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/2008/06/16/nokia-color-lcd-flickr-frame/ | Nokia Color LCD Flickr Frame | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"6100",
"colorlcd",
"flickr",
"lcd",
"nokia",
"nokia6100",
"python",
"serial",
"sparkfun"
] | Tinkerlog got their hands on a
color LCD from SparkFun
and set it up to
receive images from Flickr
. These color LCDs are 128×128 pixel and the include a breakout board with a separate power supply for the backlight. Communication is via a three wire SPI bus plus a reset line. [Alex] used an ATmega48 for control, which is connected to the computer using an RS232 to USB converter. The wiring schematic is
here
.
For the software side of things, he adapted Sparkfun’s example ATmega8 code for the microcontroller (he couldn’t get the Arduino code to work).
Beej’s Python Flickr API
was used to grab the images. The
Python Imaging Library
converted them, and finally, they were sent to the display using
pySerial
. SparkFun has been offering these displays for quite some time; it’s good to see a quality writeup of one in use.
[via
Make Flickr Pool
]
permalink | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "37021",
"author": "Matt D",
"timestamp": "2008-06-18T01:00:59",
"content": "Here is the 3.3v switching regulator I just ordered. It comes in 3.3v 5v and adjustable. Disclaimer I have nothing to do with this company except as a parts source.http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store/p/516... | 1,760,377,815.039926 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/16/laser-insect-photography-rig/ | Laser Insect Photography Rig | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"gps",
"insect",
"laser",
"macro",
"photo",
"photography"
] | [Marc] sent in this awesome insect photography rig. The camera is manually pre-focused and set for a 30 second exposure at ISO100. The aluminum cylinder in front of the lens is an external shutter mounted with a custom turned lens adapter. It’s used because the built in shutter is too slow for insect capture. The camera/shutter is triggered by a pair of lasers with photo detectors. When both beams are broken, the insect should be in front of the lens. A Garmin GPS provides position information that’s tagged on the image by the Nikon D200. A large photo of the rig is
here
, while a more detailed writeup on building it is
here
.
Update: It looks like we
covered
a
previous version
of this rig, but the old links are down and we didn’t have a shot of the setup. Oh, and I forgot to mention [Marc] new
control box
for running this rig.
permalink | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "37014",
"author": "Dave Van den Eynde",
"timestamp": "2008-06-16T16:22:39",
"content": "This is one of our most respected members on our photography forum. You really should check out his site and the results he gets with this rig. It’s simply awesome.Dave",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,815.305945 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/15/laser-based-night-light/ | Laser Based Night Light | Eliot | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"laser",
"led",
"lightbulb",
"nightlight",
"parafin",
"wax"
] | [the4est] put together this quick how to for making a
laser based light bulb night light
. First, you need to break out the black glass base of the bulb and remove the filament. Scrub the inside of the bulb and pour in the paraffin. Once it sets, you can break the glass, leaving a solid wax bulb. Hollow out the inside, insert a laser pointer, and you’ll have fine glowing night light.
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "37009",
"author": "confuted",
"timestamp": "2008-06-16T05:26:23",
"content": "Why not just use an LED?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37010",
"author": "Pilotgeek",
"timestamp": "2008-06-16T06:23:56",
"content": "An... | 1,760,377,815.14806 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/15/game-boy-foot-controller-demo/ | Game Boy Foot Controller Demo | Eliot | [
"Nintendo Game Boy Hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"8bit",
"chiptune",
"fuzz",
"gameboy",
"getlofi",
"music",
"nanoloop",
"nintendo"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQdqudTzyBs&hl=en&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]
This is a
video
of [Joey Mariano] from animal style demoing his
Game Boy pedal board
. He added a D15 port to the back of the Game Boy, which is wired to each of the 8 buttons. The port is connected to a breakout box for 8 piano sustain pedals. The box also provides power to the Game Boy. The Game Boy is running the
Nanoloop
step sequencer. If you’re wondering about the guitar sound, he’s probably using an
8-Bit Fuzz pedal
.
[via
GetLoFi
]
permalink | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "37007",
"author": "Dragonsdoom",
"timestamp": "2008-06-16T05:34:21",
"content": "Woah, awesome unique sound. Makes me want to drop everything and learn to do that.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37008",
"author": "Pragma",
... | 1,760,377,815.343291 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/15/pegboard-cable-organizer/ | Pegboard Cable Organizer | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cable",
"desk",
"integrateddesk",
"organize",
"pegboard"
] | In our
integrated desk
post, we mentioned using pegboards and zip ties to organize cables. Lifehacker has a collection of
pictures from their readers
that are using this solution. We especially love [Steve Price]’s
fliptop solution
pictured above. It may not look too attractive, but we’d do pretty much anything to avoid crawling under a desk.
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "37004",
"author": "steve price",
"timestamp": "2008-06-16T08:16:51",
"content": "Sweet I just noticed my desk here as well cool.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37005",
"author": "Ken",
"timestamp": "2008-06-17T06:05:14"... | 1,760,377,815.184005 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/15/asus-wl500gp-audio-hack/ | Asus WL500GP Audio Hack | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"Asus",
"asuswl500",
"linux",
"mpd",
"openwrt",
"soundcard",
"usb",
"via",
"wl500",
"wl500gp",
"wymypy"
] | The Asus WL500GP wireless router runs Linux and has two USB ports. [equinoxfr] wanted to install audio support
internally to the router
though (
translated
). Luckily, it uses a VIA VT6212
4port USB controller
. So, he was able to wire two more internal ports. A Brando USB soundcard is plugged into one of those ports and wired to an external headphone jack. He wanted dual RCA connectors, but they just wouldn’t fit. The router is running
OpenWRT
Kamikaze.
MPD
is used to serve music with the
wymypy
frontend since it has its own lightweight webserver.
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "37001",
"author": "Chillout",
"timestamp": "2008-06-16T02:26:36",
"content": "wow this is cool, using Kismet with sound on this thing would be even cooler :-)I simply love this router! ;-)",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37002",... | 1,760,377,815.26048 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/15/syringe-logic-probe-revision-2/ | Syringe Logic Probe, Revision 2 | Eliot | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"led",
"logic",
"logicprobe",
"needle",
"syringe",
"travisgoodspeed"
] | [Travis Goodspeed] has
updated his syringe based logic probe
that
we covered earlier
. Instead of soldering to the outside, he’s using silver wire shoved into the core of the needle. A nice side benefit is the safety cap now fits. Inside the syringe are two LEDs that indicate current direction. The sharp needle makes it a lot easier to hit small traces.
permalink | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "36997",
"author": "Ali Raheem",
"timestamp": "2008-06-15T22:53:35",
"content": "For want of anything particularly technical to say…That’s a leur lok’ing syringe :D",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36998",
"author": "djpszczol... | 1,760,377,815.380849 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/15/single-side-arduino-ish-beta-board/ | Single Side Arduino-ish Beta Board | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"atmega",
"Atmel",
"microcontroller",
"uc"
] | Via [
ladyada
], [Raijuu] combined some ideas from [Ladyada]’s
boarduino
and [evilmadscientists]
Atmel business card
created
his own single sided (for easy etching) project board for ATMega8/128 projects
. You can tell that the design is an expression of frustration from past projects; We can definitely appreciate features like separate power and multiple sockets on each pin. (We’d probably consider adding some soldering points to allow for permanent connections.)
permalink | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "36995",
"author": "Lucas",
"timestamp": "2008-06-15T14:32:43",
"content": "I don’t think the board works for ATmega128 as it is stated in your news (at least I read it that way).",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36996",
"auth... | 1,760,377,815.109367 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/14/solar-engine/ | Solar Engine | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"beam",
"beambot",
"ladyada",
"make",
"pummer",
"solar",
"solarcell",
"solarengine"
] | We spotted [Kerrin Mansfield]’s
lovely solar engine
on
ladyada’s rantings
. It uses 16 1/8th inch solar cells to collect power. At night, an orange LED pulses at .2Hz. He doesn’t have a specific write up on the construction, but from the component layout, it looks identical to [Gareth Branwyn]’s schematic in Make 08, which you can
find in the PDF
.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36990",
"author": "Solenoidclock",
"timestamp": "2008-06-15T05:55:05",
"content": "Dang Elliot, you’re a beast with the hacks today.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36991",
"author": "martin",
"timestamp": "2008-06-15T10... | 1,760,377,815.226221 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/14/robogames-2008-photos-and-videos/ | RoboGames 2008 Photos And Videos | Eliot | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"laughingsquid",
"robogames",
"robogames2008",
"robot",
"scottbeale"
] | Laughing Squid’s [
Scott Beale
] is attending
RoboGames 2008
. Check out the
great pictures and videos he took
on Flickr.
permalink | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,815.075209 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/14/detecting-isp-throttling/ | Detecting ISP Throttling | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"bittorrent",
"eff",
"google",
"isp",
"netneutrality",
"networkneutrality",
"nnma",
"nnsquad",
"rtt",
"throttling",
"torrent",
"tunnel",
"wireshark"
] | ISPs have recently become very aggressive towards their customers. They’ve been blocking or altering traffic to prevent you from using specific programs or protocols. Google’s Senior Policy Director recently stated that they’re developing tools to allow people to
detect ISP interference
. A couple other groups have been building tools as well: The
Network Neutrality Squad
just released the second beta of their
Network Measurement Agent
. The tool currently detects spoofed packets by
monitoring the round trip time
of the connection; early reset packets will have lower than average RTT. If you want to go more in depth, the EFF has published a guide for
using Wireshark to do the detection
. We’ve even heard rumors of people building tools to tunnel a session inside of one that looks completely different.
[photo:
nrkbeta
]
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36983",
"author": "RT (Panzer Time!)",
"timestamp": "2008-06-15T02:54:24",
"content": "Finally someone big on the side of the “little guy.”",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36984",
"author": "BigBalls",
"timestamp": "2008... | 1,760,377,815.825317 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/wearable-haptic-devices-bestow-sixth-senses/ | Wearable Haptic Devices Bestow Sixth Senses | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"bodymodification",
"compass",
"haptic",
"hapticfeedback",
"haptics",
"implant",
"magnet",
"magnets",
"sixthsense",
"tactile",
"tactiledisplay",
"vibrator"
] | Engadget recently posted
a story about a flexible tactile display
that can be wrapped around any part of the body and give haptic feedback to the user. The research team from Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University that developed the device are focusing on applications like Braille for the visually impaired or transmitting tactile data to a remote user, but this is just the beginning; the applications for wearable haptic feedback are wide open.
The Feelspace tactile compass is a good example. It is little more than
an electronic compass hooked to array of vibrators arranged along a belt
, but it allows the wearer to know which way is north at all times by pulsing only the northernmost vibrator. It’s intended to be worn at all times, so it creates a sort of directional sixth sense for the user without the need to constantly check a device. If they are able to reduce the size of the housing unit and combine it with these new displays, it could be worn inconspicuously under clothes.
If you want more native superpowers, body modder [Steve Haworth] has a solution. By
implanting a silicone-coated neodymium magnet into the fingertip
, the owner of the implant becomes capable of sensing magnetism with a degree of sensitivity unattainable by simply holding a magnet. One person who had the magnet implanted reported feeling magnetic sensors at a library and feeling the location of a motor in an electric can opener six inches from his hand.
We’re always curious about
input fed to the body by worn or implanted devices
, and with these advances, the notion of data and sensory integration is almost a palpable reality. Pun intended, but can you blame us?
[via
Engadget
] | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "36949",
"author": "Joe",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T04:25:01",
"content": "Just as a small note on the implants. Last time I checked most of the people with them had to get them removed.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36950",
... | 1,760,377,815.978286 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/wii-fit-world-of-warcraft/ | Wii Fit World Of Warcraft | Juan Aguilar | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"balanceboard",
"dfki",
"fit",
"googleearth",
"nintendo",
"nintendowii",
"SecondLife",
"wii",
"wiifit",
"wiifitbalanceboard",
"worldofwarcraft"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucEV7N0N9Pw&hl=en]
By now you’ve probably seen the video of two researchers from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
navigating through maps on Google Earth by using the Wii Fit Balance Board
. They’ve gone even further now by using the board to
navigate World of Warcraft
. It’s obvious that the board is usable with any 3D environment. The hack is entirely software based, as the board is completely unmodified. It relays data to a laptop via Bluetooth, where the pressure data in converted to directional instructions by their custom app written in C#. No notes on the project are available on DFKI’s site, but we’re betting they’ll release the software to the public once all the kinks are worked out.
[via
Balance Board Blog
]
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "36941",
"author": "c.k.",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T00:50:44",
"content": "this + silver surfer game = awesome",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36942",
"author": "dax",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T01:17:14",
"content": "h... | 1,760,377,816.135401 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/3-wire-lcd-display/ | 3 Wire LCD Display | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"hd44780",
"hef4094",
"lcd",
"shiftregister",
"wiring",
"youritronics"
] | Normally driving an LCD requires seven connections to pins on the display, but by using a shift register, [Phillip Warner] at Arduino Playground was able to
drive an LCD using only 3 wires
. The method is cheaper than a serial LCD, but you’ll mainly save yourself a lot of effort and time by using it.
[Warner] used a HEF4094 chip to group the lines together and
a variable resistor to control the contrast.
A zip file with the requisite code to make this work
can be found in the post.
[via
YourITronics
]
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36936",
"author": "Pokey",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T00:57:57",
"content": "Actually this is better than using a serial LCD backpack since it has a synchronous clock. You can bit bang this as slowly and irregularly as you’d like, and don’t need to waste a UART.",
"parent_id": nu... | 1,760,377,816.29056 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/water-runner-robot/ | Water Runner Robot | Juan Aguilar | [
"News",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"biomimetic",
"biomimickry",
"CarnegieMellon",
"cmu",
"nanorobotics",
"NanoroboticsLab",
"robot",
"video",
"waalbot",
"water",
"waterrunner"
] | Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s NanoRobotics Lab have developed
a robot that is capable of running on the surface of a pool of water
. Like their wall climbing
Waalbot
, the Water Runner was inspired by the abilities of a lizard, in this case, the basilisk. The team studied the motions of the basilisk and found morphological features and aspects of the lizard’s stride that make running on water possible. Both the lizard and the robot run on water by slapping the surface to create an air cavity like the one above, then push against the water for the necessary lift and thrust. Several prototypes have been built, and there are variants with 2 or 4 legs and with on and off-board power sources. You can see a slow motion video of the robot’s movement below.
The purpose of their research is to create robots that can traverse any surface on earth and waste less energy to viscous drag than a swimming robot would. Though another of the team’s goals is to further legged robot research, the Water Runner is not without potential practical applications. It could be used to collect water samples, monitor waterways with a camera, or even deliver small packages. Download
the full abstract in PDF format
for more information.
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36932",
"author": "James",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T22:55:25",
"content": "OK, when I can get one of these in the “Pool Toys” section at toys r us?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36933",
"author": "Dean",
"timestamp": "... | 1,760,377,816.250785 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/speed-testing-the-latest-web-browsers/ | Speed Testing The Latest Web Browsers | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"firefox hacks"
] | [
"browser",
"firefox",
"iexplorer",
"lifehacker",
"opera",
"safari",
"vista",
"webbrowser"
] | With the
imminent release of Firefox 3
and
Opera 9.5 being finalized this week
, Lifehacker decided it was a
good time to run the browsers head to head
to see which was the fastest and least resource intensive. The testing system was a 2GHz 2GB Vista machine. The timing system used wasn’t directly hooked to the browser, so tests were repeated multiple times to improve accuracy. The cold start winner was Opera, but most browsers opened in about a second if they had been run recently. Safari did well loading content in multiple tabs at the same time, probably due to its short render times for JavaScript and CSS. The final test was memory usage; we’re sure many people will be happy to know that Firefox 3 RC3 only used 66% of the RAM required by the other three browsers.
permalink | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "36923",
"author": "samuel",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T22:12:02",
"content": "ok, I was alright with hack-a-day getting away from the ‘daily’ part, but this isn’t even a hack! I do like this content, but not here! submit it to slashdot and keep hack-a-day free of this kind of stuff.",... | 1,760,377,815.928742 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/magnetically-actuated-microbots/ | Magnetically Actuated Microbots | Eliot | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"CarnegieMellon",
"cmu",
"microbot",
"nanobot",
"nanosoccer",
"robot"
] | The Carnegie Mellon NanoRobotics Lab
uses external magnetic fields to precisely control their nanosoccer players
. The micro robots are just 300×300 micron specs of neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets that have been laser machined. The working volume is surrounded by five electromagnetic coils. Four coils are used for position while the fifth provides clamping force to the work surface. The bot can be operated almost anywhere as long as the surface isn’t magnetically active. Machine vision is used to watch the bot and provide feedback control. Embedded below is the robot moving across a glass slide next to a dime. It can travel at speeds up to 60 body lengths per second.
[via
BotJunkie
]
permalink | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "36915",
"author": "barry99705",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T20:58:08",
"content": "I wouldn’t really call that a robot. It’s more like a little bitty magnet being moved by other magnets. Kinda like I used to do on the kitchen table, just smaller.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth":... | 1,760,377,816.018616 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/lamp-on-ubuntu/ | LAMP On Ubuntu | Eliot | [
"News"
] | [
"apache",
"lamp",
"mysql",
"php",
"ubuntu",
"webdev",
"webdevelopment"
] | Download Squad’s [Kristin Shoemaker] has just published part 2 of their guide to web development using Linux. This time around they’re
installing Apache, MySQL, and PHP on Ubuntu Hardy Heron
. It’s a straight forward process under Ubuntu since you just need to select the few packages in Synaptic. Once installed, she shows you how to poke at Apache to verify that it’s running. They finish up by installing phpMyAdmin and the WordPress CMS.
Having a web server installed is useful for more than just development work. Many open source tools have a simple web based interface you’ll be able to access through your local web server.
permalink | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "36907",
"author": "carlsonmark",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T20:27:01",
"content": "If you are looking for the old hack-a-day style, consider changing your bookmark to:http://www.hackaday.com/category/daily/Or for the rss feed:http://www.hackaday.com/category/daily/rss.xmlAs for myself... | 1,760,377,815.885389 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/14/psp-l2r2-button-mod/ | PSP L2/R2 Button Mod | Eliot | [
"Playstation Hacks",
"PSP Hacks"
] | [
"button",
"controller",
"engadget",
"hack",
"playstation",
"ps1",
"psp",
"psx",
"sony",
"switch"
] | This is quickly becoming an unintentional “game controller Saturday”. We haven’t been covering the PSP much lately, so this is a treat. AcidMods forum member [Electro] put together a quick guide for
adding two missing shoulder buttons to the PSP
. The L2 and R2 buttons are used while playing Playstation 1 games and are usually mapped to directions on the joystick. This mod jumps the joystick’s contacts an relocates the buttons to the shoulders. The switches used in the post seem kind of bulky, but you’re free to use anything that fits.
[via
Engadget
]
permalink | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "138692",
"author": "sony portable",
"timestamp": "2010-04-28T15:10:24",
"content": "I have a video game problem. I admit it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,816.088264 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/14/x2wii-nessnesn64-to-wii-adapter/ | X2Wii, NES/SNES/N64 To Wii Adapter | Eliot | [
"Nintendo Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"controller",
"gamecube",
"multiuse",
"n64",
"nes",
"nintendo",
"nintendowii",
"snes",
"wii",
"x2wii"
] | If you poke around [
Raphaël]’s site, the creator of
today’s featured hack
, you’ll find a lot of interesting projects. X2Wii is an ongoing project to
adapt controllers from earlier console generations
so they work with the Wii’s GameCube ports. He adapted his
Multiuse tiny1
which uses an ATmega8. The code is all assembly so the microcontroller can keep up with the protocol. Definitely check out
[
Raphaël]’s
other project pages
.
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "36980",
"author": "James",
"timestamp": "2008-06-16T17:20:53",
"content": "Does the GC port work with all VC titles? I mean, it would suck to do all that work to hook up e.g. an SNES controller, then be stuck without support in your favorite SNES games…",
"parent_id": null,
... | 1,760,377,816.055506 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/14/universal-joystick-usb-interface/ | Universal Joystick USB Interface | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"atmega8",
"Atmel",
"games",
"hid",
"Joystick",
"usb"
] | Building on his
USB NES pad interface
, [
Raphaël] released a
universal USB joystick interface
. It presents a HID device with four directional buttons and eight general purpose buttons. The board uses an ATmega8 and implements USB entirely in software.
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36977",
"author": "veysel",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T17:06:51",
"content": "osman_eminem msn si hackaday veysel tarafından el konulmuÅtur",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36978",
"author": "Miles",
"timestamp": "2008-06... | 1,760,377,816.510605 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/14/exploit-me-firefox-xss-and-sql-scanning-addon/ | Exploit-Me Firefox XSS And SQL Scanning Addon | Eliot | [
"cons",
"firefox hacks"
] | [
"addon",
"crosssitescripting",
"dansinclair",
"extension",
"firefox",
"layerone",
"layerone2008",
"security",
"securitycompass",
"sql",
"sqlinjection",
"xss"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbL2ptbjoSA&hl=en&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]
One of the best tools we saw at
LayerOne
was the
Exploit-Me series
presented by [Dan Sinclair]. Security Compass created these tools to help developers easily identify cross site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection vulnerabilities.
XSS-Me is a Firefox add-on that loads in the sidebar. It identifies all the input fields on a page and iterates through a user provided
list of XSS strings
: opening new tabs and checking the results. When this process completes you get a report of what attacks got through, what didn’t, and what might have. The upcoming 0.3 version will use heuristics to determine what characters can be used and automatically skip attack strings that won’t get through.
The SQL Inject-Me works almost exactly the same way. It does require a little planning though: you need to tell it what you expect the results page to look like when an attack gets through.
The newest tool, Access-Me, surfs along with you while you’re authenticated to a website and checks whether you can see the same page unauthenticated.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36972",
"author": "~SB",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T13:54:48",
"content": "are these safe,i mean no malicious activity in the background…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36973",
"author": "Nick Fury",
"timestamp": "2008-06... | 1,760,377,816.743146 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/ultraportable-laser-graffiti/ | Ultraportable Laser Graffiti? | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks"
] | [
"grl",
"lasertagging",
"n95",
"nokia",
"nokian95",
"nuevex"
] | [Sittiphol Phanvilai]’s
multitouch screen project
was posted a couple different places today. It uses the Nokia N95 to track light pens and draws the resulting paths on the video output. We immediately saw the applications for this in
laser tagging
. Right now if you want to do laser tagging you need to haul a laptop with you in addition to the projector. With some modification to the NeuScreen software you could replace the laptop with just cellphone plugged directly into the projector.
permalink | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "36967",
"author": "rasz",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T17:09:16",
"content": "this is stupid, ordinary light pen would work 100 times better, you get raster information for free and you dont need-camera-to keep the hand out of view",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies":... | 1,760,377,816.788847 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/multiband-nixie-vu-meter/ | Multiband Nixie VU Meter | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"music",
"nixie",
"nixietube",
"nixietubes",
"tubes",
"vu",
"vumeter"
] | This
VU meter project by [Daniel Naito]
is a great piece of Russian electrocouture. It’s made up of 14 Nixie tubes that display seven frequency bands for the two audio channels. He found
this similar project
, but wanted to keep the cost low by avoiding such exotic ICs. First, the two input channels are amplified and then split using seven bandpass filters covering 60, 150, 400, 1000, 2500, 6000, and 15000Hz. Then, the AC audio is converted to DC. The final stage converts the logarithmic scale to a linear output. Besides the semirare Nixie tubes, the majority of the parts are just cheap opamps and comparators. The post is an excellent read and you can see it in action in the video below.
UPDATE:
Yep,
it’s a repost
. I’m awesome like that. The
True RMS Plasma Vu-meter
seems to be new to us though.
[thanks
meh
]
permalink | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "36963",
"author": "mav",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T05:37:18",
"content": "repost! and this is getting really lame.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36964",
"author": "andrew",
"timestamp": "2008-06-14T05:38:22",
"conte... | 1,760,377,816.547364 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/upcb-makes-your-arcade-stick-universal/ | UPCB Makes Your Arcade Stick Universal | Juan Aguilar | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"arcade",
"arcadestick",
"console",
"game",
"games",
"microcontroller",
"picmicrocontroller",
"soldering",
"streetfighter",
"upcb",
"videogame",
"xbox360",
"xbox360controller"
] | The
Universal PCB project
lets you make any controller (specifically arcade sticks) console agnostic. A PIC microcontroller is used to translate between the button presses and the signals for the specific console you’re connected to. It uses a DB15 for the external plug. The PIC knows which console you’re plugged into based on which pins are high or low in your console specific adapter cable. The board includes a piggyback plug so you can plug in an Xbox360 controller board (like the one above) since the console requires authentication. The PIC’s firmware is conveniently upgradeable over the USB cable.
permalink | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,817.08243 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/19/em-brace-for-sensing-magnetic-fields/ | EM Brace For Sensing Magnetic Fields | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"antenna",
"antennas",
"electromagneticfields",
"electromagnetism",
"elf",
"embrace",
"hertzianspace",
"sensory",
"sixthsense",
"vlf"
] | We’ve discussed the notion of
using machines to add or improve sensory input to the body
before, and we’ve found another project with the same idea. [Nick Hasty] has developed an object he calls the EM Brace, which allows the user to
sense electromagnetic fields
with a wave of the hand.
The device works by connecting two antennas to an enclosure that contains a speaker. The enclosure is intended to be worn on the back with a harness securing it in place and wrapping the arms around the wearer’s body. The antennas are incorporated into a pair of gloves. When the antennas pick up electromagnetic radiation, the speaker emits a low frequency sound waves. They vibrate the enclosure and the arms, which in turn vibrate the body, signaling to the wearer that he or she is in an electromagnetic field, also referred to as hertzian space. A good deal of detail about the project can be found on
his blog
, or if you prefer, download
his thesis paper in
(PDF).
[via
Make
]
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "37321",
"author": "zandi",
"timestamp": "2008-06-20T07:40:49",
"content": "i think i remember a surgical procedure that did something similar to this. a tiny magnet was placed in the tip of one of your fingers (such as the ring finger) and it would vibrate or move in some other fash... | 1,760,377,817.171401 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/19/eavesdropping-encrypted-compressed-voice/ | Eavesdropping Encrypted Compressed Voice | Juan Aguilar | [
"News",
"Security Hacks"
] | [
"compression",
"eavesdrop",
"eavesdropping",
"encryption",
"johnshopkins",
"johnshopkinsuniversity",
"packets",
"skype",
"variablebitrate",
"vbr",
"voip"
] | A team from Johns Hopkins University has discovered
a way to eavesdrop on encrypted voice streams
. Voice data like the kind used by Skype for its VoIP service sends encrypted packets of varying sizes for different sounds. The team learned that by simply measureing the size of the packets, they could determine what was being said with a high rate of accuracy. VoIP providers often use a variable bit rate to use bandwidth more efficiently, but it is this compression that makes audio streams vulnerable to eavesdropping.
The team’s software is still in its early stages of development, yet incapable of parsing entire conversations. It is capable, though, of finding pre-determined keywords and inferring common phrases bases on the words it detects. It also has a higher rate of accuracy in identifying long complicated words than short ones. The team’s goal was not to eavesdrop, but to expose the vulnerability; team member [Charles Wright] notes, “we hope we have caught this threat before it becomes too serious.”
[via
Schneier on Security
]
[photo:
altemark
]
permalink | 1 | 1 | [
{
"comment_id": "37320",
"author": "miked",
"timestamp": "2008-06-20T19:05:18",
"content": "i approve of this post",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
}
] | 1,760,377,816.850491 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/19/3-digit-frequency-meter/ | 3-digit Frequency Meter | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cooling",
"flow",
"flowsensor",
"frequencymeter",
"lcd",
"liquidcooled",
"liquidcooling",
"rpm",
"squarewave",
"turbokeu"
] | Flow sensors are useful tools for collecting data on the rate of liquid usage, but they need a device to display the data they collect.
This three digit frequency meter
was designed by [Turbokeu] to do just that, converting a Swissflow SF800 flow sensor’s square wave signal (similar to fan RPM signals) into an numerical expression of liters per minute on a 3 digit LCD. Fan RPM is
[Turbokeu] provides detailed schematics of different configurations for the frequency meter as well as schematics of the layouts of the two PCBs that are used. Even if you don’t have an immediate use for a frequency meter, his clean and readable schematics are worth a look in their own right. The display is installed on front of a tower case along side a CPU speed display.
[via
YourITronics
]
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "37315",
"author": "dane",
"timestamp": "2008-06-20T02:48:38",
"content": "end of paragraph 1: Fan RPM is…..otherwise, good to see some pure logic hackery",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37316",
"author": "...",
"timestam... | 1,760,377,817.046183 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/19/sparkfuns-logic-level-converter/ | SparkFun’s Logic Level Converter | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"News"
] | [
"converter",
"fairchild",
"fairchildsemiconductor",
"level",
"logic",
"mosfet",
"sparkfun",
"ttl"
] | SparkFun has always been good about designing and stocking useful breakout boards. This recently added
Logic Level Converter
is no exception. It’s uses two
BSS138
MOSFETs to shift 5V logic levels to 3.3V. The board handles two separate serial pairs. Just hook up the RX and TX on either side. Provide power at both voltages and the board will happily do the conversion. It’s $2, smaller than the size of a quarter, and perfect for plugging into a breadboard.
permalink | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "37309",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2008-06-20T02:52:19",
"content": "pardon the stupid question, but will this effectively replace a max232 chip for serial data?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37310",
"author": "digid... | 1,760,377,816.921172 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/19/opensuse-110-reviewed/ | OpenSUSE 11.0 Reviewed | Juan Aguilar | [
"News"
] | [
"downloadsquad",
"linux",
"linuxdistro",
"opensuse",
"opensuse11",
"review",
"suse",
"zypper"
] | Download squad has posted
a thorough review of OpenSUSE 11.0
. Previous versions of the Linux distro were plagued by thorny and confusing installations, but
OpenSUSE 11.0
installs much more easily and cleanly. After a few standard configuration screens, the user has several options for admin accounts, disk partitions, dual-boot setups, and more. The installation of the OS files takes about 20 minutes from there, followed by a quick reboot and first boot, making for a highly customizable yet speedy install from start to finish.
The other major problem with previous versions was the inconsistent speed of their package handling system. In 11.0, though, a new command line app called
Zypper
makes installing updates, patches, and other packages much faster.
The final verdict is that OpenSUSE 11.0 has become a viable alternative to Ubuntu; the overall quality of the open source distro was never in question, but now that speed has gone from being its biggest deficiency to being one of its biggest strengths, we expect to see a lot more chameleons in the wild.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "37302",
"author": "Dale",
"timestamp": "2008-06-20T01:51:32",
"content": "I actually bought SuSE 7.2 and 8.0 Pro back when Futureshop (Canadian Best Buy) used to sell it. I really liked the distro back then, but had such a hard time with RPM hell that I eventually moved to Gentoo a... | 1,760,377,817.214692 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/19/the-last-hope-full-speaker-list-released/ | The Last HOPE Full Speaker List Released | Eliot | [
"cons"
] | [
"con",
"conference",
"security",
"speaker",
"thelasthope"
] | The Last HOPE has just released a
list of all the schedule talks
at the conference. 97 different talks will be divided over three tracks during the course of the three day conference. It looks like a lot of interesting events will be going down. The
Cold Boot encryption attack
tools will be released. Representatives from
Graffiti Research Lab
will be showing The Complete First Season and unveiling their One Laser Tag Per Child system. Virgil Griffith from
WikiScanner
will be mining even deeper into the
wretched hive of scum and villainy
. Karsten Nohl will present why hardware obfuscation is an impossibility and how they
defeated the MiFare crypto
.
The Last HOPE
will be in New York City July 18-20, 2008
permalink | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,817.126218 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/19/wii-menu-33-already-circumvented/ | Wii Menu 3.3 Already Circumvented | Juan Aguilar | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"hackmii",
"nintendo",
"nintendowii",
"twilighthack",
"twilighthackwii",
"twilightprincess",
"wii"
] | Well, that didn’t take long. Three days after the release of the Wii Menu 3.3 update (which prevents homebrew loading on the Wii by
killing a special hack
),
the update has been circumvented
. The update targeted the ubiquitous
Twilight Hack
, which allows homebrew software to be loaded from the Wii’s SD card slot by using a special game save. The team at HackMii were quick to disassemble, analyze, and scoff at the update, with member [bushing] quipping “we are not impressed.” The team found bug exploits for new code in the the update that cause it to ignore the Twilight Hack. They have yet to release the fix to the public, but its likely that they’ll do so at least as fast as they developed it.
[via
Wii Fanboy
]
[photo:
cibomahto
]
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "37299",
"author": "MCWHAMMER",
"timestamp": "2008-06-20T04:43:54",
"content": "Why not capitalize words? Bad experience with your English teacher or something?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37300",
"author": "Andrew",
... | 1,760,377,817.273142 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/camera-lightning-capture/ | Camera Lightning Capture | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"30d",
"canon",
"canon30d",
"dslr",
"lightning",
"photo",
"photography",
"trigger"
] | The people at [Hobby Robotics] decided to build a
trigger circuit for lightning photography
. There are
more complex ways
to do this, but they just used a photo transistor and an Arduino. The Arduino watches the photo transistor’s value and compares it to the previously captured one. If the difference is above a certain threshold, it means a rapid change in the amount of light has occurred, which triggers the shutter. An earlier post covered how to
directly control the Canon 30d
using an Arduino. All of this works because the shutter lag and code execution together are less than lighting’s 100ms duration.
permalink | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "36778",
"author": "Hal Hockersmith",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T08:41:32",
"content": "Yes Yes. a proper hardware hack. Elliot good to have you back.Man where was this a year ago. There were a bunch of us lonely retards sitting on a dock in Florida trying to capture lightning manually... | 1,760,377,817.314464 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/robogames-2008-this-weekend/ | RoboGames 2008 This Weekend | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks",
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"battlebot",
"combat",
"combatrobot",
"io9",
"robogames",
"robot"
] | The fifth annual
RoboGames
is happening this weekend in San Francisco. RoboGames is a broad reaching competition designed to bring together specialists in all areas of robotics. Last year’s event had 800 entries in 62 different events. The biggest audience draw is definitely the combat robots shown in the video above, but there are other skill and task based competitions. If you’re in the area, this is definitely worth your time. Check out
ROBOT magazine’s coverage from last year
to get an idea of what you’ll see (or in our case miss).
[thanks
io9
]
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36773",
"author": "TheKhakinator",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T05:23:29",
"content": "I think it was one of the other competitions, but I saw a combat robots series where the teams were allowed to surrender. This was RIDICULOUS. Now I know that such projects take an immense amount of t... | 1,760,377,817.501661 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/web-based-bittorrent-support/ | Web Based Bittorrent Support | Juan Aguilar | [
"iphone hacks",
"News"
] | [
"bittorrent",
"iphone",
"mininova",
"playstation3",
"ps3",
"torrentfreak",
"torrentrelay",
"torrents"
] | We recently came across a new bittorrent service called
Torrent Relay
that features an innovative yet simple function: it allows you to
download torrents to web-enabled devices
like the PlayStation 3 and iPhone. Torrent Relay works by having the user surf to their site using the web-enabled device and upload a local copy or enter the url of a torrent file. The file is downloaded as normal, only all the work happens on Torrent Relay servers. It works especially well with
Mininova
, using torrent IDs from the site instead of the torrent’s URL. Once Torrent Relay has the completed file it sends it to the web-enabled device. It is not without a few kinks, however, as it only seems to be able to download a single file from a torrent whether or not it contains more than one, and it has a size cap of 400MB for that file. That limit means you’re probably just going to be watching television and not grabbing ISOs, albums, or movies. Far from perfect, but how else are you supposed to watch
Battlestar Gallactica on your iPhone
?
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "36761",
"author": "jonouk",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T03:12:39",
"content": "oh dear. Here we go again.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36762",
"author": "dj1298",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T03:38:09",
"content": "no ha... | 1,760,377,817.544453 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/hubless-inline-skateboard/ | Hubless Inline Skateboard | Juan Aguilar | [
"News",
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"360",
"bushpig",
"personaltransportation",
"personaltransporters",
"segway",
"wheels"
] | We’ve been talking a lot about
alternate modes of transportation
lately. The
360 inline skateboard
immediately caught our eye for its simplicity and hubless wheel design. The usage seems fairly straightforward, but the videos posted by designer [Francesco Sommacal] don’t make it look exceptionally fun; more like they’re daring you to use the thing. What we find most jarring about this is how similar it is to the
Bushpig
. Did the commercial gas powered version really predate this unpowered device?
The design is simple enough to understand, but we’re not really sure where you can easily source hubless wheels like this. Any ideas?
[via
Gizmodo
]
permalink | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "36747",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T03:33:07",
"content": "Juan Aguilar, i think we have made it clear in responses to previous posts that we don’t want HaD to become another engadger/gizmodo/news portal please stop it.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
... | 1,760,377,817.45682 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/hexapod-cnc-bot/ | Hexapod CNC Bot | Eliot | [
"cnc hacks",
"Uncategorized"
] | [] | With all the 8 legged beasts
lumbering about
and
hosting sausage fests
, it’s nice to see the robots with 6 legs actually being productive. [Matt Denton]’s
hexapod robot CNC router
is quite an impressive piece of machinery. The
B.F. Hexapod
was built using Hitech’s HSR-5995TG which are much higher torque than similar sized units. Each foot is ball joint mounted to ease
terrain adaptation
. Only recently has [Matt] started playing with CNC. First, he did a pen plotter proof of concept. Now The bot can mill 3D surfaces in polystyrene. It’s still a little course and will probably always be a bit imprecise since it’s not bolted down. He’s also still planning to convert it from standard 1/8inch bits to 3mm router bits. We’d love to see this bot working away at an intricate bas-relief. Having no fixed work envelope really opens up the possibilities for machines like this and
Hektor
. Video and final product are embedded below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quN37YskoaM&hl=en&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]
[via
Gizmodo
] | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "36733",
"author": "garrett",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T01:50:11",
"content": "Fantastic…I can imagine very large CNC artwork being done by a swarm of these bots. They could even drill locator holes into the surface and have expanding fasteners on their feet to temporarily bolt to a s... | 1,760,377,817.664786 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/data-recovery-tools/ | Data Recovery Tools | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"datarecovery",
"deleted",
"filerecovery",
"forensics",
"harddrive",
"lifehacker",
"recovery"
] | In your zeal to
delete your data
, you may have accidentally deleted files that you wanted to keep.
Lifehacker has posted this handy list of data recovery tools
to help you get those files back.
As you may know, whenever you delete a file, the only thing that changes is the file system. The data of the deleted file is still on the hard drive, but the file system sees the space containing the file as “blank” writable space. Data recovery software typically looks into the directory where the file was stored and scans it, finding any files not listed in the file system.
The program you choose for this task will not only be determined by your OS, but also by the specifics of your recovery needs. Do you need to recover a single file? Many files? A whole hard drive? An unbootable drive? A really scratched optical disk? Specialized tools for all of these needs are available, and this article will help you find the right program for yours.
permalink | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "36724",
"author": "tiuk",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T00:56:02",
"content": "hack?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36725",
"author": "mr.propre",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T01:36:46",
"content": "I keep it @ TestDisk.http... | 1,760,377,817.938326 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/guitar-hero-actuator/ | Guitar Hero Actuator | Eliot | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"autoguitarhero",
"controller",
"guitar",
"guitarhero",
"make",
"solenoid"
] | Another day, another EE that refuses to play Guitar Hero properly. [Julian Bleecker] went into the design of this
Guitar Hero actuator
not really knowing how to size solenoids properly. Luckily, trial and error can get you a long way. The first solenoids he purchased couldn’t apply enough force. The second was overkill. It was certainly strong enough but too heavy and too large to mount to the neck. The final set ended up being both the right size and working well even at 12V, half the design voltage. The elegant mounting system is what really makes this project shine. [Julian] provides the schematic for the ATmega168 driver board, which is an Arduino stripped of the extraneous bits.
Related:
Slashbot
and
AutoGuitarHero
[via
Make
] | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36719",
"author": "Mike",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T23:18:37",
"content": "So are we going to have guitar hero tournaments with humans versus robots? just like the old chess tournaments with humans versus computers.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{... | 1,760,377,817.704172 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/17/hacking-sleep-part-deux/ | Hacking Sleep Part Deux | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"chronotypes",
"napping",
"polyphasic",
"polyphasicsleep",
"sleep"
] | The Boston Globe recently posted
some tips to help you get the most from your naps
. The information comes in the form of a chart with numerous facts about naps, including the timeline of events in a typical nap, information about chronotypes, and ideas on how to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep. Since
our post on polyphasic sleep
, we’ve been interested in sleep techniques that essentially trick the body into feeling as rested as possible (the crudest form of biohacking, in our opinion). Many of these techniques are certainly applicable to polyphasic sleep, but one of the most interesting concepts, chronotypes, is not. Chronotypes are simply profiles of sleep habits that denote the times a person’s body is more readily disposed to fall asleep; since polyphasic sleep requires practitioners to sleep several times a day, it is always in conflict with the person’s chronotype at some point in the day. Nonetheless, the chart should help you stay alive if you ever have
several back-to-back intercontinental flights
.
[via
Lifehacker
]
permalink | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "37134",
"author": "jeremiah",
"timestamp": "2008-06-18T01:17:53",
"content": "if only narcolepsy weren’t a problem for me. REM sleep in 3 minutes. Which means all naps produce a crap ton of sleep inertia. Naps for narcoleptics are the enemy, unless you’re trying to get fired or d... | 1,760,377,818.148222 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/17/iphone-used-to-control-squad-of-uavs/ | IPhone Used To Control Squad Of UAVs | Juan Aguilar | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"c3uv",
"googlemaps",
"iphone",
"remotecontrol",
"uav",
"unmannedaerialvehicle"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRcld5aAN2E&hl=en]
Building UAVs
is only half the work involved in making them fly; the other half is a control system. The Center for Collaborative Control of Unmanned Vehicles (C3UV) from the University of Califorina, Berkeley has devised a way to
control a squad of RC airplanes with an iPhone
. The system works by submitting commands and coordinates to a web site via the iPhone’s web browser. The site then sends the commands to the team of drones, which carry out the orders. The drones are outfitted with cameras and a tracking device, which allows them to be monitored on the ground using Google Maps.
The iPhone Terms of Service specifically prohibits it being used to drive remote vehicles, but that shouldn’t really pose a problem: since the orders are deployed via the iPhone’s web browser, they could technically be given by any web-enabled device. Before anyone cries foul, though, bear in mind that the idea is to issue orders from the field, and the iPhone is perhaps the most high-profile mobile web device on the market, which maximizes the project’s exposure. Still, we can’t help but think that they’d have gotten more media attention if they had used a
hacked Kindle
instead.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "37127",
"author": "David",
"timestamp": "2008-06-17T22:38:45",
"content": "Side note: Google Maps also forbids use in connection with autonomous vehicles of any kind.http://maps.google.com/help/terms_maps.html",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,377,817.976952 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/17/boxee-social-media-center-public-alpha/ | Boxee Social Media Center Public Alpha | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"alpha",
"apple",
"boxee",
"frontrow",
"hometheater",
"hometheaterpc",
"leopard",
"mediacenter",
"osxbmc",
"xbmc"
] | Boxee
is the latest piece of software to enter the home theater PC space. It’s recently become available as a public alpha. The first build is only for OSX 10.5, but Ubuntu is coming. Built on the
XBMC
code base-they even hosted the
XBMC developer con
last weekend-it has the same goal of letting you navigate and watch/listen to all of your media from your using just a remote. There’s more than just that though.
What Boxee adds is a social layer. In the application, it shows your friends’ viewing activities. You can add account info for various video services to get to your saved playlists and subscriptions. You can download podcasts and send your listening habits to
Last.FM
.
Your online profile can be hooked to Twitter, FriendFeed, and tumblr, which can publish your recommendations, what you’re watching, what you’re listening to, and what you’re rating.
It’s only alpha so you can expect some quirkiness, and no user guide makes it an adventure. We love the look of the interface. Unfortunately all the dynamic resizing, animated, sliding, floating info boxes make it behave like the
zooming user interface
‘s retarded cousin.
What about the
OSXBMC
port
we covered last month
? The developers have
decided to fork the code
and develop it independently from the Linux port. It will still be nearly in sync with the Linux port, but they’ll have the freedom to removes things that are broken or unnecessary.
In any case, it’s great to have two fine media center replacements for Apple’s Front Row.
permalink | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "37123",
"author": "Brian",
"timestamp": "2008-06-17T20:45:11",
"content": "Where do I solder?Does it use a 555 timer, or will it let my friends know how much reality tv I watch some other way?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "371... | 1,760,377,817.820751 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/17/servo-focus-and-aim-your-telescope/ | Servo Focus And Aim Your Telescope | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [] | The idea of using servos to aim a telescope isn’t new, but [John]’s
build
looks so much like a prop from
Johnny Mnemomic
that we can’t resist posting it. The goal isn’t so much remote control as it is usability. He added a webcam and a pair of servos to help him fine focus and adjust the elevation of the scope to minimize vibration during those sensitive operations.
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "37113",
"author": "chris",
"timestamp": "2008-06-17T17:47:14",
"content": "Was this made by someone living in the poorest area of India? It’s the biggest piece of crap telescope I’ve ever seen.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "37... | 1,760,377,818.096624 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/17/get-firefox-3-early/ | Get Firefox 3 Early | Eliot | [
"firefox hacks",
"News"
] | [
"download",
"downloadday",
"firefox",
"firefox3",
"guinness",
"guinnessbookofworldrecords",
"mozilla",
"mozillafirefox",
"webbrowser"
] | It’s five hours till the official release of Firefox 3. We know your hands are sweating in anticipation, waiting to click that download link and contribute to
the greatest World Record known to man
… What? You don’t want your browser to have all the
notoriety afforded to fat twins
? Well then, let’s just go grab the file now since they’re already on the mirrors.
First, pick out a mirror from the
official list
. Navigate to the the directory of the Firefox 3.0 release: /pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/3.0/ You’ll be greeted by a message that says, “We’re not quite ready yet!” and that “Downloading them directly can harm our ability to distribute Firefox efficiently.” Also, you won’t be in the world record count. Think about that, jerk. All releases are named using a consistent pattern. Looking at an earlier release you can determine that the Mac version of 3.0 will be named: Firefox 3.0.dmg Add on the OS and language directories and it will look like this: /pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/3.0/mac/en-US/Firefox%203.0.dmg
You can find out more about the new release by reading
Dria’s Field Guide to Firefox 3
. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "37099",
"author": "Andy",
"timestamp": "2008-06-17T15:29:33",
"content": "Wow, this is a great version. Still has the Firefox charm, but kinda, kicked up a notch! It does load pages faster than previous versions. Very nice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
... | 1,760,377,818.047949 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/17/la-siggraph-maker-night/ | LA SIGGRAPH Maker Night | Eliot | [
"cons"
] | [
"boinbboing",
"broncotable",
"circuitbending",
"circuitbent",
"make",
"makernight",
"markfrauenfelder",
"siggraph",
"univac"
] | We coaxed our friends at
Mahalo Daily
into coming along with us to LA SIGGRAPH’s Maker Night. There were a handful of interesting projects there. [Univac] was showing a circuit bent Teletubby and his
CellularRecombomat
. [Brett Doar] brought his
Bronco Table
. Tired of engineers building items that made life easier, he decided to make something that made life more difficult. The table uses a piezo to detect the sound of something being set on top. It then starts twitching and bucking to shake the item free. The motors look like they’re salvaged window motors. Finally, we talked to [
Mark Frauenfelder
] from
BoingBoing
/
Make
about how he got into the DIY culture.
permalink | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,818.280983 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/17/wii-upgrade-breaks-twilight-hack/ | Wii Upgrade Breaks Twilight Hack | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"firmware",
"homebrew",
"nintendo",
"nintendowii",
"twilighthack",
"upgrade",
"wii"
] | Nintendo’s latest menu upgrade for the Wii, version 3.3, has broken the long standing
Twilight Hack
. In the past, you could load a hacked Twilight Princess save game to execute arbitrary code. After the upgrade,
the Wii now deletes the hacked save game
. The
Homebrew Channel
seems to have remained intact. So, if you’ve already added it and you upgrade, you should be fine. There’s no telling how long before homebrew code will be completely locked out though.
[photo:
cibomahto
]
permalink | 9 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "37093",
"author": "The Jake",
"timestamp": "2008-06-17T13:51:58",
"content": "A very small article for a very big news update. Fails to mention that this update bricks some wiis running the homebrew channel (very small chance), and that this update also deletes illegitimate virtual ... | 1,760,377,818.199052 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/the-best-of-2600/ | The Best Of 2600 | Eliot | [
"cons",
"News"
] | [
"2600",
"bestof2600",
"emmanuelgoldstein",
"hacking",
"hope",
"phonephreaking",
"phonephreaks",
"redbox"
] | 2600 editor [Emmanuel Goldstein], has decided to publish
The Best of 2600
. It features some of the best essays on lockpicking, phone phreaking, social engineering, and other topics that the hacker quarterly had to offer.
Founded in 1984, 2600 was one of the major catalysts that got the modern hacker scene going. They published controversial articles on topics like
red boxing
and spawned monthly meetings. This firsthand account of the development of hacker culture will be
released in July at The Last HOPE in New York
.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36835",
"author": "fentanyl3",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T02:07:19",
"content": "Juan Aguilar, you have done it for me, even after dozens of complaints, you continue to post bull to the site, which has prompted me to edit my igoogle page, and henceforth removing hack-a-day from it, I ... | 1,760,377,818.241482 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/malware-alters-dns-data-on-routers/ | Malware Alters DNS Data On Routers | Juan Aguilar | [
"News"
] | [
"dankaminsky",
"default",
"defaultpassword",
"dns",
"dnsattack",
"dnschanger",
"dnsrebinding",
"router",
"trojan",
"trojanhorse",
"zlob"
] | The Zlob trojan, also known as DNSChanger, has been around for a few years, but
recent Zlob variants
to appear in the wild attempt to log into routers using a list of default admin/password combos. If they succeed, they alter the DNS records on the router to reroute traffic through the attacker’s server.
Our friend [Dan Kaminisky] recently did a presentation warning against
vulnerabilities in internet browser plugins
that allow attackers to mount DNS rebinding attacks against routers with default passwords.. Though it achieves the same end, Zlob is different because it infects by the tried-and-true method of fooling users into downloading it inside a fake video codec. Once it is running on a client machine, it is free to attempt to use the default admin id and password of the router to log in and alter DNS settings. It even supports the
DD-WRT firmware
.
Even if a system is wiped clean of Zlob trojans, the router could still be compromised. The good news is that it is easy to fix and even easier to prevent. Fixing it takes no more than wiping all network clients clean, then resetting the router and restoring custom settings. Prevention is a simple matter of changing the router’s password.
[photo:
fbz
]
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36829",
"author": "James",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T23:18:04",
"content": "What about *detection*? How do we know if our router has been compromised?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36830",
"author": "monster",
"timesta... | 1,760,377,818.319621 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/stabilized-video-collages/ | Stabilized Video Collages | Eliot | [
"digital cameras hacks"
] | [
"collage",
"flickr",
"stabilized",
"video",
"waxy",
"zapruder"
] | This is some beautiful work. The clip features
multiple video streams stabilized
and then assembled into a whole. First, [ibftp] used the “Stabilize” feature in
Motion 3
(part of Apple’s Final Cut Studio 2) to remove the camera shake from the clips. Then he was able to blend the videos with “fusion” set to “multiplication”. If you’ve got access to the tools, this shouldn’t be too hard to do yourself. We’re certain someone in
SIGGRAPH
is already attempting to do the same thing live. If you want to see image stabilization really making a difference, have a look at the stabilized version of the Zapruder film embedded below.
[via
Waxy
]
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "36826",
"author": "Viaken",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T00:38:59",
"content": "I’m sure there’s a way you could throw the frames at something like autopano(-sift) and get the lens distortion removed, but I kinda dig the effect.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []... | 1,760,377,818.569956 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/led-lightbar-controller/ | LED Lightbar Controller | Juan Aguilar | [
"LED Hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"controller",
"led",
"lightbar",
"lightstrip",
"lm386amp",
"opamp",
"sparkfun"
] | [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ihIaNN9UBY&hl=en]
[Adam Grieg] recently posted this video of his
LED lightbar controller at work making a strip of LEDs flash
to the beat of his music. The controller does it by picking up the music via an electret microphone, then amplifying it with an LM386 Amp. The ATtiny13 microcontroller keeps track of the noise level and makes the LED array flash whenever it senses a peak.
In addition to the parts listed, [Grieg] used a small SparkFun box as the enclosure for the controller. If you’re considering trying your hand at this project, check out
[Grieg]’s schematics and code
. It’s relatively cheap to make, so it wouldn’t be that hard to rig up several of these set to flash at different frequencies.
[via
SparkFun
]
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "36825",
"author": "Urza",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T07:50:48",
"content": "Radiohead used something like this at a recent concert outside Washington DC. Problem is, the things weren’t synced to the music right. Not sure if it was delay from routing through the computers and everythin... | 1,760,377,818.878589 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/how-to-make-an-rgb-combination-door-lock-part-1/ | How-To: Make An RGB Combination Door Lock (Part 1) | Adam Harris | [
"classic hacks",
"Featured",
"home hacks",
"how-to",
"LED Hacks"
] | [
"door",
"entry",
"feature",
"howto",
"keypad",
"project",
"rgb",
"security"
] | Part 2 can be found here
Putting a custom designed electronic lock on your space seems like a geek right of passage. For our latest workspace, we decided to skip the boring numbered keypad and build a custom RGB backlit keypad powered by an Arduino. Instead of typing in numbers, your password is a unique set of colors. In today’s How-To, we’ll show you how to build your own and give you the code to make it all work.
The basic design for the RGB keypad came from [JMG]’s
Arduino based Monome clone
. He used an Arduino, and multiplexed RGB LEDs with some digital potentiometers to create a color mixing keypad. Since we couldn’t fit the complete 4×4 keypad into a standard 2 gang wall box, we chopped the design down to a 2×4 matrix. This cuts down significantly on the cost to build the keypad and makes the code that much easier to digest.
To build your own RGB keypad, you’ll need the following:
An electric door strike (
Smarthome.com
)
A locking door handle (Any hardware store)
An Arduino or compatible clone (
Sparkfun
,
adafruit
and others)
1 TIP120 transistor
1 1N4001 diode
10 1N4148 diodes
4 2n2222 transistors
1 Monome style keypad (
Sparkfun Electronics
)
1 Keypad PC board (
Sparkfun Electronics
)
8 RGB LEDs (
Sparkfun Electronics
)
1 7805 voltage regulator
4 100 ohm resistors
2 150 ohm resistors
8 1 kohm resistors
To reliably lock and unlock the door, we ordered an electric door strike. We scored this one as an open box item from
Smarthome.com
. It’s a 12 Volt DC unit designed just for Schlage commercial door locks. The edge of the strike is slightly recessed from the mounting plate, so it might not work with certain locks. It features a thinner body than the non-recessed version, which will allow us to cut a smaller but deeper hole in the door frame. Without power, the strike stays locked, keeping the locking door shut. When 12 volts is applied to the coil, the strike releases, allowing the door to be pulled open. For the prototype build, you don’t have to purchase a strike just yet; you can use a LED and a resistor to indicate the door lock state for testing your code.
The keypad is actually built from two separate circuits that physically overlap. The input circuit is a simple keypad matrix. To read each button push, the Arduino brings one keypad input line high and checks the voltage of the four output lines in order. The diodes on the PC board prevent feedback across the rows and columns.
The RGB LEDs are lit via a completely separate set of circuits. Each row of like colored LEDs is brightness controlled by a digital potentiometer. The digital pot works just like a normal pot, but it’s digitally controlled by the Arduino. Meanwhile, each column of LEDs is activated by a separate transistor. By quickly changing the resistance and stepping through the columns, each LED will appear to be individually controlled.
The door strike circuit is pretty simple. Since it contains a coil, we’ll treat it like the coil of a stepper motor and use a TIP120 transistor to supply the power. When power is removed from a coil, the collapsing magnetic field creates a current within the coil. To keep the TIP120 from burning out, we’ll add a diode to handle the surge created by the field breakdown.
update: [Triffid] pointed out that the diode is better placed in parallel with the coil to handle the transient surge. He’s correct, but the circuit here has operated perfectly for several months, so you’ll be fine either way.
The traces for the buttons looked a bit challenging to etch at home, so we ordered this PC board that Sparkfun produces for their keypads. Sparkfun helpfully provides the layout for these keys in their eagle library, so you can make your own PCB if you prefer. For reliability, you’ll probably want to have it commercially produced. The board wasn’t really designed to break apart, but after a review of the traces and vias we decided that we could get away with trimming a couple of rows from the board.
We carefully split the board down the middle with a band saw. If you look closely, you can see where some of the vias were actually cut in half. (A paper cutter might work in a pinch) Don’t forget to put on a mask to keep the dust out of your lungs.
Cutting the button pad is much easier. The pads have pre-scored lines that just need a quick swipe of a sharp knife or scissors to separate them.
The new shorter PCB only needs a few parts: some 1N4148 diodes and the RGB LEDs. The silkscreen on the board indicates the direction and position of diodes and LEDs.
Once you solder on the 1n4148 diodes, cut them as close to the PC board as you can. Flat head cutters like these work extremely well. The keypad will sit on this side of the board and we want to make sure that it can sit as flat as possible.
Install the LEDs in the orientation indicated by the silk screen. Carefully push them down into the board until they’re inserted just like this. If you let them stick up too high, they’ll interfere with the keypad buttons being pushed.
Once you’ve soldered all the LEDs in place, clip them flush as well. Then you’ll need to add some cable to jumper from the keypad to the interface board we’ll build. We used some old CAT-5 wiring. Since each axis of the board has eight pins, it’s perfect for the application.
Each RGB LED has three LEDs inside the package. They share a common terminal and have a single separate lead coming out. Because they have different characteristics – that is brightness, current and voltage requirements, we spent some time testing out various combinations. We even murdered a couple of innocent $2 LEDs just for you. Hey, the other two colors are still usable…
After some experimentation, we managed to find the right combination to create some fairly white light. The requirements will vary between manufacturers, but for the Sparkfun LEDs we found that a pair of 100 ohm resistors and a single 150 ohm resistor blended the red, green and blue fairly well.
The color combination was hard on the eyes until we put the keypad over the LED to double check our findings. In real life, you can see some blending lines from the offset of each LED, but it still looks great.
The circuit has plenty of components, but it’s pretty easy to build. We’ll break everything up by section to keep things easy. You can download the all of the schematics, Eagle project files, and code for the Arduino
here
.
The digital pot has six outputs. Each of these will power a row of red, green or blue LEDs, via a color matching resistor. The digital potentiometer wiring comes directly from
this how-to
. You can read it if you need more information, or use our quick version:
Connect AD5206 pins 3, 6, 10, 13, 16, 21 and 24 to 5v.
Connect pins 1, 4, 9, 12, 15, 18, 19, and 22 to ground.
Connect pot pin 5 to Arduino pin 10
Connect pot pin 7 to Arduino pin 11
Connect pot pin 8 to Arduino pin 13
Grab four 100 ohm resistors and two 150 ohm resistors. Place them in the breadboard in a row with each end in a separate bus. (Across the center of the board is easiest) Connect the six LED leads from the keypad to one end of each resistor – reds get the 150’s and blue and green into the 100’s. Here’s the connection order we used.
RED3 to a 150 ohm resistor to pot pin 14
GREEN3 to a 100 ohm resistor to pot pin 11
BLUE3 to a 100 ohm resistor to pot pin 2
RED4 to a 150 ohm resistor to pot pin 23
GREEN4 to a 100 ohm resistor to pot pin 20
BLUE4 to a 100 ohm resistor to pot pin 17
To ground the LED busses, we’ll be using four 2N2222 transistors. The Arduino will trigger each transistor individually through a 1Kohm resistor. The collector of each transistor connects to a ground line from the keypad. The emitter of each transistor is connected to the ground. The four transistor select lines connect to Arduino pins 0, 1, 2, and 3. Yes, they’re marked Analog in, but it doesn’t matter.
The keypad switch matrix is connected in four columns and two rows. Each of the four columns gets a pull-down resistor. We used 1Kohm resistors for R11, R12, R13, and R14; one lead connects to the columns and the other is grounded.
Arduino pins 2 and 3 should connect to the two ungrounded lines, which are marked SWITCH3 and SWITCH4 on the PC board (5 and 6 on the schematic).
Arduino pins 6, 7, 8, and 9 should connect to the four output lines marked SWT-GND1, SWT-GND2, SWT-GND3, and SWT-GND4 (1-4 on the schematic).
The final version of the board takes a 12VDC input to drive the door lock. We added a 7805 to drop the 12V down to 5V for the Arduino. You don’t need it for the prototype version unless you want to test the striker. The Arduino has an on-board regulator, but 7805’s are cheap and it helps reduce the load on the Arduino’s built in regulator. For code development, we just connected an LED with a resistor to the output line that will control the door lock.
With everything wired in the prototyping board, it’s time to test things out. With any luck, you’ll soon be rewarded by the pulsing, glowing sight of several RGB LEDs under your tender digits.
Programming the Arduino is a snap. Just download the software for your OS
here
. Now follow the
Getting Started guide
to get the Arduino software talking to the Arduino board. Once you’ve enjoyed the blinking LED demo, come back here and get your keypad rolling.
Once you’ve set up and tested your Arduino, it’s time to test out your prototype. Download the button_test code from
here
. Paste it into a new sketch and upload it to the Arduino. Click the serial console button and you should start seeing dots accumulating in the window. If you press a button on the pad, the Arduino should print a message to the console and toggle the lock output state.
Once your buttons are tested, you’ll probably want to try out your LEDs. Grab the RGB_light_fade routine from the
same page
and upload it to your Arduino. You should get treated to a nice little light show. This is our favorite demo because it really shows off the color mixing capabilities of the digital potentiometer.
With your LEDs and buttons working, you can grab the row_entry_pad_meffect lock code from the same place and upload it. Now the keypad should start flashing blue buttons while it’s idle. On key presses, the keys will change colors. By entering the correct color code, the pad will flash green and unlock the door for 10 seconds. If you go over the limit counter, it will flash red for 30 seconds.
Next time we’ll show you how to make the permanent version of the keypad, walk through the code for the Arduino, make the PC board, cut a custom wall plate, and install the lock strike. | 70 | 50 | [
{
"comment_id": "36801",
"author": "brad",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T18:43:58",
"content": "regarding the keypad, are the button colors randomized after each key press? How hard would that be to do? The code would be the same everytime, but the combination of buttons pressed would be different. Wo... | 1,760,377,820.763717 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/accelerometer-mouse-from-scratch/ | Accelerometer Mouse From Scratch | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks",
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"bluetooth",
"diy",
"engineering",
"india"
] | [Mahavir] sent in
his group’s final project
for the College of Engineering in Pune (
it’s over here
). They built an accelerometer based Bluetooth mouse. They ended up creating a mouse that maps rotational movements to x/y motion. From the video movement, it strikes us as responding the same way that touch pointer mice do. You can hit the demo video after the break or get more details from the project page. Even if you’re not into the mouse idea, you can probably learn something from their Bluetooth implementation.
permalink | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "36796",
"author": "jonouk",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T16:14:58",
"content": "That’s their final year group project? Wow, and i thought mine lacked technicality.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36797",
"author": "alx",
"ti... | 1,760,377,820.604945 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/eagle-5-overview/ | Eagle 5 Overview | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"cadsoft",
"cadsofteagle",
"diylife",
"eagle",
"eagle3d",
"ianlesnet",
"layout",
"pcb"
] | Not sure how we missed this when it was originally published, but our friend
[Ian Lesnet] at DIY Life posted an overview
of Cadsoft’s new release
Eagle 5
. This upgrade seems to be all usability tweaks-it really took 5 versions before you could right click? They also made CTRL+Z undo. Really.
Eagle3D
works nearly the same as before, but has a few changes to help you figure out why certain parts aren’t rendering. We’re happy to see the OSX version is now Universal and no longer needs X11.
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "36784",
"author": "alex",
"timestamp": "2008-06-12T06:54:27",
"content": "I’ve tried many different EDA packages–almost all of the ones on the market, although I haven’t had much time with several. My personal favorite is Altium Designer DXP.Pros:* Does almost all aspects of the ele... | 1,760,377,820.856075 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/nokia-1100-lcd-pic-controller-interface/ | Nokia 1100 LCD PIC Controller Interface | Will O'Brien | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"1100",
"diy",
"lcd",
"mictrocontroller",
"nokia",
"nokia1100",
"pic"
] | Nokia LCDs have been a popular choice for hardware projects for quite a while. [Ramandeep] published a how-to on
interfacing the 1100 series LCD with a PIC controller
. The 1100 features easily soldered contacts and a backlight, making it an good choice for adding an LCD to your project.
permalink | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "36902",
"author": "twistedsymphony",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T16:28:44",
"content": "That’s pretty sweet…Though I would LOVE to see a hack on how to interface a Composite video signal to a PIC or ATMEL… I have a whole pile of PSX and portable DVD screens with nothing good to do with... | 1,760,377,820.506227 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/13/making-music-with-the-eee-pc/ | Making Music With The Eee PC | Eliot | [
"Netbook Hacks",
"Portable Audio Hacks"
] | [
"Asus",
"asuseee",
"Asuseeepc",
"cdm",
"createdigitalmusic",
"eee",
"EeePc",
"supercollider"
] | Create Digital Music has been watching the Asus Eee PC closely. The laptop’s portable nature and low price-cheaper than a turntable-have made them desirable to both producers and performers.
CDM has collected links
to many people that are figuring out how to leverage the lightweight rig. [Dan Stowell] put together a
tutorial for SuperCollider
, the
real time audio synthesis engine
. The machine is good for simple text based tracker software too. On the Windows side, a lot of software, like
Guitar Rig
, can be enabled with just a little display driver hacking. This really makes us wonder when we’ll see the first Eee PC keytar mod.
permalink | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "36895",
"author": "sarsface",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T08:41:49",
"content": "I personally use my EeePC for recording and live MIDI processing/monitoring, and any more exposure to it’s capabilities is great. One thing I would like to see is some sort of serial MIDI controller built ... | 1,760,377,820.554694 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/efix-boots-leopard-retail-dvds-on-generic-hardware/ | EFiX Boots Leopard Retail DVDs On Generic Hardware | Eliot | [
"computer hacks",
"Mac Hacks"
] | [
"efix",
"leopard",
"mac",
"OsX",
"osx86",
"pc",
"psystar"
] | On June 23rd, EFiX is planning on releasing a USB dongle that will
let any PC boot and install OSX
from a retail DVD. The commercial device is supposed to take care of all patching and other woes OSX86 enthusiasts have had to deal with. Very little information is provided other than a statement that the development process took a lot of time and that they overcame “sabotage”… so, it’s got that going for it. Major OSX86 contributor (and
Psystar hater
) [Netkas]
received a device to test
and was pleased with the results. We’re just going to wait and see what happens. Not that it matters; they have no plans of releasing it in the US.
[via
InsanelyMac
]
[photo:
Mario Seekr
]
permalink | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "36888",
"author": "Firefox",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T12:07:41",
"content": "I’d love to try that on my laptop!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36889",
"author": "Roboarmy",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T16:36:29",
"conte... | 1,760,377,820.806262 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/singing-tesla-coils/ | Singing Tesla Coils | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"arcattack",
"edward",
"music",
"sound",
"tesla",
"teslacoil",
"video"
] | The video above is
ArcAttack!
playing the classic “
Popcorn
” through their signature Tesla coils. Solid state Tesla coils (SSTC) can generate sound using what
[Ed Ward] calls pulse repetition frequency (PRF) modulation
. The heat generated by the plasma flame causes rapid expansion of the surrounding air and a resulting soundwave. An SSTC can be operated at just about any frequency, so you just need to build a controller to handle it. The task is made more difficult because very few electronics are stable in such an intense EM field. [Ed] constructed a small Faraday cage for his microcontroller and used optical interconnects to deliver the signals to the Tesla coils.
[via
Laughing Squid
]
permalink | 13 | 13 | [
{
"comment_id": "36877",
"author": "thegimpster",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T05:55:50",
"content": "I can’t wait till the Blue Man Group get ahold of one of these. Much better than the PVC organ",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36878",
"author"... | 1,760,377,821.043852 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/name-that-ware-2/ | Name That Ware | Juan Aguilar | [
"contests"
] | [
"bunnie",
"bunniestudios",
"contest",
"contests",
"namethatware",
"pcb"
] | Guessing games are fun, especially when unnamed hardware and prizes are involved. [bunnie] holds a
Name that Ware
contest on his blog once a month; he posts an image of hardware components like the PCB above (which is May’s mystery ware) and asks visitors to try to guess the machine it came from or at least its function. Aside from the prizes he gives out, winners get the most coveted of all rewards: bragging rights. He’s been running the monthly contest for quite some time and it’s not always PCBs; past wares have included this
micron thickness guage
(
internal
) and an
xray of a crystal oscillator
. | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "36855",
"author": "not a hack",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T05:05:26",
"content": "NOT A HACK",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36856",
"author": "alex mccown",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T05:16:45",
"content": "man why dont... | 1,760,377,821.098553 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/drawing-images-on-a-character-display/ | Drawing Images On A Character Display | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"bitmap",
"bitmaps",
"deanhall",
"hitachhd44780",
"lcd",
"monkeeproject"
] | [Dean Hall] doesn’t seem to know his Simpsons characters very well, but that didn’t stop him from coming up with
this method for displaying a bitmap on an LCD character display
with a Hitachi HD44780 chip.
[Hall] used an LCD with two 16 character rows and 8×5 pixels in each character. He displayed the image over 2×3 characters, which gave him 17×18 pixels (including the spaces between the characters) to work with. The first step after acquiring an image is to rasterize the image by hand onto graph paper. This won’t be scanned, it’s just a diagram to determine which pixels to light up.
Once the 6 characters were determined, [Hall] used
this handy web-based tool
to convert his graphed diagram to bitmap data. The data is loaded onto the microcontroller and the image shows up on the LCD. This is a pretty straightforward project, just
be sure you properly identify your monkeys
.
[via
YourITronics
]
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36848",
"author": "dax",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T03:22:42",
"content": "good use of existing technology being used for its predetermined use.I don’t quite agree with rasterizing to paper — personally, I’m much better off with zooming in MS Paint, using the pencil and showing a grid... | 1,760,377,820.649667 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/12/covert-iphone-moleskine-case/ | Covert IPhone Moleskine Case | Eliot | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"book",
"case",
"corydoctorow",
"covert",
"hidden",
"hiddencompartment",
"iphone",
"iphonecase",
"littlebrother",
"moleskine",
"notebook",
"secret"
] | Crafting isn’t really our thing, but just last week we were planning on doing this project. Thanks to the how-to singularity: the longer we wait, the more likely someone else will do our dirty work. The instructions are this:
Cut a hole in a book.
Stick your phone in that book.
Let her open the book.
Wired’s write up
has about 600 more words if you need clarification
. The ebook on the screen is Cory Doctorow’s
Little Brother
, so expect to see this on BoingBoing… and again when it’s fan translated into Polish. [bre] made a similar
hidden compartment book
last Fall for Make’s PDFcast.
In all seriousness, we do enjoy the idea of carrying an innocuous little book around that could be doing some covert WiFi scanning, acting as a mobile accesspoint, or live streaming our location to friends. Unfortunately, since it’s an iPhone, most of this isn’t possible yet; you can’t even voice dial from your headset, while leaving the notebook in your pocket. This case also blurs what is considered rude. Most people would be annoyed if you started txting mid conversation, but people taking notes in
Moleskines
don’t get the same treatment.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36842",
"author": "EdZ",
"timestamp": "2008-06-13T02:57:11",
"content": "The newly arriving 3g iPhone will probably produce a wake of cast off ‘old’ iphones, many without the 2.0 firmware upgrade (the REAL reason there’s an upgrade prior to the new phone’s launch) and ready for jail... | 1,760,377,820.897627 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/drive-slagging/ | Drive Slagging | Juan Aguilar | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"destroy",
"destroyed",
"destruction",
"drive",
"erase",
"harddrive"
] | Maybe you
wiped your iPhone by filling the hard drive with music
, or maybe you used
a more sophisticated method
. In either case, your phone is clean, but the hard drive in your computer is still chock full of evidence of your misdeeds (or just personal emails to your mother). If you fear forensic analysis will expose your wheelings and dealings, then a full format is not enough; you’re going to have to obliterate the plates inside the hard drive.
To that end, [Eecue] posted
this worklog of slagging a hard drive
. Using a propane powered furnace, he melted most of the drive’s components by placing it in a steel crucible which was lowered into the furnace. After a few minutes everything but the steel casing and a few bits of woven fiberglass from the PCB were melted down completely. You can see the entire process in
[Eecue]’s drive slagging photo album
.
With solid state drives becoming popular and their inherent difficulty of assured erasure, physical destruction is looking like a lot more reasonable option. As you readers have stated in the past:
it’s certainly a lot more fun
.
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "36707",
"author": "Hal Hockersmith",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T17:14:41",
"content": "In the olden days we just used thermite. Not as fun but hella fast.Oh and jaun: good try at redeeming yourself. The post is good (i’ll let this one slide) but it not up to the old hardware hacks. Tr... | 1,760,377,821.335899 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/synaptics-trackpad-swap/ | Synaptics Trackpad Swap | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"computer hacks",
"laptops hacks"
] | [] | Some people are really picky about their trackpads. [John] posted a guide on
retrofitting a Synaptics pad
in place of the newer, but less user friendly ALPS touchpad/stick combo used in the Dell Inspiron 8200. On the opposite end, [C. Järnåker],
loves laptop keyboards
enough to mod them for use on his desktop machine.
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36702",
"author": "Pall.e",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T20:18:20",
"content": "Well I guess I know what I am doing with my old keyboard from my digital picture frame. Anyone got any ideas on how to use a synaptic mouse on a desktop? Could I just turn it into a serial mouse or ps/2 mou... | 1,760,377,821.143734 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/11/perceptual-chronograph/ | Perceptual Chronograph | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"attiny",
"chronograph",
"display",
"ladyada",
"limor",
"video"
] | All praise to [
Limor
] for uncovering this incredibly odd project. [magician]’s
perceptual chronograph
is designed to test whether time “slows down” in stressful situations. The device flashes a random number on the display very quickly so that it is impossible to perceive what is actually being displayed. If you can read the number while under stress, it means that your ability perceive time has increased. It’s hard to believe, but check out the video embedded after the break that investigates the phenomenon. We can’t help, but wonder how [magician] personally plans on testing this.
permalink | 22 | 22 | [
{
"comment_id": "36681",
"author": "Roy van Rijn",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T09:38:30",
"content": "I’ve seen the video before, and its a very cool experiment. The problem is, what to do with it…!Next time we are running out of time on the planning we hang people with laptops on bungee-ropes?",
"... | 1,760,377,821.433297 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/william-gibson-interviewed-by-io9/ | William Gibson Interviewed By Io9 | Eliot | [
"News"
] | [
"book",
"cyberspace",
"interview",
"io9",
"neuromancer",
"sciencefiction",
"scifi",
"williamgibson"
] | Like many of you, growing up
Neuromancer
played a pivotal role in how we thought about the future and where “cyberspace” was going. Things have turned out very different. Although the underlying mass of data and consciousness is still there, it’s not the fully immersed 3D world some are still clinging to. [William Gibson], author of the seminal novel, has recognized this and readers will find his recent works like
Spook Country
, are set very firmly in the now, with technology like
location sensitive augmented reality
. io9
sat down with him during a San Francisco visit
to talk about his fondness for Vancouver, the inability of authorities to maintain secrets, if his novels are really dystopian, and whether moving to Canada counts as draft dodging if you never get drafted.
permalink | 8 | 8 | [
{
"comment_id": "36673",
"author": "Bp",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T04:46:07",
"content": "not hackaday worthy",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36674",
"author": "gm",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T05:22:06",
"content": "@1I disagree.",
... | 1,760,377,821.47791 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/wiping-an-iphone-more-thoroughly/ | Wiping An IPhone (more Thoroughly) | Juan Aguilar | [
"Cellphone Hacks",
"iphone hacks",
"News"
] | [
"apple",
"erase",
"iphone",
"iphone3g",
"jailbreak",
"jailbroken",
"nand",
"umount",
"wipe"
] | You may be hoping to subsidize the purchase of an iPhone 3G with the sale of your old one, but since you should wipe all your personal data from the old one first, we brought you
[Rich Mogull]’s method for wiping all your private data off of an iPhone
. The method, which involves overwriting your data with music, is slightly flawed, mainly because of live files that can’t be deleted while the phone’s OS is working and because the OS reserves a portion of the hard drive as unwritable space, which will make it impossible to completely fill it with music.
For those looking to annihilate every scrap of personal information, check out
[Jonathan Zdziarski]’s method
. It involves restoring the phone as a new phone, then
jailbreaking it
. Once the user has shell access, umount is used to force the two mount points into read-only mode. Now the partitions can be overwritten with /dev/zero, which should wipe them clean. The phone should then be forced into recovery mode to perform another full system restore, and the process is complete. As [Zdziarski] notes, several iterations of the process with /dev/random should prevent even NAND recovery, but there is an even better way of ensuring full data destruction: “simply take a sledgehammer to the device.” If you are unfamiliar with the command line though, chances are [Rich Mogull]’s method will be easier for you to handle, but don’t blame us if you sell your phone and the Feds get wise to the evidence you left on it.
[via
Engadget
]
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36667",
"author": "fuzion",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T03:13:44",
"content": "“hack a day serves up a fresh hack each day, every day from around the web and a special how-to hack each week.”please remember this next time you’re digging through engadget (or digg) for something to copy ... | 1,760,377,821.52422 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/linux-web-development-tools/ | Linux Web Development Tools | Juan Aguilar | [
"News"
] | [
"bluefish",
"cms",
"lamp",
"linux",
"linux-switch",
"openlaszlo",
"quanta",
"webhost"
] | Download Squad has been publishing an informative series on switching to Linux, and their latest article is about
the benefits of web tools on Linux
.
HTML editors like
Bluefish
and
Quanta
do not have all the features of Dreamweaver, but with many modern CMSes these features aren’t really necessary.
Other benefits include testing out web pages on your Linux home environment, and adding webhosts as remote locations. This makes management, testing, and deployment easier, and can eliminate the need for FTP software.
Bear in mind that the article is only the first part of an ongoing series on Linux web tools, which is itself part of a
larger series about switching to Linux
.
permalink | 11 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "36656",
"author": "Anonymous",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T02:20:25",
"content": "This is copypasta from my other post, because it applies here as well.This is NOT engadget, and this is NOT gizmodo.stop posting this non-hackeryhack-a-day means one hack per day, and has for the longest ... | 1,760,377,821.765908 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/location-aware-task-tracking/ | Location Aware Task Tracking | Eliot | [
"gps hacks",
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"43folders",
"brightkite",
"dodgeball",
"geocaching",
"georss",
"gps",
"iphone",
"merlinmann",
"omnifocus",
"twitter"
] | With the iPhone finally getting legitimate GPS we’re bound to see more widespread use of location based apps. Services like
Dodgeball
,
Brightkite
, and a few
Twitter clients
have been around, but failed to tightly integrate with the hosting phone. Now we’re seeing applications that reach beyond just “finding your friends”. [
Merlin Mann
] directed us to the version of
OmniFocus for the iPhone
. OmniFocus is a task management system that’s now location aware thanks to the iPhone. This means it knows to show you your grocery list while you’re at the store and work tasks while you’re at work. Passive interaction could really make similar systems a lot more enjoyable to use.
We think this is just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine alternate reality gaming that gives you a virtual map while you navigate the real world.
Geocaching
, road rallies, and scavenger hunts could have a running narrative displayed as you progressed. Using technologies like
GeoRSS
will let us pull data back into the real world making that rare trip outside a lot less painful. | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "36654",
"author": "David Banham",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T04:24:05",
"content": "There are a few similar applications that won grants under the Android competition. Should only be a few more months before they’re available on hardware.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"... | 1,760,377,821.374198 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/wifi-telescope/ | WiFi Telescope | Eliot | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"antenna",
"fon",
"municipalwifi",
"spain",
"telescope",
"wefi",
"wemakemoneynotart",
"whisher",
"wifi",
"wmmna",
"yagi"
] | We Make Money Not Art recently visited the
LABoral Art and Industrial Creation Centre
in Gijón, Spain. The installation that left the strongest impression on [Regine] was the
WiFi sightseeing telescope
built by Clara Boj and Diego Diaz. Spain is in a situation similar to the USA: A few years ago many municipal WiFi projects launched only to be squashed because of theoretical unfair competition with local utilities. Now commercial projects like
WeFi
,
Whisher
, and
FON
encourage people to “share” their WiFi.
Observatorio (Observatory)
is designed to provide insight into the current state of local WiFi. It uses a highly directional Yagi antenna to collect wireless access data from the local area. The antenna has a 30deg aperture which is matched to a camera with an identical field of view. The observer sees the camera’s viewpoint with the WiFi data overlaid showing where accesspoints are and whether the AP is open. WMMNA also recommends you check out the
WiFi Camera
which photographs electromagnetic space.
permalink | 6 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "36648",
"author": "Geoff",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T00:38:05",
"content": "That is not a Yagi antenna.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36649",
"author": "otis",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T00:58:16",
"content": "It is a... | 1,760,377,821.566036 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/bbtv-playing-the-building/ | BBtv: Playing The Building | Eliot | [
"News"
] | [
"bbtv",
"boingboing",
"boingboingtv",
"davidbyrne",
"playingthebuilding",
"solenoid",
"video",
"xeni",
"xenijardin"
] | Today’s episode of BoingBoing TV
visits [
David Byrne
]’s Playing the Building installation
which we covered before
. The video provides some insight into the artistic process: they wandered around and whacked things with mallets to see what sounded good. They use counterweighted motors to vibrate cast iron girders and columns. Many of the empty radiators are being struck by solenoids. He says the installation is very approachable because people realize that even if a skilled musician sat down they wouldn’t be any better at playing the device.
permalink | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "36644",
"author": "killasmurf",
"timestamp": "2008-06-11T01:15:39",
"content": "wtf is this sh|t?OK connected some motors…..Made some noise….But what about music???Where’s the music???You make some sort of fancy piano and no music. It’s weird to me…",
"parent_id": null,
"dep... | 1,760,377,821.876371 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/new-vs-old-iphone-apps/ | New Vs. Old IPhone Apps | Juan Aguilar | [
"iphone hacks",
"News"
] | [
"apple",
"iphone",
"iphone3g",
"iphoneapplications",
"iphoneapps",
"iphonesdk",
"iphonesimfree"
] | You’ve probably never heard of this obscure new device called the
iPhone 3G
from no-name manufacturer Apple, but we decided to give a rundown of some of its newest apps anyway. We’ll be comparing them to non-SDK third-party apps that only work on jailbroken iPhones.
The iPhone 3G announcement at WWDC 2008 brought good news for sports fans as an official MLB.tv app will be bundled with the iPhone 3G. It provides live scoreboards, pitch-by-pitch updates, and current video highlights minutes after they happen. There is no comparable unlicensed third-party app, but
Sportstap.mobi
, formerly MLB iPhone, is a site that contains similar information and has been optimized for iPhone browsing. Sportstap does not offer all the rich content that MLB.tv app does, so this is a clear win for SDK apps.
For gamers, a few SDK games have come down the pike over the last few months, and today another game,
Super Monkey Ball
, was announced. It uses standard touchscreen controls in addition to new tilt controls, giving the gameplay a more complex and rich feel. Fun to be sure, but adventurous jailbreakers can feast on a much larger selection of games, including iPong, iChess, and the wonderful
NES Emulator Application
that can play hundreds of NES roms. While games as complex as Super Monkey Ball and Spore may never be written without the iPhone SDK, the busy and resourceful emulation community will always win out on game selection. In addition, only non-SDK developers have toyed with the idea of multiplayer games like
Battleship Peer2peer
, which allows users to play Battleship against human opponents.
On-the-go bloggers were also taken into account in the latest crop of native iPhone apps with the new Typepad app. It allows users to manage and edit posts on a Typepad blog, but it really shines where it comes to photo manipulation. The app allows users to add, move, and scale images on their blog, and it is capable of manipulating photos from the web or those taken with the iPhone’s built-in camera. There are a number of simple photo editing apps and a few notepad-style apps available to jailbroken iPhones, but nothing that even approaches the level of interactivity with a specific blogging service found in the Typepad app.
Productivity, audio, and miscellaneous apps made without the SDK abound, but it remains to be seen what innovations SDK developers will bring forth. With the list of
iPhone applications
still growing, it would be somewhat short-sighted of us to declare that one way is better than the other, but we’re curious where you stand on the issue. Do you prefer to be in the fold with Apple or the DIY spirit of making apps from scratch and eschewing the Cupertino ivory tower? Let us know. | 16 | 16 | [
{
"comment_id": "36629",
"author": "Zibri",
"timestamp": "2008-06-10T21:05:50",
"content": "Keep your iPhones.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36630",
"author": "sean",
"timestamp": "2008-06-10T22:05:20",
"content": "This is not a ha... | 1,760,377,821.828354 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/10/diy-hid-ballast/ | DIY HID Ballast | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"biking",
"diy",
"electronics",
"hid"
] | HID lights have a major power consumption and lumen output advantage over halogen lights. Unfortunately the ballast component isn’t very cheap. [brian]’s been
building his own ballasts
for his mountain bike. We couldn’t find any more info on his design, but we did find some interesting stuff. This document lays out
the requirements
for a ballast.
Here’s
an older HID ballast design to get rolling. Keep in mind that the lamp requires high voltages – don’t play with it unless you know what you’re doing. If you’d rather use off the shelf components, check out the HID dive light we wrote up a
while back
. It uses a fairly inexpensive ballast/lamp combo.
permalink | 16 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "36616",
"author": "dane",
"timestamp": "2008-06-10T14:30:28",
"content": "hey all,where are some good places to buy HID bulbs, aside from ebay? ive been using a 150W cfl for a mini projector and it doesnt have the hudspah that a smaller HID would-Dane",
"parent_id": null,
"d... | 1,760,377,821.68153 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/09/hackit-what-to-do-with-a-1st-gen-iphone/ | Hackit: What To Do With A 1st Gen IPhone? | Eliot | [
"HackIt",
"iphone hacks"
] | [
"3g",
"apple",
"HackIt",
"iphone",
"iphone3g",
"nes",
"voip",
"wifi"
] | There’s a new
iPhone 3G
coming out in July. If that statement shocks you, you might want to check your connection. We love new shiny hardware, but what we’re really interested in is the number of “old” iPhones that are going to be hitting the market. Many people will be ditching their 1st generation iPhones just to get GPS and 3G. This abundance plus the new $200 price tag is bound to depress the price for used phones.
A used 1st generation iPhone is actually a pretty attractive device. It’s already been laid wide open by hackers so you can run pretty much anything you want on it instead of waiting for the App Store to tell you what you can and can’t do. You could use it as a
WiFi Voip phone
, a simple web pad, run an
NES emulator
, use it as a
musical instrument
, or build an
army of robots
.
What will you do when the price of used iPhones bottoms out? | 34 | 34 | [
{
"comment_id": "36584",
"author": "Ed",
"timestamp": "2008-06-10T04:45:51",
"content": "I really don’t know what I will do. The low price point would make the first gen iphone a really nice wifi device, which i could use because my current mobiles lack that feature, and iPod Touch prices will stil... | 1,760,377,821.949168 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/09/steven-lauries-art-of-the-motor/ | Steven Laurie’s Art Of The Motor | Juan Aguilar | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"burningrubber",
"engine",
"engines",
"motor",
"motorart",
"motors",
"skidmarks",
"stevenlaurie"
] | We’ve served up dozens if not hundreds of machines with a practical purpose, but we are always interested in machines like those [Steven Laurie] makes, which serve no other purpose than looking impressive, spewing smoke, leaving tire marks, and making a lot of racket. We’ll give you the scoop on Steve’s motor art after the break.
[Steven Laurie] is a native of Whitby, Ontario, where a local art gallery called the
Station Gallery is exhibiting his motor-powered artwork
. There [Laurie] demonstrated his
Posi-Track Burnout Machine
, which looks something like a souped-up lawnmower sitting on top of a car axle. Instead of being pushed along the grass, though, the burnout machine revs against the pavement creating skid marks on the asphalt as it pulls forward against the grip of the driver.
Another of Laurie’s machines, the
Handheld Rubber Burner
, does much the same thing as the Burnout Machine, except instead of making long skid marks, it is intended to create user-designed skid marks. This custom machine is small enough to be held and directed using two hands. He also designed a similar device called the Stationary Rubber Burner (also called the
Donut Machine
) with the same purpose in mind, but it can only create circular skid marks since it pivots around center post. All three machines create skid marks, but the true art is in the performance, with the tires squealing, the engine revving, and the smell and the smoke of burning rubber fill the air.
For the pure visceral sensation of revving engine sounds, Laurie created the
Boom Tube
. It is a lawnmower engine mounted on a stand with an exhaust tube jutting upward. It does nothing more than idle and create a distinctive sound.
A slightly more interactive take on the concept is his
Stationary Revving Machine
. It is little more than an engine with a gas pedal, but like his other creations, it is intended to evoke the sounds and smells associated with muscle cars.
Laurie is nothing if not thorough, as evidenced by a smaller revving machine he named
Wild Thing
. It’s just a chainsaw with a large exhaust tip and no cutting ability.
Two other machines, the Ape Hanger Rumbler and the
Grass Ripping/Grave Diggin’ Machine
are also part of the exhibit. Even though we know you like machines that do practical things, we recommend that you contemplate your gear lust at this exhibit if you’re in the Ontario area. If not, check out
[Steven Laurie]’s Flickr stream
.
permalink | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "36555",
"author": "Eric",
"timestamp": "2008-06-10T04:31:41",
"content": "It’s cool in its own way but honestly, its the most useless thing I’ve seen today. Actually, a motor on a stand is kinda just that to me, a motor…on a stand.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"repl... | 1,760,377,822.035798 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/09/rfid-reader-denial-of-service/ | RFID Reader Denial Of Service | fabienneserriere | [
"cons",
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"denial of service",
"denialofservice",
"dos",
"rfid",
"rfid reader",
"RfidReader"
] | While in Vancouver, Canada for
CanSecWest
we had a chance to catch up with [Marc]. He showed off a very simple Denial-of-Service attack that works for most commercial RFID reader systems. He worked out this physical DoS with [Adam Laurie], whose
RFID work
we
featured
last year. | 17 | 17 | [
{
"comment_id": "36540",
"author": "happy gilmore",
"timestamp": "2008-06-10T02:57:08",
"content": "that’s a hack? not really. he’s taped a non-valid a rfid key to a reader. wow. NEXT!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36541",
"author": "D... | 1,760,377,822.360578 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/07/dns-spoofing-with-ettercap/ | DNS Spoofing With Ettercap | Eliot | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"dns",
"ettercap",
"irongeek",
"router",
"switch"
] | [IronGeek] has published his latest video how-to:
DNS Spoofing with Ettercap
.
Ettercap
is designed specifically to perform man in the middle attacks on your local network. It can do ARP poisoning, collect passwords, fingerprint OSes, and content filtering. For DNS spoofing, you just need to edit a config file that defines which domains resolve to which IP addresses. You can use wildcards for the domains. In the video, he uses Linux because the network interfaces are easier to remember. Once you’re done playing with DNS spoofing, remember to flush your local cache otherwise your browser will continue to go to the wrong IP.
[photo:
mattdork
]
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "36430",
"author": "Hello1024",
"timestamp": "2008-06-08T03:46:58",
"content": "Videos seem broken :(I only see “This video presentation is sponsored by…” forever.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36431",
"author": "Irongeek",... | 1,760,377,822.108453 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/07/more-hardware-music/ | More Hardware Music | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"floppydrive",
"harddrive",
"hardware",
"music"
] | today and tomorrow
found a few more projects using computer hardware to create music like our earlier Radiohead post. Above is a rendition of The Imperial March using a 3.5 inch floppy drive. Two more projects are embedded below.
harddisko
is a collection of defective hard drives from various manufacturers, repair shops, and institutions. The drives are all wired to separate power circuits. As each one powers up, it runs its own unique sounding self test.
Lastly, is the BeggingBot. Using multiple floppy drives and hard drives it performs music. It then asks for donations via the CD tray.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36423",
"author": "yert",
"timestamp": "2008-06-08T00:39:52",
"content": "Nice.That floppy drive idea seems like it shouldn’t be very hard at all. And i’m sure i have a few drives laying around here somewhere…",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"... | 1,760,377,822.210593 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/07/ir-controlled-relays/ | IR Controlled Relays | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"home hacks"
] | [
"diy",
"home automation",
"HomeAutomation",
"pic controller",
"PicController"
] | If you’re thinking of building some DIY home automation,
this
looks like an interesting idea. At the heart is a PIC16F84 that decodes IR signals and controls six outputs – in this case, relays to activate various appliances. The PIC is dirt cheap – if you get a deal on some relays you should be able to build a small local IR HA system for $30… This might be just the thing for my office. It’s cheap enough that it probably wouldn’t walk off.
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "36420",
"author": "Bolle",
"timestamp": "2008-06-08T01:01:13",
"content": "How is this thing powered? I’ve build something like this myself with a smaller PIC and I would like to replace a light-switch with it, but where do you get the power? You could use batteries, but if they are... | 1,760,377,822.164708 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/06/tips-on-picking-the-right-case/ | Tips On Picking The Right Case | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"button",
"buttons",
"case",
"casemod",
"cases",
"enclosure",
"enclosures",
"sparkfun"
] | Finding the right enclosure to house your latest project can be tricky, so
Sparkfun wrote up some handy tips
on the how to pick the right one.
The most important tip is to have your components measured before acquiring a case; even being a few milimeters too small can put you back at square one. To do this right, it’s useful to look at the dimensional drawings of prospective cases to get a sense for the size. These typically include recommended shapes for PCBs too.
You may find a case that meets your dimensional needs but doesn’t have the appropriate mounting bosses. To get the placement right, screw some plastic standoffs to the PCB, then use super glue to attach them firmly to the case.
Tips on button choices, hole drilling, and other typical issues with case modification can also be found in this guide. If this is something that’s been stumping you, give it a look.
permalink | 12 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "36409",
"author": "BigD145",
"timestamp": "2008-06-07T05:16:18",
"content": "I recommend needle files for cleaning up holes. It takes time, but looks nice.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36410",
"author": "thegimpster",
... | 1,760,377,822.409395 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/06/how-to-binary-clock-using-a-freeduino-sb-21/ | How-To: Binary Clock Using A Freeduino SB 2.1 | chriskiick | [
"classic hacks",
"how-to",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"Atmel",
"atmelavr",
"AVR",
"binary",
"boarduino",
"clock",
"freeduino",
"solarbotics"
] | Solarbotics
recently released its own
version of the Arduino microcontroller development board
. They based their board on the
Freeduino
design. We thought this would be a good opportunity to review the new board as well as present a How-To about building a simple binary clock. Along the way we’ll cover some basics on attaching LEDs and switches to a microcontroller.
If you haven’t heard about
Arduino
, you must be trying really hard to avoid it. Arduino is a package of hardware and software that allows easy programming and fast prototyping, lowering barrier to entry for microcontroller development both in terms of cost and learning curve.
There are two types of Arduino compatible boards. The “software” compatible boards do not have the exact same physical layout, but they can run the programs generated by the Arduino IDE. They also have a compatible bootloader on the AVR chip. Examples of this type of board are the
Boarduino
and the
Arduino Mini
.
The 100% compatible boards have the header pins in exactly the same position and order as the Arduino reference design. The reason that this is important is that there are Arduino “shields” which plug on top of an Arduino. Popular ones are the
ProtoShield
and the
XBee shield
. The Freeduino SB is the latter type, a 100% hardware and software compatible board.
So if it’s 100% compatible, why is it a Freeduino and not an Arduino? It’s a matter of licensing. While the Arduino software and designs are free (as in beer), the actual Arduino name is trademarked and requires permission to use. For some people that wasn’t free enough, so they created Freeduino under the
Creative Commons
license, which has zero intellectual property encumbrances – no copyright, trademarks, or restrictive licenses. That allowed Solarbotics to build a Freeduino and be sure that they weren’t infringing on anything.
The Freeduino comes as a “mini-kit”, which means that all the surface mount components are done, leaving just over a dozen through-hole parts to solder on. The instructions are humorous and well written, just right for someone who knows how to solder. The Freeduino was at least as easy to assemble as a Boarduino, and took less time. It’s possible to assemble the board in under an hour, even for someone out of practice with soldering skills. While the instructions and ads say that you can use either a regular USB jack or a mini-jack, the kit does not come with both. Instead there are two versions of the kit, so you have to decide before you buy which USB connector you want. Our kit came with a USB mini connector.
Here’s the assembled Freeduino (in red on the right) next to a (slightly damaged)
Arduino NG
. The PCBs are the same size and shape. Note the difference that the USB connector makes.
It turns out that the choice of USB connector can effect the compatibility of the Freeduino board. Because they shifted things around, the regular sized USB socket casing bumps into some Arduino shields, so they might not fit. As the manual says, “Our design pushes the USB-B connector up to make room for the switch, and it
will
interfere with some Shield boards.” The USB mini connector doesn’t have this issue, so if the right cable is handy, it’s a no-brainer which one to get. Many common cellphones and digital cameras to use this kind of connector.
Here are three USB cables: regular, mini, and micro. The middle one fits the USB mini connector on the Freeduino.
A nice feature of the Freeduino is that the ATmega chip comes pre-loaded with the “blinky” program (this is the “
hello world
” of the Arduino universe). Once assembled, powering up the board immediately runs the blinky program, showing right away that the board is operational.
While all Free/Arduino boards are compatible, it is possible to add features, as Solarbotics proves with this board. Generally, the Freeduino they put together is an improvement over the current generation Arduino
Diecimila
. Most users won’t really notice the better use of capacitors for circuit protection. They will notice the better placement of the indicator LEDs, which are closer to the edge of the board. The power switch is slightly misleading. It seems to sit between the voltage regulator and the ATmega chip. Even with the switch in the “off” position, a little power is still being used.
Those who use the Freeduino for real-time applications will appreciate the much more accurate 16 MHz crystal, which has about 1000x less error than some other designs. The PCB also has some room for customization, which will be useful for those trying to build compact projects. There is room to add a potentiometer (trim pot) that can set the analog reference voltage for the AD converter. Note that the kit does not come with this part. When working with non-TTL sensors the trimpot could save a few external parts. Solarbotics also left room to add a second, heftier voltage regulator, if needed. However, it’s not clear what the limits of the one on the board are.
The feature that they seem proudest of is the blue LED on pin 13.
Since the Freeduino has a more accurate crystal, we decided to see how it would perform as a clock. A binary clock is the easiest to implement because the display is just a row of identical LEDs. Each LED is wired to a pin through a resistor and hooked to common ground. The digital output of the controller can then turn the LED on and off. This calculator helps
choose just the right resistor value
, but there’s enough leeway for a resistor that’s pretty close. Note that the polarity of the LED is important.
A clock isn’t much use if you can’t set it, so this clock includes two switches. One switch selects which number to set, and the other switch is used to set the value. The switches are wired using a pull-down resistor. [Ladyada] has a
long but thorough tutorial on using switches
. The switches need to be debounced, but we took care of that in software. That’s about all there is to the hardware setup. Note that we used some of the analog pins as digital I/O. The chip supports this and the latest version of
Arduino software
does too. Be sure to use at least version 11 of the Arduino package or the buttons will not work.
The Arduino software environment runs as one big loop. Each time through the loop, our program does the following:
See how many milliseconds have passed since the last time, and adjust the internal time accordingly.
If a set of LEDs needs to be blinked, toggle their state.
Check the state of the buttons; adjust time accordingly.
Display the time in binary.
The count of milliseconds is kept for us by the Arduino library using a timer interrupt. It’s not quite as simple as it seems at first, because the Arduino milliseconds counter can roll over. So there’s extra code to detect and handle that condition. Then all we have to do is break it down into hours, minutes and seconds.
Handling the buttons turns out to be the trickiest part. First of all, we only want to act when the button is just released; not when it is up, held down, or just pressed. Second, the buttons have to be debounced. Debouncing is a whole separate subject which deserves an article of it’s own. We used a software debouncing trick that waits for an input to stabilize. For those who want to learn more, the
definitive paper on the subject is here
(PDF).
Displaying the time is actually the easiest part, since all we have to do is set the various pins according to the bits in the time variables.
The entire program is available here
(PDE). The Arduino IDE compiles and downloads it to the board with just a couple of clicks.
After downloading program, or resetting the board, the clock starts up right away and begins counting seconds. The display is three sets of LEDs showing binary numbers. The leftmost 5 show the hours in 24-hour (military) format. The middle six display the minutes, and the last set is for seconds. The clock can be set with the two buttons. Button 1 selects which part of the time to set: hours, minutes, or seconds. Pressing button 1 rotates through each part. The set of LEDs that are being set will flash briefly. Button 2 is used to actually change the value. For hours and minutes, button 2 will increment the value each time it is pressed. That does mean that it may have to be pushed up to 59 times to set the minutes. When setting the seconds, button 2 just resets them to 0. We thought this was easier to synchronize than trying to catch a moving number.
In order to prevent accidentally changing the time, the software implements a “safety.” If no button is pressed for about 3 seconds, then button 2 is disabled until button 1 is pressed again. Pressing button 1 when the safety is on will flash the set of LEDs currently selected and turn button 2 on again.
Just to see if the more accurate crystal makes a difference, we ran the exact same program on the Freeduino SB and then a Boarduino. The boards were set and compared using a
radio controlled “atomic” clock
as the reference time. Here’s a picture of the Boarduino running the binary clock:
The Boarduino did surprisingly poor job at keeping time. Without correction it gained over a minute per hour. The Boarduino uses a resonator that can have up to 0.5% drift. We had to apply a “fudge” factor of 0.85% to keep it from drifting noticably. Even then it tends to gain a few seconds over the course of a few hours. The Freeduino did much better; drifting only a couple of seconds during a five hour run. So the more accurate crystal does make a difference.
There’s lots of room for enhancements to this project. We used a prototyping breadboard with lots of jumper wires, but there are plenty of better ways to wire it up. It could even be implemented as a shield.
We hope that this how-to was useful as both a review of the Freeduino SB board and as an example of simple micro-controller input and output. Happy hacking. | 10 | 9 | [
{
"comment_id": "36403",
"author": "Tom",
"timestamp": "2008-06-07T02:11:42",
"content": "great write up, inspiring and to the point.informative!thank you",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36404",
"author": "bokubob",
"timestamp": "2008-06... | 1,760,377,822.468472 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/06/wheels-and-weed-whackers/ | Wheels And Weed Whackers | Juan Aguilar | [
"Transportation Hacks"
] | [
"bicycle",
"bike",
"motor",
"rollerblades",
"rollerblading",
"weedwacker",
"weedwhacker",
"weedwhackermotor"
] | Perhaps you’ve
seen this image before
: a young kid tooling around on a pair of inline skates, pushed forward by a weed whacker cycle. While the instructions for this device would seem fairly obvious (attach wheel to weed whacker) the writeup appears to be nonexistent. If you have any information, do let us know, but in the meantime, enjoy these other weed whacker powered projects.
For fun and practicality, we’ll start with this
weed whacker bike
. It uses an Echo SRM-210 trimmer motor. The pedals of the bike were replaced with a second sprocket driven by a chain attached to the motor. The bike reportedly does up to 25mph and 100mpg. The nice thing about the these motors is they work no matter what the orientation.
We found another bike assisted by a weed whacker motor, but instead of removing the pedals and powering the gears, this bike simply attaches a 31cc weed whacker with a model plane propeller. The propeller provides thrust, but don’t expect this design to work near as efficiently as the previous one.
If you think we’re cheating by talking about bikes where we should be discussing skates, slow down. Trust us, you’ll really wish you could slow down when you strap on these skates: they pack 25cc motors mounted on the back of the right skate, which achieves speeds of 20mph like the kid in the picture. These are made to order by a Chinese manufacturer, just
don’t bother trying to buy a pair in the UK
. | 21 | 21 | [
{
"comment_id": "36388",
"author": "Christopher Finke",
"timestamp": "2008-06-07T00:08:42",
"content": "Well, I know what I’m building when I get home.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36389",
"author": "bolke",
"timestamp": "2008-06-07T0... | 1,760,377,822.618066 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/06/flipstart-hsdpa-mod/ | Flipstart HSDPA Mod | Eliot | [
"Wireless Hacks"
] | [
"3g",
"evdo",
"flipstart",
"hsdpa",
"oqo",
"oqo02",
"tnkgrl",
"vulcanflipstart"
] | Our friend [tnkgrl] has successfully
added HSDPA to a Vulcan Flipstart
. The
Flipstart
is a palmtop Windows machine with 1.1GHz Pentium M, 512MB RAM, 30GB hard drive, and an EVDO option. Before starting, you need to come up with a mini-PCI Express HSDPA card. Instead of trying for a random bare mini-PCIe card on eBay, she purchased an unlocked AT&T Sierra Wireless Aircard 875U USB dongle. Inside of the dongle is a battery, SIM slot, and a mini-PCI Express card. The Flipstart lid comes off with just a few screws and the card drops into place. Even though the antenna isn’t tuned for all the possible bands you should still get good signal most of the time. The best part of this mod is that it doesn’t require any obvious modification, so your warranty will be intact… as far as anyone can tell. Embedded below is the video of the easy swap. In the past, she added HSDPA to the OQO 02, which
definitely takes a lot more work
.
permalink | 3 | 3 | [
{
"comment_id": "36386",
"author": "fartface",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T21:31:17",
"content": "Cool hack, the Flipstart is kind of neat but moot when you can get an EEE that is bigger and more useable for less than 1/4 the price.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
... | 1,760,377,822.513863 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/05/soft-start-your-flashlight-for-longer-bulb-life/ | Soft Start Your Flashlight For Longer Bulb Life | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"diy",
"flashlight",
"scuba"
] | [Reinhard] has a
great collection
of DIY SCUBA projects. One interesting hack he put together is a
soft start circuit
to improve the life of the bulb in a flashlight. Despite LEDs getting cheaper, MR16 halogens are dirt cheap and put out some serious lumens.
permalink | 7 | 7 | [
{
"comment_id": "36304",
"author": "rm -rf *zoink*",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T15:25:26",
"content": "yes, zoinks, there’s a flippin’ schematic. happy now?",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36305",
"author": "tekunogekai",
"timestamp": "20... | 1,760,377,822.555993 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/04/3-liter-homebrew-beer-keg/ | 3 Liter Homebrew Beer Keg | Sean Percival | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"3liter",
"beer",
"bottle",
"diy",
"homebrew",
"homebrewing",
"keg",
"kegging"
] | Beer kegs are several things. They are expensive, heavy, but most importantly delicious. We found a nice guide for creating your own
3 liter beer keg
. This is an inexpensive solution for
homebrewers
looking to keg their own beer.
The guide goes into detail on assembly and parts needed to create the bottle adapter. Most of the parts can be picked up locally or through
MoreBeer.com
. CO2 cartridges are used to pressurize the bottle. To keep everything cool you can use a standard water cooler with a few simple modifications. The 3 liter bottle is too tall for some coolers so you’ll need to cut a hole in the lid. Add a piece of aluminum covered styrofoam to the top and bottom, toss in some ice, and your brew should stay cold for about 3 hours.
The author does note that this is not recommended for long term storage. So drink up!
permalink | 15 | 15 | [
{
"comment_id": "36289",
"author": "zoinks",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T05:53:30",
"content": "at least there is a schematic.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36290",
"author": "pedro",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T12:33:09",
"content": "je... | 1,760,377,822.672057 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/04/reprap-universal-constructor-achieves-self-replication/ | RepRap Universal Constructor Achieves Self-replication | Juan Aguilar | [
"News"
] | [
"3dprinter",
"3dprinting",
"plastic",
"rapidprototyping",
"reprap",
"universalconstructor"
] | RepRap, the self-replicating universal constructor has had our attention since it first started
spitting out globs of shapeless goo
, but its speculative potential turned in a real benchmark recently when a
RepRap machine made parts for an identical machine
in a few hours (a child, in other words), then the second RepRap successfully made parts for a third or grandchild machine.
RepRap
does not fully assemble copies of itself, but produces the 3D-printed plastic components necessary to assemble another copy. It has also successfully produced other plastic goods like sandals and coat hooks. [Dr. Adrian Bower] is the leader of the RepRap team, and he will be exhibiting its capabilities at this week’s
Cheltenham Science Festival
.
[via
BoingBoing
]
permalink | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "36275",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T05:04:52",
"content": "Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
... | 1,760,377,822.916177 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/04/gaming-with-roombas/ | Gaming With Roombas | Sean Percival | [
"Robots Hacks"
] | [
"irobot",
"roomba",
"smurv",
"telepresence"
] | Yesterday we looked at the
Pac-Man Roomba casemod
. In the video, creator [
Ron Tajima]
expressed interest in seeing Roombas participate in real life games. So we did some digging around and found some used in
an interesting augmented reality game
. From Brown University, these modified Roomba Create units play various games, like tag, with an underlying goal of developing smarter robots.
The setup consists of a Java powered client/server arrangement. The game server coordinates the Small Universal Robot Vehicles (SmURVs) and builds a database of events for future use. Players can also control the robots through a Java
telepresence
client.
The units themselves are made up of the
iRobot Create
with a Mini-ITX computer strapped to the top. They run Linux and communicate over WiFi with the server and players. They also have an IR emitter used in the games to “shoot” other units.
Gameplay has the server acting as the referee and humans only acting as instructors. The humans come into play when the robots are unable to respond based on their existing database of decision making policies. Through the client, players are able to see exactly what the robot sees with the addition of 3D overlays. Future plans for the game include removing the camera view and replacing with nothing but these overlays. One of the final goals of the project was to create a 24/7/365 gaming experience similar to what is found in MMOs and Xbox Live applications today.
permalink | 2 | 2 | [
{
"comment_id": "36273",
"author": "zoinks",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T05:27:54",
"content": "no writeup?no schematic?NOT A HACK!",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36274",
"author": "Skyler Orlando",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T14:30:44",
... | 1,760,377,822.733429 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/04/arp-poisoning-is-still-a-problem/ | ARP Poisoning Is Still A Problem | Juan Aguilar | [
"News"
] | [
"arp",
"arppoisoning",
"arpspoofing",
"hdmoore",
"layer2",
"metasploit",
"mitm"
] | You’ve no doubt heard that the site hosting Metasploit, the exploit framework, was
hacked earlier this week
, but what you may not have heard is that it was done
using a layer 2 attack
. Though
Metasploit.com
was not actually cracked, a server on the same VLAN was compromised and used to ARP poison the gateway.
ARP poisoning
is a method of sniffing data by sending a false ARP message to an Ethernet router to associate the hacker’s MAC address with a valid IP address from a genuine network node. From there the hackers were able to mount their MITM attack and show the image above instead of Metasploit’s website. This problem could have been avoided if the ISP was using fixed ARP entries, which is what [HD Moore] had to do to get the site back online. [Richard Bejtlich] points out that even though most people have been focusing on application security lately,
fundamental attacks like this still happen
. If you’re doing a good job protecting yourself, you can still be at the mercy of the security of 3rd parties when operating in shared hosting environments.
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36268",
"author": "Taylor Alexander",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T01:20:28",
"content": "Man, it blows me away how much we keep learning about this stuff!-Taylor",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36269",
"author": "Chris",
"t... | 1,760,377,823.011516 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/04/hydrophone/ | Hydrophone | Juan Aguilar | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"diy",
"fish",
"hydrophone",
"microphone",
"solder",
"underwater",
"vegetableoil"
] | Chances are you’ve never wondered what your goldfish is trying to say, but if you have (or if you just want a project), check out this
DIY hydrophone
.
You will need a computer microphone, vegetable oil, plastic wrap, scissors, solder, and a small unused plastic bottle. Solder the mic capsule to an appropriate length of cable and test. The entire assembly can then be submerged in vegetable oil inside a plastic bottle. Yes,
vegetable oil
. Seal the bottle and you’re done.
permalink | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "36254",
"author": "Solenoidclock",
"timestamp": "2008-06-04T23:10:28",
"content": "I’d use mineral oil. Vegetable oil goes rancid after a while.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36255",
"author": "Taylor Alexander",
"time... | 1,760,377,822.967263 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/04/diy-slingbox/ | DIY Slingbox | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"home entertainment hacks"
] | [
"diy",
"home theater",
"hometheater",
"ht",
"mac",
"quicktime",
"quicktimebroadcaster",
"slacker",
"slingbox",
"stream",
"streaming"
] | [David] took some interesting steps to
put together his own Slingbox-ish setup
. He used a Mac mini running
Quicktime Broadcaster
to capture the stream from a Firewire video camera which his cable/satellite receiver is plugged into. You’ll have to use an OS X machine, but that’s not too difficult
these days
. Broadcaster is about the simplest way to capture from Firewire and stream. We’re using it in our own office to multicast the signal from a Canadian satellite box.
permalink | 19 | 19 | [
{
"comment_id": "36235",
"author": "Liam",
"timestamp": "2008-06-04T16:11:00",
"content": "Are you genuinely multicasting? Post up info if you are.I’ve been doing a lot of work with multicast and the term is often used completely incorrectly",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []... | 1,760,377,823.065894 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/06/wii-dual-nand-flash-hack/ | Wii Dual NAND Flash Hack | Eliot | [
"home entertainment hacks",
"Nintendo Hacks"
] | [
"firmware",
"flash",
"nand",
"nintendo",
"nintendowii",
"tsop",
"wii"
] | [ChipD]
successfully installed two NAND flash chips into his Wii
. He can keep the stock firmware on one and then flip a switch if he wants to boot using the other chip with a modified firmware. This hack is fairly straight forward. All it took was someone with steady hands to try it out. The new NAND chip is identical to the original and was salvaged from a flash drive. The chips were soldered as a stack except for the chip enable pin. The chip enable from each chip is attached to a small switch to toggle between which is active. You could use a TSOP socket to swap the different chips, but it wouldn’t fit inside the Wii case. This little switch could be hidden easily next to the GameCube ports.
permalink | 13 | 12 | [
{
"comment_id": "36375",
"author": "tiuk",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T20:03:12",
"content": "nice to see a real hack",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36376",
"author": "Solenoidclock",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T20:42:45",
"content": "Thi... | 1,760,377,823.116632 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/06/crt-blinkenlights/ | CRT Blinkenlights | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"ccc",
"pic conttroller",
"PicConttroller"
] | [Julien] sent in his group’s
twist
on the now classic
blinkenlights project
. Oddly, the writeup is entirely in jpg form, so I can’t know if he’s finished it yet. One of them promised to send it in during our
New uses for old CRT monitors HackIt
, so it’s nice to hear something about it. While the classic blinkenlights uses building windows as pixels, this version divides CRT displays into four squares.
permalink | 4 | 4 | [
{
"comment_id": "36371",
"author": "Julien Brouchier a.k.a. Aqntbghd",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T15:55:45",
"content": "The project is functional as of now, the team has made one mainboard and 5 daughter boards so they can controll 25 screens (a 10*10 matrix). It’s running smoothly animations (we can... | 1,760,377,823.159099 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/05/bionic-senses/ | Bionic Senses | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"blindness",
"cochlearimplants",
"cybernetic",
"deafness",
"med-el",
"retinal",
"retinalimplants",
"secondsight",
"sensory"
] | Various cybernetic limb and organ replacements
were recently featured in IEEE’s flash demo called The Bionic Body Shop, but we were most interested by the bionic eye and the cochlear implant (we already discussed the featured powered exoskeleton). These are notable for the fact that they are not merely high-tech prosthetic replacements strapped to or worn on the body, but implants that are housed within the body and work with flesh-and-blood sense organs on a much closer level than any preceding technology.
The Argus II Retinal Stimulation System is biotech firm
Second Sight’s bionic eye
, and it works by attaching 60 electrodes directly to the retina that stimulate light and dark receptors to form an image the human brain can parse. The electrodes are also connected to a small housing unit implanted more deeply within the skull; the housing unit contains a battery, video processor, and wireless receiver. The receiver gets video data from a small camera mounted in a pair of glasses. The technology is currently in clinical trials using only patients over 50 who have suffered gradual loss of vision as opposed to lifetime blindness.
Minimal data about cochlear implants was in the flash demo, so we chose one manufacturer,
Med-El
, to learn more. Their implants work much in the same way as the retinal implants, with a cranially implanted housing for electronic components and an electrode array directly stimulating the user’s cochlea. A speech processor worn externally picks up sounds and converts it to digital data. The data is transmitted by a coil to the receiver in the internal housing, which relays it to the electrodes. The electrodes stimulate the cochlea and the user hears the sound. Though these are available now, only patients with severe hearing loss are eligible.
One interesting thing to note about both devices is that they stimulate sensory organs directly with digital data. While the most practical applications are to recover lost or damaged sensory sensitivity, it’s not inconceivable to think that these could also become available to anyone and be used to stream music directly into your ear or visual data like text or images directly into the eye. Fun stuff, just make sure
the procedure
doesn’t drive you insane. | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "36357",
"author": "fozz",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T09:26:30",
"content": "although retinal implants would be FRIGGIN SWEET, my pessimism can’t help but think of how we’ll be constantly fed advertising through our wireless implants.the future: potentially very awesome, most likely go... | 1,760,377,823.290019 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/05/obsolete-technology-band/ | Obsolete Technology Band | Sean Percival | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"audio",
"band",
"harddrive",
"music",
"Radiohead",
"remix",
"scanner",
"sinclair",
"zxspectrum"
] | Radiohead held a contest for fans to
remix the single
Nude
from their album
In Rainbows
. Frontman Thom Yorke mentioned on NPR that the contest was essentially a joke, since the
Nude
track is recorded at 6/8 timing and 63bpm, much slower than traditionally mixed music. The above video from [James Houston] is one of the most creative entries. Using
old computer hardware he has recreated the track
in a very unique way. He uses a Sinclair ZX Spectrum for the guitar track, a dot matrix printer for the drums, a scanner for bass, and a hard drive array for vocals.
Want to make your own band with obsolete technology? Click through for a few pointers to get you started.
Scanners used to be the hot peripherals of their day; now many are reduced to collecting dust. Revive these relics and put them to
good use as instruments
.
In the Radiohead video we saw an array of hard drives used as speakers. Afrotechmod created the video above featuring the Star Wars theme. He
wired the audio input directly to the coils
used to control head and platter motion. Since all hard drives are different it may take a little poking around to get the desired effect.
Dot matrix printers are well known for their iconic sounds. In the above video, [Sue Harding] tells us about her experiences with them and how she plays around with color and character density to create new sounds.
Lastly, we have the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. While it’s not entirely clear what program is being used,
there are quite a few audio trackers available
for the platform. The video above is a ZX Spectrum demo made by Digital Reality.
[via
Waxy
]
permalink | 31 | 31 | [
{
"comment_id": "36329",
"author": "Karu",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T05:26:27",
"content": "This is sincerely badass.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36330",
"author": "Jack",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T06:12:45",
"content": "That was a... | 1,760,377,823.398687 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/05/hp-color-laserjet-2600n-teardown/ | HP Color LaserJet 2600n Teardown | Juan Aguilar | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"disassembly",
"emsl",
"evilmadscientistlabo...",
"evilmadscientistlabs",
"HP",
"laser",
"laserjet",
"laserjet2600n",
"lasers",
"printer",
"printers"
] | In the ongoing quest to
find parts for new projects
by
scavenging old devices
, the curiously sane and benevolent team at
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories took apart an HP Color LaserJet 2600n
. They wanted to see what makes it tick and what parts can be culled from it for later use.
Using nothing more than a phillips head screwdriver and a small lever to push tricky plastic tabs, the team removed every single component from the printer until nothing was left. After removing the rear panel and a pair of medium circuit boards that control most of the printer’s functions, they found this unique item: a humidity sensor.
They removed several more parts, including the small PCB with transparent circuits that holds the LCD, the power board, the entire belt assembly, and several gears and motors. This brought them to the optics box containing two boards like the one above. The rear sides of the boards each have two laser diodes and one photodiode that is likely used in synchronizing data with the position of the page being printed. The optics box also yielded mirrors that reflect the laser, the motors that turn the mirrors, and several lenses, including a plastic molded lens assembly with three different lenses built into it.
When they were through with the optics package, the team moved on to the fuser assembly. Instead of using a quartz lamp to melt the toner like many other printers, this one contains a film resistive ceramic heater inside one of the rollers. After disassembling the fuser assembly, there was only one board left inside the remaining steel shell.
Evil Mad Scientist Labs posted more than 200 pictures in
a Flickr photoset
(all photos by [Windell H. Oskay]) showing every step of the process, and at the end of their article they list all the usable parts they got from the teardown. Taking apart the printer is only half the fun, though; we’re looking forward to what they build next.
permalink | 10 | 10 | [
{
"comment_id": "36322",
"author": "Rob Ristroph",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T02:24:30",
"content": "I would be particularly interested in the accuracy and precision of the humidity sensor. I had no idea one was in there, and I can think of several uses for one. It would be interesting to collect da... | 1,760,377,823.451607 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/05/one-handed-controller-available-for-pre-order/ | One Handed Controller Available For Pre-order | Sean Percival | [
"Peripherals Hacks"
] | [
"benheck",
"benheckendorn",
"controller",
"controller mod",
"controllermod",
"heckendorn",
"onehanded"
] | You are probably familiar with the work of [Ben Heckendorn]. His latest commercial project, the one handed Access Controller,
is now available for pre-order
. A well known modder, he has created several unique video game console adaptations including a scratch built
one handed Xbox 360 controller
.
A unique feature of this controller is that it allows you to change the location of the buttons/joysticks. This modular design can be swapped and customized depending on your needs. Ben is including a guide for creating your own modules, should you be so inclined. The device uses 2.4Ghz wireless to communicate and is available for $129.99.
Since we know you are more interested in hacks than gadgets, be sure to checkout Heckendorn’s nice collection of
how-tos on Engadget
.
[via
Engadget
]
permalink | 5 | 5 | [
{
"comment_id": "36317",
"author": "murrow",
"timestamp": "2008-06-06T05:38:41",
"content": "hackaday has become just another news blog that just pulls shit from digg/slashdot/engadget. if this is really what it is going to change into, you will lose (and i know you have already lost) a lot of reade... | 1,760,377,823.626139 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/05/building-a-midibox-sid/ | Building A MIDIbox SID | Juan Aguilar | [
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"c64",
"commodore",
"Commodore64",
"midi",
"midibox",
"midiboxsid",
"sid",
"subatomicglue",
"thorstenklose"
] | We’ve discussed MIDIboxes before
(and
once before that
), but we’ve never really told you what goes into them or how to build one. We’ll take you through the process after the break.
This particular MIDIbox
by [Subatomic] is built on the MIDIbox SID specs
originally conceived by [Thorsten Klose]
(check out the great sound samples) and
streamlined by [Wilba]
. It uses a Commodore 64 case, 8 of its SID chips, and the power supply, but gets most of its other parts from various different sources. The Commodore’s
SID
or Sound Interface Device, was one of the first sound chips available in a personal computer.
In the worklog, a SID module, the first of four, was built before anything else. Then [Subatomic] opened up the Commodore case and attempted to fit a number of modules into it. For the MIDIbox’s power, he converted the original Commodore power supply to provide 14VDC and 5VDC, but learned much later that this would only give enough power for 4 SIDs, resulting in a mono MIDIbox. He continued by adding a power board and noting that with the core and SID modules and the audio mixer board, it’s a tight but workable fit.
The next several steps involved designing and building the control surface. After creating a mockup and acquiring several components like knobs, LEDs, and a small LCD, [Subatomic] began building many of the necessary control surface PCBs, including the filter control PCB and a few others.
[Subatomic] went on by going through the painstaking process of creating backlights for the knobs. After that he acquired the custom-made front panel, created the LCD module, and attached it and several PCBs to the panel. The panel was then painted.
After a little work on the PSU and the rear I/O panel, [Subatomic] prepped some banksticks (external storage accessories; think USB stick forerunners with a female serial jack).
After finishing and gluing the LEDs to the knobs, the panel was finished. At this point Subatomic decided to scrap the SID, core, din and dout modules in favor of a single PCB that does everything. He cut the board to make it fit in the case, cut headers, added resistors, burned out the LCD, did a lot of spot-checking on the wiring, and then he finally added the SIDs to the board.
He soon zeroed in on the power supply problem that was only routing enough power to 4 SIDs by replacing the malfunctioning C64 PSU with a good one, after which the LCD was also replaced. The wiring diagram above shows how the remaining modules would be wired to the main board.
The only software work involved adding functions for 2 special buttons to the preexisting firmware and recompiling it. He realized that the MIDIbox was missing a mixed output jack, so he added than and made several minor cosmetic mods. With these final fixes, the MIDIbox SID was completed. If you’re considering this project, be aware that it’s a major endeavor with a lot of detail work that took [Subatomic] nearly 3 years to build, but the reward is a slick-looking, fully functional MIDIbox SID of your own.
[via
Matrixsynth
]
permalink | 7 | 6 | [
{
"comment_id": "36311",
"author": "thegimpster",
"timestamp": "2008-06-05T23:15:29",
"content": "It looks cool, but I would hate to hack up one of my C64’s. I only have 4 after all, and you never know when you will need one to save the day.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []... | 1,760,377,823.495479 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/02/recent-news-followup/ | Recent News Followup | Sean Percival | [
"News"
] | [
"biggestdrawingintheworld",
"bittorrent",
"gps",
"hoax",
"mars",
"md5",
"oink",
"phoenix mars lander",
"PhoenixMarsLander",
"position based art",
"PositionBasedArt",
"torrent"
] | Last week we talked about a
single rumored arrest
over the OiNK torrent tracker. Since then, there’s been a
confirmed report
of 6 arrests. The arrests appear to be the result of users uploading pre-release music to the now defunct site. For some time, police have had access to the OiNK user records minus the passwords which are thought to be stored as a
salted MD5 hash
. It seems British authorities can force these individuals to reveal passwords under something called the
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act
.
The
Phoenix Mars Lander
(pictured above) has found what might be a
large piece of ice directly underneath it
. This week the lander will scoop up a sample, melt its contents and test the various gases it releases. Twitter users can watch the mission’s progress in semi real time by
following the MarsPhonix account
. Lastly it looks like the official website for this mission was
defaced through a SQL injection attack
.
We already reported the
world’s largest GPS drawing
as a hoax. It has however inspired a few to look closer at the concept of position based art and others have already
created authentic works
. Our friends over at BoingBoing even made a little flash application to create your own “
Unimpressive GPS Art
“. Upon hearing of the hoax we were quick to draw up a
brand new proposal for DHL
using Google maps. | 18 | 18 | [
{
"comment_id": "36137",
"author": "killerpiggypie@gmail.com",
"timestamp": "2008-06-03T03:35:07",
"content": "HACK A DAY YOU ARE STARTING TO FAIL COME ON IT WAS GOING GOOD FOR A WHILE STOP GIVING US SHITTY NEWS COME ON NOW",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"com... | 1,760,377,823.731399 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/02/defcon-ctf-qualifier-results/ | DefCon CTF Qualifier Results | Eliot | [
"cons"
] | [
"1@stplace",
"ctf",
"defcon",
"defcon16",
"kenshoto",
"nopsrus",
"octf",
"openctf"
] | Kenshoto
held qualifiers for the
DefCon
‘s Capture the Flag competition last weekend. The
top seven finishers
: Routards, Pandas with Gambas, Guard@MyLan0, Shellphish, Taekwon-V, WOWHACKER, PLUS, and last year’s winners, 1@stPlace, will be invited to participate in the final this August in Las Vegas.
The qualification started Friday night at 10PM EDT with an email (Subject: M0rt4g3 y0ur /14gr4 up 2 3 1nch3$) being sent to all 451 registered teams. Connecting to the game server displayed a Jeopardy style score board. The five available categories were Binary Leetness, Forensics, Real World, Potent Pwnables, and Trivia, with point values from 100 to 500. Only one question was opened to start. The first team to answer that was allowed to select the next question to open and then any team could try to answer it. Participants were warned about the difficulty of the 500 level questions and the entire Real World category. At the end of everything, four questions still remained locked at the end.
If you’re interested in what type of questions the contest had,
check out the write up on NOPSR.US
, which has all the files and solutions. Non-qualifiers can still participate in
DC949’s OpenCTF
.
permalink | 0 | 0 | [] | 1,760,377,823.767232 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/02/diy-ballistic-glass/ | DIY Ballistic Glass | Will O'Brien | [
"classic hacks",
"Misc Hacks"
] | [
"acrylic",
"bulletproof",
"glass",
"guns",
"polycarbonate"
] | [Glenn] hasn’t put up action shots, but he did write up how he
made his own
“Bulletproof” glass. The idea is simple: make a composite sandwich of Acrylic and Polycarbonate plastic. Automotive grade uses a combination of glass and Polycarbonate. Great, now we’ve got one more thing on my list of stuff to shoot.
permalink | 12 | 11 | [
{
"comment_id": "36126",
"author": "Dave",
"timestamp": "2008-06-02T15:54:15",
"content": "Sure would be nice to see some test results on this one.",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"replies": []
},
{
"comment_id": "36127",
"author": "unomi",
"timestamp": "2008-06-02T16:09... | 1,760,377,823.674122 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/01/touchscreen-kit-for-eee-pc/ | Touchscreen Kit For Eee PC | Juan Aguilar | [
"computer hacks",
"Netbook Hacks"
] | [
"Asus",
"Asuseeepc",
"eee",
"EeePc",
"touchpanel",
"touchscreen",
"touchsensitive"
] | We’ve featured
hacks for the Eee PC 701 before
, but nothing so easy as
this touchscreen kit
.
This kit includes everything needed: the touchpanel, a USB controller card, and the correct connectors. The touchpanel is placed inside the frame in front of the screen. The controller is plugged in line with the USB webcam. This mod can be completely installed in 9 steps, the hardest of which involves removing a few screws. This is great solution for first-time modders, but if you’re not afraid of a little solder and prefer a bit more challenge, check out jkkmobile’s original
touchscreen hack
. He even hints that he’s successfully added touch to his Eee 900 as well.
permalink | 14 | 14 | [
{
"comment_id": "36114",
"author": "monster",
"timestamp": "2008-06-02T08:04:08",
"content": "but how hard would it be to add touchscreen capability to the 900 series? i’m saving up to get a black one soon.also, is it possible to use the trackpad and touch screen at the same time? if i have the 900 ... | 1,760,377,823.823263 | ||
https://hackaday.com/2008/06/01/parasitic-power-devices/ | Parasitic Power Devices | Sean Percival | [
"home hacks"
] | [
"electricity",
"electricityout",
"green",
"parasitic",
"parasitic generator",
"parasiticgenerator",
"parasiticpower",
"power"
] | Aside from having a very cool name, parasitic power is an innovate way to recapture already spent power. This power can come in the form of wasted heating or cooling of a building for example. Last week the Southern Methodist University
activated the first commercial Green Machine
from
ElectraTherm
. The unit recycles residual heat from the building into electricity. So far, the 50kW Green Machine has exceeded expectations. The company also says owners can recoup the units cost after about three years.
Pictured above is a
Parasitic Wind Turbine
built as an experiment to see if any useable energy could be captured from a standard home air conditioning unit. Although not listed on the website, the 6 phase 90 V 4.0 the motor used here is available from
Skycraft
or auction websites like eBay. Using the rotor of a standard box fan and placing it at a 45 degree angle yielded the best RPM.
Lastly, these applications of parasitic power remind us of an
art project by Michael Rakowitz
from 1998. Rakowitz created temporary homeless shelters that were inflated by a building exhaust vents. The air flow from these vents provided both structure and heating for the shelters. They also served to draw attention to the homeless housing situation and encourage cities to think of new ways to address the problem. | 25 | 25 | [
{
"comment_id": "36089",
"author": "dax",
"timestamp": "2008-06-02T03:53:50",
"content": "what a terrible name.. parasites cause damage to the host. In the name of efficiency and thermodynamics, most of the listed devices don’t harm the energy source..",
"parent_id": null,
"depth": 1,
"r... | 1,760,377,823.895406 |
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