Julie Wang from Cornell University developed a Bruce in a box augmented reality project for her ECE 5760 final project: My system makes use of a variety of digital signal processing and computer vision techniques, resulting in a robust and reliable system. The hardware I utilized was the DE2-115 board by Altera, a Video Camera, and a VGA […]
Category Archives: hacks
eBay photoswitch teardown
Alan Parekh of Hacked Gadgets writes: I spotted this photoswitch on eBay and had to take a look at the guts (search photoswitch if the link doesn’t work since eBay links go stale after a short time). I now see that the same unit is sold in multiple variations which are 24V and 220V. Not sure […]
GTP-USB-Lite programmer re-flashed as USBPICProg
Oakkar7 writes: At the last weekend, I try to flash my GTP-USB-Lite programmer with new firmware and to use new software. The procedure is very simple. – GTP-USB-Lite and USBPICProg are very identical hardwares, USB interface, PIC18F2550, the same charge pump, same programming header’s pin. – The difference are; * GTB-USB lite used 8MHz crystal […]
Thermal camera project
In this video Avery demonstrates his thermal camera project that he is working on: The code does technically work. I put my hand over the sensor, and LEDs light up. In the video, they appear to get brighter because the led on/off decision is made by basically taking the image and converting it to on/off based […]
Simplest and cheapest foot-controlled telepromter ever
Giorgos from PCBheaven wrote a post detailing the build of his DIY foot-controlled telepromter: I’m preparing a whole new set of theory videos. I’ve set almost everything up, new camera, light fixtures, microphones and everything. I even used my old laptop as an telepromter to narrate the script. But i did not want to hand any […]
Magnetically actuated micro-robots
Magnetically actuated micro-robots for advanced manipulation applications: SRI is developing new technology to reliably control thousands of micro-robots for smart manufacturing of macro-scale products in compact, integrated systems. Via Hacked Gadgets.
A simple posture sensor
Here’s a simple cure for your posture and the back pain blues, a posture sensor by Wingman: The simplest distance sensors are ultrasonic or infrared sensors. I went with a SR-HC04 because it is cheap and sufficiently precise. There are no special requirements to the controller so I am using an Attiny85. A small piezo speaker provides acoustic […]
The final key – Hardware password manager
The final key – Hardware password manager by cyberstalker.dk The Final Key is a piece technology that solves a problem. The Final Key is a hardware password manager with encryption and focus on combining portability, compatibility security and easy of use. It is a hobbyproject of mine and not under any commercial distribution, you are also free […]
Creating a Spotify remote with an Arduino and LCD shield
Steven from Hackshed writes about their latest project. We have put together a Spotify remote using an Arduino and LCD Shield; it uses a .NET application as a controller and communicates with the Arduino to take input via push buttons and output to the LCD. Project details are available from Hackshed.co.uk.
Hak5 video: quadcopter with WiFi enabled Linux computer and RTL-SDR
What happens when you send up a quadcopter equipped with a Linux box, WiFi and an RTL-SDR dongle? Darren and company from Hak5 decided to find out. Their project used the SDR to receive ADS-B signals from aircraft hundreds of miles away. The Hak5 team took a quadcopter up on top of a high mountain, […]
30c3 video: hacking RFID public access control systems
In this video from the 30th Chaos Communications Congress, Adrian Dabrowski lectured on RFID based access control systems which are becoming common in Europe. These systems debuted in 2006 and use RFID cards as a substitute for a previous mechanical key system to allow emergency service, delivery and other personnel unassisted access to the common […]
DIY pick and place machine
Pete has written an article detailing his DIY pick and place machine build: Above is the back side of the machine. Along the top is a piece of DIN Rail that extends from the left and right of the ShapeOko frame. This is where the majority of parts are installed. Below this, you see a grey vertical […]
Programmable VFD display & ticker
Coyt Barringer has been working on a programmable VFD display and ticker project: The goal was to make a small programmable display so I can quickly check the current Bitcoin or Dogecoin price, see the time, weather, etc as I walk into my room. The display also had to look cool – I tried to make […]
RC servo and PID – ‘Autotune’
Stanley Lio is working on a RC Servo and PID autotune project: The robotic arm built for the magnetic field measurement project leaves several things to be desired. After a new servo is installed, finding the mapping between PWM duration and DH angles is done manually with pen and protractor. I want to automated this. The arm trembles […]
Simple electric imp temperature logger
Marcus Olsson of Slickstreamer made this simple electric imp temperature logger with 3D printed case: I build this temperature logger for my father as a christmas present so he can use his phone to view the temperature at home. The device is build from a electric imp, TMP102 temperature sensor, battery and a charger. It loggs […]
DIY 100W LED flashlight
In this video Julian Ilett demonstrates his DIY 100W LED flashlight: I discovered that due to a lucky co-incidence of voltage and internal resistance, a 100W LED can be connected directly across the terminals of two 18V Nickel Cadmium power tool batteries. And that means you can build a 100 Watt (7,500 Lumens) flashlight for less […]
DIY linear actuator design
Rolandvanroy is working on a six degree of freedom motion platform for a flight simulator: Detailed description of a home-build balanced linear actuator for six degree of freedom (6DoF) motion platform for flight simulator. Video shows step by step construction and some basic actuator test runs under load. The platform needs 6 of these actuators, and the […]
Home-brew milling machine tacho
Wardy writes: Why buy a tacho when you can build one? I thought it would be a cool project and there happens to be a convenient spot on top of the machine for a tacho to live. I fired up my pen and paper and wrote some code to do the requisite calculations. Then threw […]
Arduino based auto trigger spray keeps cats at bay
Curiosity killed the cat, but this project only sprays them with water. Tinkernut posted this humorous project useful for animal control in the kitchen. It uses an Arduino/PIR combo to sense motion and activate the auto trigger on a Raid spray bottle (of course, after emptying and thoroughly cleaning the Raid bottle.) When strategically placed […]
Novena, the open source computing platform
Bunnie has announced the launch of Novena, a new open-hardware computing platform: Novena is a 1.2GHz, Freescale quad-core ARM architecture computer closely coupled with a Xilinx FPGA. It’s designed for users who want to modify and extend their hardware: all the documentation for the PCBs are open and free to download, and it comes with a variety […]