Posts tagged with hack

DIY capacitive sensitive floor tiles

Posted on November 23, 2009 4:57 AM

Have some time on your hands and don't want to remain idle and be associated with the devil's workshop? This DIY capacitive sensitive floor tiles project ought to suit you then, as it allows you to construct a USB-connected DDR controller from scratch. You will use an Atmel ATmega8 microcontroller inside to run the V-USB firmware, while analog to digital converts to read in data from the capacitive sensors. Not too sure on whether this system is durable in the long run or not though, as hardcore DDR players can attest to.

Wooden Induction Charger

Posted on November 23, 2009 4:28 AM

The Powermat surely kicked off a new way of juicing up your thirsty devices after a long, hard day at work, but this mod brings things to another level. The guts of the Powermat office charging solution have been removed and placed within a hollowed-out hardwood for that added touch of class which you won't find anywhere else. There is a huge problem with this if you decide to embark on a DIY trip - you've got to make sure the wood is thin enough to obtain a positive lock on the charging coils below the surface without having to go through the wood.

iPhone macro lens carousel mod

Posted on November 23, 2009 3:51 AM

Have a pile of junk in your working area that you're not quite sure what you could do with them? The iPhone macro lens carousel mod might trigger a spark or two in your brain, where it offers an opportunity to come up with a unique accessory for your iPhone alongside recycling a bunch of scavenged optics. The wonders of a used jam jar cap...

Sega Dreamcast made portable

Posted on November 23, 2009 2:02 AM

This isn't the first (but it might be the last, who knows?) Sega Dreamcast developed, but it does look pretty stunning. You get clean and compact styling, where it packs in a 7" widescreen display, an integrated controller and stereo speakers. Too bad such DIY projects will never hit the market...

Electric shaver modded with new button

Posted on November 20, 2009 8:53 PM

This electric shaver has been saved from the trash thanks to the ingenuity of its owner who decided to replace a faulty power switch with one of his own - it does make us wonder though, won't it get in the way of the shaving process being this long and all?

DIY accelerometer-controlled USB gamepad

Posted on November 20, 2009 8:00 PM

An idle mind is the devil's worksop, but then again sometimes idle minds conjure up wonders like this homemade accelerometer-controlled USB gamepad which houses a PIC18F2550 from Starlino within.

The code for the firmware was written in PicBasic Pro and it implements a HID USB device with 2 axes and 4 buttons (only 2 buttons connected in the prototype). The device is detected by Windows XP/Vista as a standard USB gamepad and can be used with many games and applications. I am using a 2 Axes Buffered ±2g Accelerometer from DIMENSION ENGINEERING, it has a built in voltage regulator that allows powering the accelerometer directly from the USB bus (5V).

If you're interested in making one of your own, head on here.

DIY water purifier

Posted on November 13, 2009 9:11 PM

Why waste money on a water purifier from an appliance store when you can do it yourself? A 68-year-old retired engineer did just that, using a plastic bottle with a magnet to remove from the water surplus of some metals. Pretty neat! Other modifications include the funnel neck of a plastic bottle filled with millet, helping saturate the water with vitamins. Something worth looking into during a long weekend, eh?

Windows 7 hacked

Posted on November 13, 2009 9:10 PM

It is but a matter of time before the key antipiracy protections built into Windows 7 were hacked, and notifications that require users to activate their copy of Windows 7 within 30 days can now be turned off. This doesn't mean the software will be confirmed as legitimate, but it does enable one to keep using the product just about indefinitely. Microsoft has confirmed that they know about the technique and are working on a workaround to prevent future iterations of their activation procedure from being exploited.

PSPGo hacked by Team Typhoon

Posted on November 13, 2009 9:02 AM

The Sony PSPGo has been hacked by Team Typhoon with custom 6.1 firmware to boot. Here's what the hacked PSPGo looks like in the video above, alongside an excerpt from the person who uploaded the video.

This video is for bragging rights ONLY (since it’s very cool nowadays) and shows our Proof of Concept 6.10 Custom Firmware running on the PSPgo. This will never be released to the general public or anyone else at all whether you are a dev or not, this is Team Typhoon internal material, we have no reason whatsoever to waste a perfectly good exploit. So don’t ask for release dates. We don’t care about your complaining, whining and everything remotely related and it’s your own damn fault since you brought this on yourselves. Better version of the video showcasing more homebrew coming next week. Thanks go to Sony for this awesome piece of new hardware, finally a decent hardware revision. Also thanks to all historied PSP Homebrew developers for paving the way for us to be able to do this.

Would this piece of news make it harder for you to sleep, or will you just brush it aside?

Didgeridoo modified electronically

Posted on November 12, 2009 10:13 AM

Kyle Evans has taken his technical know how to heavily modify this didgeridoo.

I created this instrument to experiment in the combination of the organic sound qualities of a didgeridoo with the advanced signal processing capabilities of modern computer programming and sound synthesis. This custom built didgeridoo features externally mounted modules that allow the performer to process and manipulate the sound of the instrument in real time. All control data is transmitted wirelessly via Bluetooth and is controlling several audio processes created in a custom-built software environment.

There is some surreal quality about merging both the old and the new, eh?

Meizu M8 hacked to run Android

Posted on November 11, 2009 12:19 PM

The Meizu M8 is the iPhone killer that never was, but perhaps with this fan-inspired hack, it could finally live up to a semblance of its full potential? Modified to run Google's Android operating system, it will be interesting to see whether Meizu will take this route on an official basis or see the M8 waste its potential in the long run.

Netbook hackintosh 10.6.2. fix in the works

Posted on November 11, 2009 11:58 AM

It goes without saying that the killing of Atom processor support in the Snow Leopard 10.6.2 update by Apple was an unpopular move, but good news abounds. A computer genius is working on a hackintosh 10.6.2 fix that ought to be out within a few weeks, which would then place the ball back in Apple's court on whether they'll go ahead and try something that will irk the many netbook users out there yet again.

OutRun arcade cabinet turned into car

Posted on November 11, 2009 11:57 AM

Truth might be stranger than fiction, and this adage holds true with the OutRun arcade cabinet that has been transformed into a car thanks to Garnet Hertz of the Pasadena Art Center College of Design. He has already installed all the relevant parts including wheels and motors to keep it up and running. An EVT America Electric Trike with electric motors will move the entire arcade cabinet with its "driver", while GPS sensors from an iPhone will be work in tandem with custom software to render out a "map" on the arcade screen in an OutRun style.

Voice controlled LED signage

Posted on November 10, 2009 8:24 AM

What happens when you throw in 120 LEDs, NerdKit, Python and an appropriate Google Voice module? Well, throw in some technical know how and you end up with a voice controlled LED sign. For instance, leaving a voicemail on the recipient's Google Voice account by starting with “message”, and it will then show the message to everyone for reading in just minutes. Would be nice to see future iterations see more security options thrown in for good measure just in case your other half sends you a naughty message...

NEStickle is one cool mod

Posted on November 10, 2009 8:03 AM

Fancy turning the classic NES into something different? That's what this guy did with his, the NEStickle which uses an old NES console chassis to hold a Sanwa joystick and its buttons within. The NEStickle will play nice with a variety of consoles including the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and computers from Windows, Mac and Linux stables. It doesn't forget its humble roots either, coming with an NES controller that can be connected to a regular NES.

RFiDJ controls HTPC with coasters

Posted on November 10, 2009 1:34 AM

Who would've thought that the humble coaster could be used to control your HTPC? That's exactly what Roteno Labs has done with their solution known as the RFiDJ. It relies on a set of picture frame coasters alongside mounted descriptive pictures as well as special RFID tags located within each one. Whenever a coaster is placed in the sensor area, the server will start to stream that specific selection which includes local news, This Week in Tech podcast and other specific albums. Heck, Roteno Labs even threw in a “shuffle” tag for good measure just in case you're at a loss when it comes to making a selection.

NCube coolest mod for GameCube just yet

Posted on November 9, 2009 10:16 AM

Here's one of the best mods we've seen to the GameCube so far - the NCube. It will load stock discs from an exposed spinning disc drive, where the innards are basically ripped out from an original GameCube. Within the chassis would be Datamax Kid's Delight, a Dreamcast Quantam Fighterpad, a 3rd party Wii Classic controller and components from the PSOne portable screen.

SNEGENES P a custom built wonder

Posted on November 9, 2009 6:55 AM

Are you the type who loves to have a spot of classic retro gaming from time to time? Unfortunately, the upkeep of old handhelds and consoles can get pretty expensive and tedious in the long run, but here's a new custom built device that might just save the day - the SNEGENES P which is capable of handling games from the NES, SNES and Sega Genesis with aplomb. This is made possible thanks to the use of parts from an authentic “mini” SNES and a Gen-X clone machine. You will need half a dozen 2,600mAh batteries to run this thing (reminds you of the Sega Game Gear, eh?) that ought to last anywhere from 5 to 7 hours. Apart from that, the creator also threw in composite video and stereo audio outputs for added convenience just in case you want to play it on a big screen.

AIRduino guitar for music fans

Posted on November 6, 2009 6:42 AM

Those who love shredding on their air guitars with imaginary riffs, why not realize the dream with the AIRduino guitar? David Fournier, Jean-Louis Giordano, Monireh Sanaei, Maziar Shelbaf and Gustav Sohtell are the brains behind the AIRduino guitar, which is in essence a wearable virtual instrument. Viva la open source, alongside full documentation to let you know how to get started.

Digital mixtape handles MP3s the old school way

Posted on November 4, 2009 12:42 PM

Justin merges the old and the new by incorporating playback of digital music using the functionality of a cassette which holds a microUSB port which can be connected to a compatible MP3 player. Perhaps future iterations will see FF/REW capabilities built right in, which can be triggered by turning the spools. Inconvenient, but cool.