proper connections and configuration options in
our previous 1-wire post
. The DS2431 requires just two connections: ground (pin 1) and 1-Wire/power (pin 2). Pin 3 remains unconnected. Like last time, we used a 2K pull-up resistor with the 1-Wire bus.
First, we use the Bus Pirate’s SEARCH ROM command to identify connected 1-Wire devices.
1-WIRE>(240)
<–SEARCH ROM command macro
1WIRE ROM COMMAND: SEARCH (0xF0)
Found devices at:
Macro 1-WIRE address
1.0x2D 0x54 0xD2 0xEF 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x2B
<–address
*DS2431 1K EEPROM
<– type
2.0x2D 0xFE 0x8D 0x43 0x01 0x00 0x00 0x52
*DS2431 1K EEPROM
3.0x2D 0x2B 0xED 0xEF 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x7C
*DS2431 1K EEPROM
Found 0x03 devices.
The first 10 device IDs are available by MACRO, see (0).
1-WIRE>
The SEARCH ROM command reveals that there are 3 EEPROMs connected to the 1-Wire bus. The Bus Pirate stores the 64bit 1-wire addresses in macros so we don’t have to type it every time. We’ll work with the first device, identified by macro (1).
Writing to the DS2431 takes three steps:
Write data to DS2431’s 8byte ‘scratch pad’ EEPROM buffer
Verify the scratch pad contents and get the write access key
Copy data from the scratch pad to the EEPROM for permanent storage.
Command 0x0f writes to the scratch pad. The scratch pad is an 8byte buffer that holds data prior to saving it permanently in the EEPROM.
1-WIRE>(85)(1) 0x0f 0x00 0x00 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
<–command
1WIRE BUS RESET OK
1WIRE WRITE ROM COMMAND: MATCH (0x55) *follow with 64bit address
1WIRE ADDRESS MACRO 1: 0x2D 0x54 0xD2 0xEF 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x2B
1WIRE WRITE: 0x0F
<–write to scratch pad
1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
<–begin address byte 1
1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
<–begin address byte 2
1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
<–data
1WIRE WRITE: 0x01
1WIRE WRITE: 0x02
1WIRE WRITE: 0x03
1WIRE WRITE: 0x04
1WIRE WRITE: 0x05
1WIRE WRITE: 0x06
1WIRE WRITE: 0x07
1-WIRE>
The MATCH ROM macro, (85), isolates the the first device, (1). 0x0f is the command to write to the scratch pad, followed by the start address, 0 0. Finally, we send eight bytes of data to save in the scratch pad. The scratch pad is eight bytes long, and all eight bytes will be copied from the scratch pad to the EEPROM at once.
1-WIRE>(85)(1) 0xaa r:3 r:8 r:2 r:2
<–command
1WIRE BUS RESET OK
1WIRE WRITE ROM COMMAND: MATCH (0x55) *follow with 64bit address
1WIRE ADDRESS MACRO 1: 0x2D 0x54 0xD2 0xEF 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x2B
1WIRE WRITE: 0xAA
<–read scratch pad
1WIRE BULK READ, 0x03 BYTES:
<–access code
0x00 0x00 0x07
1WIRE BULK READ, 0x08 BYTES:
<–verify our data
0x00 0x01 0x02 0x03 0x04 0x05 0x06 0x07
1WIRE BULK READ, 0x02 BYTES:
<–inverse CRC
0x44 0x67
1WIRE BULK READ, 0x02 BYTES:
<–all 1s from here
0xFF 0xFF
1-WIRE>
To copy data from the scratch pad to the EEPROM, we must first retrieve a three byte access code from the scratch pad with the command 0xaa. The first three bytes are the access code (0x00 0x00 0x07), followed by the data contained in the scratch pad.
1-WIRE>(85)(1) 0x55 0x00 0x00 0x07
1WIRE BUS RESET OK
1WIRE WRITE ROM COMMAND: MATCH (0x55) *follow with 64bit address
1WIRE ADDRESS MACRO 1: 0x2D 0x54 0xD2 0xEF 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x2B
1WIRE WRITE: 0x55
<–copy to EEPROM command
1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
<–access code (3 bytes)
1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
1WIRE WRITE: 0x07
1-WIRE>!!!!
<–read bits
1WIRE READ BIT: 0
1WIRE READ BIT: 1
<–bits alternate, done
1WIRE READ BIT: 0
1WIRE READ BIT: 1
1-WIRE>
Command 0x55 with the correct access code will copy the scratch pad to the data EEPROM. Bit reads (!!!!) alternate between 0 and 1 when the copy completes.
1-WIRE>(85)(1) 0xf0 0x00 0x00 r:8 r:8
1WIRE BUS RESET OK
1WIRE WRITE ROM COMMAND: MATCH (0x55) *follow with 64bit address
1WIRE ADDRESS MACRO 1: 0x2D 0x54 0xD2 0xEF 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x2B
1WIRE WRITE: 0xF0
<–read memory
1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
<–start address (2 bytes)
1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
1WIRE BULK READ, 0x08 BYTES:
<–read back data
0x00 0x01 0x02 0x03 0x04 0x05 0x06 0x07
1WIRE BULK READ, 0x08 BYTES:
<–read beyond our data
0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
1-WIRE>
Command 0xf0 followed by a two byte memory address (0x00 0x00) begins the data read process. The first eight bytes (r:8) are the values we wrote earlier. Reads don’t involve the scratch pad and don’t have an 8byte limit, so further reads continue to the end of the memory.
Don’t forget to catch up on any
parts posts
you may have missed. | 26 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "56430",
"author": "Jerome",
"timestamp": "2008-12-24T16:30:34",
"content": "Maxim has a super nice java base program to test directly your on wire device via the web. You need to have the serial to iWire converter. It is a integreted chip.http://www.maxim-ic.com/products/ibutton/sof... | 1,760,377,711.82567 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/23/guitar-hero-cymbal-remake/ | Guitar Hero Cymbal Remake | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"drums",
"guitar hero",
"symbal",
"world tour"
] | [Matt] found, like many people, his Guitar Hero: World Tour cymbals left much to be desired. They were only detecting hits intermittently and starting to crack and fall apart as well. While he was waiting for his warranty replacements to arrive, he just couldn’t help by try to
make his own improved version
. Using about $25 worth of parts, mainly consisting of plastic plates and some neoprene material, he managed to make some pretty fantastic replacements. A video of them working might be a nice addition, but the writeup was pretty detailed otherwise. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "56369",
"author": "marz",
"timestamp": "2008-12-24T01:00:23",
"content": "Ah, good ‘ol piezoelectric elements..They’re good fun.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "56372",
"author": "Pilotgeek",
"timestamp": "2008-12-24T01:... | 1,760,377,711.565152 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/23/geeky-tree-ornaments/ | Geeky Tree Ornaments | Jason Rollette | [
"home hacks",
"Lifehacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"christmas",
"circuitboard",
"DIY Projects",
"geekware",
"geeky tree ornaments",
"nerdy tree ornaments",
"ornament",
"RAM Christmas Ornament",
"tree"
] | Geekware.ca has some ideas for
geeky tree ornaments
. This is a great way to add some personality to your holidays as well as recycle some of that electronic junk you have laying around. From RAM stars to floppy disk ornaments there are certainly some quirky ideas here. They would make great last minute gifts for someone who can appreciate your nerdiness.
GeekAlerts
also has a couple interesting ideas too. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "56329",
"author": "Matt",
"timestamp": "2008-12-23T20:18:50",
"content": "I made a geeky ornament this year. I did an AVR driven LED Christmas tree. This was my first AVR project.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxzTXsQGX28",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,711.867495 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/23/3000-posts-50000-comments/ | 3,000 Posts, 50,000 Comments | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"News"
] | [
"anniversary",
"awesome",
"benchmark",
"hack-a-day",
"hackaday"
] | Christmas has come early for us. This is our 3,000th post since launching Fall of 2004 doing just one post a day. The outstanding stat though is the 50,000 comments in the system. The team at Hack a Day would like to thank you, the readers, for bringing in all of our best
tips
and being part of this great community. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "56309",
"author": "sean",
"timestamp": "2008-12-23T19:15:05",
"content": "yay us",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "56310",
"author": "Trephined",
"timestamp": "2008-12-23T19:18:20",
"content": "This is the 6th post for... | 1,760,377,711.942095 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/23/laser-cut-pumps/ | Laser Cut Pumps | Eliot | [
"Laser Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"liquid",
"peristaltic",
"peristaltic pump",
"pump",
"thingiverse",
"video",
"zach hoeken"
] | [vimeo 2607149]
As the video above shows, [Zach Hoeken] is
continuing to improve on his
peristaltic pump design
. The moving parts in peristaltic pumps never contact the fluid being moved. Instead, they interact with the outside of the tubing that’s carrying the liquid. In [Zach]’s design, multiple skate bearings roll across the outside of the silicon tubing, squeezing the liquid through. You can get a better idea of how this works by
watching the first video
. The newer version appears to be pumping much better. We’re not sure if that’s because of faster motors or from switching to two bearings instead of three. This definitely looks like a good choice if you’re planning on building your own
cocktail robot
. You can find the plans on
Thingiverse
. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "56335",
"author": "barry99705",
"timestamp": "2008-12-23T20:49:39",
"content": "That’s the same way the pumps in heart/lung machines work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "56338",
"author": "roshamboe",
"timestamp": "2008... | 1,760,377,711.993252 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/23/25c3-international-capture-the-flag/ | 25C3 International Capture The Flag | Eliot | [
"cons",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"25c3",
"berlin",
"capture the flag",
"ccc",
"chaos communication congress",
"competition",
"contest",
"ctf",
"virtual machine",
"vm",
"vpn"
] | Capture the Flag (
CTF
) is a long running tradition at hacker conventions. It pits teams of security researchers against each other on the same network. Every team gets an identical virtual machine image. The VM has a set of custom written services that are known to be vulnerable. The teams work to secure their image while simultaneously exploiting services on the machines of other teams. A scoring server monitors the match as it progresses and awards points to teams for keeping their services up and also for stealing data from their competitors.
The Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin December 27-30, 2008 will
host a CTF competition
. Most CTF matches are done head to head in the same room. While 25C3 will have local teams, it will also be wide open for international teams to compete remotely. Remote teams will host their own images on a VPN with the other competitors. Now is a good time to register and familiarize yourself with the scoring system. It will certainly be interesting to see how this competition plays out now that teams that can’t make the trip can still compete. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "56311",
"author": "TJHooker",
"timestamp": "2008-12-23T19:18:21",
"content": "Most times the nodes just have generic vulnerabilities; they actually forbid you to run good memory protection and IDS solutions; unless they’ve changed the rules.The real challenge is providing enough all... | 1,760,377,712.033248 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/11/how-to-programmable-logic-devices-cpld/ | How-to: Programmable Logic Devices (CPLD) | Ian | [
"how-to",
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"complex programmable logic device",
"cpld",
"electronics",
"fpga",
"how-to",
"logic",
"programmable logic"
] | Complex programmable logic devices
(CPLDs) contain the building blocks for hundreds of
7400-serries logic ICs
. Complete circuits can be designed on a PC and then uploaded to a CPLD for instant implementation. A microcontroller connected to a CPLD is like a microcontroller paired with a reprogrammable circuit board and a fully stocked electronics store.
At first we weren’t sure of the wide appeal and application of CPLDs in hobbyist projects, but we’ve been convinced. A custom logic device can eliminate days of reading datasheets, finding the
ideal logic IC combination
, and then waiting for chips to arrive. Circuit boards are simpler with CPLDs because a single chip with programmable pin placement can replace
100s of individual logic ICs
. Circuit mistakes can be corrected by uploading a new design, rather than etching and stuffing a new circuit board. CPLDs are fast, with reaction times starting at 100MHz. Despite their extreme versatility, CPLDs are a mature technology with chips starting at $1.
We’ve got a home-etchable, self programming development board to get you started. Don’t worry, this board has a serial port interface for working with the CPLD, and doesn’t require a separate (usually parallel port) JTAG programmer.
Intro to CPLDs
When to use a CPLD
Consider using a CPLD when a design calls for more than one 7400 series logic ICs. A CPLD will be cheaper, faster, and can be programmed with your ideal pin-out configuration for simpler PCBs.
Use a CPLD in tricky designs that might require several iterations. It’s easier to design a new circuit in software and upload it to the CPLD than it is to design, etch, and stuff a new circuit board.
For maximum speed and instant response, choose a CPLD. The difference in speed is amazing; CPLDs start at a 100MHz, while microcontrollers respond to interrupts at a few MHz. CPLD designs form circuits that react to external stimulus, reactions occur almost instantaneously. A microcontroller executes code to react to events, even interrupt routines have comparatively high latency.
CPLD vs FPGA
FPGA
s are better known than CPLDs, but they share many characteristics. This analogy isn’t perfect, but we like it: where FPGAs are a reprogrammable processor core, a CPLD is a reprogrammable circuit board or breadboard. FPGAs replace microcontrollers, memory, and other components. CPLDs absorb logic ICs, and work well with a microcontroller.
Manufacturers
Altera
and
Xilinx
, the biggest CPLD manufacturers, are better known for their FPGAs.
Lattice Semiconductor
is another large CPLD manufacturer with less community following.
Atmel
makes
pin-compatible versions
of old industry-standard CPLDs.
If you plan to work at 5volts, your options are limited. Xilinx XC9500 CPLDs are still available as new old stock, but cost four times more than newer 3.3volt equivalents. Atmel’s
ATF1502 series
works at 5volts, but they don’t offer a free development environment.
At 3.3volts there’s more options, but new CPLDs increasingly have a core that runs at 2.5volts, 1.8volts, or lower. The Altera
MAXII
and the Xilinx
XC9500XL
series are probably the most popular 3.3volt CPLDs. Xilinx also makes the
CoolrunnerII
CPLD, but it only comes in a TQFP package and requires a separate 1.8volt supply for the core.
Packages
Most manufacturers offer one or two CPLDs in a hobbyist friendly
PLCC 44 package
, though this is starting to disappear. PLCC is an SOIC-sized surface mount chip with pins on all four sides. PLCC44 sockets are commonly available in through-hole and SMD versions. Unfortunately, newer CPLD families are starting to eliminate the PLCC package and offer only 44 pin and larger TQFP chips, such as Xilinx’s CoolrunnerII.
Development environments
Most manufacturers offer a free development environment that supports design entry using simple schematics, as well as
Verilog
or
VHDL
. Many won’t support the latest FPGAs in the free version, but we only need the CPLD parts anyway. Altera has
Quartus
, Xilinx has
ISE
, and Lattice has
ispLever
. Atmel has
ProChip Designer
for the ATF15xx series, but they only offer a 6month trial license — which they wouldn’t actually give us.
Programmers
The development board we present doesn’t need a separate JTAG programmer because the PIC microcontroller already programs the CPLD. If you want an external programmer, the cheapest are the parallel port programmers:
Parallel Cable III for Xilinx
and
BytleBlaster for Altera
. Inexpensive clones, and schematics, are available at SparkFun. The
OpenOCD
is a generic USB JTAG programmer that will work with many CPLDs, FPGAs, and ARMs.
Our choice
We eventually settled on the Xilinx XC9500XL series because it had a cheap development kit we could use to
test our JTAG programmer
prior to implementing an entire design.
The
DO-CPLD-DK
from
Digilent
includes a XC9572XL, a CoolrunnerII, and parallel port programmer. Nu Horizons has some
old non-ROHS models for $40
, but due to sloppy variable type handling in their credit card processing scripts, we couldn’t complete an order online. We tried to do it over the phone but they refused to take such a small order on the phone, even during a website malfunction. In the end, it was cheaper to pay full price at Digikey (#
122-1512-ND
) after including New Horizon’s exorbitant shipping charges. We wouldn’t normally mention this, but with only two places to buy the board it’s probably worth noting our experience.
CPLD development board
Click here for a full size schematic image
(PNG). The circuit and PCB are designed using the freeware version of
Cadsoft Eagle
. All the files for this project are included in the project archive linked at the end of the article.
Circuit
A PIC
24FJ64GA002
microcontroller (IC1) provides the user and programming interface to the CPLD. We use this $4 PIC in a lot of projects because the peripheral pin select feature makes board routing really easy. Check out our
introduction to the PIC24F
for more details. The PIC needs to communicate with a PC serial port, so we added an inexpensive MAX3232 RS232 transceiver. The serial interface should work with a USB->serial adapter.
Our choice of CPLD (IC3), a Xilinx
XC9572XL
(PDF), is connected between the PIC and several other components. We can create an endless variety of circuitry between the PIC and other chips using the reprogrammable logic inside the CPLD.
The PIC will program the CPLD with code sent from a PC serial port, but we still brought the JTAG pins to a header for easy external debugging.
A
DS1085 digital programmable oscillator
(IC4) generates clock frequencies between 8KHz and 133MHz, at 10KHz increments. This is very similar to the
DS1077 we covered earlier,
but it has even steps between all frequencies. The DS1085 requires a 5volt supply (VR2). The I2C interface also runs at 5volts, so we connected it to 5volt tolerant PIC pins. It’s possible to use the 3.3volt 66MHz 1085L instead, and remove the 5volt supply.
We used a cheap 3.3volt SOT223 voltage regulator (VR1) to power most of the circuit. The 5volt supply (VR2) can be excluded if you use a slower 1085L 3.3volt oscillator.
CPLDs are commonly used as a memory controller, so we included 32K of SRAM (IC5) on the development board. A 3.3volt latch with 5volt tolerant inputs interface the memory inputs to a wide range of external voltages (IC6). The latch inputs are held low with a 1Mohm resistor network (RN1). We’ll discuss this section extensively in an upcoming article.
PCB
The board is a quasi one-sided design. We made several compromises so we could prototype this highly experimental PCB ourselves. We present the board ‘as is’ for other die-hards that might want to etch this board at home. If you send the PCB to a board house, try to correct these issues prior to producing a ‘real’ double-sided board.
One power pin of the CPLD is missing a decoupling capacitor entirely; there was no way to put a capacitor in that area. One CPLD decoupling capacitor, and the SRAM decoupling capacitor, are through-hole parts. Using these through-hole parts eliminated a few jumper wires.
The jumper wires on the back of the board are optimized for single-sided production, rather than good design practices. We faked a double-sided board by soldering the power bus on the back. A real double-sided board design should route the power bus to avoid crossing signal paths, and include the missing decoupling capacitors.
We used an surface mount PLCC chip socket, but a through-hole version is definitely a better idea. We though the SMD version would be easy to solder, but it turned out to be a nightmare. We really wanted the CPLD to be on the front of the board for the coolest possible presentation. A proper two-sided board with plated through-holes can have a through-hole socket on the front, but this wasn’t possible with our 1-sided prototype board.
Parts list
Click here for a full size placement diagram
(PNG).
Part
Value
IC1
PIC25FJ64GA002
(SOIC)
IC2
MAX3232CSE
(SOIC-N)
IC3
XC9572XL-10PCG44C
(PLCC)
—
PLCC44 socket
, SMD
IC4
DS1085
or
DS1085L
(SOIC)
IC5
32Kx8, 3.3v, SRAM
(SOJ)
IC6
74LVT573D
(SOIC)
VR1
3.3v regulator,
LD1117S33
(SOT223)
VR2
5v regulator,
LD1117S50
(SOT223)
C1-11,13-17
0.1uF decoupling capacitors
(0805)
C12
0.01uF capacitor
(0805)
C15,16
0.1uF decoupling capacitors
(through-hole)
C18
10uF tantalum capacitor
(A)
R1,2
390ohm resistor
(0805)
R3-5
2000ohm resistor
(0805)
RN1
1Mohm resistor network
(9 pin)
LED1,2
LED
(0805)
X1
db9 female serial port connector
*untested
J1
2.1mm power jack
ICSP, JTAG, SV1
0.1″ pin header, right angle
S1
Tactile switch
(DTSM-6)
Firmware
The firmware is written in C using the free demonstration version of the
PIC C30 compiler
. Learn all about working with this PIC in our
introduction to the PIC 24F series
. The firmware is included in the project archive at the end of the article.
We wanted a super easy way to interact with the hardware on the board without endless compile-program-test cycles. We made a custom version of the
Bus Pirate firmware
that provides a simple ASCII terminal interface to the DS1085 clock chip (I2C), the CPLD programing interface (JTAG), and a 3 wire (SPI) interface to the CPLD. Check out the Bus Pirate tutorial for background on the simple syntax used with the firmware.
The original Bus Pirate firmware handles several protocols that share the same pins. For the CPLD version, we changed the pin assignments to fit the connections on the development board. We also removed unused modules and options.
CPLD blinky LED examples
We prepared several designs in Xilinx’s ISE development environment. The schematics, pin placement files, and compiled designs (XSVF) are included in the project archive linked at the end of the article. A full explanation of ISE is beyond the scope of this article; we found the help files sufficiently useful to make these examples.
The first design simply lights the LED connected to pin 8 of the CPLD.
Prepare the XSVF file
XSVF is a compressed JTAG programming format, as described by Xilinx in
this application note
(PDF). XSVF isn’t limited to programming Xilinx devices, and can be prepared for any chip that provides a common
BSDL
JTAG definition file.
Open the iMPACT programming tool from the ISE Design Suite project panel under
Configure target device->iMPACT
.
Choose the option to
create a boundary scan file
, and set the type to XSVF.
Give the XSVF output a file name and then add a compiled CPLD image (ex1.jed) when prompted to add a device.
You should see a JTAG chain that contains a single device.
Click on the device and choose program; iMPACT will record the programming sequences to an XSVF file.
With XSVF file in hand, it’s time to open up a terminal and program the CPLD. We like
Tera Term
and
Hercules
on Windows. You
must
enable XON/XOFF flow control in the client to use the JTAG interface. The default PC side setting for the development board terminal is 115200bps, 8N1.
HiZ>m
<–select mode
1. HiZ
2. I2C
3. JTAG
4. RAW3WIRE
MODE>3
<–JTAG
900 MODE SET
602 JTAG READY
JTAG>(2)
<–probe JTAG chain macro
xxx JTAG INIT CHAIN
xxx JTAGSM: RESET
xxx JTAGSM: RESET->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Instruction Register (DELAYED ONE BIT FOR TMS)
xxx JTAGSM: IR->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Data Register
xxx JTAGSM: DR->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: RESET
xxx JTAGSM: RESET->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Data Register
xxx JTAG CHAIN REPORT:
0x01 DEVICE(S)
#0x01 : 0xC9 0x02 0x06 0x9A
<–XC9572XL responds
xxx JTAGSM: DR->IDLE
JTAG>
In the terminal we enter the mode menu (m), and choose JTAG (3). Macro 2 probes the JTAG chain, in our case this is just the CPLD. The chain report tells us that the chip is connected and responding.
Read more about the JTAG interface
.
Now we can run the XSVF programmer, macro (3), and upload the XSVF file from the terminal
in binary mode
. The first example just lights the LED on pin 8. If the LED lights, we can verify that programming was successful. If your LED doesn’t light, don’t despair; sometimes the JTAG programmer sticks and a reset macro (1) will get the chip going.
LED at full brightness.
74LS32/4071 OR gate, blink at half rate (/2)
A major component of the CPLD development board is the 1085(L) frequency synthesizer connected to pin 7 of the CPLD. The next example uses a
logic OR gate
, like a
74LS32 or 4071
IC, to blink the LED whenever the clock signal is high. At even the slowest clock rate the blinking will be too fast to see, but we should get a nice PWM dimming effect compared to the first example.
JTAG>m
<–select mode
1. HiZ
2. I2C
3. JTAG
4. RAW3WIRE
MODE>2
<–I2C interface to DS1085
900 MODE SET
202 I2C READY
I2C>(1)
<–address search macro
xxx Searching 7bit I2C address space.
Found devices at:
0xB0 0xB1
<–found the DS1085 address
I2C>
Program the CPLD as before, and then switch to I2C mode to access the DS1085 clock. We could look up the device address in the datasheet, but we save a few seconds by running the address search macro; the report tells us the chip answers to 0xb0 (write) and 0xb1 (read).
I2C>{0xb0 0x02 0b00011111 0b10000000}
<–max prescaler
210 I2C START CONDITION
220 I2C WRITE: 0xB0 GOT ACK: YES
220 I2C WRITE: 0x02 GOT ACK: YES
220 I2C WRITE: 0x1F GOT ACK: YES
220 I2C WRITE: 0x80 GOT ACK: YES
240 I2C STOP CONDITION
I2C>{0xb0 1 0b11111111 0b11000000}
<–max divider
210 I2C START CONDITION
220 I2C WRITE: 0xB0 GOT ACK: YES
220 I2C WRITE: 0x01 GOT ACK: YES
220 I2C WRITE: 0xFF GOT ACK: YES
220 I2C WRITE: 0xC0 GOT ACK: YES
240 I2C STOP CONDITION
I2C>
The DS1085 is almost exactly like the
DS1077 we covered earlier
, but has a DAC controlled oscillator for even steps between all frequencies. We programmed the clock to the slowest frequency using the commands shown above. The LED is dimmed by the pulse-width modulation effect of the clock signal.
LED at half brightness.
74F269 16bit synchronous counter, blink slowly (/
65535
)
We just programmed the CPLD with a logic OR gate similar to a 74LS32. Now, we’re going to reprogram the chip with a 16bit counter like two cascaded
74F269s
. At $1.15 each, two 74F269 Ics are more expensive than the XC9572XL CPLD. A 16bit counter rolls over once per 65535 ticks, so a LED attached to the last bit will toggle once every 65535/2 ticks.
Now we can see the cool part of CPLDs. The CPLD is like a programmable breadboard; we just popped out the 74LS32 and put in a 74F269, without buying parts, reading datasheets, etching, wiring, etc. A microcontroller connected to a CPLD can reconfigure its own circuit board to fix errors, add features, or re-purpose it for entirely different applications.
We upload the new design as before, but now the clock is divided by 65535 and the LED toggles about once per second.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNfJKHV0ylg]
Taking it further
Next time we’ll look at discrete 7400-series logic chips, and implement a ton of them in the CPLD to make a high-speed bus sniffer and logic analyzer.
Download:
bitclone.v1.zip | 57 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "54793",
"author": "jproach",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T03:55:34",
"content": "wow, great article :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54794",
"author": "Ilial",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T04:02:10",
"content": "Designing ... | 1,760,377,712.400302 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/11/xbox-360-jasper-in-the-wild/ | Xbox 360 Jasper In The Wild | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"360",
"ben heck",
"jasper",
"xbox"
] | [Ben Heck] has written up what he calls a “super unboxing” of the new
jasper Xbox 360
. The “jasper” refers to a
new graphics processor
that is supposed to be smaller and more reliable. They have been hard to find, but [Ben] shows us how to spot them. Simply look at the sticker on the back of the unit that shows voltage/current. If it uses 12.1 Amps instead of 14.2, it has the jasper. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "54764",
"author": "Hexxeh",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T22:34:33",
"content": "Voltages? Don’t you mean current?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54765",
"author": "James",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T22:37:16",
"content": ... | 1,760,377,712.090589 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/11/walkdrive-a-dogmotorcycle/ | Walk/drive A Dog/motorcycle | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"dog",
"motorcycle",
"mutoid",
"robot"
] | This
hulking monster
was created by the
Mutoid Waste Company
because, well, why not? Part dog, part motorcycle it walks/drives and breathes fire. Constructed from all salvaged parts, this thing is a testament to recycling. Either that or it is the harbinger of the robot apocalypse. Regardless of the possibility of it enslaving all mankind, we want one. Be sure to
watch the video
. | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "54745",
"author": "James",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T21:26:37",
"content": "This is MAXIMALLY cool! Does it also allow any kind of autonomous functionality?Next they should add a home-made nuclear reactor, lazer beam eye cannons, jump jets and a microwave oven.Murah ha ha ha ha ha ha... | 1,760,377,712.205798 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/11/the-hemp-mote/ | The Hemp-Mote | Caleb Kraft | [
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"hemp",
"wii",
"wiimote"
] | We’re sure that almost every one of our readers has been wondering why they can’t have a hemp covered Wiimote. Well, [Dhreck] got tired of waiting and
made one himself
. This isn’t just as simple as covering a Wiimote with hemp chord. Major modifications had to be made to keep it from getting too bulky. [Dhreck] whittled down most of the shell, then re formed it with modeling putty. After sanding that nice and smooth and applying a nice black paint job, he started the painstaking process of wrapping it in hemp. It still works perfectly fine, but can fray if you are too hard on it. So, if you get your hands on some hemp, take it easy on your Wii. | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "54739",
"author": "Bryan",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T21:10:09",
"content": "Wow, that’s just plain ugly.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54742",
"author": "marz",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T21:23:37",
"content": "Looks ... | 1,760,377,712.148881 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/11/making-a-cold-heat-soldering-iron/ | Making A Cold Heat Soldering Iron | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"cold heat",
"graphite",
"lead",
"solder",
"soldering"
] | Cold Heat soldering irons are pretty cool. They heat up in seconds and cool down just as quickly. [photozz] shows us how we can
make one from stuff we probably have sitting around
right now.
Cold Heat soldering irons
work off of resistance, the tip material heats very quickly when electricity is passed through the two halves. Upon assessing what he had lying around, [photozz] realized that graphite would work much the same way. He modified a regular soldering iron with a new two piece graphite tip, and powered it with an old pc power supply. The end result is quite nice, though it still needs some kind of temperature control. You may recall seeing other electrical uses for graphite, such as
making quick and dirty light
. | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "54710",
"author": "spaceballs3000",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T17:43:29",
"content": "Very nice!I like.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54713",
"author": "Cadero",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T18:16:15",
"content": "Nice o... | 1,760,377,712.277946 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/10/simulated-annealing/ | Simulated Annealing | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"altered qualia",
"canvas",
"dieselsweeties",
"dna",
"genetic",
"genetic programming",
"javascript",
"polygon",
"r stevens",
"ron alsing",
"simulated annealing",
"waxy"
] | Here’s an update on our
earlier post about genetic programming
. Altered Qualia has
posted a new implementation
of [Ron Alsing]’s idea. It starts with 50 polygons and then randomly changes one parameter with each optimization step. If the the change results in fewer differences from the target image, it’s kept as the new best DNA. This search method is similar to
simulated annealing
. The image above is the result of 1500 good mutations out of 35900 possible. The implementation lets you choose any image, but smaller means the fitness calculation is faster. It’s written in JavaScript using the
<canvas>
environment. You’ll definitely get better performance using
newer browser builds
.
[Original image by
R Stevens
]
[via
Waxy
] | 24 | 24 | [
{
"comment_id": "54638",
"author": "RyanT",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T06:34:37",
"content": "None of the “Genetic” or “Simulated annealing” algorithms have anything to do with what they claim. Neither of them are any more than naive hill climbing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_climbing).Seriousl... | 1,760,377,712.463214 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/10/wordpress-27-upgrade-in-one-line/ | WordPress 2.7 Upgrade In One Line | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"blog",
"cfinke",
"chris finke",
"cms",
"command line",
"command line interface",
"curl",
"one line",
"rm",
"rm -rf",
"twitter",
"wordpress",
"wordpress mu",
"wordpress.com",
"wordpress.org"
] | BadPoetry
WordPress 2.7
has
just been released
and features a complete interface overhaul. Hack a Day runs on
WordPress MU
hosted by
WordPress.com
, so we got this update last week. We run standard WordPress.org on all of our personal blogs though. We recommend it because it’s free, has a massive userbase, and if you host it yourself, you can do whatever you want with it.
To make the upgrade process as simple as possible (and for the
sheer rush of ‘rm -rf’
), we use a one line command.
$ curl
http://wordpress.org/latest.zip
-o "wp.zip" && unzip wp.zip && rm -rf ./wordpress/wp-content/ && cp -r ./wordpress/* ~/www/
curl
downloads the latest version from wordpress. unzip unpacks all of the files into a directory called ‘wordpress’. rm -rf removes everything in the ‘wp-content’ directory. Otherwise, you will overwrite your images, themes, and plugins. cp -r copies everything to your http document root, overwriting the previous install.
Naturally, you should
back up your current install and database
beforehand. We tend to use the one-liner with reckless abandon. If you’re wondering about the terseness, it was designed to
fit inside the 140 character limit of Twitter
.
[Thanks,
Chris Finke
] | 43 | 43 | [
{
"comment_id": "54636",
"author": "Daniel McOrmond",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T05:34:29",
"content": "Upgrading with Subversion also works well too..http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing/Updating_WordPress_with_Subversion",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comme... | 1,760,377,712.548492 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/06/led-projector/ | LED Projector | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"fresnel",
"led",
"projector"
] | [PuffMag1cDrag0n] shows us how to make a
fairly simple projected LED display
. The projector is made from a 13×7 LED matrix and a couple
fresnel lenses
. The layout and construction is similar to the
Lumenlab projector setup
, only replacing all the lighting and LCD with an LED array. It communicates via serial port and is powered by a pic micro 16f648. We would love to see an RGB version of this. The directions are a bit rushed, but you should be able to get the gist. Just remember that you need some pretty powerful LEDs to throw a big image. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "54017",
"author": "spoofy",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T18:15:55",
"content": "Pics or GTOsaw this on instructables earlier, without pics of it actually projecting something… why should we care?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "5401... | 1,760,377,712.593997 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/05/roboexotica-2008/ | Roboexotica 2008 | Eliot | [
"cons",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"alcohol",
"cocktail",
"cocktail robotics",
"metalab",
"reprap",
"roboexotica",
"roboexotica 2008",
"roboexotica2008",
"robot",
"vienna"
] | We couldn’t make Roboexotica in Vienna, Austria this year (check out
last year’s coverage
), so we asked
[Bre Pettis
] to act as our liaison.
Last night was the opening party of
Roboexotica
, the worldwide gathering of cocktail robots. It was a blast! Pictured above is
Robovox
, a 40 foot high robot that you can text message to and it will say what you text to it!
I was running my robot arms as a competition,
armatron
style, to get cherries into a shot glass.
The Reprap that Marius, Philipp, and the gang over at
Metalab
made last year that failed was
revived
and cranked out shot glasses all night!
Here are
my photos
.
More photos tagged Roboexotica
are coming in all the time, stay tuned! | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "53972",
"author": "numnum",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T07:30:10",
"content": "very cool",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53998",
"author": "cap slockoff",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T13:26:56",
"content": "nice round up.i’... | 1,760,377,712.639087 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/05/controller-button-marquee/ | Controller Button Marquee | Eliot | [
"LED Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"ben heck",
"ben heckendorn",
"benheck",
"controller",
"controller mod",
"led",
"videogame",
"xbox",
"xbox 360"
] | [Ben Heck] posted an interesting one-off project he built many months ago. Video game developer
Infinity Ward
approached him to build a large display that indicated
what buttons on a controller were being pressed
. They were planning on using it during player testing by recording the board and the monitor at the same time. They could then compare the two to see if there was any disconnect between the players input and the onscreen action. Infinity Ward is the developer behind games like
Call of Duty 4
.
[Ben] piggy-backed the switch connections and added an external port. He used a pair of octal buffer ICs to replicate the signals and activate the LEDs. The whole board is powered by the same 3.3V line that’s used by accessories like the chat pad. The triggers have three LEDs each and are lit using a
resistor ladder
. [Ben] comments that since this is a newer Xbox 360 controller, the active-low button scheme makes it fairly easy to work with. There is a video of the board embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNdY92-i9Xk] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "53979",
"author": "SoundwaveHi",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T08:12:08",
"content": "It would B pretty slick if it had some smd leds around the Sticks to show direction…otherwise, Go Team Venture…I mean go Ben Heck. Heh",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{... | 1,760,377,712.680073 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/05/iphone-controlled-dog-treat-dispenser/ | IPhone Controlled Dog Treat Dispenser | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"home hacks",
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"apple iphone",
"iobridge",
"iphone",
"kennel",
"remote",
"remote control",
"stephen myers",
"web enabled"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L3hdPxMa_o]
[Stephen Myers] has been toying around with some beta ioBridge hardware. He decided to build a
remote control dog treat dispenser
.
ioBridge
‘s hardware is built specifically to make web enabling projects easy. The main controller board has four I/O channels that speak to addon modules. It has an ethernet port on the main board and an easy to configure website.
[Stephen] used a servo addon board for his project. The dispenser is built from a scrap CD spindle attached to a servo. He can issue commands from his iPhone, which shows live video of the kennel. He’ll be building several other automation projects based on this system.
[via
TUAW
] | 6 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "53956",
"author": "therian",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T03:23:38",
"content": "so what does iphone have to do with this project ?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "53957",
"author": "Eliot Phillips",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,377,712.984554 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/05/robot-strippers-not-too-enticing/ | Robot Strippers Not Too Enticing | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"london",
"robot",
"stripper"
] | We really aren’t sure what the statement is here. This is one of the
displays at the MuTate London Exhibition
. There is tons of stuff to see there, from interactive displays to giant art-piece vehicles. This specific display seems to have garnered the most attention though. we can understand the megaphone headed flailing DJ, but what is with the CCTV camera heads?
[via
Gizmodo
] | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "53870",
"author": "aka-44",
"timestamp": "2008-12-05T17:11:21",
"content": "i came.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53874",
"author": "h4rm0n1c",
"timestamp": "2008-12-05T17:35:55",
"content": "this is probably a sta... | 1,760,377,712.892966 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/05/musical-shirt-from-toy-keyboard/ | Musical Shirt From Toy Keyboard | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"conductive thread",
"fabric",
"keyboard",
"shirt",
"wearable"
] | [mikamika] has put together a great tutorial on
how to build this musical shirt
. The whole process is covered, from taking apart the toy keyboard to laying out the circuit and creating the fabric switches. He used the same method as [plusea] for the
fabric buttons
and conductive thread for most of the connections. It seems as though he has actually taken [plusea]’s
wearable shirt project
and added some polish. His looks good enough, he might even be able to
make it through an airport
. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "53896",
"author": "joseph",
"timestamp": "2008-12-05T19:19:58",
"content": "we need a keyboard necktie that works as a keyboard too…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53902",
"author": "twistedsymphony",
"timestamp": "2008... | 1,760,377,712.947421 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/05/working-with-relays/ | Working With Relays | Eliot | [
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"120v",
"ac",
"automation",
"blender defender",
"diode",
"gpio",
"led",
"microcontroller",
"relay",
"sparkfun",
"switch",
"tutorial"
] | SparkFun’s latest tutorial shows you
how to work with relays
. A relay is an electrically operated switch. In this case, they’re using it to switch a 120V AC outlet. The article carries the standard warnings about how not to kill yourself with AC (plus some non sequitor linking throughout). As an extra precaution, they chose a GFI outlet. You probably know how a relay works, but it’s worth seeing how they implemented it. They use a transistor to prevent overloading the microcontroller’s GPIO pin. The control pin is pulled to ground to keep the relay off. A diode is placed across the relay coil to manage the power flow when it discharges. An indicator LED is included to show when the relay closes. This is a great foundation for an automation project, or maybe you just want to
terrorize your cat
. | 24 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "53831",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2008-12-05T13:22:35",
"content": "I love relays!People dis them because they are electromechanical and thus “old school”, but sometimes they are easier to work with than semiconductor equivalents when it comes to bare bones H-bridge st... | 1,760,377,713.046788 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/07/25c3-hardware-workshops/ | 25C3 Hardware Workshops | Eliot | [
"cons",
"handhelds hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"25c3",
"ccc",
"cccamp",
"con",
"conference",
"hacker con",
"quadcopter",
"quadrocopter"
] | The 25C3 team has a post
highlighting some of the hardware workshops
that will be happening at Chaos Communication Congress this year. Our own [Jimmie Rodgers] will be in the
microcontroller workshop
area building kits with many others. The folks from mignon will be
bringing several of their game kits
for another workshop. We saw quite a few
quadcopters at CCCamp
and the team from Mikrokopter will be back to help you
construct your own drone
. They say it only takes five hours for the full build, but space is limited. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "54206",
"author": "Sammy",
"timestamp": "2008-12-08T01:37:15",
"content": "I’m making something very similar to that, I bought a remote controlled UFO and I’m adding more motors for it so it won’t spin around while flying. Then I’ll add an Atmega 8 as my micro controller and I’m thi... | 1,760,377,713.321908 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/07/tesla-coil-guitar-amp/ | Tesla Coil Guitar Amp | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"guitar",
"tesla coil"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnmZZNWzZPc]
You’ve probably seen
musical Tesla coils
already. People have wired them up to computers and keyboards to make them serve as dangerous and awesome speakers. This video popped up of someone
playing his guitar through one
. It is rough, and not very good at
polyphony
, but still cool. We would like to see several coils, split by different filters to be able to hear more of the guitar chords. If only someone had rigged these up for Queen when
Flash Gordan
was made. | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "54150",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2008-12-07T17:37:44",
"content": "Now if only there was a build log…I would love to have something like this. =]And perhaps others can improve upon it for better sound reproduction?Me likey ^^",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"re... | 1,760,377,713.106528 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/07/ps2-controller-thermometer/ | PS2 Controller Thermometer | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"ps2",
"thermistor",
"thermoresister",
"thermostat"
] | Finding themselves in need of a thermometer that could communicate with the computer, The Cheap Vegetable Gardener resorted to a bit of hacking. They created this
PS2 controller thermometer
by attaching some thermistors to the analog stick inputs. Each PS2 controller could collect data from up to four thermistors. There is an auto shutoff feature built into the controller that shuts off the analog signal after a period of non use. To overcome this, they simply taped the L2 button down.
[thanks Shawn] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "54143",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2008-12-07T16:24:06",
"content": "Oh that is clever!Sure, just replace one resistance-changing device for another and harvest the output! Why not?maybe not the most direct or efficient way to do things, but it utilizes existing stuff e... | 1,760,377,713.157877 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/06/nintendo-ds-osc-support/ | Nintendo DS OSC Support | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks",
"Nintendo DS Hacks",
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Portable Audio Hacks"
] | [
"cdm",
"ds",
"dsmi",
"homebrew",
"midi",
"multitouch",
"nintendo",
"Nintendo DS",
"osc",
"tcpip",
"tuio",
"wifi"
] | OpenSound Control
protocol is an emerging standard for communication between musical programs. It’s meant to replace MIDI. The DSMI, DS Music Interface, team has just added support for OSC. You can now use your DS as
generic OSC music controller over WiFi
. OSC has TCP/IP support built in, so there is no need to run a host sever to talk to DSMI like you did when they only supported MIDI. We’ve seen OSC used in other projects like the
monome
. It’s also the basis for the multitouch communication protocol
TUIO
.
[via
CDM
] | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "54045",
"author": "Merle Shamblin",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T21:31:52",
"content": "Hello my name is Merle Dean Shamblin and I would like to be your new friend. I sure could use somebody to chat with. I am a 47 year old long haul truck driver who currently lives in Duncan Oklahoma. ... | 1,760,377,713.224216 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/06/netbook-comparator/ | Netbook Comparator | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"laptops hacks",
"Netbook Hacks"
] | [
"comparator",
"netbook",
"obsessable",
"shopping",
"subnotebook"
] | Our recent
netbook post
got a huge response. They are almost unanimously loved. A few
dissenting
opinions
were present though. A few people mentioned that until this generation arrived, they were buying used subnotebooks for exactly the same reasons.
If you’re in the market for a new machine,
Obsessable’s netbook comparator
has all of the current models broken down by feature. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "54038",
"author": "J",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T20:42:52",
"content": "LOL at the macbook Pro comment. I’ve got one open here and it’s HARDLY faster than my eee 1000h- in both specs AND actual use.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id":... | 1,760,377,713.37668 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/06/arduino-shield-scaffold/ | Arduino Shield Scaffold | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"arduino shield",
"eagle",
"eagle cad",
"garrett",
"macetech",
"shield"
] | [Garrett] from macetech has been prototyping shields for the Arduino development platform. Arduino’s have an inexplicable nonstandard spacing between two of the banks of output pins. This means that you can’t use regular perfboard with them. To make the design process quicker, [Garrett] has
put together an Eagle file
that just includes the male header pins. The file also has a line indicating the tall lower board components so you can avoid creating shorts. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "54043",
"author": "rivetgeek",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T21:06:42",
"content": "NICE! I was just thinking about doing something like this for my blinkM rgb blaster",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54048",
"author": "tom",
... | 1,760,377,713.277618 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/06/track-the-sun-for-home-lighting/ | Track The Sun For Home Lighting. | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"head",
"reflect",
"solar",
"track"
] | Have a room in your house that really could benefit from some sunlight? Build a
Suntrack
to reflect light in as long as possible. The two axis motor set up is built from a couple of satellite dish positioning motors with the control electronics removed. The whole thing is controlled with a PIC 18f2520. Once calibrated, it will reflect the sun into your room, updating every twenty seconds. While this may not be the most efficient way of lighting a room, it is a cool way to do it if you absolutely must have sunlight. We can’t help but wonder if there would be a way of using a solar powered system to do this to save energy. Could this possibly be done using
BEAM
“
head
” circuit?
[via
Hacked Gadgets
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "54020",
"author": "Andy Waschick",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T18:43:04",
"content": "Aziz, LIGHT!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54021",
"author": "mark",
"timestamp": "2008-12-06T18:46:38",
"content": "I think it pre... | 1,760,377,713.474169 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/09/22-binocular-telescope/ | 22″ Binocular Telescope | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"binocular",
"telescope"
] | This is the
worlds largest known visual binocular
. Why binocular and not just a regular telescope? Well, it all has to do with clarity. Apparently when you can use both eyes, you can see much more detail and pick up light better. The author states in
one story
that he was able to see a spiral galaxy clearly with a binocular telescope, but couldn’t see it at all with a monocular telescope of the same power.
There is information on several models on the site. Look in the right hand column as well for useful links to parts distributors.
[via
Hacked Gadgets
] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "54396",
"author": "mike",
"timestamp": "2008-12-09T17:10:50",
"content": "Those are cool. I got a chance to use a binocular telescope at a star party last summer. They were made with 10 inch meade lightbridge telescopes, so not quite as big as this one.",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,713.611604 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/08/genetic-programming/ | Genetic Programming | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"car",
"evolve",
"flash",
"genetic algorithm",
"programming",
"prunesquallor",
"ron alsing",
"waxy"
] | [Ron Alsing] wanted to try out some genetic programming, so he created a simple test problem: Could you
render the Mona Lisa using just 50 semitransparent polygons
? The program starts with a random DNA sequence. It then mutates and compares itself to the original image. If the mutation is closer, it becomes the new sequence. The final image he shows looks pretty good after 904,314 iterations.
[prunesquallor]
pointed out
a genetic algorithm project of his own. It’s a flash program to
evolve a car
. The car tries to get as far as possible on a set terrain without the passenger circles hitting the ground. The wheel size and positions can change along with the spring length, constant, and damping. A graph tracks the best performance along with the mean. He’s planning on building a version that lets you change the parameters.
[via
Waxy
] | 46 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "54337",
"author": "cirictech",
"timestamp": "2008-12-09T04:46:55",
"content": "That’s really cool. I was going to take a genetic programming class, but it trns out that I wont be in town. Sad day but nice work.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,713.764258 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/08/simple-laser-projector/ | Simple Laser Projector | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"dtr",
"kap4001",
"laser",
"laser module",
"laser projector",
"long exposure",
"persisternce of vision",
"pololu",
"POV",
"serial",
"servo"
] | [kap4001] built what has to be the
simplest laser scanner possible
. It’s two servos strapped together with zip ties plus a 5V laser module. They’re connected to a
Pololu serial servo controller
. The laser is pulsed by switching the DTR line. You could use it to draw images like the one above… except that’s an
85 second exposure
. | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "54330",
"author": "burnliff",
"timestamp": "2008-12-09T03:51:48",
"content": "rather lame",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54331",
"author": "Jake",
"timestamp": "2008-12-09T03:57:48",
"content": "Not lame, just incom... | 1,760,377,713.677692 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/08/hardware-unlocked-android-g1-for-sale/ | Hardware-unlocked Android G1 For Sale | Eliot | [
"Android Hacks",
"Cellphone Hacks",
"g1 hacks",
"google hacks"
] | [
"android",
"cellphone unlock",
"G1",
"google android",
"gsm",
"htc",
"kogan",
"kogan agora",
"kogan agora pro",
"qigi",
"qigi i6",
"sim",
"t-mobile",
"t-mobile g1",
"techmeme",
"unlock",
"unlocked"
] | Google has new program to sell Android phones directly to developers. The
Android Dev Phone 1
is both SIM-unlocked and hardware-unlocked. SIM-unlocked means you can use it on any GSM carrier you want. Hardware-unlocked means you can run
any system you want
on the phone, not just officially signed ones. No more need to worry about security patches
taking away your root access
.
The device is $399. You will need to purchase it through the
Android Market
as a registered developer (a $25 fee). We wonder how long before the unsigned bootloader starts getting flashed to
T-Mobile phones
.
Two new Android phones have surfaced recently which may prove just as friendly: the
Kogan Agora Pro
and the
QiGi i6
.
UPDATE:
While shipping is free in US, it is
incredibly expensive
everywhere else. Yes, we bought one.
[via
Techmeme
]
[photo:
tnkgrl
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "54310",
"author": "Tim",
"timestamp": "2008-12-09T00:11:39",
"content": "Cool. I would buy this but the hardware looks a bit crap. The iPhone hardware is so much nicer; if only Apple weren’t such control freaks.It doesn’t look like Android will ever be on a phone with an on screen k... | 1,760,377,713.824382 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/08/controlling-a-rover-with-your-eyes/ | Controlling A Rover With Your Eyes | Caleb Kraft | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"eye tracking",
"rover",
"telemetry"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDcbPUQ8kvY]
Controlling a robot simply by looking at your desired location
is pretty freaking awesome. A web camera pointed at your face, analyzes your movements and pupil direction to send the bot signals. Look at a location and the bot goes, change your expression to send other commands to the bot. This easily surpasses the
laser guided assistance droid
for ease of use.
[via
BotJunkie
] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "54299",
"author": "macegr",
"timestamp": "2008-12-08T22:07:47",
"content": "This is not a good system to have in operation near any attractive women.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54302",
"author": "Bryan",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,377,713.957391 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/08/nintendo-keyless-entry/ | Nintendo Keyless Entry | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"home hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"door",
"lock",
"nes",
"nintendo"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUm7daf36Mk]
The
Nintendo keyless entry system
will vigilantly guard your door from intruders. Enter the right code and you get access, enter the wrong code and it will deny you and take your picture. [action_owl] did a fantastic job on this lock, using mainly recycled parts like an old CDRom and an
Arduino
. It works both with or without the computer. If you choose not to use the computer, you don’t get pictures of the people who entered the code wrong.
We like this project, but we feel it needs to be pointed out that this lock is pretty useless. Everyone already knows the code to get in is
UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A
. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "54278",
"author": "HPIguy",
"timestamp": "2008-12-08T17:23:16",
"content": "Actually, it’s up down, up down, left right, left right b a start.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54280",
"author": "Jake",
"timestamp": "2008-... | 1,760,377,714.005087 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/08/cellphone-operated-robot/ | Cellphone Operated Robot | Caleb Kraft | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"classic hacks"
] | [
"cell phone",
"robot",
"rover",
"telemetry"
] | If you can get through the cell phone text speak, you’ll probably enjoy this cool tutorial on how to
build a cell phone controlled robot
. This bot decodes the key tones, similar to the automated phone systems we’ve all experienced. It uses a chip called a MT8870
DTMF
decoder to translate the signal for the Atmega 16 controller. The circuit diagram is pretty hard to read, maybe we missed a downloadable one somewhere. The source code is available.
It would be nice to get some feedback from the robot, so you aren’t driving it completely blind. This is similar to the
Lego cell phone rover
that we showed you before. Next, he should make it recognize voice commands. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "54274",
"author": "A.",
"timestamp": "2008-12-08T16:06:36",
"content": "nice! I’ve used java application which changed the display color and a photoresistor to send commands to the mcu :-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54277",... | 1,760,377,714.112894 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/10/parts-1-wire-temperature-sensor-ds1822/ | Parts: 1-Wire Temperature Sensor (DS1822) | Ian | [
"home hacks",
"Parts",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"1-wire",
"bus pirate",
"dallas",
"electronics",
"maxim",
"monday parts",
"parts",
"temperature"
] | Download:
buspirate.v0d.zip
Dallas/Maxim’s
1-Wire
protocol is the most requested addition to the
Bus Pirate
. We finally got some 1-Wire parts, and today we’ll demonstrate the
DS1822 1-Wire digital thermometer
. Grab the
datasheet
(PDF) and follow along.
This post is accompanied by release v.0d of the Bus Pirate firmware for hardware version 0. This includes the new 1-Wire protocol library, more configuration options, and other improvements.
DS1822
Economy Digital Thermometer (Digikey #
DS1822+-ND
, $3.87)
We found a footprint in the 1-wire library for
Eagle
on the
Cadsoft download page
.
The 1-Wire protocol uses a single wire for data transfer, and sometimes power. Data is transferred in
time-sensitive ‘slots’
because there isn’t a separate clock to delineate bit periods.
Bus Pirate
DS1822
SDA
DQ
+5volts
Vdd
Ground
GND
The DS1822 connections are shown in the table. We used the Bus Pirate’s 5volt supply to power the DS1822, but it also works at 3.3volts. A resistor (R1, ~5K) holds the bus high.
All 1-Wire commands start with a reset procedure, followed by one of five ROM commands.
Command
Description
0x33
READ ROM. Read single device address.
0x55
MATCH ROM. Match device address, followed by 64bit address.
0xCC
SKIP ROM. Address all devices together.
0xEC
ALARM SEARCH. Search for alarm condition.
0xF0
SEARCH ROM. Part of address enumeration procedure.
ROM commands are described on page 10 of the datasheet. All ROM commands are available as macros in the Bus Pirate 1-Wire library, see (0) for a menu. ROM command macros
include the 1-Wire bus reset procedure
.
Single device
All 1-Wire devices have a unique 64bit (8 byte) address, and some 1-Wire devices are used exclusively to give electronics a unique tracking number. When a single device is connected to a 1-Wire bus, the READ ROM command will extract its address.
1-WIRE>{ 0x33 r:8
<–command
xxx 1WIRE BUS RESET OK
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x33
<–READ ROM
xxx 1WIRE BULK READ, 0x08 BYTES:
0x22 0x47 0x45 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x29
<–ID#
1-WIRE>
The command sends a bus reset ({), the READ ROM command (0x33), and reads the 64bit address (r:8, 8 bytes *8bits/byte=64bits).
The first byte (0x22) identifies this as a DS1822 thermometer. The next 6 bytes are unique to this device, and the final byte is a
CRC
of the previous 7 bytes.
Now we can address the device with the MATCH ROM command and send it further instructions.
1-WIRE>{ 0x55 0x22 0x47 0x45 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x29 0x44
xxx 1WIRE BUS RESET OK
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x55
<–MATCH ROM command
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x22
<–start address
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x47
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x45
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x22
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x00
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x29
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x44
<–start conversion
1-WIRE>
First, we send the MATCH ROM command (0x55) and the device address (8 bytes). Next is the CONVERT T command (0x44, datasheet page 11) that starts the temperature conversion.
A second command sequence retrieves the temperature reading from the DS1822.
1-WIRE>{ 0x55 0x22 0x47 0x45 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x29 0xbe r:9
xxx 1WIRE BUS RESET OK
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x55
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x22
…long 1-Wire address…
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x29
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0xBE
<–read scratchpad command
xxx 1WIRE BULK READ, 0x09 BYTES:
0x71 0x01 0xFF 0x00 0x7F 0xFF 0x0F 0x10 0xF8
1-WIRE>
The READ SCRATCHPAD command (0xBE, datasheet page 11) returns 9 bytes. We only care about the first two bytes, the rest can be decoded according the the table on page 7 of the datasheet. Temperature is calculated according to page 4 of the datasheet: 0x0171 HEX=369 DEC, 369*0.0625=23C (74F).
Multiple devices
When multiple 1-Wire devices share a bus it’s more difficult to determine all the addresses. The fastest way to find attached devices is with the SEARCH ROM command (0xF0) and a binary branching procedure. The Bus Pirate automates this with macro (240).
1-WIRE>(240)
<–macro 240
xxx 1WIRE ROM COMMAND: SEARCH (0xF0)
Found devices at:
Macro 1-WIRE address
1.0×22 0x50 0x28 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x0A
<–address
*DS1822 Econ Dig Therm
<–type according to family code
2.0×22 0xD0 0xC7 0x1A 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x01
*DS1822 Econ Dig Therm
3.0×22 0x47 0x45 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x29
*DS1822 Econ Dig Therm
Found 0x03 devices.
The first 10 device IDs are available by MACRO, see (0).
1-WIRE>
The SEARCH ROM command shows the devices it found, and the type according to the family code.
We think typing 8 byte 1-Wire addresses is really tedious, so the first 10 device addresses are stored in memory and can be accessed with the macros (1)…(10). A buffer for up to 50 device addresses can be defined in the 1-Wire library at compile time. Ideally, this data will be stored in a global scratch buffer shared by all modules in a future firmware update.
1-WIRE>(0)
<–show macro list
0.Macro menu
Macro 1-WIRE address
<–enumerated device addresses
1.0×22 0x50 0x28 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x0A
*DS1822 Econ Dig Therm
2.0×22 0xD0 0xC7 0x1A 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x01
*DS1822 Econ Dig Therm
3.0×22 0x47 0x45 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x29
*DS1822 Econ Dig Therm
1-WIRE ROM COMMAND MACROs:
<–normal commands
51.READ ROM (0x33) *for single device bus
85.MATCH ROM (0x55) *followed by 64bit address
204.SKIP ROM (0xCC) *followed by command
236.ALARM SEARCH (0xEC)
240.SEARCH ROM (0xF0)
1-WIRE>
The macro menu (0) will also include the device addresses stored in the roster. Now we can just address devices by macro, rather than typing the whole 64bit address every time.
1-WIRE>(85) (1) 0x44
<–start conversion
xxx 1WIRE BUS RESET OK
xxx 1WIRE WRITE ROM COMMAND: MATCH (0x55) *follow with 64bit address
xxx 1WIRE ADDRESS MACRO 1: 0x22 0x50 0x28 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x0A
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0x44
1-WIRE>(85) (1) 0xbe r:9
<–fetch reading
xxx 1WIRE BUS RESET OK
xxx 1WIRE WRITE ROM COMMAND: MATCH (0x55) *follow with 64bit address
xxx 1WIRE ADDRESS MACRO 1: 0x22 0x50 0x28 0x22 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x0A
xxx 1WIRE WRITE: 0xBE
xxx 1WIRE BULK READ, 0x09 BYTES:
0x81 0x01 0x4B 0x46 0x7F 0xFF 0x0F 0x10 0x71
1-WIRE>
(85) is a shortcut for a bus reset and MATCH ROM command. (1) is the device address macro, and 0x44 is the command to begin a temperature conversion. Retrieving the reading involves the same macros, but substitutes the command to read the device (0xBE) and grabs 9 bytes (r:9). The temperature is 0x0181, or 24C next to the PC fan.
Taking it further
We used the Bus Pirate to give a visual demonstration of the 1-Wire protocol, but the real challenge is integrating it into your own design. Maxim provides
example code
, Microchip has an
app note
(PDF), and you can check out the
example code
we used.
Firmware download:
buspirate.vod.zip | 18 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "54622",
"author": "Steve Z",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T02:28:03",
"content": "Awesome. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54625",
"author": "Imroy",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T03:16:17",
"... | 1,760,377,714.066511 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/10/edge-lit-holiday-cards/ | Edge-lit Holiday Cards | Eliot | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"acrylic",
"christmas",
"edge lighting",
"edge-lit",
"etched",
"greeting card",
"holiday",
"led",
"plastic"
] | Got 30 minutes for a holiday project and don’t want to get wrangled into some sort of decoupage disaster? Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories can show you just how easy it is to do
edge lighting effects
. Pictured above are three holiday cards constructed using scored plastic. You can use many different types of clear plastic for this, not just acrylic. The lighting is just an LED on a coincell. Black tape is used to prevent light leaking from the edges. The red and green version above is two stacked layers. This looks like something fun to scale up for a larger project or just to kill some time. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "54605",
"author": "NOMADZX4",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T00:10:54",
"content": "NEAT.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54615",
"author": "_matt",
"timestamp": "2008-12-11T01:28:04",
"content": "if i made these, i’d scra... | 1,760,377,714.156837 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/10/gigapixel-panorama/ | GigaPixel Panorama | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"News"
] | [
"camera",
"digital camera",
"digital photography",
"panorama",
"panoramic"
] | [Ewout] sent us some info on this
Automated Gigapixel Panorama Acquisition system
. The system automates the process of taking the large amounts of images required to do gigapixel panoramics. You tell it key information, like what lens, and what percent overlap you want and the system will calculate how many images it will take, as well as the gigapixel count. The results are quite stunning, no visible seams with fantastic detail. Interestingly, this was created for a class in embedded system design (ECE4180) at Georgia Institute of Technology and so was our post earlier today on
Digitally Assisted Billiards
. Is Hack a Day part of the class curriculum? It should be. | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "54584",
"author": "Andrew",
"timestamp": "2008-12-10T21:41:26",
"content": "I want to mount my camera in a similar setup! =O",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54586",
"author": "pDitty",
"timestamp": "2008-12-10T21:49:41",... | 1,760,377,714.228244 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/10/digitally-assisted-billiards/ | Digitally Assisted Billiards | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"billiards",
"pool",
"projector",
"trajectory"
] | [Justin] sent in his
Digitally Assisted Billiards project
. Using a
web cam
, a
computer
and a projector, these guys have set up a system that shows you the trajectories of your current shot. It detects the angle of the cue and displays a glowing blue line showing where each ball would go and where the collisions would be. It is a bit slow right now, and made somewhat less accurate by a low resolution web camera. This could be a fantastic teaching tool if it were to get some more polish. The source code is available on the site, so you could try this one out at home. | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "54548",
"author": "Morden",
"timestamp": "2008-12-10T16:20:14",
"content": "Oh….my….godProjectorWebcamComputerPoolThrow in a half naked lady and I’m in heaven",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54550",
"author": "Rupin",
"t... | 1,760,377,714.303312 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/09/acrylic-tumbler-lock/ | Acrylic Tumbler Lock | Eliot | [
"Security Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"acrylic",
"lock",
"lockpick",
"lockpicking",
"mike gee",
"thingiverse",
"tumbler lock",
"vimeo"
] | Sometimes describing how a lock actually works can be the hardest part of teaching someone about lockpicking. [Mike Gee] has
designed an acrylic lock
that may just be the ticket for these situations. All of the pieces are cut from clear acrylic. As you insert the key, you can see it raise the four pins up to the shear line. He says that it will definitely take some tweaking as you assemble it to get it to function smoothly. Embedded below is a video of the lock in use. You can find
plans on Thingiverse
.
[vimeo 2475046]
[Thanks, cnelson] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "54480",
"author": "Kender",
"timestamp": "2008-12-10T03:51:13",
"content": "thats cool. it can also teach lockpicking.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54483",
"author": "_matt",
"timestamp": "2008-12-10T04:18:42",
"c... | 1,760,377,714.373316 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/09/multitouch-pinball-instrument/ | Multitouch Pinball Instrument | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"digital audio hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"midi",
"multi touch",
"multitouch",
"pinball"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpDltKLZSrM]
This is an interesting twist on multi touch input. [s9lucas] is using a simple multitouch system as
an instrument that uses solenoids and pinballs to make music
. He has taken the
basic multitouch tutorial
and combined it with an
Arduino bell tower
. The end result is possibly more fun to watch than it is to listen to, but that’s fine. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "54439",
"author": "Michael",
"timestamp": "2008-12-09T22:24:14",
"content": "Great for creating background music for horror films..If someone can wire the same thing into a guitar hero controller, and play any song through on easy, then i might be impressed :D",
"parent_id": nul... | 1,760,377,716.273212 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/09/swiitboard-high-impact-wii-balance-board/ | SwiitBoard: High Impact Wii Balance Board | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"balance",
"fit",
"glovepie",
"wii",
"wiimote"
] | [Frits] sent us the
SwiitBoard
, an improvised version of the
Wii balance board
. He wanted to be able to do something a little higher impact than he could on the Wii balance board, and required more space to do it in too. Using two different kinds of foam and a piece of plywood, he put together the SwiitBoard. We’re not completely clear on how he is handling direction control. He states that it is derived from gforce.x. Can anyone clarify? Stay tuned after the break for a video of his demo software.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9YI0MMklG8] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "54428",
"author": "Unixblackhole",
"timestamp": "2008-12-09T21:29:39",
"content": "This could be accomplished using GlovePIE. If I recall correctly one of the variables read the x-axis gforce called gforce.x",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"co... | 1,760,377,715.946752 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/wii-drum-high-wiimote-drumming/ | Wii Drum High, Wiimote Drumming | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"drums",
"wiimote"
] | [vimeo 2406224]
[HE Zao] sent us this sweet
Wiimote Drum kit
. You’ll nee a Wiimote, a Nunchuck, and a Balance Board to use with the the Wii Drum High software. You get a Hi-hat, snare, bass drum, crash cymbal, ride cymbal, mid tom, and low tom. You can even connect multiple sets, up to 4. Download the software from the site and get started. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "53623",
"author": "MG",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T22:44:13",
"content": "Ah, if only Wii Music was something this sophisticated, I might have bought it…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53669",
"author": "Tecratal",
"times... | 1,760,377,716.187014 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/intro-to-charlieplexing/ | Intro To Charlieplexing | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"charlieplex",
"firefly",
"led"
] | [sixerdoodle] sent us this nice
firefly project that serves as an intro to charlieplexing
. We’ve mentioned
charlieplexing
before, in our
LED Life
post and the
Breath Controlled LED candles
post. This project is quite simple and focues mainly on how to make a charlieplexed circuit work.
The goal was to create a tiny firefly bottle with SMD LEDs and as few wires as possible. In the video, after the break, it is hard to tell just how small this thing is until we see the battery. There are clear directions and fantastic pictures detailing exactly how to set up a charlieplexed circuit with 6 LEDs.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfnKKpBiils]
Great job [sixerdoodle], thanks for sending it in. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "53583",
"author": "tikimexican",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T17:27:37",
"content": "Great. I do like the seeing these 101 courses for different topics/components.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53596",
"author": "NOMADZX4",
... | 1,760,377,716.144181 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/animated-led-snowflake/ | Animated LED Snowflake | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"christmas",
"led",
"microcontroller",
"pic",
"snowflake"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfmNrci7uqE]
[unusualelectronics] posted this
animated LED snowflake
. It has 61 LEDs, is controlled by a PIC microcontroller, and can perform about 30 different effects. The instructions are quite thorough, including diagrams for soldering and source code for the microcontroller. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "53569",
"author": "mike",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T15:45:27",
"content": "This reminds me of some little LED star bursts my grandpa made to put on his bushes for christmas. they are really cool and simple, they basically just start from the center and explode out outwards. He uses... | 1,760,377,716.503153 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/firefox-add-on-makes-pirating-easier/ | Firefox Addon Makes Pirating Music Easier | Nick Caiello | [
"downloads hacks",
"firefox hacks",
"News"
] | [
"Amazon MP3",
"Amazon.com",
"Firefox add-on",
"Pirates of the Amazon",
"The Pirate Bay",
"thepiratebay.org"
] | [vimeo 2380513]
The Amazon MP3 Store may have the lowest prices on DRM free music, but for some people 79 cents for a song is just too much, especially when [john] and the folks at pirates-of-the-amazon.com can help you get that song for free.
Pirates of the Amazon
is a slick Firefox addon that inserts a “download 4 free” button next to the “add to cart” button in the Amazon MP3 Store. After clicking on the button, the addon refers users to a
thepiratebay.org
search page with bittorrent download links for the song or album. While there is no question that this makes getting your music easier, by using this addon you do run the risk of violating copyright laws, depending on which country you live in.
There isn’t much here that hasn’t been thrown into
Greasemonkey
scripts in the past and we wonder if they’re marketing this to anyone at all. People who absolutely love using Amazon but hate buying stuff perhaps? They cite a couple interesting projects in their about section:
Amazon Noir
robotically abused the “Search Inside” feature to reconstruct entire books.
OU Library
searches your local library to see if it has the Amazon book you’re looking for. | 36 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "53546",
"author": "hmmm...",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T12:28:41",
"content": "Not really the one tho is it……Have a heart for us musicians!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53551",
"author": "jehan",
"timestamp": "2008-12-0... | 1,760,377,716.463683 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/nintendo-dsi-gets-its-first-flash-cart/ | Nintendo DSi Gets Its First Flash Cart | Eliot | [
"handhelds hacks",
"News",
"Nintendo DS Hacks",
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"acekard",
"acekard 2i",
"ds",
"ds linux",
"dsi",
"flash",
"flash cart",
"handheld",
"homebrew",
"linux",
"nintendo",
"Nintendo DS",
"nintendo dsi",
"portable"
] | A month ago, we reported that Nintendo’s new
DSi
portable
didn’t work with any of the current crop
of flash cartridges. Things didn’t look good for homebrew. Here we are a month later and looking at the release of the
Acekard 2i
. It’s the first DSi compatible flash cartridge. The features appear to be identical to previous versions and we expect other manufactures will be updating their product lines in short order. You can find a video of the Acekard 2i after the break.
These carts may exist because of pirates, but we happily use them for homebrew. There are a lot of great programs out there; here’s a list of
24 apps that are dedicated to music creation
. You can
run Linux on it
too. It’s as easy as copying a file to a flash drive. If you have a
DS
and aren’t using homebrew, you’re wasting it. We’ll be picking up a DSi as soon as they’re in the US (they’re region locked).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33q1y0UN4cA]
[via
DS Fanboy
] | 41 | 41 | [
{
"comment_id": "53537",
"author": "fsphil",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T09:57:41",
"content": "I won’t be picking one up precisely because of the region locking. I thought we’d passed that nonsense?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53539",
"aut... | 1,760,377,716.10551 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/02/daft-punk-helmet-timelapse/ | Daft Punk Helmet Timelapse | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"animation",
"arduino",
"bre",
"daft punk",
"led",
"led matrix",
"matrix",
"timelapse",
"video",
"vimeo"
] | [vimeo 2402904]
[Casey Pugh] with the help of a few friends constructed a
Daft Punk
style helmet for his Halloween costume. Embedded above you can see a timelapse of LED matrix construction. The 16×5 display is driven by an
Arduino
.
[via
Bre
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "53504",
"author": "human_aft3r_all",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T03:02:07",
"content": "why is there not daft punk music in the background? wouldn’t that be at least appropriate?alas, I never had the initiative to do this.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},... | 1,760,377,716.230129 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/02/wiimote-finger-tracking-music-controller/ | Wiimote Finger Tracking Music Controller | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"ableton",
"ableton live",
"ecc",
"evolution control committee",
"johnny lee",
"laughing squid",
"led",
"nintendo",
"nintendo wii",
"trademark g",
"video",
"wii",
"wiimote",
"youtube"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7uLuYG62sY&fmt=18]
The
Evolution Control Committee
has been doing live mashup performances for many years and recently upgraded their hardware. Inspired by [Johnny Lee]’s
Wiimote whiteboard
, they built a rear projection display they could use during performances. It displays a dense collection of samples in
Ableton Live
. On each of the performer’s hands is an IR LED mounted to a thimble. By touching the thumb to the forefinger, the LED turns on. Two Wiimotes watch for these IR flashes to trigger mouse clicks. [TradeMark G] found the Ableton display too complex to navigate quickly and accurately with a mouse; this new display make things much easier and enjoyable.
[via
Laughing Squid
] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "53510",
"author": "Eliot Phillips",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T04:03:09",
"content": "No comments? This thing is rad damnit.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53513",
"author": "Joe",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T04:53:09",
... | 1,760,377,716.311241 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/05/ripsaw-ms1/ | Ripsaw MS1 | Eliot | [
"Robots Hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"army",
"autonomous",
"autonomous vehicle",
"grand challenge",
"military",
"rc",
"remote control",
"ripsaw",
"ripsaw ms1",
"tank",
"uav",
"ugv"
] | The
Ripsaw MS1
is an unmanned ground vehicle built by two brothers in Maine. The tracked vehicle can go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds with an 80mph top speed. In its current form, it has a 2000 pound capacity, which opens the possibility for many different types of weapon systems. Control is provided by two people: one driver and one gunner. They work in independent remote stations. The Ripsaw could potentially be used in any application normally reserved for a tank. It could lead a charge without putting soldiers at risk.
We’ve been watching this project mature since 2005 when it was being marketed as a
Grand Challenge
competitor. This week it’s being demoed at the Army Science Conference. Check out footage of it in motion below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlcenWPzsUU]
[via
BotJunkie
] | 44 | 44 | [
{
"comment_id": "53824",
"author": "Matthew",
"timestamp": "2008-12-05T12:00:34",
"content": "If I saw this coming at me I would run in the opposite direction. This is one intimidating machine. and 0-60 in 3.5 seconds beats most sports cars, unbelievable.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,716.029342 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/04/arduino-switch-box/ | Arduino Switch Box | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"kit",
"oomlout",
"prototype",
"switch",
"video",
"youtube"
] | When you’re prototyping a new project, sometimes all you need is a switch. The folks at oomlout were tired of constantly having to rewire things, so they built a
universal switch box for the Arduino
. It has five potentiometers plus three switches. They’ve put together a software package that monitors the switches and can show you a live view of the knob positions. Have a look at the video below for a demo.
The writeup actually hints at what we can only assume is the next kit they’re releasing:
a robot arm
.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAecmnoxLxM] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "53816",
"author": "jme",
"timestamp": "2008-12-05T10:37:50",
"content": "could you please make an arduino item in your menu to file the articles under!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53823",
"author": "Tripps",
"timesta... | 1,760,377,716.550096 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/04/the-go-sequencer/ | The GO Sequencer | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"Go",
"maxmsp",
"sequencer"
] | [Guy John] sent in this
cool sequencer project
. He’s using the game
Go
as the input. A web camera pics up the location of the pieces on the grid and plots them in his sequencing software. You can see that it is still very much in progress, but it is coming along nicely. He openly admits that it may never be completely practical. There is still so much to be improved to get it even comfortably usable, such as motion detection to remove his hand from the mix when re locating the Go pieces. This project is very similar to the
Skittles interface
that we posted back in July. It would be kind of interesting, though probably repetitive, to actually play a game of go and listen to the variations in the music while you play. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "53762",
"author": "aaron",
"timestamp": "2008-12-04T22:42:50",
"content": "If you guys need an editor, I’d be happy to do it for free seeing as how I don’t think you even read your pieces over before you post them. Kind of a pet peeve of mine. :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth... | 1,760,377,716.596911 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/04/winboni-a-window-cleaining-robot/ | Winboni, A Window Cleaning Robot | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"robot",
"suction",
"vacuum",
"winboni",
"window cleaning"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kchwH-3tY0]
The
Winboni
is the first place winner in the International Student Design Competition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Winboni is a small robot that cleans windows. That alone doesn’t set the robot apart. The fact that it is held on by suction is what distinguishes it. Running off AA batteries, this robot clings to the window as it cleans it with felt pads. It is hard to believe that this isn’t already a commercial product. Actually, we thought
we had even seen
it before, but we can’t find it now.
[via
DVICE
] | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "53719",
"author": "cleaining?",
"timestamp": "2008-12-04T16:15:34",
"content": "Cleaining eh’?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53720",
"author": "happypinguin",
"timestamp": "2008-12-04T16:23:06",
"content": "robots ... | 1,760,377,716.918413 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/xbox-360-portable/ | Xbox 360 Portable | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Portable Video Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"ben heck",
"ben heckendorn",
"benheck",
"chatpad",
"microsoft",
"wifi",
"xbox",
"xbox 360",
"youtube"
] | A couple months ago we posted [Ben Heck]’s
in-progress photos
of his
Xbox 360
laptop (with links to his other versions). He’s just put the finishing touches on it, and dubbed it the
Xbox 360 Portable
. It has a removable hard drive on top and memory slots on the side. The
webcam
is embedded in the frame and there’s internal WiFi. With
chatpads
available now, he’s decided not to include a keyboard. It’s really a nice machine. Check out the video below for a tour of the system.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA88nmSeOM8] | 50 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "53659",
"author": "redryno1221",
"timestamp": "2008-12-04T02:09:02",
"content": "Awesome…yet another xbox ‘portable’ that looks great! if only microsoft would do this…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53660",
"author": "nick"... | 1,760,377,716.764885 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/python-3000-release-imminent/ | Python 3000 Officially Released | Eliot | [
"downloads hacks",
"News"
] | [
"programming",
"programming language",
"py3k",
"python",
"python 2.6",
"python 3.0",
"python 3000",
"release",
"script",
"scripting language"
] | Python 3000
has
officially been released
. The final bug,
Issue2306
, “Update What’s new in 3.0” has been closed. Python 3000, py3k, Python 3.0, is a major release for the community. [
Jeremy Hylton
] pegs the
earliest mention
of the beast to January 2000. The new release has grown from
PEP 3000
, opened April 2006.
Py3k breaks backwards compatibility with previous releases in order to reduce feature duplication and promote one obvious way of getting things done. The first major change is that
print
is now a builtin function and not a statement.
int
and
long
have been unified, and integer division now returns a float. Py3k uses concepts of “text” and “data” instead of “Unicode strings” and “8-bit strings”. You can read about many of the changes in
What’s New In Python 3.0
. Some new features have been backported to Python 2.6 so you can start implementing them in your current code to ease the transition. 2.6 also has the
-3
command line switch to warn you about features that are being removed or changed. Finally, the tool 2to3 is a source-to-source translator that should automate a lot of the changes.
Documentation for the new release
is online.
Source packages
and binaries are available now.
[via
johl
] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "53651",
"author": "pascal",
"timestamp": "2008-12-04T01:19:31",
"content": "“Py3k breaks backwards compatibility” — ah, I loves me some non-backwards compatible releases :D ’cause remember people, backwards compatibility lead to what’s today known as microsoft.",
"parent_id": n... | 1,760,377,716.970631 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/03/inside-nokias-hardware-damage-labs/ | Inside Nokia’s Hardware Damage Labs | Nick Caiello | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"cell phone",
"cellphone",
"drop test",
"mobile crunch",
"nokia",
"nokia damage testing labs",
"phone damage"
] | [vimeo 2310654]
Like everybody, we sometimes get a little frustrated with our cellphones. Probably one of the most annoying things is when we drop our phones once and they stop working. At Nokia’s hardware damage labs in San Diego, they physically test their phones for extreme uses. They test things like flip tension, water resistance, and even UV resistance. Recently, the folks over at MobileCrunch were given a tour of these labs and were nice enough to post
an in-depth article
about what they saw. In addition to the impact testing video above, there are many more videos posted that demonstrate the tests they perform. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "53630",
"author": "djrussell",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T23:52:46",
"content": "i want to get paid to break stuff… :(",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53643",
"author": "roosta",
"timestamp": "2008-12-04T00:57:54",
"co... | 1,760,377,717.166968 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/02/tgimboej-robot-edition/ | TGIMBOEJ Robot Edition | chriskiick | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"emsl",
"evil mad scientist laboratories",
"internet",
"robots",
"robots.net",
"team hack-a-day",
"tgimboej"
] | Since we last reported about
The Great Internet Migratory Box of Electronic Junk
, several of these boxes have begun circulating in different areas of the world. Team Hack-a-Day
launched three
themselves.
Robots.net
decided that there was a need for a specialized box just for those who hack robots, and have launched their own.
The box contains lots of things that will appeal to roboticists, such as servos, various sized motors, RC car parts, and even a small microcontroller board. Plus hackable items like old CD drives, a trackball, and miscellaneous electronic and hardware parts. Everything fits in a standard sized shipping box, but it is
full
. A
complete list
can be found on the robots.net site, and they also have
pictures
of the contents.
Those who wish to track the box can follow it under the name
robots.net-box1
on the TGIMBOEJ
wiki
. There is also a place to get your name added to the list of potential recipients. The wiki contains information about the whole process, including how to start a new box. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "53485",
"author": "dexter",
"timestamp": "2008-12-03T00:43:14",
"content": "how about one for Australia ?i have a metric ass load of robotics, stuff to hack.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53491",
"author": "TheKhakinator",... | 1,760,377,717.336721 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/02/sound-activated-christmas-lights/ | Sound Activated Christmas Lights | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"audio activated",
"christmas lights",
"sound activated"
] | Christmas is coming up pretty quickly. [tinkernut] shows us how to do a
quick and dirty music activated Christmas light
setup. Simply crack open a pair of old computer speakers and wire the speaker leads to a relay. Use that to power an outlet and you have music controlled lights. The section at the beginning of the video is a bit misleading as that kind of choreography would be rather difficult with this setup. This may look familiar as
we mentioned an almost identical project back in 2006
. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "53448",
"author": "J",
"timestamp": "2008-12-02T21:19:35",
"content": "10″ subs + my pc’s cold cathodes + this =really obnoxious and definitely illegal car under lighting.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53459",
"author": "a... | 1,760,377,717.030299 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/02/stop-wasting-your-air-freshener/ | Stop Wasting Your Air Freshener | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"air freshener",
"airwick"
] | Airwick air fresheners come with an amazing feature. They spray air freshener every once in a while no matter what. It is extremely wasteful and obviously a marketing plan to force you to buy more. There is a solution though. You can
hack them, to turn them back in to a manual release
like they used to be. Two cuts and two soldered wires is all that is necessary.
yes, we know you could just buy an aerosol, but many of us just come home and find them in our bathrooms since someone else in the house bought it. If you’ve already got it, why not hack it? This is also a great project for teaching beginners how to improve hardware.
[thanks Asmor] | 48 | 45 | [
{
"comment_id": "53425",
"author": "alexfox",
"timestamp": "2008-12-02T19:17:39",
"content": "wow, that guy is really pissed off at airwick inc. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53427",
"author": "barry99705",
"timestamp": "2008-12-02T... | 1,760,377,717.243405 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/02/point-laser-get-beer/ | Point Laser, Get Beer | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"assisted",
"disabled",
"laser",
"robot"
] | [vimeo 777847]
Simply tag something with a laser and
El-E will go get it for you
. We know this is for the disabled, but we can’t help but think of how nice it would be to have around the house. The system is programmed to recognize the illumination from a green laser and is constructed to be able to reach things from the floor as well as tables and shelves. I wonder if they have programmed El-E to go get the laser for you if you leave it somewhere, kind of like when you leave the TV remote across the room.
[via
Gearlog
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "53413",
"author": "Michael",
"timestamp": "2008-12-02T18:21:57",
"content": "2:43 in the video, you can see that the robot uses a mac mini. i guess it fits the form factor…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53417",
"author": "... | 1,760,377,717.290494 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/02/turn-your-car-into-a-hybrid/ | Turn Your Car Into A Hybrid | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"electric vehicle conversion",
"ev",
"hybrid"
] | Thanks to a Danish Engineer, you can
turn pretty much any car into a hybrid
. The addition is made in the form of a bolt on motor. As you can see in the picture, there is a motor that attaches to the rear wheels adding an additional 7 Hp. The batteries are stored in the trunk. Kits start at $3,500 and go up to $4,500 depending on battery selection. At least, that’s what they will be when they finally go on sale.
[via
Boing Boing Gadgets
] | 36 | 36 | [
{
"comment_id": "53390",
"author": "Mark K",
"timestamp": "2008-12-02T16:08:06",
"content": "Is that a joke? There’s no way that his “parking clamp” electric motor does anything. Probably make mileage worse from the extra weight.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,717.120331 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/01/access-controller-demo/ | Access Controller Demo | Eliot | [
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Playstation Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"access controller",
"bawney",
"ben heck",
"ben heckendorn",
"benheck",
"controller",
"major league gaming",
"mlg"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deeQhm9JmV4&fmt=18]
Embedded above is a review/demo of [Ben Heck]’s
Access Controller
. The controller is designed for one handed use and has reconfigurable/hackable modules. The reviewer is [BawNeY] a one-handed Major League Gamer. When using a standard controller, he cradles it on his lap, steering with one hand, and hitting the trigger with his elbow. The new controller looks a lot easier to use. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "53347",
"author": "nick",
"timestamp": "2008-12-02T07:20:13",
"content": "wow, that guy sure can pwn. only if the poor bastards on the receiving end knew, they would cry.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53353",
"author": "Do... | 1,760,377,717.418143 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/01/ponoko-launches-subscription-manufacturing/ | Ponoko Launches Subscription Manufacturing | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"dxf",
"laser cut",
"manufacture",
"manufacturing as a service",
"ponoko",
"rapid prototyping",
"reprap",
"subscription",
"svg"
] | Ponoko is an on-demand manufacturing service. You submit your design and they’ll cut it out of one of their many
materials
. The site is built so you can sell your products or designs directly. They recently took a major step with the
introduction of Designmake Prime
. It’s a monthly subscription based service with
many benefits
. It lets you submit DXFs for evaluation instead of their standard EPS or SVG. You can request any material you want and they’ll provide direct support. You also get priority in manufacturing queues. While they’ve always offered an à la carte service, this new move puts Ponoko directly in the role of a traditional manufacturer. Offering manufacturing as a service shows their intention of former a relationship with their customers, but at the an individual level, which most manufacturers can’t approach because of scale.
Ponoko first came to our attention when RepRap published an
acrylic version of their machine
.
[via
Fabbaloo
] | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "118003",
"author": "Issac Maez",
"timestamp": "2010-01-17T21:33:55",
"content": "i really enjoyed reading this keep up the good work",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,717.377981 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/13/make-the-resistor/ | Make: The Resistor | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"make",
"ohm",
"ohms law",
"resistor",
"video",
"vimeo"
] | [vimeo 2490503]
Embedded above is a
short segment produced by Make
about one of our most fundamental circuit components: the resistor. Although brief at just five minutes, it covers resistor basics and the historical development of
Ohm’s law
. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "55139",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2008-12-14T04:07:13",
"content": "Pretty basic, and really slow…Whole video should have been 2 minutes, for the content in it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "55141",
"author": "A... | 1,760,377,717.784105 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/13/minis-augmented-reality-ad/ | MINI’s Augmented Reality Ad | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"downloads hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"3d",
"3d model",
"augmented reality",
"car",
"fiduciary marker",
"mini",
"mini cabrio",
"webcam"
] | We were surprised last month when we saw augmented reality being
done completely in flash
. It hasn’t taken too long to go mainstream though. MINI has incorporated it into a recent German language magazine ad campaign. The
fiduciary marks
actually work quite well with MINI’s established ad format. Visit the ad’s URL and
hold the magazine up to the webcam
and a 3D model of the MINI Cabrio will appear. They have a
PDF of the ad
that you can print and use if you don’t have the original. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have cross-platform support.
[via
Autoblog
] | 12 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "55136",
"author": "human_aft3r_all",
"timestamp": "2008-12-14T03:47:32",
"content": "it is very difficult to navigate to the proper page to do this",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "55137",
"author": "human_aft3r_all",
"ti... | 1,760,377,717.613793 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/13/cordless-drill-overhaul/ | Cordless Drill Overhaul | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"cordless",
"drill"
] | [Alexander.m] shows us how to do a
major overhaul on a cordless drill
, replacing pretty much everything but the case. He needed some more power, but found the price tag of the bigger drills to be prohibitive. He opted for a more hacked together approach and used a 24 volt 1.4 hp hobby motor as a drive. He had to make a custom enclosure for the batteries too. The final result may not be the prettiest thing in the world, with that giant battery pack on the bottom, but it probably gets the job done pretty well and cost less than half of what a new one would have. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "55095",
"author": "Reece",
"timestamp": "2008-12-13T17:48:28",
"content": "Yay fisrt post nice hack!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "55098",
"author": "J",
"timestamp": "2008-12-13T18:29:04",
"content": "FIRST YAYoh…... | 1,760,377,717.739476 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/12/standalone-printer-display-hack/ | Standalone Printer Display Hack | Caleb Kraft | [
"computer hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"attiny",
"AVR",
"laserjet",
"printer"
] | [Sprite_tm] sent us his latest project. He has found a way to
display custom messages on a laserjet printer without a computer
. He’s using an ATTiny2313 to send signals through a parallel port. This project is so cheap and quick to install it could be disposable. Just program your message before hand, pop it on and walk away. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "54896",
"author": "rsolmn",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T20:56:30",
"content": "I’m sure thatguy or gal wasn’t happy.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54901",
"author": "corn brown",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T21:12:33",
"c... | 1,760,377,717.840783 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/12/mmo-treadmill-input/ | MMO Treadmill Input | Caleb Kraft | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"treadmill",
"world of warcraft",
"wow"
] | Remember
those guys who used treadmills to run in World of Warcraft
? They have posted an instructable on how to
build the treadmill input device yourself
. We know that all you World of Warcraft players are just dying to try to do all your running in the real world. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "54891",
"author": "marz",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T20:33:33",
"content": "Oh hackaday, when will you stop being retarded?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54892",
"author": "hogiewan",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T20:41:32",
... | 1,760,377,718.02049 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/12/disposable-camera-nixie-tube-driver/ | Disposable Camera Nixie Tube Driver | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"disposable camera",
"high voltage",
"nixie"
] | Disposable cameras are quite cheap, and include circuitry that produces very high voltages. Because of this, they have been harvested for many projects. We’ve seen them used for
coil guns
and large
high voltage power supplies
, even for
fixing rechargeable batteries that won’t charge
. The latest in the long list of uses is to create
nixie tube drivers
. [the_don125] shows us how to use a single disposable camera to power 2 to 3 medium sized Nixie tubes. Be careful, as we said before, this project deals with high voltage. | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "54867",
"author": "Fyre007",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T16:10:22",
"content": "I was gonna comment on the instructables site, but this one is shown in the photo..convenient, drawing an ‘8’how does it light with only one wire running to it?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,717.889448 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/12/baby-twitters-via-kicks/ | Baby Twitters Via Kicks | Eliot | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"Lifehacks",
"Medical Hacks",
"Wearable Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"baby",
"bluesmirf",
"bluetooth",
"boingboing",
"fetus",
"itp",
"piezo",
"pregnancy",
"pregnant",
"twitter",
"twittering"
] | [Corey Menscher] built the
Kickbee
while attending ITP this Fall. It monitors his pregnant wife’s belly and
updates Twitter
, a microblogging service, every time the baby kicks. The device makes everyone aware of the baby’s movement, not just the expectant mother. It can also log the baby’s activity to monitor development. The sensors are piezos held in place with an elastic band. They’re connected to an
Arduino Mini
which connects to a host computer using a
BlueSMIRF
bluetooth module. The host Mac does the logging and twittering.
This is one of the many projects on display at the
ITP Winter Show
.
[Thanks,
@readiness
via
Boing Boing
] | 30 | 30 | [
{
"comment_id": "54844",
"author": "dr.lure",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T12:04:21",
"content": "nice….lets irradiate our kids before they’re born…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "54848",
"author": "Morden",
"timestamp": "2008-12-12T13:22:2... | 1,760,377,717.953225 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/30/roborama-2008b/ | Roborama 2008b | chriskiick | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"contest",
"dprg",
"maker faire",
"maker faire austin 2008",
"roborama",
"robot"
] | The
Dallas Personal Robotics Group
held their semi-annual Roborama contest on Saturday November 22nd in Garland, TX. The DPRG had a table at the recent
Austin Makers Faire
. Each spring and fall, they hold the Roborama contests for autonomous robots. The spring event has contests for outdoor self-navigating robots. The 2008b contests were designed to test the abilities of indoor robots. Normally held at the Science Place, this year they elected to have the contests at the DPRG warehouse in Garland.
There were a wide variety of robots represented: lots of built-from-scratch projects, some lego-bots, and a few off-the-shelf models. Computing power ranged from nothing up to an on-board PC with WiFi. The
Polulu 3pi
‘s were heavily represented. The builders themselves were anything from high school students to veteran club members.
Winners had their choice of prizes in order of placement in each contest (first place got to pick first, etc). Prizes included a
STM32circle
, a pair of servos, or gift certificates to a local
electronics store
. Other entrants got a mini-cylon LED display to make their robot a little more menacing. You can view full
results here
.
The simplest event was the Quick-trip contest. This competition had the robots move from the starting area straight to a second area, and back again. The area is enclosed by walls and marked off with black tape, and the robot must completely cross the tape to be considered in an area. While it sounds very simple, not all robots were able to complete the course. The winners were determined by who successfully finished the course in the least time. This years winner of the Quick-trip contest was a lego-bot named Gort built by student Nathan Harlan.
The second event is a little more complex, called T-Time. This one has three areas, and tests the accuracy of turning. There are 3 areas, the robot starts in one, must visit the other two and return to the start area. The course is a ‘T’ shape, so the robot must make a couple of turns. It was won by David Martineau with BoxyRoxy Mk IV.
The third event was a line-following competition. Robots must follow a white stripe on black background, with lots of sharp curves. The course itself was only about a yard square, so smaller bots fit more easily. This year the line following was all about the Polulu 3pi’s. At least 4 entered, and all of them used the unmodified hardware: the only difference was the programming. One contestant used a genetic algorithm to evolve a neural-net. Another contestant programmed his on the day of the contest. The winner was PI R Squared, owned by Steve Rainwater.
The next Roborama will be sometime in the spring of 2009. DPRG holds montly club meetings. They also have the Robot Builders Night Out, which is a chance for roboticists to meet at the Garland warehouse and work on thier robots. It is open to anyone, not just club members. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "53042",
"author": "calumk",
"timestamp": "2008-11-30T21:03:15",
"content": "I always liked these little thing, i remember my primary school used to have one which was fun, and the Lego NXT kit does the same thing!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,718.209768 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/30/upgrade-an-electric-lock-keypad/ | Upgrade An Electric Lock Keypad | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"lock",
"pushbutton"
] | [OldGrover] bought a Weiser electronic lock. Only 6 months after installing it, the keypad stopped working. Instead of just accepting this, [OldGrover]
built a better button pad for his lock
. He decided to go with big push buttons instead of a similar to stock membrane system. After tracing out where the original buttons connected, he attached his new buttons and enclosure. Pretty simple really but it fixed the problem and kept the lock out of the landfill. Now, he has a unique looking keypad on his front door. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "53025",
"author": "Mad",
"timestamp": "2008-11-30T19:33:07",
"content": "All I have to ask is what happens when the batteries run out?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53030",
"author": "iben",
"timestamp": "2008-11-30T19... | 1,760,377,718.068671 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/29/ps360-controller/ | PS360 Controller | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Playstation Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"dual shock",
"ps3",
"xbox 360"
] | [Ben Heck] posted his
PS360 controller
. This is the case of an Xbox360 controller with the guts of the Dual Shock 3 from the PS3. They Dpad is from a ps2. We guess that if you can build them any way you want, you might as well make it exactly how you want it. Wasn’t there a time when
everyone laughed
at the bulky Xbox controllers? Yes, we know, they’re smaller now but that comic pops into mind anyway. | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "52932",
"author": "roshamboe",
"timestamp": "2008-11-30T03:25:50",
"content": "that looks so sick, make it black",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "52934",
"author": "Edward Nardella",
"timestamp": "2008-11-30T03:31:16",
... | 1,760,377,718.12173 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/29/harmonic-keyboard-controller/ | Harmonic Keyboard Controller | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"aris",
"axis",
"c-thru",
"c-thru axis",
"harmonic",
"harmonic table keyboard",
"midi",
"midi controller",
"midibox",
"synt-diy"
] | [aris] is continuing work on his
harmonic table keyboard midi controller
. Instead of the traditional linear keyboard layout, keys are laid out in a hexagonal pattern. This is the same idea as the C-Thru AXiS, which you can find a
video demo of here
. Along the left edge is a row of buttons to transpose the layout up or down. Switches for octave up and down along with a generic slider are also included. The final controller will include a 16×2 LCD character display. The core of the controller is
MIDIBox
, and he’s using the SDK to write the custom C code. Embedded below is the first test with just four buttons wired.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVX28wEX5gg] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "52948",
"author": "amk",
"timestamp": "2008-11-30T05:13:59",
"content": "That’s actually going to be a pretty sweet controller once everything is working. Because the buttons are so close together relative to a keyboard he’ll be able to do neat things.",
"parent_id": null,
"... | 1,760,377,718.166785 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/29/sixaxis-in-osx-and-vista/ | Sixaxis In OSX And Vista | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"Mac Hacks",
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"controller",
"OsX",
"playstation",
"playstation 3",
"playstation controller",
"ps3",
"sixaxis",
"vista"
] | Here are a couple small programs to help you make the most of your Playstation 3 Sixaxis controllers. [netkas] heard that quite a few people were having trouble using the Sixaxis controller in Windows Vista. He solved it for himself and
uploaded an exe for you
to use. He then did essentially the
same thing for OSX
. This should make your PC gaming feel at least a little more familiar.
[photo:
Kominyetska
] | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "52911",
"author": "spoofy",
"timestamp": "2008-11-30T01:28:57",
"content": "I’m somewhat disapointed this requires a usb/minusb cable… I was hoping it might be wireless (bluetooth?)still cool though :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_... | 1,760,377,718.294627 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/29/gameboy-color-on-an-led-matrix/ | Gameboy Color On An LED Matrix | Caleb Kraft | [
"LED Hacks",
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"gameboy",
"led",
"matrix"
] | [youtube=http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=-n-iORmV3Qk]
Here is a video of a
GameBoy Color being played on an LED matrix
. He has built it up to 140×140 LEDs so far and it seems to be going well. He needs to add the final 20 LEDs to get the 160×140 resolution of the GameBoy. He notes in the comments that he had some problems with dead LEDs in the boards he got from eBay. Trying to remove the dead LED with a hot air rework station resulted in massive damage to the board. At one point he says that the power consumption is 1KW when showing all white. Wow, that’s a drain.
[Kevtris] gave us some more info in the comments with a link to the build pictures in
his blog
.
[thanks tReg] | 23 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "52855",
"author": "bort",
"timestamp": "2008-11-29T17:28:10",
"content": "he needs another 2304 leds, not 20.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "52858",
"author": "Voyage",
"timestamp": "2008-11-29T17:39:25",
"content":... | 1,760,377,718.572038 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/29/gamecube-controller-for-the-wii/ | Gamecube Controller For The Wii | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"gamecube",
"wii"
] | [marcan42] wanted to
use a plain old GambeCube controller to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl
and some other titles. Apparently you can just use a WaveBird wireless controller but according to [marcan42] they are
hard to find
. You may recall a similar project for building a
wireless Snes controller
for your Wii. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "52839",
"author": "Adam",
"timestamp": "2008-11-29T15:10:36",
"content": "Definitely a great concept, and definitely useful. However, SSBB and Mario Kart Wii support the use of plain old GameCube controllers natively. So, if you’re only itching for those two games, just plug in th... | 1,760,377,718.418758 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/01/real-life-lancer/ | Real Life Gears Of War Lancer For Zombie Fighting | Caleb Kraft | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"ar15",
"assault rifle",
"chainsaw",
"gears of war",
"lancer"
] | [SOC] posted this crazy
real life Lancer
, like those found in
Gears of War
, on the AR15.com forums. You are seeing it right, that is a chainsaw bayonet attached to his assault rifle. We thought
these were pretty cool
, but this thing actually works. It can be seen on an AR15, pictured above, as well as a giant shotgun. We think the shotgun one would be better fitting for zombie hordes. Barney Fife seems strangely fitting for this picture. Check out a video of it in action after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2j0t1GDVlA]
That’s not the most graceful or efficient method of opening a door, but it gets the job done. | 56 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "53249",
"author": "icefox",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T22:27:22",
"content": "Nice, available now in the new Walmart Locust hunting department.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53255",
"author": "Edward Nardella",
"timestam... | 1,760,377,718.518103 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/01/gears-embeded-in-busines-cards/ | Gears Embedded In Business Cards | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Uncategorized"
] | [
"gears",
"planetary",
"thingiverse"
] | [vimeo 2395048]
In [
Bre Pettis
]’s latest “things” video, he talks with [Adam Mayer] about his
geared business cards
. [Adam] has designed several versions of these cards that have functional gear systems in them. There appears to be a simple two gear one and a more complicated planetary gear set up. The designs have been uploaded to
Thingiverse
, so you can download and build your own. | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "53241",
"author": "Haku",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T22:13:55",
"content": "Is there a version of this video that doesn’t require a freaking quad core 3.6ghz pc to play it?On my 2.4ghz hyperthreaded P4 (oc’d to 2.9ghz) all I get is a slideshow.Stupidly high processor requirement codec... | 1,760,377,718.972313 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/01/bus-pirate-firmware-update-v0c-jtag-and-more/ | Bus Pirate Firmware Update (v.0c), JTAG And More | Ian | [
"classic hacks",
"hardware",
"News",
"Tool Hacks"
] | [
"bench tools",
"bus",
"bus pirate",
"electronics",
"i2c",
"interface",
"jtag",
"projects"
] | Download:
buspirate.v0c.zip
A few weeks ago we wrote about our
Bus Pirate universal serial interface tool
. We used the recent holiday to add some new features, like a JTAG programmer, macros, frequency measurement, and more. A major code reorganization makes everything easier to read and update.
Check out the a demonstration of the new features below. We’re compiling a roadmap and wish list, so share your ideas in the comments. You can also see how we used the Bus Pirate to
read a smart card
and
test-drive an I2C crystal oscillator
.
New protocols
I2C>m
<–setup mode
1. HiZ
<– high impedance pins (safe mode)
2. 1-WIRE
<– not ready for this release
3. UART
4. I2C
5. SPI
6. JTAG
<– interface and programmer
7. RAW2WIRE
8. RAW3WIRE
MODE>1
900 MODE SET
HiZ>
This firmware release lists three new protocols.
Hi-Z makes all pins
high impedance
/input, a safe state that won’t damage an attached circuit. To be safe, the Bus Pirate now starts in this mode.
1-Wire is listed, but we couldn’t include it in this release because we still don’t have any parts to test with our library. This is just a placeholder for now, but it will be added as soon as we get a 1-Wire part to test.
We wrote a simplified JTAG interface that includes a XSVF player for programming JTAG device chains.
**We included a hardware I2C library, but according to the device errata
there’s a bug in the 24FJ64GA002 rev3 I2C module
. This will work with a different chip (e.g. a 28pin dsPIC33).
Connection table
PIN
1-Wire
I2C*
SPI
**
RS232
JTAG
B9
SDA
SDA
MOSI
–
TDI
B8
–
SCL
CLK
–
TCK
B7
–
–
MISO
RX
TDO
B6
–
–
CS
TX
TMS
B5
AUX
AUX
AUX
AUX
AUX
Ground
GND
GND
GND
GND
GND
*also raw 2 wire. **also raw 3 wire.
The new modes connect to the Bus Pirate as outlined in the table.
New features and settings
Frequency measurement
HiZ>F
<– do a frequency count
9xx FREQ COUNT ON AUX: 22199552Hz (22MHz)
HiZ>
As seen in the
DS1077 demonstration
, we added a frequency counter to the Bus Pirate’s AUX pin. ‘F’ measures frequency, maximum of about 50MHz.
Assign axillary control
HiZ>c
<– menu c
AUX PIN
1. AUX (DEFAULT)
2. CS/TMS
MODE>1
<– set AUX control mode
9xx AUX: DEFAULT SETTING (AUX PIN)
HiZ>
Sometimes we need to control the chip select (CS) /JTAG state machine (TMS) pins manually. ‘c’ toggles the pin control between the axillary pin and the chip select pin.
Set terminal speed
HiZ>b
<– menu b
Set serial port speed: (bps)
1. 300
…
9. 115200
SPEED>9
<– set speed
Adjust your terminal and press space to continue
HiZ>
‘b’ adjusts the PC-side serial port speed.
Macros
A new syntax addition, ‘(#)’, triggers protocol dependent macros.
JTAG>(0)
<–macro 0
0.Macro menu
1.Reset chain
2.Probe chain
3.XSVF player
JTAG>
In any mode, use the macro (0) to display a menu of available macros.
I2C address search
I2C>(1)
<–scan I2C addresses macro
xxx Searching 7bit I2C address space.
Found devices at:
0xB0 0xB1
<–DS1077 responds to write and read address
I2C>
The I2C library includes a macro to automatically search the I2C address range for devices. Helpful when you work with an unknown chip.
Raw2wire smart card ISO 7813-3 ATR
RAW2WIRE>(1)
<–ATR and decode macro
ISO 7813-3 ATR
950 AUX LOW
951 AUX HIGH
4xx RAW2WIRE 0x01 CLOCK TICKS
950 AUX LOW
ISO 7813-3 reply: 0xA2 0x13 0x10 0x91
<–ATR bytes
Protocol: 2 wire
<–decoded ATR data
Read type: to end
<–
Data units: 256
<–
Data unit length: 8 bits
<–
RAW2WIRE>
Macro 1 resets and identifies a smart card. For more about the ISO7813-3 ATR, see how we
used the Bus Pirate to read a smart card
.
JTAG
JTAG
is a debugging and programming interface for all kinds of electronics. The raw hardware interface can be accessed with the Bus Pirate’s raw 3 wire library, but we added a few features to make it much easier.
JTAG has different modes where data entry does different things. Modes are navigated with the JTAG TMS signal; there are a
bunch of JTAG modes
, called states.The Bus Pirate’s JTAG library is just the raw 3 wire library, enhanced to help with JTAG state changes.
We only implemented the JTAG states we need to get data in and out of a JTAG device chain: reset, idle, data register, and instruction register. Macro (1) issues a JTAG chain reset, and initializes the chain to the idle state. { puts the JTAG chain in data register mode. [ puts the chain in instruction register mode. ] or } return the chain to the idle state. The Bus Pirate has an internal state machine tracker that is smart enough to manage the chain without explicitly returning the chain to idle; in other words, you don’t have to close your tags. The state machine tracker reports every state change to help debug problems.
JTAG>[0xfe {rrrr}
<– same as [0xfe]{rrrr}
xxx JTAGSM: ALREADY IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Instruction Register (DELAYED ONE BIT FOR TMS)
610 JTAG READY TO WRITE IR
<– JTAG chain instruction register
620 JTAG WRITE: 0xFE
<– request ID
xxx JTAGSM: (WROTE DELAYED BIT) IR->IDLE
<–back to IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Data Register
<–IDLE to data register
611 JTAG READY TO READ/WRITE DR
630 JTAG READ: 0x93
<–device ID
630 JTAG READ: 0x40
630 JTAG READ: 0x60
630 JTAG READ: 0x59
xxx JTAGSM: DR->IDLE
<–back to idle
640 JTAG IDLE
JTAG>
Here is a short interaction with a
Xilinx XC9572 CPLD
. We go to the instruction register ( [ ), and send the device ID request command (0xfe). Then, we go the the data register( { ), read four bytes (rrrr, or r:4 shorthand), and return to idle ( } ).
What are delayed bit writes?
JTAG requires that the last data bit written to the instruction register be entered at the same time as the state change. Since the Bus Pirate has no way of predicting when we’ll actually change states, it delays the last bit of each byte write until one of three things happens:
Exit the instruction register with a }, ], or { command
Write another byte value
A read command
Pending bits are not cleared by bitwise operations (like ! or ^). Do these before writing your last byte, or change the code. We haven’t implemented pending writes to the data register, but it’s probably needed. You might need to implement this if you’re writing the data register, rather just reading, like we did.
JTAG Macros
JTAG>(1)
<–macro 1
xxx JTAGSM: RESET
xxx JTAGSM: RESET->IDLE
JTAG>
JTAG macro (1) resets the JTAG chain and then advances it to the idle state.
JTAG>(2)
<–macro 2
xxx JTAG INIT CHAIN
xxx JTAGSM: RESET
xxx JTAGSM: RESET->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Instruction Register (DELAYED ONE BIT FOR TMS)
xxx JTAGSM: IR->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Data Register
xxx JTAGSM: DR->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: RESET
xxx JTAGSM: RESET->IDLE
xxx JTAGSM: IDLE->Data Register
xxx JTAG CHAIN REPORT:
<–start of report
0x01 DEVICE(S)
#0x01 : 0x93 0x40 0x60 0x59
<–device IDs
xxx JTAGSM: DR->IDLE
JTAG>
Macro (2) resets the chain, counts the devices, and reports all the device IDs.
JTAG>(3)
<–macro 3
6xx JTAG XSVF PLAYER
xxx XON/XOFF FLOW CONTROL REQUIRED
<–required!
xxx PRESS z TO CONTINUE
<– press z
xxx BEGIN XSVF UPLOAD
<– upload the file
6×0 XSVF OK
<– result or error
YOUR PC DRIBBLED MAX 0x05 BYTES AFTER XOFF (THAT’S OK)
6xx PRESS z 5 TIMES TO CONTINUE
<– continue
JTAG>
Macro 3 is an XSVF player/programmer using code from Xilinx. XSVF is byte format
SVF
,
as described by Xilinx
(pdf). XSVF files can be compiled for any chain with the correct
generic JTAG definition files
, even non-Xilinx devices. We successfully used the
binary
transfer features in
Hercules
and
Tera Term
to send XSVF files to the programmer.
JTAG sometimes pauses longer than it takes the PC to transfer a byte of data, so we implemented
XON/XOFF software flow control
for the XSVF player. Your terminal must be in XON/XOFF flow control mode before you upload the XSVF file, or the programmer will fail. Even with software flow control, a modern PC has already send several bytes through the layers of operating system before it receives the flow control signals. We deal with this by catching these bytes before moving on, this is reported as the maximum number of bytes “dribbled”.
If there’s an error in the upload, the PC will probably continue to spit bytes at the Bus Pirate. To keep error messages visible, and prevent garbage in the terminal, the XSVF player waits for five lower case z’s before it returns to the prompt. We chose this sequence because it will never occur in an XSVF file.
*Note that the XSVF player does not respect the JTAG Hi-Z pin setting. Went it does, it fails. Be careful mixing voltages without a buffer.
Better code structure
The biggest difference between the version 0b and 0c firmware is a massive improvement in code structure. The Bus Pirate existed in many incarnations before we packaged it for the initial article. v.0c harmonizes the code libraries and makes it easier to add new protocols.
How to add a custom protocol
The Bus Pirate code handles the user interface, and passes two variables to the active protocol library. The first variable is a command, such as CMD_READ, CMD_READBULK, or CMD_WRITE. The entire command set is defined in base.h. The second variable is an optional value. A simple CMD_READ command passes no value, a bulk read command passes the number of bytes to read, a write command passes the value to write to the bus, etc. At minimum, a custom protocol needs a function to receive these variables and translate them to bus actions.
We used three different techniques to link commands to bus actions. Simple code can go directly in a giant switch statement, like SPI.c. External libraries use an single linking function, like I2C.c, and m_i2c_1.c. More complicated protocols use the switch statement to call functions included in the library (raw2wire.c, raw3wire.c, jtag.c UART.c). Helpful functions for terminal IO are included in base.h/c.
Due to massive code improvements, it’s now only mildly confusing to register a new protocol with the Bus Pirate:
base.h
– Create a definition for the protocol. The last entry is currently “#define RAW3WIRE 7”, so the next entry could be “#define MYCUSTOMWIRE 8”.
busPirate.c
– Include a header file with that gives access to the processing function. Add a menu entry in the
char* mode[] =
variable list. The menu entry
must
be in the same position on the list as the number assigned in the base.h define. If MYCUSTOMWIRE is number 8, it must be the eight entry in the mode variable. Finally, add an additional switch to the bpProcess() function that calls the custom library processing routine when the mode is set to “MYCUSTOMWIRE”.
Taking it further: a Hack a Day wish list
We compiled the feedback we’ve gotten into three wish lists: protocols, features, and macros.
Protocols
1-Wire
, with enumeration (*ready as soon as we have parts to test it)
OBD-II
(thanks [
Shadyman
])
CAN
MIDI
(
Wikipedia
)
DMX512-A
IRDA
,
RC5x
, etc.
Some protocols will require an external transceiver.
Features
Pulse-width modulator, frequency generator
“Wait until interrupt” command
Convert frequency measurement to input capture peripheral
Allow frequency measurement on any pin
Show a report of the current configuration settings and pin states.
Integer repeat values for bulk read, clock ticks, delays, etc.
A CRC generator
Macros
Transparent UART bridge
SD card initialization, meta data extract, and dump
EEPROM program/dump (I2C/SPI)
Nokia 6100 LCD initialization, control
NMEA GPS data decoder
Do you have anything to add to the list?
Firmware download:
buspirate.v0c.zip | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "53230",
"author": "Curtisbeef",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T20:53:32",
"content": "I like the Jtag support. would it be possible to make it be able to program PICs and AVR’s as well.. so its like a all in one development tool.another feature that might be cool would be a 8 bit logic an... | 1,760,377,718.908696 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/01/nintendo-64-crammed-into-a-nes/ | Nintendo 64 Crammed Into A NES | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"News",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"n64",
"nes",
"nintendo"
] | [Matthew] sent us this
Nintendo 64 stuffed into an NES
. He did a great job really, everything looks nice and tidy. the presentation is decent with only the game ports visible on the front to tell you its not stock. The accent lighting on the side vents is not overpowering. Overall this was a really well done mod. Just like the
Nintendo 64 in a Wii
mod, this only plays Nintendo 64 games. OK guys, lets get some mods going that don’t involve cramming one
Nintendo
product into another Nintendo product. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "53166",
"author": "J",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T16:44:13",
"content": "all it needs is spinners.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53178",
"author": "JB",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T17:50:23",
"content": "I once crammed ... | 1,760,377,718.768323 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/12/01/using-vfds-as-amplifiers/ | Using VFDs As Amplifiers | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"amplifier",
"vacuum fluorescent display",
"vfd"
] | [HP Friedrichs] sent us this cool writeup on how to use scrapped
Vacuum Fluorescent Display tubes as amplifiers
. For those unfamiliar, a VFD is a display device common to electronics. Many have been replaced by LCD, but you can still find them in modern products. [Friedrichs] points out that his 2008 ford has a VFD for the multimedia display.
Since these units are basically tubes, he figured that you should be able to use them as a tube amp. After some testing, he found it to be quite adequate. The project includes tons of background information on how tubes work, how VFDs work and how to utilize it for amplification. In the picture above, you can see him using one (middle) to amplify a home made radio (right). | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "53156",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T15:20:07",
"content": "why didnt you embed his youtube clip?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiszksJs9C8",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53160",
"author": "adamziegler",
"... | 1,760,377,718.820736 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/30/hackit-netbook-haters/ | Hackit: Netbook Haters? | Eliot | [
"HackIt",
"laptops hacks",
"Netbook Hacks"
] | [
"acer",
"acer aspire one",
"Asus",
"asus eee pc",
"boing boing gadgets",
"dell",
"dell mini 9",
"HackIt",
"HP",
"liliputing",
"msi",
"msi wind",
"netbook",
"osx86",
"samsung",
"techcrunch"
] | Gadget blogs have been a fluster the last day about
TechCrunch
stating that netbooks “
just aren’t good enough
“. Writing a response post hasn’t proven very hard given the number of factual errors in the original.
Boing Boing Gadgets
points out that the low-end of the spectrum that TC post seems to cover are almost impossible to purchase because they’re so outdated.
Liliputing
rightly states that comparing the browsing experience to the
iPhone
isn’t worthwhile since it’s entirely a software problem.
Laptop
goes so far as to recommend the
HP Mini 1000
and
Samsung NC10
specifically for their keyboard. TechCrunch isn’t alone in their opinion; this week Intel stated that using the ultra portable devices was “
fine for an hour
“. TechCrunch is designing a web tablet right now using the
collective wisdom of blog commenters
. Looks like they’re just reboxing a netbook
for the prototype
.
We cover the netbook market for different reasons than most: Their low low price makes people much more willing to hack on the device. For the price of a smartphone, you’re getting a fully capable
laptop
. The low performance doesn’t matter as much since we’re running
different flavors of Linux
that are much lighter than Windows. People
running OSX86
are doing it to address a market that Apple doesn’t.
What’s your experience with netbooks? Do you have one that you adore or are you annoyed by their shortcomings? Models we’ve covered in the past include the
Acer Aspire One
,
Asus Eee PC
,
Dell Mini 9
, and
MSI Wind
.
[Photo:
Onken Bio-pot
] | 91 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "53083",
"author": "Jon",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T05:28:54",
"content": "I own a One-Laptop-Per-Child laptop. Linux is weird.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "53089",
"author": "Edward Nardella",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T... | 1,760,377,719.061411 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/30/midi-drums-for-guitar-hero-and-rock-band/ | MIDI Drums For Guitar Hero And Rock Band | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"drum",
"drum kit",
"egyokeo",
"gizmodo",
"guitar hero",
"highly liquid",
"midi",
"midi hero",
"midi kit",
"msa",
"msa-p",
"rock band",
"toolstick"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a497Hom8Gg&fmt=18]
Embedded above is [egyokeo]’s solution for using MIDI drums with Guitar Hero. He’s playing a
DrumKAT
MIDI kit. It connects to a PC running his
MIDI Hero
software, which handles timing and multinote combinations. The PC uses a USB
ToolStick
microcontroller to send commands to the console
using an FPS adapter
or soldered into the instrument. It’s a fairly good solution if you’re building a generic controller and need to modify the signaling.
When Rock Band was first released, modders sought to adapt their MIDI drum kits for use with the game. The easiest solution they found was Highly Liquid’s
MSA-P
. It’s a photorelay based MIDI decoder. You need to solder directly to the brain in the Rock Band drums. If you’re planning on modding any instrument, check the
compatibility matrix
first. Hopefully you’ll end up with something that can be used across multiple games.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "53060",
"author": "matt",
"timestamp": "2008-12-01T01:57:07",
"content": "I remember seeing egyokeo’s work before, coulda sworn it was here. Nice update on the work, anyways. :PJust a note — it’s my understanding that the drum kit for Guitar Hero WT’s midi port on the back *can* acc... | 1,760,377,719.111935 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/28/iphone-linux/ | IPhone Linux | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"Mac Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"android",
"apple",
"apple iphone",
"busybox",
"google",
"google android",
"iphone",
"iphone 3G",
"iphone linux",
"ipod",
"ipod touch",
"linux",
"touch"
] | [vimeo 2373142]
Embedded above is a demo video of an
iPhone running a Linux 2.6 kernel
. The iphone-dev team has created a new bootloader called OpeniBoot. The bootloader lets you boot into a Linux console, which you can talk to over a USB serial device. They’ve got busybox working, but there is no touchscreen support yet. The instructions are not that difficult and include how to back up your settings. It works on first and second gen iPhones and first gen iPod Touch. This is a very early port, but the future is wide open… Android iPhone? | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "52738",
"author": "jeff",
"timestamp": "2008-11-29T03:23:42",
"content": "Sweet! I’ve been checking in on iphone linux since before i got the iphone. Glad to see there’s progress and hopefully some cool things still coming. :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": ... | 1,760,377,719.16722 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/28/tbeta-cross-platform-multitouch/ | Tbeta, Cross-platform Multitouch | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Multitouch Hacks"
] | [
"cdm",
"linux",
"multitouch",
"nui",
"osc",
"OsX",
"tbeta",
"tuio",
"video",
"vimeo",
"windows"
] | [vimeo=http://vimeo.com/2034557]
tbeta
is a new tool developed by the NUI Group Community. tbeta acts as an image processing layer to take in image data and output tracking data for multitouch applications. Whether
FTIR
or
DI
, scratch built multitouch systems generate IR video streams that need to be processed to find fingertips. tbeta can take this or any arbitrary video stream and run it through a series of filters to generate the touch data. This data is sent as OSC
TUIO
, a standard protocol for touch events. Along with the camera and input switcher, tbeta also aids in system calibration. I works on Windows, OSX, and Linux. Have a look at the
getting started guide
for a better idea of how it works.
[via
CDM
] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "52700",
"author": "pascal",
"timestamp": "2008-11-29T01:18:18",
"content": "meh. the bad latency of touchlib actually got worse. that happens, when you use way too large trackers, send yourself UDP packets to a Java-server that converts it to XML which is then streamed to Flash, or ... | 1,760,377,719.252983 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/28/pandora-dev-unit-unboxed/ | Pandora Dev Unit Unboxed | Eliot | [
"handhelds hacks",
"News"
] | [
"arm",
"bluetooth",
"dev kit",
"omap",
"omap3",
"openpandora",
"pandora",
"portable",
"qwerty",
"sd",
"sdhc",
"skeezix",
"texas instruments",
"ti",
"touchscreen",
"usb",
"wifi"
] | [skeezix] has got his hands on one of the
first Pandora dev kits
to make it out the door and took a few photos. This is 1 of the 20 MK2 devboards that were produced. Although, not final it certainly is close to the version they’ll be shipping.
Pandora
is a
Linux
based portable game console. The main chip in the clamshell device is a
TI OMAP3530
. It has OpenGL hardware acceleration and an 800×480 touchscreen. A QWERTY keyboard is included along with analog and digital game controls.
WiFi
,
bluetooth
, USB host, TV-out, and dual SDHC card slots round out the package. The team has already presold 4000 devices. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "52740",
"author": "WutanG",
"timestamp": "2008-11-29T03:37:21",
"content": "This thing has really got my interest!Price is a little bit on the high side to me(330$)but then i remember this thing is a beast hardware wise(touch screen,great resolution,ports,and wifi/bluetooth.I would ... | 1,760,377,719.214029 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/28/xbox-360-jasper-motherboards/ | Xbox 360 Jasper Motherboards | Eliot | [
"News",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"360",
"65nm",
"gpu",
"jasper",
"microsoft",
"new xbox experience",
"nxe",
"power supply",
"xbox",
"xbox 360"
] | The Xbox 360 has a brand new motherboard. Dubbed the Jasper, it presumably has a new 65nm process GPU. The new box has a 150W power supply instead of the former’s 175W brick. They’ve changed the plug design to prevent usage with old consoles. The most notable change is the onboard flash memory upgrade. Earlier consoles only had 16MB; new ones have 256MB. The majority of this storage will be used for the new dashboard, the
NXE
. The remaining space can be used for game saves. With the new storage, Arcade units are no longer including memory cards. You can see more images of the boards on
Xbox-Scene
. | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "52685",
"author": "Black_Angel",
"timestamp": "2008-11-29T00:02:59",
"content": "This sucks… now we need to make even more changes to play homebrew and back up games.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "52691",
"author": "Schwep... | 1,760,377,719.314392 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/28/composite-video-through-cat5/ | Composite Video Through Cat5 | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"cat5",
"composite video",
"ethernet",
"rgb"
] | [mixadj] needed to run some video cable from one part of his house to another. He was lacking the proper amount of video cable, but had a bunch of cat5 laying around. so he built a converter to run his
composite signal through the cat5
. He states that he wouldn’t run it more than 70 feet without amplifying the audio somehow. Aside from that, the performance is supposedly decent. This just adds to the multitude of other uses for that Ethernet cable. We’ve seen voice, data, composite video,
VGA
, and power. What else have you seen run over cat5? | 48 | 48 | [
{
"comment_id": "52664",
"author": "Christopher Finke",
"timestamp": "2008-11-28T21:41:16",
"content": "> What else have you seen run over cat5?My car ran over some cat5 that I left in the garage once.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "52666",
... | 1,760,377,719.394869 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/11/28/make-your-own-holiday-lights/ | Make Your Own Holiday Lights | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"christmas",
"led",
"ping pong"
] | No matter what holiday you choose to acknowledge, you probably enjoy the thought of getting to put lights up everywhere. We know we do. Here are some instructions on how to
make your own string of color changing lights
. Sure, you can probably just buy a string of color changing lights for cheaper, but then you couldn’t arrange them however you want on the line, and you also wouldn’t get the satisfaction of doing it yourself. | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,719.664731 |
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