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 |
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https://hackaday.com/2008/09/23/ipod-loaded-horn-boosts-your-tunes/ | IPod Loaded Horn Boosts Your Tunes | Patrick Lokken | [
"digital audio hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"Portable Audio Hacks"
] | [
"aircurve",
"apple",
"apple iPod",
"audio",
"griffin",
"horn",
"ipod",
"kleinhorn",
"speaker",
"subwoofer"
] | The
Griffin AirCurve Dock
is a nifty gadget that uses a coiled
horn
to increase the volume of your
iPhone’s
speaker. Griffin’s marketing claims that their passive device delivers “amazing amplification” and “you’ll swear there are full-sized speakers in there.” Meh. It does look like an interesting project for someone with a 3D printer. You could experiment with different passage and dock shapes. At least it gives us an excuse to post two massive DIY horns.
Above is “THE BIGGEST SUB HORN OF THE WORLD”, created by the guys at
Royal Device
. This massive subwoofer and horn is claimed to have bandwidth below 10Hz, and produce 100dB at only 1 Watt of input power. The sub construction is built under the listening room. The speakers (16 of them) are rated for a total power of 6400 watts.
The
Kleinhorn
is set more in reality. These Baltic birch horns are loaded with
Lowther
DX-55’s. The horns are about 11 feet long, and were built in sections to make it easy to modify the damping and so you could get them through a door. Our table saws are already itching for some action.
[via
Gearlog
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "43184",
"author": "Yoshi",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T23:46:25",
"content": "Oh such devious ideas I get from posts like this. No easier way to piss off the people in the dorm next to you than using super-amplified speakers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,753.46628 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/23/reliable-instructions-for-osx-on-eeepc/ | Reliable Instructions For OSX On The EeePC | Anthony | [
"laptops hacks",
"Mac Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Netbook Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"Asus",
"asus eepc",
"EeePc",
"laptop",
"netbook",
"OsX",
"osx86",
"wired"
] | We have run
many
EeePC
hacks
before
. Like most people, what we really want is a Mac netbook. The folks over at Wired have written up some
nice instructions
to help you run OSX on your EeePC. The process is a little involved, so don’t expect to just pop in a disk and be home free. There are a few setbacks though. No flash support, hardware F-keys don’t work (volume, brightness, etc), and ethernet doesn’t work. WiFi works but only with a third party driver/app.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "43169",
"author": "CalcProgrammer1",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T22:12:01",
"content": "Just installed OSX 10.5.2 on my HP Pavilion dv9700t laptop. It’s a great OS, though the Intel A/G/N WiFi card I have isn’t supported, which really kills it for me (can only use it when I’m in my ro... | 1,760,377,753.203782 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/27/peltier-based-coolingheating-backbapr/ | Peltier-based Cooling/heating Backpack | Nick Caiello | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"backpack",
"cooler",
"heater",
"max weisel",
"peltier",
"peltier unit"
] | [Max Weisel] recently created a
Peltier-based cooling/heating system that fits into a backpack
. The system uses two Peltier units, each running at 91.2 watts, with computer heat sinks mounted on one side of the unit to dissipate the excessive amounts of heat generated. While he was originally trying to build a cooling backpack, the use of the Peltier units meant that the cool side would become warm when the direction of current was switched, meaning that the backpack could become a heating backpack with the flip of a switch. In order to power the two Peltier units, he uses two 12v motorcycle batteries, weighing in at around 5 pounds each. While this backpack might be a little heavy for your back, it looks promising for anyone who needs to keep things cool (or warm) on the go. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "43703",
"author": "Erant",
"timestamp": "2008-09-28T08:26:10",
"content": "What is a backback? ;)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43705",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2008-09-28T08:46:16",
"content": "thats a grea... | 1,760,377,753.004654 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/27/use-rev-on-your-iphone-to-read-your-obd-ii-port/ | IPhone OBD-II App | Jason Rollette | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"News",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"iphone",
"iphone app",
"iphone application",
"iphone applications",
"iphone apps",
"obd-ii",
"obd-ii reader",
"Obd-iiReader"
] | Rev
by
DevToaster
is an application for the
iPhone
and
iPod Touch
that allows real-time monitoring of vehicle ECU data from the
OBD-II port
. Rev interfaces with a WiFi OBD-II dongle.
If your check engine light is on or flashing, REV is able to check the engine code, list all of the engine codes stored in the vehicle, and reset the stored codes or check engine light.
Rev is able to monitor real-time; vehicle speed, RPM, fuel consumption, engine coolant temp, fuel pressure, calculated engine load, throttle position, intake manifold pressure, air intake temp, timing advance, mass air flow, fuel level, barometric pressure, EVAP system vapor pressure, and fuel trim.
A brief video of REV in action is after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRfLS6jkBMY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]
[via
Autoblog
] | 61 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "43668",
"author": "birdman",
"timestamp": "2008-09-28T01:07:14",
"content": "man i want that but i dont wanna give itunes my credit info, can someone mail it to me???? Pleasethrashed007@gmail.com",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "... | 1,760,377,753.413967 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/26/knit-touchpad/ | Knit Touchpad | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"computer hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"touch pad"
] | [Plusea]
made her own touchpad
using some anti-static gloves and an Arduino. This proof of concept is fairly small, but the system could be scaled quite large if you could find the fabric. She cut apart the anti-static glove, mounted it and wired it to the
Arduino
. A special piece is made to fit over the finger that is also wired to the Arduino. The location of where she touches is determined by the resistance between the finger and each corner. Watch the video on the instructable to see how it measures.
She mentions that there are a few different ways to build it, some which would not require anything on your finger, but would use another piece mounted behind the touchpad. The method she is currently using though, would allow for the fabrick to be any size or shape, even molded around something. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "43549",
"author": "Edward Nardella",
"timestamp": "2008-09-26T23:38:16",
"content": "Would Multi-Touch be possible with this type of tech? Could the material be thin enough to project onto?Wait yes Multi-Touch would be possible, in much the way shutter glasses work in 3D application... | 1,760,377,753.259186 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/26/history-hacker-debut-tonight/ | History Hacker Show Pilot Tonight | Caleb Kraft | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"bre pettis",
"history hacker"
] | [Bre Pettis], the former host of the Make podcast and member of
NYCResistor
has gotten his own show
. Debuting tonight on the History Channel, “History Hacker” will be exploring our technological past through hacking. He reminds us
on his site
, this is just the pilot, it has to get ratings to have more episodes. [Bre] suggests watching it with the family as it should be educational and fascinating. Catch it tonight at 8pm and midnight. | 48 | 48 | [
{
"comment_id": "43520",
"author": "epicelite",
"timestamp": "2008-09-26T19:28:06",
"content": "I wanna watch! =D I usually eat dinner around 8:00 too! YEAY!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43526",
"author": "Alan",
"timestamp": "2008-09... | 1,760,377,753.097489 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/26/8-bit-digital-sampler-kit-bendable-too/ | 8 Bit Digital Sampler Kit, Bendable Too | Caleb Kraft | [
"digital audio hacks",
"News"
] | [
"8bit",
"bending",
"circuit bending",
"sample"
] | No, it’s not flexible, its bendable. As in, you can hack it to sound different by connecting parts in random ways. “Where’s the Party At?”, or “WTPA” for short is a
bendable 8 bit sampler
made by [Todd Bailey]. Still curious what it is?
Watch his video
showing it in action. The video is huge, 93Megs, so be patient. The overall attitude of this project is built around hacking. Consider this quote from his page ” I’ve got lots of things to poke, bend, illuminate, invoke, distrust, regulate, and otherwise get jiggy with. It’s like being 15 at the mall again! “. Sounds like fun to us.
[via
Create Digital Music
] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "43521",
"author": "bahahah",
"timestamp": "2008-09-26T19:40:03",
"content": "omg that is some horrible crap",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43522",
"author": "ultatryon",
"timestamp": "2008-09-26T19:49:34",
"content"... | 1,760,377,753.139924 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/25/web-server-on-a-business-card-part-2/ | How-To: Web Server On A Business Card (Part 2) | Ian | [
"classic hacks",
"Featured",
"how-to",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"24fj64ga002",
"business card",
"enc28j60",
"howto",
"microchip",
"network",
"pic",
"pic24f",
"sd card",
"web server"
] | This mini web server is slightly smaller than a business card. There are a lot of tiny one-board servers out there, but this is probably the smallest you can etch and solder at home. Unlike many embedded web servers, files are stored on a PC-readable SD card, not in a difficult-to-write EEPROM. Read on for the web server design, or catch up on PIC 24F basics in the previous article:
Web server on a business card (part 1)
.
Concept overview
The goal of this project is to build a web server on a business card that serves web pages and files from a FAT formatted SD card. The server is based on a PIC 24F that connects to a TCP/IP network using the
ENC28J60
ethernet
MAC
/
PHY
. Network layers and low-level services, such as
DNS
and
DHCP
, are handled by the Microchip TCP/IP stack. A
FAT 12/16/32
formatted
SD card
contains web pages and files. A very simple
HTTP server
ties everything together by handling page requests on port 80, searching the SD card for requested, and serving them with the correct
content type
.
Hardware
Microcontroller (Microchip PIC 24FJ64GA002)
The brain of the server is a 16-bit
PIC 24FJ64GA002
(IC1), a 28pin microcontroller available in several hobbyist friendly packages. Check out our
PIC 24F introduction
for more about working with this chip.
PIC 24Fs operate between 2 and 3.8volts, which is perfect because the ethernet chip (IC2) and SD card both run at 3.3volts. This chip has 8K of RAM, plenty for the TCP/IP stack and a few K for working with a full FAT file system. The 24FJ64 has two
SPI
modules, so the SD card and ethernet IC each get a dedicated data bus.
The PIC processor core operates at 2.5volts, and requires a 10uF capacitor (C2) for the on-chip voltage regulator. The datasheet specifies a tantalum capacitor, but we used a low-ESR electrolytic in a prototype without incident. Every power pin needs a 0.1uF decoupling capacitor (C4,5).
The internal 8MHz oscillator provides a 32MHz clock source with the 4x PLL multiplier enabled. We’re also using an external 32.768KHz crystal (Q1) with 2 x 27pF capacitors (C17,18) to enable the real time clock calendar.
Programming connections are brought to a header (SV1). We chose to use programming pin pair three (PGx3). The master clear and reset (MCLR) function is enabled with a 2K resistor (R1) from V+ to the MCLR pin. Optionally, add
a button
(S1) from MCLR to ground for a manual reset switch.
Ethernet connection (ENC28J60)
An
ENC28J60
(IC2) handles the network physical connection (PHY) and MAC layer. The ENC28J60 needs a number of support parts beyond the typical 0.1uF decoupling capacitors (C6,7,9,10). A 25MHz crystal (Q2) and 2 x 27pf capacitors (C15,16) provide a clock signal. The internal core voltage regulator requires a 10uF tantalum capacitor (C1), but an electrolytic capacitor also worked fine. Two LEDs (LED1,2) with 330ohm resistors (R2,3) display link and data status.
A bias resistor (R12) is required; the value will depend on the ENC28J60 version you’re using. Current chips should be
B5
(PDF) or
B7
(PDF), and require a 2.32K 1% resistor.
The PHY I/O portion specifies 4 x 49.9ohm 1% resistors (R8-11), and a ferrite bead (L1).
The most difficult-to-find part for the ENC28J60 is the correct RJ-45 jack with integrated magnetics (RJ1). We used a J1006F21 PulseJack from Pulse Engineering. Be sure to check the pin configuration and connections if you use a different jack, they will probably be different than ours. A Cadsoft Eagle part library for the JP1006F21 is included in the project archive. This was a $4 part, but it’s gone up to $7. If you know of other jacks that work we’ll add them here.
microSD card
We used a
microSD/transflash card
in this design because SD cards waste a lot of board space under the holder. microSD cards are smaller versions of SD cards with the same data interface, and most come with an adapter for use in standard SD card readers. The card needs a holder (SD1) and a 0.1uF decoupling capacitor (C8).
If you want to use a full-size SD card, take a look at our version one prototype in the project archive. We used Alps SD card holder
#SCDA1A0901
. Unfortunately, this part is has been discontinued and we’ve yet to find a suitable replacement. Don’t try
#SCDA5A0201
, that’s for sure. If you have a favorite, we’ll add it here.
Sparkfun has one
, and a matching
Cadsoft Eagle part library
.
Power supply
An
adjustable LM317 voltage regulator
(IC3) is set to 3.3volts using a 390ohm (R6) and 240ohm (R7) resistor. We considered several 3.3volt regulators, but nothing was cheaper than a LM317 and two resistors. There’s a 0.1uF decoupling capacitor (C13,14) and a 10uF capacitor (C3,19) on both sides to help support the power hungry Ethernet transceiver. The LM317 will output 3.3volts from an input of 5 to 20volts+, but it gets really hot with greater than 9volts supply. The specified input capacitor is only rated 16volts, so consider an upgrade if you plan to use a supply greater than about 9volts.
For the first time ever, we incorporated a power jack (J1) into a design. A jack with a 2.1mm diameter internal pin seems to be
the most common DC connector
. We used a cheap through-hole DC power jack, like SparkFun
#PRT-00119
or Mouser
#163-7620-E
. It mates with a plug like Mouser
#1710-0721
.
Circuit board
The PCB (
full size placement .png
) was designed in
Cadsoft Eagle 5.0
. Freeware versions are available for all major platforms. Renderings were done with
Eagle3D
,
beta version
. Schematic and board files are included in the
project archive
(ZIP).
We designed the project with large SOIC chips and 0805 surface mount (SMD) parts, but haters can rest assured that chips are available in a through-hole package. We prefer to use SMD parts because the resulting circuit boards are smaller, cheaper, and faster to produce. 0805 parts are dirt cheap, and easy to solder with a normal iron. Don’t expect this project to work on a breadboard, there’s probably too much capacitance for this circuit.
We took full advantage of the PIC’s programmable pin placement to get the simplest trace routings possible. Just four jumper wires are needed on an otherwise single-sided board.
The traces are large and clean, DIY
toner transfer boards
should be easy. We made our PCB using an inkjet printer transparency mask over an UV sensitive circuit board.
In addition to the final design, the project archive contains our v1 prototype design. The prototype uses a full size SD card (
SCDA1A0901
) and all electrolytic 10uF capacitors. We also put the RJ45 Ethernet jack on a daughterboard to better accommodate different pinouts.
Partslist
#
Count
Part
Size
Mouser#
IC1
1
PIC 24FJ64GA002-SO
SOIC-28
579-PIC24FJ64GA002SO
IC2
1
ENC28J60
SOIC-28
579-ENC28J60-I/SO
IC3
1
LM317 voltage regulator
D2Pack
511-LM317D2T-TR
C1-3
3
10uF tantalum capacitor
A case
74-293D106X96R3A2TE3
C4-14
11
0.1uF capacitor
0805
80-C0805C104M5R
C15-18
4
27pF capacitor
0805
140-CC501N270J-RC
C19
1
10uF capacitor
0805
647-UWF1C100MCL1GB
R1
1
2K0ohm resistor
0805
292-2.0K-RC
R2-6
5
390ohm resistor
0805
71-CRCW0805-390
R7
1
240ohm resistor
0805
71-CRCW0805-240
R8-11
4
49.9ohm 1% resistor
0805
71-CRCW0805-49.9-E3
R12
1
2K32ohm 1% resistor
0805
71-CRCW0805-2.32K-E3
L1
1
Ferrite bead
0805
81-BLM21BB600SN1D
LED1-4
4
LED
0805
645-598-8110-107F
Q1
1
32.768KHz crystal
SMD
695-CM200S-327KF-U
Q2
1
25MHz crystal
HC49
815-ABLS-25-B2
RJ1
1
Pulse J1006F21
–
673-J1006F21
S1
1
Tactile switch
DTS-6
101-0164-EV
SV1,2
11
.1″ male pin header
–
571-41033290
J1
1
Power jack
–
163-7620-E
SD1
1
microSD card holder
–
SparkFun:
PRT-00127
Firmware
Three firmware examples are included in the
project archive
[zip]. The examples compile with Microchip’s demonstration C30 compiler. Learn more about working with the PIC 24F in our previous article:
Web server on a business card (part 1)
. MPLAB isn’t great about project portability, you may need to locate all the project files again if your path doesn’t match the ‘c:wsbc’ format that we used.
FAT12/16/32 disk library
Our first step was to get the FAT library reading from a SD card. FAT 12/16/32 are simple disk storage formats that work with PCs, MACs, digital cameras, music players, and other electronics. Here’s our favorite
FAT tutorial/teardown
(PDF).
Microchip’s FAT 12/16/32 library
gives us simple functions for working with SD cards. The included demo application creates some files and directories to demonstrate each function. Here’s how we configured it to work on our custom hardware, you can find these changes by searching for the tag ‘HACKADAY’ in the code:
HardwareProfile.h assigns actual PIC hardware to generic references in the code library. For the SD card this is an SPI interface, and pins for chip select and card detect. First, we deleted all the unused hardware profiles to make the code more manageable. Next, we configured the FAT library to communicate with the SD card using an SPI module (line 132). Finally, we defined the SPI pin assignments (line 152). Pin setup is shown in the table below.
Pin
Port
Chip select
B0
SD card detect
A2
SPI clock
B2
SPI MOSI
B1
SPI MISO
B3
Demonstration.c. On line 48 we set a custom oscillator fuse configuration, as described in our
PIC 24F introduction
. This is also the logical place to configure pin assignments with peripheral pin select (line 63).
FSConfig.h. This file enables various components of file system library, affecting the amount of memory and program space used. A read-only library is very small, a full write configuration is bigger. We didn’t have to make any changes for the demonstration, but this is an important file to note.
At first, the library failed to recognize our SD card. It only supports disks with a
master boot record
(MBR). Windows XP formats SD cards as a DOS disk: a single partition with no MBR. To verify this, open a Windows-formatted disk with a utility like
HxD
and inspect sector 0 of the physical disk. Byte 446 should be the location of the first MBR partition entry, but instead it’s the NTLDR executable code.
To format the disk in the ‘correct’ FAT format, use a digital camera’s format function or a utility like
Panasonic’s SD card formatter
. We also considered using a different FAT library that reads DOS disks, like
DOSFS
, or adding similar features to the Microchip firmware.
TCP/IP stack
Microchip’s free
TCP/IP stack
performs the convoluted configuration and networking functions needed to run a web server. You can read all about the stack in various
application notes and documentation
. Wikipedia is our favorite
TCP/IP learning resource
; we wrote our first TCP/IP stack using only Wikipedia.
Microchip’s TCP/IP stack used to be messy and confusing. Now it’s just confusing. The last few versions of have improved considerably in code clarity and structure. Here’s what we did to to configure the base TCP/IP stack example for our hardware, you can find these changes by searching for the tag ‘HACKADAY’ in the code:
HardwareProfile.h assigns actual PIC hardware resources to generic references in the code library. We added our custom oscillator configuration (line 68), and configured the server status LED to use the LED attached to PORTB7 (line 83). We defined the SPI interface to the ENC28J60 as follows (line 116):
Pin
Port
Reset
B8
Chip select
B9
SPI clock
B10
SPI MOSI
B11
SPI MISO
B12
Wake on lan
B13
Interrupt
B14
MainDemo.c. We eliminated a bunch of unused code, and added the peripheral pin select configuration code to the
InitializeBoard()
function (line 332).
TCPIPConfig.h defines the TCPIP stack components included in a compile. We’ve enabled DNS, DHCP, the IP announcer, and the ping server (line 56):
#define STACK_USE_DNS // Domain Name Service Client
#define STACK_USE_DHCP_CLIENT // Get DNS automagically
#define STACK_USE_ANNOUNCE // Microchip Ethernet Device Discoverer
#define STACK_USE_ICMP_SERVER // Enable the PING server
After loading this firmware, we’re ready to connect the server to a network for the first time. During initialization, the TCP/IP stack negotiates with the network router for an IP address using DHCP. We need to know this address to communicate with the device. If the device had a screen we could display the IP address, but instead we use the MCHPDetect.exe utility from Microchip.
When the TCP/IP stack finishes initializing, it broadcasts an announcement packet to port 30303 of all locally connected computers. MCHPDetect extracts the IP address from these packets. A new announce packet is sent on every PIC reset.
It’s also possible to read the IP address directly from memory with a debugger. The address is stored in the
AppConfig.MyIPAddr
variable, the
.byte
form follows the standard x.x.x.x IP notation.
Once we have the IP address, we can ping the server and test its responsiveness.
If ping shows high latency or malformed packets, you can use
Wireshark
to inspect network traffic at the byte level. Unless you’re in Germany, because
it might be criminal
.
Building the custom HTTP server
The custom web server looks for requested files on the SD card, and sends them with the correct content type. We used the Microchip HTTP example server v1 (HTTP.c) as a base for our FAT file server (FATHTTP.c).
Microchip’s HTTP server used a simple file system called MPFS to index web pages on an EEPROM chip. We replaced calls to MPFS functions with calls to functions in the FAT library (see the
HTTPProcess
and
Sendfile
functions in FATHTTP.c). Our changes demonstrate the concept as simply as possible, without adding confusing pointers and other handy C obfuscations. The code leaves a ton of room for improvements, have at it. File writes are disabled in the default compilation, but there’s enough program space to enable them if you want to write to the SD card (see FSConfig.h).
It’s necessary to registered our custom FATHTTP server with the rest of the TCP/IP stack. We did a search and replace for the original HTTP server components, and added calls to our new FATHTTP server as needed. That turned out to be these places:
TCPIPConfig.h. First we inserted some definitions that enable the FATHTTP server (line 70), and added a TCP socket for the FATHTTP server (line 248).
TCPIP.h. Next, we added FATHTTP to the list of services that require the TCP/IP stack (line 170) and then included the necessary headers (line 351).
StackTSK.c. We added the FATHTTP server initialization (line 138) and processing (line 340) functions to the list of TCP/IP stack tasks.
Helpers.c. We also needed to include a few helper functions for working with URLs (line 259).
At long last, it’s time to put some files on an SD card and test this thing. Make sure your files follow the
8.3 file name format
. The project archive contains a sample website with a test image and zip file.
After grabbing the server’s IP address with MCHPDetect, we pointed a browser at it. The IP address entered alone will redirect the browser to
index.htm
, whether or not it exists. Web pages and images stored on the SD card display in the browser, but unknown binary types trigger a download prompt.
Taking it further
We see a lot of potential projects using this tiny web platform.
Add hooks in the FATHTTP.c source for special URLs that trigger events or configure pins.
Build a remotely accessible data logger. Use the extra pins to read sensors and log data to the SD card. Logs are retrievable from a web browser, or directly from the FAT readable SD card.
Get remote access to an ancient serial terminal or BBS, optionally log the console output. Use two external pins as a serial port, and forward commands from the Internet using Microchip’s Telnet server and Ethernet-to-serial bridge examples.
Your suggestions?
Next time, we’ll use the mini server to make an Internet connected, electronic indoor graffiti wall. This will be an interactive project where everyone can contribute graffiti and animations on-line.
Schematic, board, and firmware files are included in the
project archive
(ZIP). Use the freeware version of
Cadsoft Eagle
to view the schematic and PCB. The firmware is written in C, and compiled with the
Microchip demonstration C30 compiler
. | 140 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "43461",
"author": "Juniorflip",
"timestamp": "2008-09-26T04:07:38",
"content": "Will you be make presoldered Kits. I know I could do the soldering but I am more interested in the webserver on a business card",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"c... | 1,760,377,753.580846 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/25/iphone-forensics-101-bypassing-the-passcode/ | IPhone Forensics 101: Bypassing The Passcode | Caleb Kraft | [
"iphone hacks",
"ipod hacks",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"3g",
"apple",
"iphone",
"iphone passcode",
"jonathan zdziarski",
"security",
"zdziarski"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaxSF9EOjxw]
Watch in wonder as forensics expert [Jonathan Zdziarski] takes you step by step through the process of
bypassing the iPhone 3G’s passcode lock
. Gasp in amazement as he creates a custom firmware bundle. [Jonathan], creator of NES.app a Nintendo emulator for the
iPhone
, is well respected for his work on opening the iPhone. In this presentation, he sheds some light on the forensics toolkit he helped develop for law enforcement agencies that
we covered earlier
. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "43446",
"author": "Edward Nardella",
"timestamp": "2008-09-25T23:26:06",
"content": "Condensed version please?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43457",
"author": "biojae",
"timestamp": "2008-09-26T02:59:47",
"content"... | 1,760,377,753.626311 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/23/utorrent-for-mac-leaked-via-pirate-bay/ | UTorrent For Mac Leaked Via Pirate Bay | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"bittorrent",
"leak",
"mac",
"pirate bay",
"utorrent"
] | In a somewhat ironic chain of events,
uTorrent alpha for Mac has been leaked on Pirate Bay
. Initial reviews are positive, with some saying that it runs better than its windows counterpart. The search function seems to be broken though.
[via
BoinBoing Gadgets
] | 32 | 32 | [
{
"comment_id": "43157",
"author": "hajma",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T21:31:06",
"content": "please stop this kind of articles",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43158",
"author": "_Matt",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T21:39:34",
"content": "... | 1,760,377,753.331112 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/23/canon-40d-hacked-to-record-movies/ | Canon 40D Hacked To Record Movies | Joey Celis | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"News",
"Portable Video Hacks"
] | [
"canon",
"Canon 40D",
"chdk",
"dslr",
"movie",
"video"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlKywUVFJW4]
Both
Canon
and
Nikon
recently released DSLR cameras that now include a feature that most consumer level digital cameras have had for sometime: the ability to record movies. What makes movie recording especially appealing on a DSLR is the wide selection of lenses available to get the look you’re after. If you’re an owner of
Canon’s 40D
you may want to follow [DataGhost]’s
progress on the CHDK forum
as he is currently working on bringing this function to the 40D.
While [DataGhost] has a working proof of concept he notes that there are still some issues pertaining to the camera powering down while recording a video, autofocusing, and writing to the memory card. Aside from this, [DataGhost] has made considerable progress and is considering adding custom user settings via the mode dial to really give some creative control. We’re excited about this hack and can’t wait for its release to the general public.
[via
CHDK forum
] | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "43155",
"author": "Adam Ziegler",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T21:09:57",
"content": "Its a fake!! ;-P (I joke!)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43172",
"author": "buddy v",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T22:20:22",
"content... | 1,760,377,753.765676 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/23/accelerometer-controlled-pong/ | Accelerometer Controlled Pong | Ian | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"accelerometer",
"atmega",
"AVR",
"diy electronics",
"games",
"led",
"pong",
"videogame",
"wii",
"xmms"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYVgXYtxk4E]
[
Perry’s
] awesome
AcceLED Pong
project gives new life to a classic game by adding acceleration-based control. The pong paddles are moved by tilting the circuit left or right. Motion is measured by an
ADXL203
dual axis accelerometer, and an
ATMEGA32
microcontroller converts acceleration into ball and paddle movement. The game display is a three-color
SparkFun 8×8 LED matrix
with serial interface.
[Perry] also used a similar setup to make a USB
LED spectrum analyzer
fed by the Linux
XMMS media player
. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "43132",
"author": "Trez",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T16:10:38",
"content": "what’s that cat doing there? does it play pong?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43134",
"author": "Bjonnh",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T16:33:47",
... | 1,760,377,754.53267 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/23/fatality-and-a-frosty-mug-arcade-bar/ | Fatality And A Frosty Mug: Arcade Bar | Caleb Kraft | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"home hacks",
"News"
] | [
"arcade",
"bar",
"Joystick",
"mame"
] | We’ve seen our fair share of home made arcade machines,
some complex
and
some simple
. This one stands head and shoulders above the rest with its ability to
combine two of our deepest loves: beer and video games
. There’s not a lot of information, just a few pictures. We’d love to see some build shots or action shots. We’d love to test it out actually.
Here’s an update: [Burke LaShell] is the maker of this fine project. You can see more pictures of it in
this thread
. Thanks, [Shawn].
[via
Gizmodo
] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "43109",
"author": "twistedsymphony",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T13:35:54",
"content": "That’s AWESOME!hmm… my MK arcade machine is sitting about 5ft away from my bar… now you’ve got me thinking",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "4312... | 1,760,377,754.193093 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/23/laser-led-pov-projector/ | Laser POV Projector | Jason Rollette | [
"classic hacks",
"Laser Hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"ASCII",
"Atmel 89s52",
"laser",
"Laser LED POV projector",
"laser projector",
"led",
"mirror",
"POV",
"projector"
] | [shakirfm] sent us this LED persistence of vision (POV)
laser projector
that can display dot matrix style text. The laser projector contains a rotating mirror assembly and 5 lasers. We’ve covered other
POV projectors
,but this one is a bit different. The mirror assembly rotates using two cooling fans. Controlling on/off times of the lasers along with the mirror speed, it is able to project 8×5 dot matrix ASCII text onto a surface.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBnmHe6SG4c&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]
The Atmel 89s52 contains a built in user interface which can control the horizontal character width, scroll speed and the number of characters displayed at a time. It can also store preset 10 character text messages internally, or accept text via the serial port from a PC. Eventually SMS messages from a GSM phone will be supported. [shakirfm] has more details and ideas for improvements
here
. | 10 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "43105",
"author": "scott",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T12:39:28",
"content": "What a unique invention, I’d say that guy got a good grade :]it’s a pretty interesting idea though, sure, LED POV’s used to be the big thing, but taking that idea to a laser array was brilliant, And it projec... | 1,760,377,754.381676 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/22/turn-your-projector-into-a-laser-guided-controller/ | Turn Your Projector Into A Laser Guided Controller | Joey Celis | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Laser Hacks",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"grl",
"laser",
"laser pointer",
"laser tagging",
"projector",
"videogame",
"wireless controller"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJgzwW2C6DQ&fmt=18]
[Alpay Kasal] of
LitStudios
as come up with an interesting way to use
laser pointers
as a
wireless controller for games and applications
. The process is currently being patented, which may explain why [Alpay]’s blog is a little slim in the details. We doubt they’re doing anything more than just using a camera to track the laser pointer; exactly like
laser tagging
.
If you’re just itching to get your hands on some wireless game play and can’t wait for this to go commercial you could always just get a
Nintendo Wii
.
[via
Engadget
] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "43048",
"author": "dave",
"timestamp": "2008-09-23T01:44:55",
"content": "Patent? Well, good as long as its something original. Lasertraq has been doing this for a while. You can use any color, provided your laser pointer is bright enough to be considered brightest pixel on the s... | 1,760,377,754.430654 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/22/parts-lm317-adjustable-voltage-regulator/ | Parts: LM317 Adjustable Voltage Regulator | Ian | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Parts"
] | [
"7805",
"adjustable voltage regulator",
"LM317",
"parts",
"parts monday",
"voltage regulator"
] | Every project needs a power supply. As 3.3volt logic replaces 5volt systems, we’re reaching for the
LM317 adjustable voltage regulator
, rather than the
classic 7805
. We’ve found four different hobbyist-friendly packages for different situations.
A simple
voltage divider
(R1,R2) sets the LM317 output between 1.25volts and 37volts; use this handy
LM317 calculator
to find resistor values. The regulator does its best to maintain 1.25volts on the adjust pin (ADJ), and converts any excess voltage to heat. Not all packages are the same. Choose a part that can supply enough current for your project, but make sure the package has
sufficient heat dissipation properties
to burn off the difference between the input and output voltages.
Here is a breakdown of the voltage regulators illustrated above:
IC1
LM317LZ
200mA, TO-92 ($0.59) – This is the smallest common LM317 voltage regulator. The part linked can supply 200mA, but 100mA is more common. The TO-92 package can get searing hot because it doesn’t dissipate much heat.
IC2
LM317T
1.5amps, TO-220 ($0.64) – At 1.5amps, this regulator supplies enough power for most digital circuits. We prefer the surface-mount D2Pack version (IC4) because we don’t like to drill holes. The TO-220 package dissipates a ton of heat, and the metal tab will accommodate a heat sink if you want even more cooling. Use this package if you need maximum heat dissipation.
IC3
LM317MDCYR
500mA, SOT-223 ($0.80) – This is our favorite LM317 package. 500mA is plenty of power for many projects, and the small SOT-223 package fits about anywhere.
IC4
LM317D2T
1.5amps, D2Pack ($0.83) – We design with the D2Pack regulator when a circuit uses more than 400mA of current. D2Pack is a surface-mount version of TO-220 that’s easy to solder.
Footprints for all LM317 packages are included in the default
Cadsoft Eagle
v-reg (voltage regulators)
part library.
Want to learn more about the LM317?
Instructables
, [
ladyada
], and
SparkFun Electronics
have detailed LM317 power supply tutorials. | 35 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "42999",
"author": "jimmys",
"timestamp": "2008-09-22T19:39:47",
"content": "LM317 can also be used as a current limiter by tying the output pin to the adj pin through a resistor. The limited current is on the adj side of the resistor.IO = (Vref/R1) + IADJ = 1.25V/R1",
"parent_id... | 1,760,377,754.33055 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/22/changing-the-eeepc-701-form-factor/ | Changing The EEEPC 701 Form Factor | Caleb Kraft | [
"handhelds hacks",
"Netbook Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"Asus",
"eee",
"EeePc",
"samsung q1",
"ultra portable",
"umpc"
] | Over at the EeeUser forums, [PvP_lostnight] is designing a kit to
convert your EEEPC to a different form factor
. He is modeling the design after the
Samsung Q1 UMPC
. The kits will eventually be for sale, but as you can see from the pictures, there’s a long way to go. He seems to be taking lots of input from the forum members, so go there and help him make it perfect.
[thanks Tony] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "43013",
"author": "nubie",
"timestamp": "2008-09-22T22:14:09",
"content": "Cool, now to get that nvidia video card hooked to the mini pcie-x1 :P",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "43016",
"author": "nubie",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,754.144615 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/22/broken-lcd-tv-turned-into-a-light-table/ | Broken LCD TV Turned Into A Light Table | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"lcd",
"light table",
"photography table",
"tv"
] | [Steve DiRaddo] sent us this sweet little mod. After obtaining a free
LCD TV
that had a cracked screen, [steve] immediately tore it open to re purpose it. The end result was a
computer controlled light table with audio
. From what he says, it is very very bright due to the fact that it has 16 CFL tubes behind it as opposed to the usual 2 inside a PC monitor. The TV had a bult in RS232 command port. Whith some quick hacking, he was able to control power, channel, input, and volume via his
laptop
. | 24 | 23 | [
{
"comment_id": "42974",
"author": "chrisla",
"timestamp": "2008-09-22T16:33:34",
"content": "“I’d like to be able to feed several audio inputs into the thing and be able to select which one I want. Too bad for me, if there isnt a legit video signal entering that input, it ignores it completely. The... | 1,760,377,754.25692 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/21/xbox-360-laptop-in-progress/ | Xbox 360 Laptop In Progress | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"360",
"ben heck",
"ben heckendorn",
"benheck",
"laptop",
"mod",
"xbox",
"xbox360"
] | [Ben Heck] posted and update on a project he’s doing for THQ. This
latest Xbox 360 laptop
is being built as a contest prize. It’s based on a 60GB
Xbox 360
and is slightly larger than the previous
laptops
. It can accommodate a standard 360 hard drive without modification. An
Xbox
Live camera is included as well.
We hadn’t realized how many Xbox 360 laptops [Ben] had built. There’s
the original
. The one he built as a
how-to for Engadget
. Then, the one
based on an Elite
and now this. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "42919",
"author": "gm",
"timestamp": "2008-09-22T04:31:25",
"content": "“the ps3 laptop will follow this tradition, mostly because the ps3 is pretty damn thick to begin with and there’s nowhere to go but thinner ;)”Does this mean that there’s a PS3 laptop coming? That should be fun…... | 1,760,377,754.486377 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/21/real-time-gas-monitoring/ | Real Time Gas Monitoring | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"energy",
"energy monitor",
"gas",
"gas heating",
"pys60",
"python",
"sql",
"symbian"
] | With the weather getting colder, [Daniel] decided it would be a good idea to
monitor how much energy his gas heating was using
in real time. He used a Nokia 6680 cameraphone to monitor the heater’s flame through the sight glass.
PyS60
, a Symbian implementation of Python, checks the image sent by the camera and measures how much blue flame is visible. These values are stored in a SQL DB on the phone that can be polled over Bluetooth. At the end of the billing cycle, he’ll be able to correlate the amount of gas used with what the phone reported.
[Thanks, florent bayle] | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "42915",
"author": "Winphreak",
"timestamp": "2008-09-22T04:10:57",
"content": "Almost seems like overkill, though natural gas isn’t as cheap as it once was. Nice implementation.On a personal note, I would do something like this but my place is heated via heating oil, which doesn’t l... | 1,760,377,754.585254 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/20/direct-to-garment-printing/ | Direct To Garment Printing | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"direct to garment",
"dtg",
"dtg printer",
"epson",
"printer",
"printing",
"shirt",
"t-shirt",
"video"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3iOuKzhUlQ]
Reader [deren lik] pointed out the world of direct to garment printing to us. You can purchase commercial machines that will print directly onto a t-shirt using inkjet technology. Unfortunately, these machines cost ~$10K, so hackers have decided to fill in the gaps.
DIYDTG
hosts plans for how to build your own DTG printer. Their standard instructions are based around the Epson C88 printer. A custom carrier is constructed and then the printer components are bolted on top. Commercial DTG printers are also
based on Epson parts
and you can easily purchase the garment inks even if you didn’t pay a premium for your printer. | 32 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "42828",
"author": "thegimpster",
"timestamp": "2008-09-21T04:17:43",
"content": "I use to run a commercial t-shirt printer when i lived in Oxford, Ms at a print shop. It was about 10k to buy and didn’t work half the time. It kept clogging up and i would waste alot of t-shirts and in... | 1,760,377,754.654999 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/20/dascratch-multitouch-dj-interface/ | DaScratch Multitouch DJ Interface | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks",
"News"
] | [
"abelton live",
"aurora",
"dascratch",
"machinecollective",
"monome",
"serato",
"stanton",
"stribe",
"traktor",
"video"
] | Stanton has released a new controller peripheral for laptop DJ’s.
DaScratch
is a USB connected MIDI device designed to emulate record interactions. It features a large touch area where the user can make scratching, sliding, and button pressing motions. The compact device has presets for software like Traktor, Serato, and Ableton Live, but can work with anything that supports MIDI. Multiple units can be paired together using magnets.
As the video below shows, there are quite a few different interactions possible. We really want to see a teardown of this device though. We get the distinct feeling that it’s designed to look more impressive than the underlying hardware actually is.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PUVHgKnrts]
We’ve covered quite a few homebrew alternative music controllers recently: the
Stribe
,
Monome
,
Aurora
, and
Machinecollective
.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "42827",
"author": "the_pathogen",
"timestamp": "2008-09-21T04:16:05",
"content": "I’m pretty pumped about this thing. I haven’t found a dealer yet, but the going price tag is supposedly $300 dollars. Not too bad. I really want to see one of these things in person before I jump on it... | 1,760,377,754.702717 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/20/xbmc-cross-platform-beta-released/ | XBMC Cross Platform Beta Released | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"News"
] | [
"htpc",
"leopard",
"linux",
"media center",
"OsX",
"plex",
"tiger",
"xbmc",
"xbmc remote"
] | It’s been a big week for the XBMC team. They announced the
release of their first cross platform beta
in preparation for a full release in October. XBMC started as a media center project for the original
Xbox
, but has expanded a lot since then. The new beta works on
Linux
, OSX (Leopard and Tiger), Windows, and Xbox. They’ve created
XBMC Live
, so you can get XBMC up and running quickly either by booting from the CD, from a flash drive, or using it to install to a disk. People have been writing add on apps too, like the
XBMC Remote
for
iPhones
.
This summer we covered both
Boxee
, a social version of XBMC, and
Plex
, the original XBMC OSX fork. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "42872",
"author": "nubie",
"timestamp": "2008-09-21T17:30:55",
"content": "I like xbmc, but I don’t like the rabid fanboys who ask to see it on every platform, including hand-helds that already run a minimal gui and their own mplayer.Maybe I just don’t like pointless Gui’s, or maybe... | 1,760,377,755.71521 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/20/mark-hoekstra-has-passed-away/ | Mark Hoekstra Has Passed Away | Eliot | [
"Mac Hacks",
"News",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"belloni",
"bram belloni",
"dutch",
"ipod",
"ipod sock",
"mac se30",
"mark",
"mark hoekstra",
"markie",
"sgi"
] | UPDATE:
His personal site has been updated
.
It was with great sadness that we
learned of [Mark Hoekstra]’s death this morning
. Earlier this week, the 34 year old hacker suffered a heart attack while riding his bicycle and was admitted to the hospital in a coma. [
Markie
] has been a Hack a Day commenter for much of our existence and a project contributor for nearly as long. It started simply with things like his bright green
Hack a Day iPod sock
and a
hand crank iPod charger
. He did an excellent job documenting his projects; many people had built IR cameras, but none were
nearly as thorough as him
. He also enjoyed sharing his love for obsolete hardware with the community. He built a
wireless eMate
, turned two Mac SE/30’s
into audio viualizers
, and
wired shutter glasses to an old SGI
.
It was always a treat to hear about [Mark]’s latest project and he’ll be missed greatly.
[photo:
Bram Belloni
] | 63 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "42776",
"author": "Louis II",
"timestamp": "2008-09-20T20:41:58",
"content": ":-(Will be much missed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42777",
"author": "Vincent",
"timestamp": "2008-09-20T20:51:05",
"content": "R.I.P... | 1,760,377,755.262445 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/20/24kj-capacitor-bank/ | 24kJ Capacitor Bank | Jason Rollette | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"buss bars",
"can crushing",
"cap bank",
"capacitors",
"coil gun",
"disk shooter",
"electromagnetic",
"energy",
"flyback driver",
"GaussGun",
"high voltage",
"Joules",
"Lorentz force",
"Lorentz Gun",
"Railgun",
"thompson's coil",
"wire explosion"
] | The
Leyden jar capacitor
posted the other day fails to compare to what [
FastMHz
], one of the members over at the
4HV.org forums
, has been busy building, a
24kj capacitor discharge bank
. This capacitor bank will be configured for 4500v @ 2400uF and can be charged up slowly using microwave oven transformers. It can then release all its stored energy in under a millisecond through a triggered spark gap. This allows for some pretty big sparks as seen in this video, we are not sure about the laughing in the video maybe the power has gone to his head?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAgfGGjsoQM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]
A bank like this can be used for a
railgun
, induction launcher, or exploding things in general.
Coin shrinking and can crushing
require much quicker discharge rates than what electrolytic capacitors are really capable of, and generally perform better with large pulse capacitors, however it will be interesting to see the final use for this potential energy. | 42 | 41 | [
{
"comment_id": "42760",
"author": "Theo V",
"timestamp": "2008-09-20T19:28:58",
"content": "My God… I want one.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42761",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2008-09-20T19:29:39",
"content": "I wonder if t... | 1,760,377,755.568695 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/19/hack-a-day-t-shirt-contest-winner/ | Hack A Day T-Shirt Contest Winner | Eliot | [
"contests",
"News"
] | [
"contest",
"entry",
"hackaday",
"shirt",
"tshirt",
"tshirt contest",
"winner"
] | Congratulations to [John Keppel] for his winning t-shirt design. He wins a
Dash Express
, an in-car navigation device with both cellular and WiFi data support. It’s running Linux on top of the
Openmoko FreeRunner’s hardware platform
; yes, [John], we do expect you to hack it. We’ll let all of you know when we plan on putting the shirt into production. Thank you to everyone that entered! | 34 | 33 | [
{
"comment_id": "42699",
"author": "BaKeDbEaN",
"timestamp": "2008-09-20T03:08:10",
"content": "Awesome design! Can’t wait for you to make these. I would buy it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42701",
"author": "visionetiks",
"timestamp... | 1,760,377,755.655587 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/19/gps-alarm-clock/ | GPS Alarm Clock | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"gps hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"apple iphone",
"flickr",
"gizmodo",
"gps",
"gps alarm",
"inap",
"iphone"
] | We spotted an interesting app in
Gizmodo’s iPhone roundup
for the week.
iNap
is designed for commuters that don’t want to miss their train stop. Just pick any location you can find on Google Maps, set the distance for the alert radius and the alarm tone, and it’s ready. It’s a great app and only costs $1.
The app actually reminds us of the first time we heard about
Bug Labs
. The modular gadget building system was described to us as a way to build unconventional consumer electronics. They specifically talked about one person that built an alarm clock with GPS because he kept falling the asleep on the train. Thanks to convergence we’re seeing a lot of devices expand from their initial intentions, whether it’s an iPhone GPS alarm clock or an
N95 being used auto upload your bike ride to Flickr
. | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "42685",
"author": "Ryan",
"timestamp": "2008-09-20T01:41:30",
"content": "There is/was a free app that did the same thing in the app store",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42719",
"author": "werdler",
"timestamp": "2008-0... | 1,760,377,755.165139 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/19/boston-led-sweatshirt-arrestee-interviewed/ | Boston LED Sweatshirt Arrestee Interviewed | Eliot | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"bbtv",
"boing boing",
"boing boing tv",
"boston",
"breadboard",
"led",
"star simpson",
"video",
"xeni",
"xeni jardin"
] | In today’s episode of Boing Boing tv, [Xeni] interviews [
Star Simpson
]. She was arrested a year ago at Boston’s Logan airport for
wearing a sweatshirt with a breadboard
and some LEDs attached. With a collective groan, we watched this event unfold just months after Boston was held captive by
Mooninites
. After many court dates, [Star] is being forced to apologize and perform community service. She has since left MIT, disappointed with their nonexistent support, and left Boston entirely.
Watch the interview
for her side of the story. She’s posted
how to recreate the sweatshirt
. | 43 | 40 | [
{
"comment_id": "42668",
"author": "m",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T23:35:30",
"content": "Perhaps you mean groan.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42670",
"author": "rivetgeek",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T23:41:18",
"content": "SO let me ... | 1,760,377,755.36752 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/19/gov-sarah-palins-private-email-hacked/ | Palin Email Hack Post Mortem | Nick Caiello | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"email",
"email hacked",
"gov. palin",
"hack",
"palin",
"sarah palin",
"screenshot",
"vp",
"yahoo"
] | A few days ago a
lone individual decided to crack [Governor Sarah Palin]’s private Yahoo! email
account. He did this by navigating the password reset procedure. [Gov. Palin]’s birthday was publicly available and Wasilla only had two zip codes to guess. The follow up question “Where did you meet your spouse” required some more research. They met in high school so a few more guesses turned up “Wasilla high” as the answer. The original poster then read every single email only to discover that there really wasn’t anything of interest there. Frustrated, he posted the details to 4chan to let any wonk have at it. /b/ members began
posting screenshots of the account
, but very little came of it.
One screenshot of her inbox even revealed her daughter Bristol’s cell phone number. While there was no groundbreaking political information revealed, it is important to point out that it appears that Gov. Palin was using this private account to correspond to her assistants about potentially sensitive government information. This security breach should serve as a wake-up call to many public officials by showing how dangerous it can be to have a private e-mail account, especially when a free web-based service such as Yahoo! is used. | 27 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "42653",
"author": "supernova_hq",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T21:00:29",
"content": "Or teach them about weak passwords and even easier password reset questions. I always fill those resets with about 50 random characters, numbers, etc that I don’t even know. :)",
"parent_id": null,... | 1,760,377,755.113756 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/19/daily-photo-aging-project-on-steroids/ | Daily Photo Aging Project On Steroids | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"News"
] | [
"aging",
"photo",
"timelapse"
] | We’ve seen those
videos
where people take a picture of themselves every day. [Dan Hanna] took it to a much further level. He built a camera rig and
took pictures of himself for 17 years
. That is not a typo, 17 years. The rig consists of a ring that holds two cameras opposing each other. He centers his head facing a target that he increments around the ring every day before taking a picture. The ring can be split into 4 sections for portability. Check out the low resolution video after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd4f2xeKg08]
[via
waxy
] | 15 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "42628",
"author": "CV",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T19:12:33",
"content": "That is awesome.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42631",
"author": "iamhifi",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T19:22:45",
"content": "17 years that is d... | 1,760,377,755.77329 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/19/play-wii-backups-without-a-mod-chip/ | No More Updates To Wii Backup Loader | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"bootlaoder",
"mod chip",
"wii",
"wii backup"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yBTsNwOO1I]
You can now
play backups on your Wii without a mod chip
. A beta version of the bootloader made by [
Waninkoko
] has been leaked onto the net. Keep in mind that it is unfinished, so your results may vary. All you need is the bootloader and a legal copy of
Zelda
. After a few patches and some installing, you’re ready to play backups, no mod chip necessary. We
covered this before
, but there is a twist this time. Unfortunately, [Waninkoko] states that this project has been officially abandoned, probably due to the leak. Apparently crackers get hurt by leaks too.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "42593",
"author": "plowshares",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T17:07:47",
"content": "whatta crybaby",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42594",
"author": "he haw",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T17:15:19",
"content": "Yea i agree, ... | 1,760,377,755.87049 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/19/open-source-neural-activity-monitors/ | Open Source Neural Activity Monitors | Ian | [
"Medical Hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Roundup"
] | [
"brain waves",
"eeg",
"electrodes",
"interface",
"neural interface",
"open source",
"openeeg",
"sensors"
] | Yesterday we linked to an
OCZ Neural Acutator Interface teardown
. Several in the comments wanted to know more about the sensor electrodes. Check out the
OpenEEG project
and
OpenEEG mailing list
for information on sensing, amplifying, and recording brain activity (
EEG
). The OpenEEG project maintains an open source
Simple ModularEEG
design. Two other open source variants of the ModularEEG are the
MonolithEEG
and [Joshua Wojnas’]
Programmable Chip EEG BCI
. All three projects use
Atmel
microcontrollers, with designs in
Cadsoft Eagle
.
Brain activity is measured using
passive
or
active
electrodes. Passive electrodes require a conductive paste to make proper contact with the skin (examples:
1
,
2
). Active EEG sensors don’t need conductive goop because they have an amplifier directly on the electrode (examples:
1
,
2
,
3
).
[via anonymous reader, comments] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "42692",
"author": "Mac",
"timestamp": "2008-09-20T02:39:34",
"content": "So aside from recording EEG readings, what are the other implications of this? Would I be able to control a mouse or something like it?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,377,755.815379 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/18/web-server-on-a-business-card-part-1/ | How-To: Web Server On A Business Card (Part 1) | Ian | [
"classic hacks",
"Featured",
"how-to"
] | [
"business card",
"diy",
"electronics",
"hard hack",
"how-to",
"microchip",
"microcontroller",
"pic",
"web server"
] | For years, Microchip PIC microcontrollers dominated;
PIC16F84
hacks and projects are
everywhere
. The
8-bit 16F and 18F
lines are supported by several coding environments and
easy-to-build serial port programmers
. Microchip’s 16-bit
PIC24F
is cheaper, faster, and easier to work with, but largely absent from hacks and projects.
We recently used a
Microchip
PIC24F microcontroller in a mini web server project, but didn’t find many introductory references to link to. In this article we’ll cover some PIC 24F basics: support circuitry and programming options. We’ll also talk about our favorite features, and how we figured them out. Our next article will outline a web server on a business card based on the PIC 24F.
The basic circuit
This is the basic support circuit (
full size .png
) for a PIC
24FJ64GA002
. Some helpful documents are the
code examples
,
application notes
,
individual datasheets
, and
24F family manual
.
Main system power supply
Peripherals and pins on the 24F PICs operate between 2.0 and 3.8volts. This is a big advantage over older PICs because the 24F can directly interface modern 3.3volt components like
SD memory cards
. Some 16F and 18F PICs will run at 3.3volts, but usually at drastically reduced speeds. As always, put a 0.1uF capacitor between each power pin and ground to decouple the chip from the power supply (C1, C2).
Core power supply
The processor core requires a separate 2.5volt supply. A built-in 2.5volt regulator can be enabled by connecting the DISVREG pin to ground, and placing a 10uF capacitor between the Vcap/VDDCORE pin and ground (C3). We’ve not experienced any problems using a 10uF low ESR electrolytic capacitor, but in the future we’ll use a tantalum capacitor as specified in the datasheet.
Speed and crystal
PIC 24Fs have a max clock speed of 32MHz, and complete one operation every 2 clock cycles for a top speed of 16 million instructions per second (MIPS). Most 24Fs have an internal 8MHz oscillator, but you can also use an external crystal for a more precise timebase. An internal phase lock loop (PLL) can multiply any clock signal by four.
We used a common option: 8MHz internal oscillator multiplied by four (32MHz), with full IO functions on the external oscillator pins. The clock mode is set with CONFIG2. Use these settings to run a PIC 24F at 32MHz using the internal oscillator and PLL:
// Internal FRC OSC with 4x PLL @ 32MHz
//from p24FJ64GA002.h:
//FNOSC_FRCPLL - internal oscillator
//OSCIOFNC_ON - enable the oscillator pins as IO
//POSCMOD_NONE - Primary (external) oscillator disabled
_CONFIG2(FNOSC_FRCPLL & OSCIOFNC_ON &POSCMOD_NONE)
Programming connections
Microchip’s standard 5 wire
in circuit serial programming
(ICSP) connection is used to program the 24F. ICSP consists of a clock line (PGC), bi-directional data line (PGD), master clear and reset (MCLR), and connections to power (V+) and ground (GND).
The MCLR function resets the chip when voltage levels are too low to operate. Enable it with a 2000 (2K) ohm resistor (R12) from the system power supply to the MCLR pin. Optionally, add a button (S1) from MCLR to ground for a manual reset switch. The programmer also connects to the MCLR pin to reset the PIC and control programming modes.
PIC 24Fs have several sets of programming pins labeled PGDx and PGCx. Choose the set most convenient for your design. One catch: you can’t use the clock pin of one set and the data pin of another, you have to use the same pair.
The primary pin pair used for debugging is programmed in CONFIG1 with the ICS_PGX option. This only effects debugging; programming is still possible from any pin pair.
_CONFIG1( ICS_PGx3)
Coding and Programming
Unfortunately, the 24F can’t be programmed with the hobbyist-favorite serial port programmers. These are usually 5volt programmers that place 13volts on the MCLR pin. 24F PICs are rated for 3.8volts maximum on the MCLR and programming pins, old serial port programmers will destroy them.
The
ICD2
is Microchip’s cheapest programmer for the full 24F line. An education discount is available if you have a .edu email. There are numerous clones too, most notable is the
Olimex
PIC-ICD2 clone, also
sold by Sparkfun
. We’ve never used it, but it’s supposed to be an exact clone. You can also try your hand at building a
DIY ICD2 clone
, we’ve had luck with the PiCS Rev B in the past. You’ll probably need to build an adapter to
use a homebrew ICD2 with a PIC 24F
.
MPLAB
is a free development environment for coding, compiling, and debugging all PIC microcontrollers. We like to program in C, so we downloaded the free, evaluation/student edition of the
Microchip C30 compiler
that integrates into MPLAB.
HI-TECH’s C compiler
is a fairly popular alternative if you’re not thrilled about MPLAB.
Microchip’s low-voltage 18FxxJ line, such as the Ethernet enabled
18F97J60
, can only be programmed a few hundred times. That’s fine for production, but really unfriendly to a developer. We’re exceedingly happy to note that the 24F can be programmed at least 10,000 times.
New features and improvements
We made a list of the things we liked best about the PIC 24F after using it in a project. Not all of them are new, sometimes little improvements make designs much simpler.
8-bit vs 16-bit
C programmers won’t notice many differences between
8-bit
and
16-bit
architectures. Native 16-bit math operations will save you a few cycles if you do 16-bit integer math. Memory and registers are 16-bits long, meaning the default 16-bit variable type counts to 65,536, rather than 255.
Peripheral pin select
Peripheral pin select (PPS) is our favorite feature on the PIC 24F. The digital peripherals SPI, UARTs, timers, etc can be connected to almost any pin on the chip.
PCB designs get really creative because the pin arrangement on a microcontroller rarely matches that on the peripheral you’re interfacing. Compare these two designs. The design on the left uses looping, winding traces to connect a SD card without jumper wires. On the right, we used PPS to assign pins in a way that lined up perfectly with the SD card. We spent caffeine fueled nights routing the board on the left, but only hours on the other. We’ll find it difficult to ever work with a PIC 16F or 18F again because of the complete and total awesomeness of PPS.
Input and output pins are assigned differently: pins are assigned to inputs, outputs are assigned to pins. A peripheral input, such as the “serial data input” (SDI) signal of an
SPI interface
, is set by putting a pin number in its register. In the C30 compiler, SDI of SPI1 and SPI2 are assigned like this:
// Inputs
//SDI1 B12/23/RP12
//SDI2 B1/5/RP1
RPINR20bits.SDI1R = 12; //SDI1 = PORTB12
RPINR22bits.SDI2R = 1; //SDI2 = PORTB1
Output functions are handled in the opposite way. A group of registers represent the programmable pins (RPORx). Peripheral outputs are assigned to each pin. Assign the SPI “serial data output” and “clock output” lines like this:
// Outputs
//SDO1 B11/22/RP11 //CLK1 B10/21/RD10
RPOR5bits.RP10R = SCK1OUT_IO; //RP10 = SCK1
RPOR5bits.RP11R = SDO1_IO; //RP11 = SDO1
//SDO2 B3/7/RP3 //CLK2 B2/6/RP2
RPOR1bits.RP2R = SCK2OUT_IO; //RP2 = SCK2
RPOR1bits.RP3R = SDO2_IO; //RP3 = SDO2
Check the device datasheet and the
IO with PPS datasheet
(PDF) for a complete list of peripheral (RPINRxx) and pin (RPORx) registers.
Individually configurable pull-up/pull-down resistors
Pull-up and pull-down resistors
hold inputs at a known level when there’s no other signal. Illustrated below on the left (S1), a pull-up resistor (R1) normally holds the signal high (1). A button press pulls the signal to ground (0). Without a pull-up resistor, the value on the microcontroller pin will fluctuate wildly (state undefined) until a button press pulls it to ground (0).
Internal pull-up resistors make it easier to route a button on a circuit board. An internal resistor holds the signal high until the button pulls it low, saving a resistor and power supply trace (S2). PIC 16Fs and 18Fs sometimes have an all-or-nothing pull-up on 8 pins, but the 24F adds individually configurable pull-up resistors. See the
IO datasheet
(PDF).
CRC hardware module
Cyclic redundancy check
(CRC) values are used to verify the integrity of data. Your PC calculated CRCs for the TCP packets that carried this page over the web. The 24F has a hardware CRC module that does tedious CRC calculation without processor involvement. Check out the
datasheet
(PDF) and
example code
(ZIP).
Real time clock and calender
Microchip added a hardware
real time clock and calendar
module (RTCC) to every 24F. It’s always been easy to add an interrupt-based clock to a microcontroller, but this module takes care of everything without timing concerns.
The RTCC module requires a 32.768khz watch crystal (Q1) to be connected to the SOSCx pin pair. Don’t forget 2 suitable capacitors for your crystal, we used 27pF (C1,C2). There’s a
datasheet for the RTCC module
(PDF), and
example code
(ZIP).
Package sizes
Microchip continues their tradition of offering products in a range of package sizes. Low pin count parts are available in
through-hole (DIP)
and several surface mount sizes. As with all manufacturers, though, the largest, coolest, chips are only produced in surface mount packages. Microchip is a fan of 64, 80, and 100 pin thin quad flat packs (TQFP), a square chip with an equal number of pins on all sides. TQFP isn’t terribly difficult to solder, but the circuit boards can be a pain to make at home.
Conclusion
The past was dominated by 8-bit PIC 16F and 18F-based microcontroller projects. 16-bit PICs, however, have been largely neglected. If you’re already considering a PIC for your next project, check out the 24F series. The peripheral pin select feature alone is worth the switch — it simplifies circuit boards, reduces routing time, and saves board space. We were able to fit an entire PIC 24F web server on a business card using a home-etched PCB. Our next article will introduce this simple server prototype.
The
project archive
(ZIP) contains the base schematic for the PIC24FJ64GA002, and a custom 28pin part we added to an existing
PIC 24F part library
. Both are for use with
Cadsoft Eagle
, a
freeware version is available
for most popular platforms. | 34 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "42485",
"author": "Eliot Phillips",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T05:08:03",
"content": "Whoops, comments were off for some reason.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42490",
"author": "alexfox",
"timestamp": "2008-09-19T06:08:4... | 1,760,377,755.95214 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/18/crabfu-challenge-winners-announced/ | Crabfu Challenge Winners Announced | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"contest",
"crabfu",
"robot",
"trossen"
] | The Trossen Robotics Blog has
announced the winners of the “Crabfu challenge”
. The challenge, issued by [Crabfu] was to make a robot that was full of character. It didn’t have to have a purpose or be autonomous, it just had to be full of character.
The first place winner, pictured above, won us over when he “blinked” a few moments into his video. Strange how something so simple can add so much life.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_piYk8h__N8]
[via
BotJunkie
] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "42426",
"author": "Amos",
"timestamp": "2008-09-18T20:50:40",
"content": "The blinking is kinda cool, but I think the “Wall-E” was better and the pig was the best. It really looked like he was trying to find someone in a crowd!Judging FailOn the subject of contests… Any updates on t... | 1,760,377,756.475453 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/18/archos-5th-generation-hacked-bigger-drive-possible/ | Archos 5th Generation Hacked, Bigger Drive Possible | Caleb Kraft | [
"handhelds hacks",
"News",
"Portable Video Hacks"
] | [
"archos",
"bootloader",
"firmware",
"pmp"
] | Over at the ArchosFans.com forums, [grond] has posted some screenshots of his
cracked archos 5th generation
. Using a custom bootloader, they’ve unlocked the ability to swap hard disks as well as some hidden plugins. The plugins seem to be used mainly for dev tools, like core dumps and screenshots, but this opens the door to possible future homebrewed plugins.
[via
Engadget
] | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "42432",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2008-09-18T21:53:46",
"content": "I dont understand archos if I could ssh into one I’d buy on in a flash a m8 has and old 700 and the battery life and quality are top notch – the software is a bit limiting tho…",
"parent_id": null,
"d... | 1,760,377,756.51893 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/18/ocz-neural-impulse-actuator-teardown/ | OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator Teardown | Ian | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"gamerz",
"games",
"gaming",
"input tech",
"Neural Impulse Actuator",
"ocz nia",
"pic",
"teardown"
] | m8ta fun
did an extensive
teardown of OCZ’s Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA)
. OCZ’s computer/mind interface is actually a fairly straight forward design. An analog front-end cleans and amplifies the ‘neural’ signal with a few
op-amps
before feeding it to a 24 bit
analog to digital converter
(ADC). A USB enabled PIC microcontroller reads the 24bit parallel ADC output through a
common 7400 series
parallel to serial adapter IC. The device has an
ICSP programing header
(top right), though it’s not yet clear if the PIC can be read or written.
[Thanks, joeyo] | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "42411",
"author": "daphreak",
"timestamp": "2008-09-18T18:35:34",
"content": "Any information on homebrew “brain wave” sensors? It would be interesting to check out the different signals you can get just from the surface of the head and perhaps mimic the intended functionality of th... | 1,760,377,756.574706 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/18/backup-dvd-burning-robot/ | Backup DVD Burning Robot | Ian | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"backup",
"burn",
"burning",
"cdr",
"disk burning",
"disk duplicator",
"dvd",
"dvdr",
"mini-itx",
"robot"
] | [Aaron Shephard] at
mini-itx.com
just finished a
backup DVD burning robot
based on an EPIA M10000 Mini-ITX motherboard and scavenged parts. A Perl script interacts with stepper motors, LEDs, and sensors through the parallel port on the motherboard. The robot inserts DVDs for burning, flips them for labeling, and stacks completed discs in a pile. Coasters are rejected to a ‘penalty box’ for easy disposal.
We’ve also covered some other
optical disc duplicators
in the past.
[thanks
maxthereal
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "42398",
"author": "Coderer",
"timestamp": "2008-09-18T15:52:30",
"content": "…or you could just, you know, get an external hard drive with the capacity of like 200 DVDs for less money.Neat hack, though.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment... | 1,760,377,756.342498 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/17/control-your-camera-remotely-with-a-ds/ | Control Your Camera Remotely With A DS | Joey Celis | [
"digital cameras hacks",
"handhelds hacks",
"Nintendo DS Hacks",
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"canon",
"ds",
"dslr",
"handheld",
"nintendo",
"Nintendo DS",
"Tether",
"videogame"
] | Using a custom built cable connected to the lower GBA slot and a copy of Canon’s SDK, [Steve Chapman] has come up with a very clever way of
taking pictures remotely with a Nintendo DS Lite
.
Currently the software supports bracket shooting as well as bulb mode. [Steve] points out that he is currently testing an audio based trigger system using the mic built into the
DS
and the software is still a work in progress.
While the weight saving benefits of using a DS instead of a notebook are obvious, there are things you do give up going this route. Traditionally, when you tether a camera to a computer the photos are saved directly to the computer where you can view the image on a much larger monitor. With the DS, it seems all you can do is remotely trigger the camera. Given the size and resolution of the screens maybe that’s all it can do.
[via
Boing Boing Gadgets
] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "42327",
"author": "biozz",
"timestamp": "2008-09-18T00:37:32",
"content": "does any one know haw to control a Nikon camera via usb like in “Camera Control” that’s open source? i want to make an app that can take 5 exposures as fast as it can for taking HDR photos(Nikon D40)email me ... | 1,760,377,756.292539 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/17/old-school-high-voltage-capacitance/ | Old School High Voltage Capacitance | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"capacitor",
"layden jar"
] | What would MacGyver do if he needed a high voltage capacitor but only had some foil, tape, water, salt, a nail and a plastic jug? He would build a
salt water Leyden jar
, that’s what. The Leyden jar is a very simple capacitor. Invented in 1745, it has been integral to many scientific experiments. Check the
wikipedia
entry to learn more about the history.
This specific type is quite easy to make. It uses a salt water interior instead of foil on the inside and outside. That means you could slap one of these together in a few minutes to impress your friends and/or electrocute yourself accidentally. Please be careful as this is high voltage. | 29 | 29 | [
{
"comment_id": "42299",
"author": "hak8or",
"timestamp": "2008-09-17T21:16:32",
"content": "This is not a hack, but at least itssomething new on high voltage on this siteCan we get some crazy impossible hacks like a pic running linux or something??Also, you guys used to be so awesome with your hack... | 1,760,377,756.427893 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/17/multi-platform-plugnplay-system-update/ | Multi Platform Plug’n’Play System Update | Caleb Kraft | [
"handhelds hacks",
"News",
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"gab",
"gameboy",
"handheld"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22yI_nk09Fc]
[Bacteria] sent us this sweet video of the
Multi Platform Plug’n’Play system
running his new GameBoy Advance module. He’s made an addon for his unit that allows him to play his GameBoy Advance cartridges as well as
GameBoy
ones. Watch the vid for the details and some views of the insides. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "42263",
"author": "Myrph",
"timestamp": "2008-09-17T16:24:20",
"content": "Nice looking little thing, if a little peculiar… It seems to be missing the shoulder buttons though, which I would’ve thought would reduce the playability to a slight degree…",
"parent_id": null,
"dep... | 1,760,377,756.6148 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/how-to-thermite-based-hard-drive-anti-forensic-destruction/ | How-to: Thermite Hard Drive Destruction | Jason Rollette | [
"classic hacks",
"how-to",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"burn",
"Chemistry",
"Experiments",
"feature",
"fire",
"howto",
"Magnesium Ribbon",
"Potassium Permanganate",
"Thermite",
"Thermite Ingredients",
"Thermite Pictures",
"Thermite Reaction",
"Thermite Video",
"Types of Thermite"
] | After the overwhelming response to the Hackit we posted about
automated hard drive destruction
last fall, we finally decided to test out some thermite hard drive destruction ourselves. This has been done on
The Screen Savers
but they did not show up close results of the platters. So, aluminum and black iron oxide were procured through eBay, and until it arrived we watched some YouTube videos that showed a lot of fire and no real results. We decided to see what it would take to completely obliterate a drive.
With the amount of personal data stored on your computer, we all understand the importance of destroying the data that is stored on the platters of a hard drive before disposing of it. There are many ways to destroy a hard drive; software, physical disassembly, drills, hammers, magnets/electromagnets, and acid, but none are quite as outrageous and dangerous as thermite. That’s what we’re going to do here today. Follow along for pictures and videos of the results.
A couple different methods of containing the thermite above the hard drive were tried and we quickly found the best way is a clay flower pot with the drip tray for a lid. An Altoids tin was also tried, but it burned up to quickly. Molding a cement container was also attempted. Since thermite is extremely hard to ignite, sparklers that were left over from the 4th of July were used, and offered a very reliable method of ignition.
Our goal was to completely destroy the drive while it was still in the computer case. The theoretical application is to destroy the disk at a moments notice so it won’t fall into the wrong hands. After testing multiple methods, placing about 1 pound of thermite in a clay flower pot and lighting from the drain hole in the bottom yielded the best results. This could easily be placed in the 5.25″ bays above the drive.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/k-ckechIqW0]
A thermite reaction is a process in which the correct mixture of metallic fuels are combined with a metal oxidizer and ignited. Ignition itself requires extremely high temperatures, but once ignited, thermite supplies its own source of oxygen. It can potentially burn underwater when mixed properly. Thermite is usually used to
weld railroad ties together
.
The most common thermite is “
black or blue iron oxide (Fe3O4), produced by oxidizing iron in an oxygen-rich environment under high heat
” and Aluminum(Al). Red iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3), commonly known as rust, can also be used. There are
many chemicals that can make thermite
; the mixtures used to make thermite therefore vary, causing confusing and
changing mixture ratios
.
Since the oxidation of one substance involves the reduction of another, this type of reaction is often called redox reaction. In the following
balanced reaction
, 8Al + 3fe3O4 = 4Al2O3 + 9Fe + Heat. The element Al is oxidized, but Fe is reduced. This reaction is also called a displacement reaction because Al displaces Fe in the oxide. Because of the nature of this reaction, the correct ratio of substances is important to ensure the optimum amounts of fuel (aluminum) and oxygen (iron oxide) within the mixture. Thermite is very safe to handle because of the high ignition temperatures required, sparklers were used in this instance, however magnesium ribbon can also be used. We think an electric
pyrogen igniter
would be a far better choice for ignition, instead of
unreliable methods
.
There are two important aspects to ensure a successful reaction. Thorough/even mixing and smallest possible powder particle size. If thermite is not adequately mixed, it may be difficult to ignite or maintain the reaction. One problem when mixing thermite is the difference in weight between the aluminum and the iron oxide. This causes them to separate out rendering the thermite useless. The process used here with great success was five minutes in a rock tumbler. Powder particle size is measured with a
measurement called mesh
. Passing the powder through a mesh will determine the largest particle size, this reaction performs best with the smallest obtainable mesh size. The mesh size for aluminum was 1200 mesh and black iron oxide was 300 mesh.
The total enthalpy or heat content released is -3.677 kJoule per gram of Fe3O4/AL thermite. The ratio of Fe3O4 to aluminum powder by weight is about 3.22 to 1, according to the
reaction’s stoichiometry
. The reaction photographed was 200 grams of Aluminum and 644 grams of black iron oxide yielding 2368 kJoules of heat. This was more than was required to adequately destroy the hard drive, a smaller amount could have been used, and still destroyed the platters. It would have even been better controlled, or better yet contained within the computer case. What fun is that?
Using thermite to destroy a hard drive is a very violent and destructive process. Great care should be taken as the molten metal can splash and sputter for a long distance.
The reaction begins to sputter.
The thermite has just contacted the hard drive.
Things are really hot now!
Most of the reaction is completed.
The molten thermite, platters and most of the aluminum frame from the hard drive in the bottom of the case.
Above are the molten hard drive platters destroyed with 844 grams of thermite. It takes about this much thermite contained directly above the drive to get the job done, if it is not you will just get a
superficial fire
.
Over all the destruction of the drive and platters was accomplished in all cases in a matter of seconds. This is by far a guaranteed method of destroying data in a time of need. We’re pretty sure this will prevent most forensic data recovery methods.
Below is a video of Brainiac using thermite to burn cars and trying to stop the reaction with liquid nitrogen.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/WrCWLpRc1yM]
Here’s the directors cut of the thermite video which contains 4 extra minutes:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/a7Kn3phALkY]
Finally, please do not try this.
[digg=http://digg.com/general_sciences/Thermite_hard_drive_destruction] | 123 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "42165",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2008-09-17T02:32:55",
"content": "thebroken?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": [
{
"comment_id": "2573914",
"author": "Bilbo Baghgins",
"timestamp": "2015-05-20T02:05:12",
"content":... | 1,760,377,756.853535 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/why-i-hate-django/ | Why I Hate Django | Eliot | [
"cons",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"django",
"djangopony",
"flickr",
"framework",
"magic",
"pony",
"python",
"ruby",
"video",
"web",
"web framework",
"web20",
"youtube"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Fr65PFqfk]
[Cal Henderson] delivered a keynote titled
Why I Hate Django
at the first annual
DjangoCon
.
Django
is an open source BSD licensed web framework written in Python. Google has posted the keynote in its entirety to YouTube, which you can find embedded above. While the talk is humorous (and takes many jabs at Rails developers) it does provide insight into what makes a good web framework. [Cal] is Director of Engineering at Flickr and is an authority on how to make websites scale. He points out that most frameworks are designed to get projects off the ground quickly, but are lacking when it comes to building an even larger service. He talks about several things in Django that need work and improvements that could be made. It’s really an interesting look at what it takes to go big.
Towards the end, [Cal] notes that Django has no mascot, “I could take a framework seriously that had a mascot with magical powers.” Well, that seemed to be the easiest thing to fix so avalonstar created
Django: The web framework for ponies with magical powers
. It’s available as wallpaper on
djangopony
, and Ruby legend, [why], has already set about
debunking the magic involved
. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "42162",
"author": "Taka",
"timestamp": "2008-09-17T01:40:36",
"content": "what a mother fucking self absorved jackass.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42169",
"author": "bryan",
"timestamp": "2008-09-17T02:53:05",
"c... | 1,760,377,756.652995 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/antec-skeleton-case/ | Antec Skeleton Case | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"250mm",
"acquire",
"airflow",
"antec",
"antec case",
"case",
"case fan",
"cooling",
"skeleton",
"skeleton case",
"tweaktown",
"xtine"
] | Maybe you saw the
previous post
and thought, “Well, that’s all well and good, but why is such a stylish case being used to ventilate cat feces?” Antec has heard your cries and has created a computer case with all the lovely curves of a litter box and just as much airflow. The
Skeleton case
has an open frame design with a 250mm fan on top. You mount the motherboard to a sliding tray. The power supply and hard drives are mounted underneath. It’s an interesting idea and easily replicated, but if cooling had been the goal, it would be a lot more enclosed. You can see the
case with components installed on TweakTown
.
[via
acquire
, thanks, xtine] | 26 | 26 | [
{
"comment_id": "42110",
"author": "carlton",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T21:45:24",
"content": "sounds like a good way to get even more dust / bugs / cat hair in your pc…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42112",
"author": "monster",
"timest... | 1,760,377,756.917141 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/hack-your-littler-box/ | Hack Your Litter Box | Caleb Kraft | [
"home hacks",
"News"
] | [
"cat box",
"cat poop",
"home automation",
"litter box"
] | Cat poo stinks. We all know it. Those of us who have cats, though frequently amazed at the sheer magnitude of stench our cuddly friends are capable of, do little to remedy the situation. Sure, sometimes we buy the fancier kitty litter or the special food. [agraham999] decided to be a little more proactive. He built an
automated exhaust system for the litter box
. He wasn’t content to just rig a fan blowing to an exhaust vent either, he hooked it up to an automation system and a motion detector. The total cost for the project was $80, not including the mac mini that serves as the brains.
Be sure to read through the comments for some very in depth discussion about power usage and solar conversions.
[via
Boing Boing Gadgets
] | 40 | 38 | [
{
"comment_id": "42080",
"author": "BeautifulZune",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T17:30:55",
"content": "Finally a suitable use for a Mac.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42082",
"author": "John Baichtal",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T17:58:52",
... | 1,760,377,757.10898 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/vlc-media-player-092-released/ | VLC Media Player 0.9.2 Released | Ian | [
"downloads hacks",
"News"
] | [
"media",
"media player",
"multimedia",
"software updates",
"video player",
"VideoLAN",
"vlc",
"VLC media player"
] | VideoLAN
just released
VLC media player
0.9.2. VLC is probably the best known open source media player, and supports most audio/video formats without additional codecs. Before VLC, we usually installed buggy
codec packs
to watch videos in Winamp or Windows Media Player. We’ve found the
nightly builds
to be pretty stable for the past month, but it’s nice to see the final version released.
Download Squad gushed over the new interface design, but omitted the real change — VideoLAN switched from
wxWidgets
to the
Qt
toolkit. Among
many changes
, Qt allows video effects to be applied without restarting the media.
One of our favorite new features is an
adjustments and effects
menu for quick picture, sound, and subtitle tweaks. The new version has better support for flash videos (FLV), and will stream from most online video sharing sites. See the full changelog at the
VideoLAN wiki
, and
help out
if that’s your thing.
[via
Download Squad
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "42102",
"author": "Paul",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T20:38:43",
"content": "Although not a hack VLC is a pretty cool media player (although Media Player Classic and the XVID codec work much better on my P3 laptop with tv-out). Of course VLC would never have been as good without the f... | 1,760,377,756.970335 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/16/arcade-cabinet-that-plays-every-game-in-the-universe/ | Arcade Cabinet That Plays Every Game In The Universe | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"arcade",
"arcade cabinet",
"cabinet",
"Joystick",
"playstation",
"retro",
"wii",
"xbox"
] | Ok, maybe we’re exaggerating a little bit. It may not play every game in the universe, but the
CMACC gets pretty close
. CMACC stands for “Complete – Multi Arcade Console Computer System” and is comprised of a giant pile of gaming goodness. [Mayhem] packed a PC,
Xbox
, Xbox360, Dreamcast,
Wii
,
PSP
, and a DS into the cabinet. He seems to have overlooked the Virtual Boy though.
He’s using
GamEx
as a front end for a multitude of emulators, including
MESS
which emulates tons of old desktops like Commodores and Apples. The cabinet, while not as elegant as the
Retro Space
, wins major geek points for the cup holder.
[via
Engadget
] | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "42078",
"author": "Aud1073cH",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T16:39:44",
"content": "Finally! I’ve got a TI 99/4a game I’ve been dying to try out.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42103",
"author": "RyanE",
"timestamp": "2008-0... | 1,760,377,757.027013 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/15/peek-email-reader-teardown/ | Peek Email Reader Teardown | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"camera",
"cellphone",
"cvs",
"data plan",
"email",
"make",
"omap",
"peek",
"qwerty",
"teardown",
"ti"
] | [morcheeba], who you should remember from
CVS camera hacking
, picked up a Peek and
took some pictures while tearing it down
. The
Peek
is a $100 QWERTY device with a simple OS designed only to check email. The device is being sold by T-Mobile with a $19.95/mo data plan. There’s nothing too spectacular to see other than 16MB of flash memory and a TI OMAP processor.
[via
Make
] | 47 | 46 | [
{
"comment_id": "42042",
"author": "Aaron",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T04:54:25",
"content": "I wanna know whos paying 20 dollars a month just to check their email.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42056",
"author": "modrak",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,377,757.416921 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/15/wii-backup-iso-loader/ | Wii Backup ISO Loader | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Nintendo Wii Hacks"
] | [
"homebrew",
"homebrew channel",
"nintendo",
"nintendo wii",
"nintendo wii fanboy",
"wii",
"wii homebrew"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtu0kQHaIhI]
The video above shows a new
Wii
backup loader that’s in development. It works via the easy to use Homebrew Channel we covered previously.
From the news post
it seems you have to rip the original game disc and then patch it before burning the copy. No release date has been set. As
Nintendo Wii Fanboy put it
, there’s much more interesting things to do with
homebrew
than wait for this to be released. | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "42017",
"author": "drewg",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T00:56:27",
"content": "Sigh.. Farewell Homebrew Channel. I hardly knew ye. :(Now Nintendo has a reason to kill it off.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42022",
"author": "de... | 1,760,377,757.223633 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/15/flickr-photo-bike/ | Flickr Photo Bike | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"digital cameras hacks",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"bicycle",
"bike",
"cellphone",
"flickr",
"geotag",
"geotagging",
"gina trapani",
"lifehacker",
"n95",
"nokia",
"nokia n95",
"shozu"
] | Lifehacker’s [Gina Trapani] has one of Flickr’s photo bikes and
wrote up how it works
. As you ride, the bike automatically takes photographs, geotags them, and uploads them to Flickr. The handlebar unit contains a
Nokia N95
cellphone. The rear is a solar powered charging unit. It has a custom python script that starts the photo taking sequence when it detects the bike is in motion using the phone’s accelerometer.
Most of the engineering seems to be for usability’s sake. We’re guessing they probably wanted to disguise that they’re bolting a $600 cellphone to a bike as well. Out of the box the Nokia N95 already does almost everything required. It has a 5 megapixel camera with an interval timer that can vary from 10 seconds to 30 minutes. It supports Flickr uploading, but with software like
ShoZu
you can streamline the geotagging and make all uploads automatic. Just build a solid mount for your N95 and you’ve pretty much got it, and when you park your bike you can take the phone with you. | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "42019",
"author": "Möbius",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T01:00:45",
"content": "… why?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42023",
"author": "dex",
"timestamp": "2008-09-16T01:17:20",
"content": "its kind of cool … but i wil... | 1,760,377,757.32025 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/15/apple-finally-fixes-dns-bug/ | Apple Finally Fixes DNS Bug | Eliot | [
"iphone hacks",
"Mac Hacks",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"bind",
"bug",
"Dan Kaminsky",
"dns",
"DNS cache poisoning",
"iphone",
"mdnsresponder",
"security update",
"time machine"
] | With today’s release of
Security Update 2008-006
Apple has finally addressed this summer’s
DNS bug
. In their previous update
they fixed BIND
, but that only affects people running servers. Now, they’ve updated mDNSResponder. Clients are no longer susceptible to DNS cache poisoning attacks thanks to the inclusion of source port randomization.
The Security Update addresses some other interesting bugs. Time Machine was saving sensitive logs without using the proper permissions, so any user could view them.
[photo:
edans
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "41988",
"author": "psychcf",
"timestamp": "2008-09-15T21:58:56",
"content": "*golf claps*",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41999",
"author": "Steve Shockley",
"timestamp": "2008-09-15T23:13:30",
"content": "Clients ar... | 1,760,377,757.275357 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/15/top-10-greatest-hacks-of-all-time-according-to-pc-magazine/ | Top 10 Greatest Hacks Of All Time, According To PC Magazine | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"pcmagazine",
"top 10 list"
] | PC Magazine has published their
top 10 greatest hacks of all time
. Seriously, just ten *eyeroll. It is fairly cute though and there are a few interesting tidbits. Most notably, [Ben Heckendorn] made the list with one of his portable units. We’re a bit surprised that they didn’t choose the fantastic work he did on the
one handed controller
, since it could actually help people play who previously couldn’t. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "41990",
"author": "carloscorp",
"timestamp": "2008-09-15T22:21:23",
"content": "Ben Heckendorn – In my opinionIs is the best console modders!..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42008",
"author": "Calvin",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,759.18708 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/14/passive-networking-tap/ | Passive Network Tap | Jason Rollette | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"cat5",
"ethernet",
"ettercap",
"network",
"Passive Network Tap",
"passive tap",
"tap",
"tcpdump",
"video",
"wireshark"
] | Making a
passive network tap
can be an easy and inexpensive undertaking as shown in this
Instructable
. Passive monitoring or port mirroring is needed because most networks use switches which isolate the network traffic and this does not allow for the entire network to be monitored. This example uses a single tap, using
multiple taps
will provide access to the full-duplex data separately. By using two taps you are able to monitor inbound data that is passed through one tap, and outbound data that is passed through the other tap. Separate taps are desired because most sniffer software handles half-duplex traffic only and requires two network cards for full-duplex.
It is easy to insert a passive Ethernet tap inline, as shown in the picture above from a
different multitap project
, simply plug the incoming line into a host port and a patch cable from the other host port to the outgoing port, then verify your connection status. Now connect the Ethernet port of your sniffer computer into either of the tap connectors on the passive Ethernet tap. This tap works by using sniffer applications that put your
Ethernet card into promiscuous mode
. This allows you to monitor all traffic on the network not just the traffic directed to your network adapter. After you install your favorite sniffer program, such as
Wireshark
,
Snort
,
TCPDump
,
WinDump
, or
Ettercap
to name a few, you are then able to monitor all traffic any way you see fit, like looking for passwords in the video below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezGTP99xSw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999] | 32 | 28 | [
{
"comment_id": "41892",
"author": "rivetgeek",
"timestamp": "2008-09-15T00:56:18",
"content": "Wait a second here.. since when is wireshark not full duplex?? The point of an ethernet tap is that you cant sniff traffic on a switched network and port mirroring doesn’tusually work for malformed packe... | 1,760,377,759.147347 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/14/apple-tries-to-stop-sneaker-hackers/ | Apple Tries To Stop Sneaker Hackers | Caleb Kraft | [
"Mac Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"apple",
"appledrm",
"appleipod",
"drm",
"ipod",
"nike",
"nikedrm",
"slashdot"
] | Apparently, Apple has decided that
extending DRM to your Nike accessories
will keep hackers at bay. Sick of people cutting the sensors out of their Nike shoes for use on other apparell, they have applied for a patent. Ever noticed the warning that it’s illegal to pull the tag off of a mattress? Did that stop you?
[via
Slashdot
] | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "41844",
"author": "meatwad",
"timestamp": "2008-09-14T14:03:09",
"content": "its not illegal for the consumer to remove the mattress tag; the warning is directed at merchants so they cant pass a bag full of rocks off as a tempurpedic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"re... | 1,760,377,759.252362 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/13/cheap-usb-lcd/ | Cheap USB LCD | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"4x20",
"auxiliarydisplay",
"character display",
"display",
"ir",
"lcd",
"linux",
"picolcd",
"vista",
"windows vista"
] | Part of the pre-Vista hype was the idea of auxiliary displays. Laptop and desktop displays would provide additional information from your computer. The Vista SideShow feature hasn’t really caught on and the surplus hardware has started to drop in price. Take
this PicoLCD for example
: It’s a 4×20 character LCD with an IR receiver, multiple buttons, and a USB connection. The best part is: it has
Linux drivers
and an open source SDK. We know a lot of you like wiring up
HD44780 based screens
, but it’s hard to pass up a $50 prepackaged solution with such nice extras.
[via
Engadget
] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "41831",
"author": "zigzagjoe",
"timestamp": "2008-09-14T06:04:50",
"content": "vista only …. -__-besides that, it seemss quite nice.looks like it would be possible to hack the linux drivers into a state to let it be used on windows [properly]…probably better that way anyways. vista ... | 1,760,377,759.075396 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/13/reverse-engineering-silicon-logic/ | Reverse Engineering Silicon Logic | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"crypto",
"flylogic",
"karsten nohl",
"karstennohl",
"mifare",
"mifareclassic",
"ReverseEngineering",
"silicon",
"transistor"
] | [Karsten Nohl] has recently joined the team on Flylogic’s blog. You may remember him as part of the team that
reverse engineered the crypto in MiFare RFID chips
. In his first post, he starts out with the
basics of identifying logic cells
. By studying the specific layout of the transistors you can reproduce the actual logic functions of the chip. The end of post holds a challenge for next week (pictured above). It has 34 transistors, 3 inputs, 2 outputs, and time variant behavior. Also, check out the
Silicon Zoo
which catalogs individual logic cells for identification. | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "41917",
"author": "Mindbleach",
"timestamp": "2008-09-15T05:17:01",
"content": "Not only is Flylogic a fascinating read, but their scans make excellent dekstop backgrounds.… and in Firefox 2.0.0.1, this text box is no longer bounded by the vertical line to its right. I keep typing, ... | 1,760,377,759.435737 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/13/iphone-screengrab-issues/ | IPhone Screengrab Issues | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"Mac Hacks",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"appleiphone",
"cache",
"erase",
"flash",
"flashmemory",
"forensics",
"iphone",
"security",
"solidstate",
"ssd"
] | This is unfortunately another story we missed out on while we were trying to keep things from
burning down
. We told you that [Jonathan Zdziarski] was going to demonstrate
iPhone lock code bypassing
in a webcast. The real surprise came when he pointed out that the
iPhone takes a screenshot
every time you use the home button. It does this so it can do the scaling animation. The image files are presumably deleted immediately, but as we’ve seen before it’s nearly impossible to guarantee deletion on a solid state device. There’s currently no way to disable this behavior. So, even privacy conscious people have no way to prevent their iPhone from filling up storage with screenshots of all their text message, email, and browsing activities. Hopefully Apple will address this problem just like they did with the previous
secure erase issue
. O’Reilly promises to publish the full webcast soon.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "41802",
"author": "gm",
"timestamp": "2008-09-14T02:27:43",
"content": "“”there’s no way to prevent it,” zdziarski said during the webcast.”Yes, there is – store the screenshot in RAM, not on the flash disk.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"co... | 1,760,377,759.486725 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/13/led-coffee-table/ | LED Coffee Table | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"arcade",
"atari",
"coffeetable",
"Joystick",
"led",
"ledtable",
"makerfaire",
"makerfaire2008",
"rgb",
"rgbLED",
"sparkfun"
] | Spark Fun’s centerpiece at Maker Faire back in May was this
LED coffee table
. They just recently posted about how it was constructed. The surface is made from 64 8×8 RGB LED matrix boards totaling 4096 LEDs. The eight rows are connected to a custom router board so that one SPI line can control the entire display. The main microcontroller is an Olimex LPC2106 dev board. It runs a four player cooperative pong game where multiple balls are added over time. Each player gets a classic
Atari
paddle for control. You can see a video of the table running a screensaver after the break.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udXM0asgzu8] | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "41788",
"author": "andrut",
"timestamp": "2008-09-14T01:17:17",
"content": "“64 8×8 RGB LED matrix boards totaling 4092”64x8x8 is 4096, you insensitive clod!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41796",
"author": "Eliot Phillips"... | 1,760,377,759.58628 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/13/xbox-360-wireless-visual-interface/ | Xbox 360 Wireless Visual Interface | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"Portable Video Hacks",
"Xbox Hacks"
] | [
"360",
"gameconsole",
"handheld",
"portable",
"videogame",
"wireless",
"wvi",
"xbox",
"xbox360"
] | [jon barber] pointed out another great project on the benheck forums that hasn’t gotten much attention. [techknott] built a
wireless video interface for his Xbox 360
. Think of it as a sort of video game thin client. It has the form-factor of a portable but doesn’t include the 360’s components. Instead it has a 1.2GHz A/V receiver and the guts of a wireless controller. The specific transmitter was chosen because it wouldn’t interfere with the 2.4GHz controller. The power supply is two 2600mAh batteries running at 7.5V with a built in charging circuit. The draw from the screen is ~500mA. The entire unit is 1 inch thick. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "41784",
"author": "Q8GEEK",
"timestamp": "2008-09-14T00:36:51",
"content": "now kids can carry game addiction to a higher level by sneaking this in their bed while playing online instead of the ol’ fashioned comic book and flash light sneakingXD",
"parent_id": null,
"depth":... | 1,760,377,759.39462 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/12/large-hadron-collider-roundup/ | Large Hadron Collider Roundup | Kimberly Lau | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"cern",
"drinking",
"drinkinggame",
"large hadron collider",
"lhc",
"roundup",
"xkcd"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQNpucos9wc]
The
Large Hadron Collider
was a
success
and it didn’t
destroy the world
. We have to admit, we were a little bit worried about the possibility of generating
black holes
but were soothed by scientists’ reassurances that we would still exist, and this
self-explanatory website
. We’re also kind of hoping to
build our own
.
PHD Comics visits CERN
to learn all about the experiment. Xkcd prepares for the
end times with a new friend
. The curious can explore some
amazing
imagery
of the LHC
, and read about the
best-and-worst-case scenarios
, and what
scientists are hoping for,
or monitor progress
via webcam
. The celebratory will listen to
appropriate music
, consume
inspired science fiction
, and
drink to the Large Hadron Collider
and its success. | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "41699",
"author": "DJFelix",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T19:14:03",
"content": "One thing to note is that they only ran a one-way test, meaning there were noactual collisions tested.We have seen photons travel around in circles before in other colliders. They won’t actually ramp up to... | 1,760,377,759.531866 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/11/turn-your-playstation-3-into-linux-based-lab-equipment/ | Turn Your Playstation 3 Into Linux-based Lab Equipment | Adam Harris | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"equipment",
"function",
"generator",
"lab",
"logic analyzer",
"logicanalyzer",
"ps3",
"spectrum",
"spectrum analyzer"
] | In a two-part series called “PS3 Fab-to-lab” on
IBM’s awesome developerWorks website
, [Lewin] explains how to use the Cell Broadband Engine in a
PS3
to create an audio-bandwidth spectrum analyzer and function generator. The set up consists of
Yellow Dog Linux
, an NTSC television, and an external USB sound card to provide the inputs of the spectrum analyzer and the outputs of the function generator. The
sound card driver
is written to simply capture or send the info in question (audio range only) and the
NTSC television
as the graphical interface. This hack involves a lot of coding with hardly any example code provided. The article is more of a guide than anything. If anyone gets this working,
let us know
!
[via
Digg
]
[photo:
Malcom Tredinnick
] | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "41694",
"author": "scrabblecock",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T18:06:20",
"content": "huzzah!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41753",
"author": "Liam",
"timestamp": "2008-09-13T08:16:55",
"content": "With more example co... | 1,760,377,759.019542 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/11/google-chrome-roundup/ | Google Chrome Roundup | Kimberly Lau | [
"downloads hacks",
"google hacks"
] | [
"4chan",
"browser",
"chrome",
"chromium",
"google",
"googlechrome",
"roundup"
] | Google Chrome
made a huge splash in the past week, but will it really change the way you browse, and convince you to switch from your current browser? For those who want to play with it but don’t want Google to completely take over their lives,
Chromium
is the open source project behind
Google Chrome
. Linux and OS X users can also
run Chrome
using WINE
, although success is not guaranteed. To make an educated choice, read
Scott McCloud’s comic
which explains the underpinnings. Make sure you’re aware of
Chrome’s security vulnerabilities
, and take advantage of
Lifehacker’s guide
to make your browsing experience as convenient and useful as possible. There are some great features, including the ability to log into
multiple Google accounts
using its much-lauded
Incognito mode
, which prevents Google Chrome from logging information on your browsing and downloading habits (websites you browse can still track your information). For convenience, you can also install
Chrome on a USB drive
, and take it anywhere with you. Explore the many
Google
Chrome
blogs
that have popped up to provide advice on hacking and tweaking the browser. Or you could just get all your information
from 4chan
. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "41690",
"author": "Satiagraha",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T17:32:29",
"content": "The Google Chrome EULA and the lack of File menu killed it for me.Guess I’m still sticking with FF",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41696",
"auth... | 1,760,377,759.642613 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/11/pc-stands-for-patriotic-computer/ | PC Stands For “Patriotic Computer” | Kimberly Lau | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"9/11",
"create usb",
"fan",
"flag",
"memorial",
"video"
] | [vimeo
http://vimeo.com/1709336%5D
On the seventh anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001, it’s important to reflect on patriotism, nationalism, and responsibility to your country and motherland. This USB memorial lets us think about our contributions to our great nation. Or it’s just a tribute to misguided nationalism and capitalism via insipid flag waving. Instructions are available at
Instructables
.
[via
F.A.T.
] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "41692",
"author": "TheRain",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T17:53:41",
"content": "Flag waving is important.Wave a flag and save a dying kitten.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41714",
"author": "carlton",
"timestamp": "2008-0... | 1,760,377,760.368081 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/11/hack-a-day-2-electric-boogaloo/ | Hack A Day 2: Electric Boogaloo | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"News"
] | [
"anouncement",
"beta",
"ddos",
"downtime",
"lhc",
"stevejobs",
"Thermite",
"wordpress"
] | Well, that was fun… no, not really, but we’re back from the dead
like Steve Jobs
. We’ve been getting DDoS’d since essentially the first day we originally came back. After killing a 1G connection, we decided to find a different solution. Since the world
didn’t end this week
, we brought the site back using WordPress.com as the new host. We now return to our regular blog shenanigans. Here’s to another four years of beta! | 20 | 20 | [
{
"comment_id": "41686",
"author": "jukus",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T09:02:17",
"content": "I was begining to think all sorts when i navigated tohackaday eachday with blinding diapointment,Good to see you guys back, One thing tho, it could bebrowser specific i suppose but the comment box trails ofin... | 1,760,377,760.320347 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/07/3d-mineral-printer/ | 3D Mineral Printer | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"3dprinter",
"3dprinting",
"concrete",
"concreteprinter",
"contourprinting",
"makerfaire2008",
"mineralprinter",
"ucsc",
"usc"
] | The last few days many people have been talking about the USC’s contour printer. It’s a
device that prints concrete outlines
with the hopes of eventually printing entire houses. Caterpillar has decided to back the initiative.
It reminded us of a project we came across at Maker Faire. [Leif Ames], [Matthew Bowman], [Marides Athanasiadis], and [Terrell Edwards] built a
3D Mineral Printer
as their senior engineering design project at UC Santa Cruz. The printer works by first laying down a layer of dry concrete powder. It then selectively wets the powder where it wants a solid form. The reaction doesn’t require air to dry, so the next layer can be applied immediately. The printer only creates contours and the team imagines this being used to create temporary casting molds. The build envelop is nearly a cubic meter. When we talked to them, they were experimenting with many different types of material mixes. A video of the first test is after the break. | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "41708",
"author": "Affine",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T20:09:42",
"content": "This reminds me of Edison’s concrete houses from the early 1900’s:http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/1996/3/1996_3_50.shtml",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,760.154184 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/07/toaster-computer/ | Toaster Computer | Nick Caiello | [
"computer hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"casemod",
"computer",
"pc hack",
"pc mod",
"TEC",
"thermoelectric",
"toaster"
] | [Gordon Johnson] recently completed
part 1 of his toaster computer project
. He used a standard four slot toaster as the enclosure and cut holes for access to the ports and a wireless antenna. While the specifications of the components used are not mentioned, the build is well documented on his site, complete with lots of pictures and a video. While he used a traditional fan based cooling method for part 1 of the build, he plans on using a special cooling method for part 2 that uses aluminum and mineral oil to create a
thermoelectric cooling
effect. | 28 | 27 | [
{
"comment_id": "41661",
"author": "markyb96",
"timestamp": "2008-09-07T17:07:57",
"content": "Hopefully the Toast-it-all doesn’t toast up the Athlon in there",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41662",
"author": "Tripointlogic",
"timestamp"... | 1,760,377,759.995962 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/13/iphone-21-firmware-jailbroken/ | IPhone 2.1 Firmware Jailbroken | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"appleiphone",
"appleipod",
"iphone",
"ipod",
"ipodtouch"
] | The
iphone-dev team
seems to still be on top of their game. Only a day after the
iPhone 2.1 firmware update
was released, they’ve
updated both the PwnageTool and QuickPwn
to deal with the release. They haven’t begun work on the
iPod Touch 2G
yet, since no one on the team has one yet.
We tend to
agree with Engadget
; jailbreaking is becoming less and less important to casual users. Now average users can buy an iPhone in their own country and run apps from the official store. A much different place than we were only a year ago. We know most of our audience are power users though and definitely want out of Apple’s walled garden, but that’s only a small percentage of iPhone users. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "41773",
"author": "Jim Manico",
"timestamp": "2008-09-13T22:24:09",
"content": "I’m not so sure that I agree with Engadget – firstgeneration iPhone sales at ebay and similar sites arethrough the roof – often selling for more than the originalpurchase price – since they are easier to... | 1,760,377,760.113163 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/12/playstation-3-boomerang-controller/ | Playstation 3 Boomerang Controller | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks",
"Playstation Hacks"
] | [
"benheck",
"bondo",
"boomerang",
"classic hacks",
"controller",
"hotdogcart",
"playstation",
"ps3"
] | Reader [HotDog-Cart] is an active member of the benheck forums and recently completed this
Playstation 3 boomerang controller
. The boomerang was originally shown with the Playstation 3 prototype and was severely panned by the press. [Josh] started with a cheap 3rd party controller that was approximately boomerang shaped. He enlarged the controller body ~20% using bondo. The internals were replaced with gear from an official Sony controller. It was finished with a coat of black paint. It’s definitely a nice build and the new internals mean it probably feels as good as any factory controller. | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "41746",
"author": "Josh Boyer",
"timestamp": "2008-09-13T05:47:31",
"content": "Hey guys. Its me Josh. I hope you guys like my controller.I worked on it for a while, and had a lot of fun making it.This controller needs a TINY bit of work, as you can seeBUT its feels amazing to hold.... | 1,760,377,760.057073 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/12/hack-a-day-fail-contest-winner/ | Hack A Day Fail Contest Winner | Eliot | [
"contests",
"News"
] | [
"contest",
"fail",
"failwhale",
"hackaday",
"hamster",
"robot",
"whale"
] | We had a lot of entries for our
Fail contest
; there can only be one winner though. We liked [Gordon LaPlante]’s entry pictured above most of all. It’s big, it’s broken, and it’s black and white; that certainly sounds like us. [Gordon] wins $100 worth of
No Starch Press
merchandise.
There were plenty of other honorable entries. You can view them in the
Hack a Day Flickr photo pool
. We saw a couple themes emerge during the contest and have highlighted some of them after the break.
Hamsters
This caught us off guard. Our downtime message said, “we’re adding more hamsters to our server power plant” and people just ran away with it.
[
hohan
]
This one by [
jetblackscreems
] looks like it has lots of mascot potential, spelling be damned.
Fail Whales
These were natural given our
Twitter
inspiration.
[
oneamericankid
]
[
Bjonnh
]
[
reenigneesrever
]
[
macetech
] made probably the most Hack a Day appropriate rendition of the Twitter image.
Error screens
[
jonathanrice78
]
[
AdamsGrizzly
]
[
dibbqwaz
] made a fine ASCII 503 that should probably be in the previous category.
[
adamsih300u
]
Angry robots
We’re sad this didn’t gain more traction.
[enrique jimenez]
[
einsofayin
]
This was a really fun contest to hold and we’ll be having many more in the future. Check out our
Hack a Day T-Shirt design contest
, which ends this weekend. | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "41735",
"author": "jetblackscreems",
"timestamp": "2008-09-13T02:32:46",
"content": "hahaha ! it was 11:30 at night. spelling FAIL",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41743",
"author": "Louis II",
"timestamp": "2008-09-13T05... | 1,760,377,760.207976 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/12/toorcon-preregistration-ends-today/ | ToorCon Preregistration Ends Today | Eliot | [
"cons",
"News"
] | [
"convention",
"hacker",
"hackerconvention",
"sandiego",
"toorcon",
"toorcon10",
"toorconconvention",
"toorconsandiego",
"toorconx"
] | Preregistration for
ToorCon San Diego
ends today. The current price is $100 and it will be $140. This is the 10th year for the San Diego hacker convention which will happen September 26th – 28th. The
schedule for ToorCon X
has already been posted. We highly recommend this convention. We’ve attended the last four years and it’s always been a favorite. | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "78391",
"author": "Xbox Fix",
"timestamp": "2009-06-18T11:19:59",
"content": "Good work, xbox fans should look at this blog.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,760.25973 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/12/voting-insecurities/ | Voting Insecurities | Kimberly Lau | [
"News"
] | [
"diebold",
"e-voting",
"election",
"security",
"security flaws",
"security hacks",
"vote",
"voting",
"votingmachine"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWDEZqqqBHE]
UCSB researchers demonstrated how disturbingly easy it is to
hack into Sequoia’s e-voting systems
and delete or add votes with little more than a USB key. Given the fact that recent elections have been very close, and this upcoming national one looks also to be decided by a close margin, it’s absolutely inexcusable that our voting systems could be so easily rigged. Not only that, Sequoia has
fought hard
against having its equipment tested and verified independently. Can we really afford to be using such insecure machines in democratic elections, when the risk of abuse is so great?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moEsgdzZ19c] | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "41727",
"author": "Chris",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T22:56:01",
"content": "Ahh so this explains all your DoS troubles! :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41734",
"author": "Dan Fruzzetti",
"timestamp": "2008-09-13T02:28:... | 1,760,377,760.423099 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/12/a-console-for-retro-games/ | A Console For Retro Games | Kimberly Lau | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"2600",
"atari",
"atari2600",
"nintendo",
"retrothing",
"sega genesis",
"videogames"
] | Like many nerds, we have our share of retro video games and nonworking consoles lying around. Every so often we feel like dragging one out and hoping it works.. Luckily for us, the
Super Genintari
is available to fulfill our fantasies of beating Ghosts ‘N Goblins. The Super Genintari is an
Atari
2600,
NES
, SNES and Sega Genesis all rolled into one; you can even put in four cartridges at once and hook it up to your television with a simple AV cable.
[via
DVICE
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "41717",
"author": "Dan",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T21:20:42",
"content": "Wow, this is an older hack… was posted on Engadget five months ago… still a good one :)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41725",
"author": "LouisII",
... | 1,760,377,760.467983 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/12/efix-usb-dongle-off-to-a-rocky-start/ | EFiX USB Dongle Off To A Rocky Start | Joey Celis | [
"computer hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"efix",
"hackintosh",
"insanelymac",
"leopard",
"mac",
"OsX"
] | According to InsanelyMac forum member [qbattersby] the
EFiX USB dongle
he just received
doesn’t seem to live up to expectations
. We covered the EFiX when it was
announced back in June
. It’s designed to let you install OSX unmodified on commodity hardware. While using a MSI G965M motherboard, instead of installing OSX [qbattersby] was greeted with a flashing cursor with no option to continue onward.
A quick glance at the
EFiX hardware compatibility chart
does not list the MSI G965M as a board verified to work with the dongle and could explain [qbattersby] results. To his defense, he does explain that he will be testing it on a supported motherboard along with a retail copy of
Leopard
in the future. Hopefully, he will be able to post back that it works and his experience with the installation of Leopard.
While the EFiX seems to be shipping in some countries,
enthusiasts in the US
will have to wait a bit longer till distribution channels can be worked out.
One thing is for sure, if you do plan on going the EFiX route, make sure that the hardware you plan on using is listed on their site.
[via
Engadget
] | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "41772",
"author": "Nubie",
"timestamp": "2008-09-13T22:01:31",
"content": "Great, useless product much? If it has a custom “apple bios” on it, which I don’t understand how they can do over USB, why can’t they add some patches as well so a quad or tri core AMD can use this? They ha... | 1,760,377,760.57578 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/04/regenerative-bike-brakes/ | Regenerative Bike Brakes | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"News",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"bicycle",
"bike",
"kinetic energy",
"regenerative",
"regenerative braking"
] | For their senior design project at Arizona State University, these guys built a
regenerative braking system
for their bike. As they brake, the system spools up to give them a push back up to speed. They achieved 25% efficiency on one run, which isn’t too shabby.
The site has all kinds of information. You can check out their different plans and ideas from before they decided on this specific layout as well as all their data from the test runs. Be sure to look at the piece by piece breakdown of what changes were made from the initial design.
[thanks Mario Gomes] | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "41602",
"author": "Kiah",
"timestamp": "2008-09-05T04:05:30",
"content": "I choose to disbelieve this “Comments broken” thing.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41603",
"author": "Hal Hockersmith",
"timestamp": "2008-09-05... | 1,760,377,760.908039 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/04/hack-a-day-fail-whale-contest/ | Hack A Day Fail Whale Contest | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"contests",
"News"
] | [
"contest",
"fail",
"failwhale",
"twitter",
"whale"
] | We’re back! There may be a bit of oddness for the next few days. Our Fail Whale contest is still running and we’ve received over 100 entries so far. Here’s how you can participate:
While we’re adding more hamsters to our server power plant we thought we’d hold a little art contest. Whenever
Twitter
goes down, they post the iconic Fail Whale. The Fail Whale has become so popular that it has spawned a
dedicated blog
and many many art projects:
embroidery
,
tattoos
, and
laser cut models
.
We want to see what you think Hack a Day failure looks like. Create an illustration, photo, sculpture, anything that you think embodies Hack a Day failing. Send your entries to
hackaday.fail@gmail.com
and add them to the
Hack a Day photo pool
. The prize is $100 for you to spend in the
No Starch Press
store. Entries are due 00:00PDT Saturday September 6th 2008.
[image:
Bjonnh
] | 12 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "41585",
"author": "eliot",
"timestamp": "2008-09-05T02:07:16",
"content": "this is a test comment",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41590",
"author": "Spork",
"timestamp": "2008-09-05T02:24:17",
"content": "That fail w... | 1,760,377,760.843779 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/02/google-chrome-webcast-starts-now/ | Google Chrome Webcast Starts Now | Eliot | [
"google hacks",
"News"
] | [
"browser",
"chrome",
"google",
"googlechrome",
"webbrowser"
] | The
webcast for Google’s new Chrome browser
starts at 11PDT. The browser is supposed to feature better memory management. Right now they’re opening with Led Zeppelin and Queen, so I guess it’s supposed to be rockin’ as well.
Download it for Windows here
.
Chromium source available here
. | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "41573",
"author": "Kenny",
"timestamp": "2008-09-02T22:35:31",
"content": "I don’t see the difference between Chrome and Firefox.Well, except the “better memory management”, which Firefox really needs, with 5 tabs open, it sucks away a good 100-150 MB RAM/Swap.And what’s up with the... | 1,760,377,760.688841 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/02/interactive-globe-display/ | Interactive Globe Display | Caleb Kraft | [
"Arduino Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arduino",
"globe",
"interactive",
"touch pad",
"TouchPad"
] | [ERASME] built this
interactive globe interface
for an exhibit on Inuit people and their land. The goal was to have a tactile input device to Google Earth data. The unit is composed of a half globe for location selection, a touch pad for layer selection, and a Wiimote for view changes.They had to develop their own driving application for Google Earth as none exists for
Linux
. The software, called KeyEvents takes inputs from all the devices and mimics keyboard and mouse control in
Google Earth
.
There is much more information on how they got the pieces to work together, as well as some videos in french showing the device working. One thing that stands out though is that they decided to use direct association on their Wiimote, thus stopping rogue Wiimotes from gaining control. Who would carry a Wiimote around just to hijack public displays? We would.
[thanks Leucos]
permalink | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "41571",
"author": "Louis II",
"timestamp": "2008-09-02T21:27:03",
"content": "That’s pretty sweet. Now to combine it with a holographic generator (http://hackedgadgets.com/2007/07/04/holographic-video/) and we’ll be ready to attack a death star..!",
"parent_id": null,
"dept... | 1,760,377,761.035963 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/01/rgb-desktop-clock/ | RGB Desktop Clock | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"clock",
"led",
"markroy",
"rgb",
"stellarcore"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hxZRCponks&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0][Mark Roy] designed this fine
RGB LED desktop clock
. It uses a PIC16F877A microcontroller and a DS1307N Real Time Clock. There is a ring of 12 RGB LEDs around the perimeter. Hours are indicated in red, minutes green, and seconds blue. If the hands overlap, the colors are mixed. Three buttons are used to set the time and it can run on as little as 0.7volts. You can find out more about the project on Stellar Core. He has plans to kit it in the future.
permalink | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "41560",
"author": "Aquify",
"timestamp": "2008-09-02T02:18:09",
"content": "now thats awesome.how on 0.7v though?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41561",
"author": ".~.",
"timestamp": "2008-09-02T02:45:45",
"content"... | 1,760,377,761.084393 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/31/apollo-guidance-computer-clone/ | Apollo Guidance Computer Clone | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"agc",
"apollo",
"apolloguidancecomputer",
"apollomission",
"circuitmaker",
"ic",
"johnpultorak",
"nasa",
"nor"
] | [Cliff Miller] pointed out this incredible project from 2004. [John Pultorak]’s journey began in late 2000 when he decided to build a 60’s or 70’s era minicomputer. While gathering technical documentation, he found some interesting information on the
Apollo Guidance Computer
and felt that was the way to go. The AGC was the first integrated circuit computer ever built. Designed by MIT in 1964 it was constructed from ~5000 ICs, almost all 3-input NOR gates. [John]’s version uses late 1960’s 74LS TTL logic which gains him a 10 to 1 reduction in the number of ICs. A good thing when you have to do ~15K wirewrap connections. He also used flipflops and register chips instead of building everything from NOR gates. [John] essentially built the AGC three times: First, he coded a simulator in C++. Then, he imported the logic design into CircuitMaker to verify that it would actually work. Finally, he built the 3 by 5foot machine. He’s provided an amazing amount of documentation for anyone that wants to explore this device and the overview alone is well worth a look.
permalink | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "41556",
"author": "Cliff Miller",
"timestamp": "2008-09-01T04:53:29",
"content": "Hackaday readers may also enjoy this link,http://www.doneyles.com/LM/Tales.html. Don Eyles, one of the software engineers on the AGC, provides a first-hand report of developing the original software a... | 1,760,377,760.997832 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/30/modular-portable-system/ | Modular Portable System | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"gameboy",
"jakks",
"johngrayson",
"portable",
"tvgame"
] | Reader [John Grayson], known for his
multiconsole portable
, has constructed a brand new portable. Not liking the controls or the tethered nature of retro TV games he decided to build a
modular portable system
. He built a custom system that uses cartridges created from TV game systems. The device has a 5.4″ screen and two Canon batteries for 4.5 hours of play.
permalink | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "41549",
"author": "strider_mt2k",
"timestamp": "2008-08-31T05:14:10",
"content": "What an awesome idea!Not too long ago I set up our portable DVD player with a couple of these games and lamented how kludgy it all was despite how good it looked.This makes the whole thing compact, por... | 1,760,377,760.950361 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/30/htc-dream-android-phone/ | HTC Dream Android Phone | Eliot | [
"Android Hacks",
"Cellphone Hacks",
"g1 hacks",
"News"
] | [
"android",
"cellphone",
"htc",
"htcdream",
"smartphone",
"tmobile"
] | Engadget has a
full gallery of the new HTC Dream
, the first production phone running
Android
. It will be available on
T-Mobile
some time this Fall (missing features
notwithstanding
).
permalink | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "41540",
"author": "Nicholas Lombardy",
"timestamp": "2008-08-30T21:52:42",
"content": "Finally! An Android handset!!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41541",
"author": "PocketBrain",
"timestamp": "2008-08-30T22:45:00",
... | 1,760,377,761.133396 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/30/myspace-cofounder-tom-anderson-former-hacker/ | MySpace Cofounder Tom Anderson Former Hacker | Kimberly Lau | [
"News"
] | [
"arrests",
"fbi",
"hackers",
"myspace",
"myspace.com",
"tom anderson",
"TomAnderson"
] | MySpace
users are very familiar with the visage of their first “friend” and MySpace cofounder [Tom Anderson], but did you ever wonder what he used to do before he became everyone’s friend? TechCrunch’s investigative reporting revealed that
[Tom] was a hacker in the eighties
who hacked into the Chase Manhattan Bank computer system, which attracted the attention of the FBI. Under the handle “Lord Flathead”, he became the leader of a black hat hacker group by the time he was fourteen. His activities (along with those of other hackers) led to one of the largest FBI raids in California history. Because he was a minor at the time, he was not arrested, but put on probation in exchange for an agreement to stop committing computer crimes. This definitely makes having [Tom Anderson] on your friends list just a bit more interesting, doesn’t it?
[via
Digg
]
permalink | 35 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "41511",
"author": "Jay",
"timestamp": "2008-08-30T21:22:07",
"content": "don’t you see something there? Tom Anderson…Thomas A Anderson alias neo??? isn’t it the muse of the matrix itself we have as a friend??!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,377,761.204657 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/29/hacking-a-scale-to-test-rocket-motors/ | Hacking A Scale To Test Rocket Motors | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"force",
"loadcell",
"pic",
"rocket",
"scale",
"thrust"
] | [David Steeman] sent us this project. He uses a consumer scale to
measure rocket engine thrust
. He wanted to be able to map the thrust curve of his homemade rocket motors to determine whether they are meeting the design goals. It does this by measuring the force applied by the rocket engine via a microcontroller that records it in a text file on a computer. He then analyzes this data in an Excel spreadsheet.
The sensors were harvested from a consumer scale while the rest of the electronics were built by hand. He’s using a PIC 18F2550 microcontroller which has a built in USB interface. He has breakdowns of each piece with detailed information on how it works as well as some nice pictures. There is also a list of future improvements that he would like to do such as increasing sample speed, integrating it with the ignition, and decreasing the physical size. Files for the schematic, firmware, and excel spreadsheet are available for download at the bottom of the page, so keep scrolling down.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "41505",
"author": "Forrest Voight",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T22:58:38",
"content": "The article said a PIC 18F2550, not a PIC 1852550.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41506",
"author": "Caleb Kraft",
"timestamp": "2008-0... | 1,760,377,761.249569 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/29/1100-barrel-paintball-gun/ | 1100 Barrel Paintball Gun | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"adamsavage",
"mythbusters",
"paintball",
"paintballgun",
"video"
] | [Adam] and [Jamie] from Mythbusters built a
paintball gun with 1100 barrels
as some graphics card marketing gimmick. It’s a formidable beast, but we’re sure it takes forever to prep.
[via
Laughing Squid
]
permalink | 33 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "41475",
"author": "Kyle",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T22:06:09",
"content": "Woah!Now THAT’S a paintball gun!(Heh, they should auction that thing off or something!)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41476",
"author": "sinerasis",... | 1,760,377,761.408289 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/29/tiny-cubic-pc/ | Tiny Cubic PC | Kimberly Lau | [
"computer hacks"
] | [
"cube",
"linux",
"micro pc",
"MicroPc",
"mini",
"minipc",
"pc",
"redhat",
"space",
"space cube",
"SpaceCube"
] | We’ve been watching the progress of the
Space Cube
since 2004, but PC Pro managed to
get their hands on it first
. Developed by the
Shimafuji Corporation
, it comes with 16 megabytes of flash memory and a version of Red Hat is run off a 1 gigabyte CompactFlash card. The design of the Space Cube is pretty minimal, but it’s got the basics down, from a USB port to a VGA output and a D-SUB RS232 input, and even an Ethernet port. The most interesting thing about it is the Space Wire port, which is a proprietary interface use by NASA, the ESA, and JAXA for outer space. Unfortunately for working hackers, this ingenious micro-computer will set you back about £1,500.
[via
NOTCOT
]
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "41462",
"author": "whitlock",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T20:43:57",
"content": "I know it’s juvenile, but I read the headline as “Tiny pubic PC”.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41463",
"author": "h_2_o",
"timestamp": "200... | 1,760,377,761.455348 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/29/solar-powered-ice-maker/ | Solar Powered Ice Maker | Caleb Kraft | [
"News",
"Solar Hacks"
] | [
"condensation",
"evaporation",
"ice",
"refrigerant",
"solar"
] | Producing ice without electricity
just got a lot easier thanks to these engineering students from San Jose State University. Their system uses solar heat to facilitate evaporation of a coolant. When the sun goes down and the coolant turns back to liquid, its temperature drops drastically due to extreme pressure differences. The unit can produce 14 pounds of ice per day with zero carbon footprint. It has no moving parts and an entirely sealed system, this should mean that the only maintenance necessary would be keeping the unit clean.
[via
DVICE
]
permalink | 47 | 43 | [
{
"comment_id": "41444",
"author": "novolo",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T18:20:00",
"content": "cool! now someone needs to make this massively…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41445",
"author": "micajah likeman",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T... | 1,760,377,761.734766 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/comcast-announces-250gb-bandwidth-cap/ | Comcast Announces 250GB Bandwidth Cap | Eliot | [
"News"
] | [
"bandwidth",
"bandwidthcap",
"broadband",
"cable",
"cap",
"comcast",
"excessiveuse"
] | Today, Comcast
updated their Acceptable Use Policy
to cover exactly what they feel is “excessive use”. When the
Comcast cap
starts October 1st, they will contact people breaking the 250GB per month transfer limit and ask them to curb their usage. While it’ll be hard for most people to hit this limit, we still wonder if policing 0.1% of the customer base is worth the effort. At least Comcast has bothered to state the limit instead of just secretly rewriting the meaning of the word “unlimited” like some providers.
[via
DSLReports
]
[photo:
monoglot
]
permalink | 79 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "41391",
"author": "redfireant3",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T04:51:44",
"content": "and where is the wardriving plan?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41392",
"author": "Hellmark",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T05:07:22",
"co... | 1,760,377,761.647427 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/07/videos-of-the-xbox360-chatpad-on-a-psp/ | Videos Of The Xbox360 Chatpad On A PSP | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [] | [10rdonic0] sent us this video of the
Xbox360 Chatpad being used with some Sony PSPs
. [Jean] over at
ps2dev.org
has been developing custom firmware for the Chatpad wich allows it to work with the PSP. You can see that he’s able to type pretty quickly on the On Screen Keyboard app and maneuver the internet decently. From what he says, not all apps are functional yet, but it’s coming. | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "41656",
"author": "Greg",
"timestamp": "2008-09-07T18:54:59",
"content": "This has to be one of the most useful addon mods I have seen for the pspsI can’t wait till all of his work is finalized. I will get some use out of the keyboardespecially with the web browser.",
"parent_id... | 1,760,377,762.088325 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/06/israeli-hacker-the-analyzer-arrested/ | Israeli Hacker “the Analyzer” Arrested | Kimberly Lau | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"arrests",
"canada",
"ehud tenenbaum",
"hacking",
"security"
] | The Israeli hacker [Ehud Tenenbaum], known as
“the Analyzer”, was arrested
along with 3 Canadians for allegedly hacking into a Calgary-based financial services company and withdrawing almost CDN $2 million. The arrests were the results of a months-long investigation by both the Canadian police and the U.S. Secret Service. In 1998, [Tenenbaum] was accused of hacking into unclassified computer systems owned by NASA, and the Pentagon, among others. He is in custody without bail, although the three other suspects have been released on bond.
[thanks vor] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "41655",
"author": "shin5",
"timestamp": "2008-09-07T23:59:41",
"content": "thank you for the article",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41702",
"author": "morehpperliter",
"timestamp": "2008-09-12T19:34:42",
"content": ... | 1,760,377,761.773902 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/06/giant-mechanical-spider-awakens/ | Giant Mechanical Spider Awakens In Liverpool | Caleb Kraft | [
"News"
] | [
"La Machine",
"La Princess",
"liverpool",
"mechanical",
"robot",
"spider"
] | While we were away, we missed the story about the giant mechanical spider in Liverpool. That spider has come to life, and you can
watch the video
courtesy of the BBC.
Named La Princesse, she an art project designed to build tourism and boost the economy. Developed by french company La Machine, she looks amazing. It looks as though it takes 9 people to pilot her, possibly another running the crane she’s suspended from. Watch the video and see her reach out and tap an onlooker’s umbrella with one of her legs.
[via
Gizmodo
] | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "41647",
"author": "roy",
"timestamp": "2008-09-07T18:39:17",
"content": "admittedly it does look very impressive but what the video doesn’t maketotally clear is that the spider is mounted on a motorised trolley and not suspendedfrom a crane. essentially they’ve made a giant animated... | 1,760,377,761.864664 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/06/bypassing-the-iphone-passcode-lock-in-live-webcast/ | Bypassing The IPhone Passcode Lock In Live Webcast | Kimberly Lau | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"News"
] | [
"apple",
"hacking",
"iphone",
"jonathan zdziarski",
"o'reilly",
"security",
"webcast"
] | [Jonathan Zdziarski], a data forensics expert and
iPhone
hacker, will demonstrate in a
live O’Reilly webcast
on September 11, 2008, how to bypass the iPhone passcode lock security. Although the presentation is targeted towards law enforcement, it will probably viewed by a lot of hackers and geeks, who could use the information for good or evil. It also doesn’t strike us as very good security if the iPhone passcode is easily bypassed. Then what’s the point of having one?
[via
Gizmodo
] | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "41639",
"author": "Bobq",
"timestamp": "2008-09-07T18:59:13",
"content": "Crazy!!!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41640",
"author": "Syntax",
"timestamp": "2008-09-07T19:22:18",
"content": "I wonder if this is along... | 1,760,377,761.823247 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/06/high-altitude-photographic-balloon/ | High Altitude Photographic Balloon | Jason Rollette | [
"gps hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [] | [Earl Foster] recently completed his
4th high altitude photographic balloon
(HAPB-4) launch. This launch reached a peak altitude of 106,384 feet, and lasted about 3 hours. The final weight of the capsule was 5lb 3-3/8 oz, with all the electronics, GPS, digital camera, and HD video camera. His balloons operate under the exempt rules of
FAA Part 101
subpart a governing unmanned balloon flight. This program has been setup to encouraging interest in science, mathematics, and engineering through unmanned ballooning. HAPB-4 uses a
Parallax SPIN Stamp microcontroller
, this multicore chip offers eight 32-bit processors (cogs) sharing 32kB RAM and ROM. Having eight separate COG’s allows him to log GPS data, control the camera, log and monitor sensors, and control LCD functions simultaneously with minimal hardware. During this flight he did have some equipment failures, but he was still able to capture some nice
pictures
. | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "41634",
"author": "Dok",
"timestamp": "2008-09-06T19:36:29",
"content": "Actually they didn’t meet all FAA regulations. Yes it was under the 6lb payload but they launched it before sunrise (7:01 on August 31st) which is not allowed. Other than that, great project.",
"parent_id":... | 1,760,377,762.006356 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/06/dell-shows-you-how-to-mod-your-new-mini-9/ | Dell Mini 9 Modification Guide | Joey Celis | [
"computer hacks",
"laptops hacks",
"Netbook Hacks"
] | [
"Asus",
"dell",
"dell mini 9",
"eee pc",
"EeePc",
"mini 9",
"netbook"
] | One of the things that made the original
Asus Eee PC
such a big success was the ability to
add almost anything you wanted
to it. While this might not have anything to do with
Dell releasing a service manual
showing you how to disassemble your brand new Mini 9, we’re not gonna fault them for making one available.
The service manuals show the proper way to gain access to the various parts of the Mini 9 right down to the motherboard itself. It’s nice to know that the Mini 9 isn’t locked down where simple things like replacing the RAM or upgrading to a larger SSD won’t void your warranty.
[via
jkkmobile
] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "41633",
"author": "dax",
"timestamp": "2008-09-07T18:23:14",
"content": "This really isn’t news… Dell has been releasing disassembly guides for years.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "42454",
"author": "hacker 711[COLLIN SHEE... | 1,760,377,762.047382 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/09/05/lcd-pic-graphics-demo/ | LCD PIC Graphics Demo | Eliot | [
"classic hacks",
"digital audio hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"16f688",
"conville",
"demo",
"graphicdemo",
"hd44780",
"lcd",
"pic"
] | [conville] has been pushing standard HD44780 character displays to the limit. Embedded above is an example spectrum analyzer and text scrolling demo. Below you’ll find a scope demo. Both of these are created using a PIC 16F688 that dynamically rewrites a custom character set to create the animation. You can find the
source code on mikrocontroller.net
. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "41786",
"author": "lkjsldkjf",
"timestamp": "2008-09-14T00:51:42",
"content": "Could you please post a URL to where this guy “conville”first posted this?? I don’t see any“conville” on that German site.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment... | 1,760,377,762.161889 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/pac-man-portable/ | Pac-Man Portable | Eliot | [
"handhelds hacks"
] | [
"benheck",
"handheld",
"jakks",
"pacman",
"portable",
"samthornley"
] | This is another fine project to come out of the benheck forums. [sam_thornley] built this
portable game system
last Fall. It uses the guts of a
JAKKS Namco TV arcade stick
. The composite signal from the board is connected to a 2.5″ Intec screen with a CCFL backlight. Four rechargable AA batteries are in the case for 2.5 hours of play. It doesn’t have sound, but he says the TV games’ sound pales to the original anyway. It’s certainly a nice compact build in a regular project box.
[via
Engadget
]
permalink | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "41390",
"author": "PocketBrain",
"timestamp": "2008-08-30T20:52:30",
"content": "Now I want to see one of these in an altoids box.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,762.124063 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/16-circuit-bent-toys/ | 16 Circuit Bent Toys | Eliot | [
"digital audio hacks"
] | [
"audio",
"circuitbending",
"circuitbent",
"gizmodo",
"oobject",
"toy"
] | OObject compiled a list of
16 circuit bent kids’ toys
found on YouTube. There’s a broad range here: from
Speak & Spells
, to
Pikachus
, to
Game Boys
, and even the odd
vinyl based toy
. It’s an interesting list, but you won’t find a single soothing sound in the group.
[via
Gizmodo
]
permalink | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "41382",
"author": "kvmanii",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T00:23:53",
"content": "ahhh I dont know if I should laugh, be frightened, or step back scientificly and admire this hack…BTW it said “there was — everywhere”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,762.478415 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/gp3x-to-be-released-in-october/ | GP3X To Be Released In October | Caleb Kraft | [
"handhelds hacks",
"News"
] | [
"gp2x",
"gp3x",
"gps",
"handheld",
"linux",
"wiz"
] | You should be able to get your
hands on your Wiz
as soon as October. The Wiz, also known as the GP3X is the highly anticipated follow up to the GP2X, a handheld game system that runs
linux
. Sporting a 533 MHz ARM processor, 64 MB of RAM, a 2.8 inch
OLED
display, 5 hour battery life, and 16 GB of storage, its a heck of a deal. Where else can you get a portable with those specs, bundled with Flash player 7,
DivX
, Xvid, and MPEG playback for $179?
These units are supposed to be as hackable as the previous version. We’ve seen
GPS
and
USB ports
added as well as
qtopia
and
Windows 95
run on them.
Correction: the 16GB of storage on the Engadget site is a typo. This unit comes with 1GB.
[via
Engadget
]
permalink | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "41374",
"author": "miles",
"timestamp": "2008-08-28T23:44:49",
"content": "OK, but have you covered the Pandora??600mhz stock ARM 8 processor, Overclocks to 800-900mhz.128mb of DDRQwerty keyboardpowervr SGX graphicsWifi and BluetoothDual analog controls.800×480 touchscreenThe build... | 1,760,377,762.308698 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/macro-photography-with-an-iphone/ | Macro Photography With An IPhone | Joey Celis | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"digital cameras hacks",
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"apple",
"appleiphone",
"iphone",
"macro",
"macrophotography",
"photography"
] | The camera lens on the
iPhone
is much like any other cameraphone lens in the fact that the lens has a fixed minimum and maximum focus length. If you want to get a little closer to your subject, you just might want to give [eastrain’s]
macro camera mod
a try.
According to [eastrain] both first and second generation iPhone cameras have a screw type focus ring that has been glued to infinity from the factory. This was probably set so that 99% of your photos were roughly in focus.
Gaining access to the camera lens requires the disassembly of your phone and will undoubtedly void any type of warranty you may have had. Once the lens is in view you will need to break the 2 glue points that hold the lens at its current position.
Using needle nose pliers you can then rotate the lens counter clockwise to increase the zoom or clockwise to decrease it. Enabling the built in camera app allows you to see in real time your changes. When you’re satisfied, just put everything back together. Of course the next step should be an externally mounted ring to allow manual zooming on the fly.
permalink | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "41371",
"author": "Phil A. Telyk",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T14:48:31",
"content": "Why bother? Just hold a cheap triplet loupe in front of the lens when you want to take a macro shot. Seriously, try it, works like a charm with cell phone cameras.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth"... | 1,760,377,762.349606 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/aurora-mixer-now-available/ | Aurora Mixer Now Available | Joey Celis | [
"digital audio hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"aurora",
"aurora224",
"dj",
"mixer",
"mixing"
] | It’s been a
long time coming
but that highly sought after open source mixer, the
aurora224 is now available
for purchase on the company’s website. The aurora mixer is a fully programmable USB mixer complete with 24 back lit knobs, 2 faders, and a single crossfader.
While the instructions on
how to assemble your own mixer
from scratch have been available for sometime now, many wanted a kit complete with everything needed to avoid having to source the parts themselves.
The aurora mixer is available in 2 versions, a fully assembled turn key deck and a DIY kit that requires the use of a soldering iron and the ability to follow directions.
So, if you’ve wanted to build your own aurora mixer but never knew where to start, this may be your lucky day. Don’t wait too long as you have until September 1st to get your order in.
permalink | 9 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "41362",
"author": "sinerasis",
"timestamp": "2008-08-28T23:02:57",
"content": "dude yes, keep the audio stuff coming.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41363",
"author": "Sil3ntP8nd8",
"timestamp": "2008-08-29T01:03:13",
... | 1,760,377,762.389699 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/wifi-robot-a-hacked-wrt54gl-rover/ | Wifi Robot : A Hacked WRT54GL Rover | Caleb Kraft | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"radiocontrolled",
"rc",
"telemetry",
"wifi",
"wireless",
"wrt54gl"
] | [Jon Bennett] sent us this link to his
Wifi Robot
. After playing with a Linksys WRT54GL router, he was inspired to build something that would utilize this embedded Linux system. Using a thrift store R/C truck, he built a wireless robot rover. This thing can be controlled over the internet, or by laptop with a range of about 500 meters.
The router has been modified to have 2 Serial ports and a 1GB SD Card. It connects to a micro controller, which could be an Arduino or AVR Butterfly. He has supplied information for both. The truck has been mostly gutted, leaving only the chassis and electronics. He had to beef up some of the truck electronics when they fried under the load. The entire unit is powered by a pair of 7.2 Volt 3800 mAh battery packs. The most important thing on the list though, is the horn. You can honk the horn while you are driving this thing around.
The site supplies tons of information including pictures of his build, videos of it in action, speed tests, schematics, software downloads, and resource links. Great job [Jon].
permalink | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "41348",
"author": "Crash",
"timestamp": "2008-08-28T18:08:57",
"content": "Awesome, just what I’ve been looking for.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "41349",
"author": "evillawngnome",
"timestamp": "2008-08-28T18:25:27",
... | 1,760,377,762.801943 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/08/28/security-flaw-allows-full-access-to-locked-iphones/ | Security Flaw Allows Full Access To Locked IPhones | Nick Caiello | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"2.0.2",
"apple",
"appleiphone",
"flaw",
"gizmodo",
"iphone",
"macrumor",
"passcode",
"security flaw",
"security flaws",
"SecurityFlaw",
"SecurityFlaws"
] | [greenmymac] on the MacRumors forums
recently exposed a security flaw
that allows anyone full access to a locked iPhone running firmware version 2.0.2. The flaw works by entering the emergency call menu of a locked
iPhone
, and double tapping the home button. This opens the iPhone’s Favorites menu, allowing anyone in your Favorites to be called. From here, an attacker has access to your SMS messages and potentially your email or Safari browser. While we are sure that Apple has a patch for this flaw on the way in the next firmware update, there is a temporary way to secure your locked iPhone. Simply enter the Settings menu on your iPhone and enter General > Home Button and select “Home” or “iPod”. Now when you double tap your home button, it will navigate to either your home screen or the iPod screen. While this fix might be annoying for some, as of right now it seems like the only way to secure your locked iPhone.
[photo:
Refracted Moments™
]
[via
Gizmodo
]
permalink | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "41346",
"author": "JF",
"timestamp": "2008-08-28T17:19:21",
"content": "This is no surprise. Just like with most other devices, if you can gain physical access to it, its pretty much “owned” already. This is why, if you use Exchange as the back end, you can remotely wipe the device... | 1,760,377,762.640828 |
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