Posts with «hack» label

Step aside Arduino, TinkerForge is the new sheriff in mod-town (video)

Does Arduino coding bring you out in a cold sweat? Perhaps what you need is the new open-source gear from TinkerForge. The modular system is designed for even novice users to whip up fully functioning robots in a matter of minutes hours. You start with a 4 x 4cm Brick, which you program over USB, but it won't do anything until you add accessories in the form of Bricklets: switches, joysticks, motors, accelerometers and LCDs. You can stack up to eight Bricks to expand the potential of your projects, including a step-down transformer and a (forthcoming) WiFi unit. If the rules-based programming software is too easy for you, the hardcore can bust out their mad C, C++, C#, Java and Python skills. The first models are available today, Bricks cost between €30 ($40) - €50 ($70) and Bricklets cost €3 ($4) - €20 ($25). Head on past the break to catch the press release and a video of some of the brilliant ways you can use this technology, including an infra-red theremin, self-positioning telescope and robots -- so many robots.

Continue reading Step aside Arduino, TinkerForge is the new sheriff in mod-town (video)

Step aside Arduino, TinkerForge is the new sheriff in mod-town (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 10 Dec 00:35
arduino  bricklets  bricks  diy  hack  hackers  hacking  kit  make  mod  modding  mods  tinkerforge  video  

Arduino hacker conjures NES and Etch-a-sketch wonderment (video)

You never know when that creative spark will ignite in your brain and compel you to sketch out some ideas. But when that genius moment finally arrives, you might consider grabbing your original Nintendo controller, quickly wiring it up to an Arduino board, connecting that to some motors and then using those to drive the dials on an Etch-a-Sketch. Modder Alpinedelta32 tries it in the video after the break and it turns out to be a breeze -- and so much more tactile than other idea-capturing devices.

Continue reading Arduino hacker conjures NES and Etch-a-sketch wonderment (video)

Arduino hacker conjures NES and Etch-a-sketch wonderment (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 26 Nov 03:01
alpinedelta32  arduino  etch a sketch  etch-a-sketch  etchasketch  hack  hacker  mod  modder  motorshow  nes  nintendo  nintendo entertainment system  nintendoentertainmentsystem  video  

Insert Coin: Twine connects your whole world to the internet

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

Wouldn't it be great if your laundry emailed you when it had finished? You got a tweet every time the room got too cold, or your basement sent you a text if it began to flood? "Easy," says the Arduino expert in the peanut gallery, but what about those with neither the time nor inclination to solder and program it from scratch? Fortunately, the gentlemen who founded Supermechanical feel our pain and have just the tonic for our maladies -- head on past the break to find out more.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Twine connects your whole world to the internet

Insert Coin: Twine connects your whole world to the internet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 24 Nov 17:18
accelerometer  arduino  crowdsourcing  diy  funding  hack  hacking  http  insert coin  insertcoin  kickstarter  programming  sensor  supermechanical  thermometer  twine  twitter  wifi sensor  wifisensor  

Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video)

Start with some Arduino and Gameduino hardware, add a splash of PLAN-13 satellite tracking software from 1983, and finish with a healthy dose of libertarianism. The result? A neat little hack called Angst, designed and built by Mark VandeWettering (aka Brainwagon). It can store details of up to 750 satellites on 128KB of EEPROM memory and display their predicted orbits in all the glory of SVGA. Don't get lazy though -- the most reliable way to track those pesky snoops in the sky is still to don your anorak, step outdoors and snoop right back.

Continue reading Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video)

Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 23 Nov 02:21
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Arduino kit beams low-fi Google Weather to VGA screens

Looking for another way to use that aging VGA CRT screen hogging space in the closet? Try making your own dedicated weather screen by mixing together Google's meteorological data stream and some Arduino magic. It looks like parsing that Google Weather data was a bit of a challenge on the miniscule 2KB of RAM, but a tinkerer going by the handle Zmashiah has managed to do it. He's even managed to cram in a few extra graphical flourishes, including icons and background themes that change depending on the temperature and time of day. The entirely PC-free device grabs the data through an Ethernet connection and flashes up all the weather goodness in stunning VGA. Any meteorological mavens reading this can grab the full shopping list and procedure at the Instructables link below.

Arduino kit beams low-fi Google Weather to VGA screens originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 22 Nov 13:31
arduino  diy  google  google weather  googleweather  hack  hacks  low-fi  retro  vga  vga display  vgadisplay  weather  weather forecast  weatherforecast  xml  ybox  

PC Fan hack lets you scra... scra... scratch analog audio, ah-yeah (video)

Digital DJ controllers let would-be grandmasters get up to all sorts of fancy new tricks, but if you're one of those old dogs who can't be taught, then this PC-fan-come-DJ-turntable might tickle your fancy. Connected to an old-school personal cassette via an Arduino, with a little voltage level smoothing in the mix, moving the fan "scratches" the audio, by controlling the speed of the tape player. The initial plan was to have the fan spinning with the music, like a real turntable, but as you'll know if you've ever caught your finger in one of these things, it's probably best it didn't work out. Despite its home-made charms, one final flourish is VU style LEDs for some mixer-style visual feedback. Alas, there's no built in cross-fader, so don't start work on that DMC routine just yet.

Continue reading PC Fan hack lets you scra... scra... scratch analog audio, ah-yeah (video)

PC Fan hack lets you scra... scra... scratch analog audio, ah-yeah (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 22 Nov 09:29
arduino  audio  dj  hack  led  pc fan  pcfan  scratch  turntable  video  

Freaklabs' FredBoard gives the gift of hackerspace to Mothership HackerMoms

Come this (Black) Friday, it'll officially be the season for gift-giving and general family dysfunction. So, why not warm that tech-tinkering heart while heating up the creative juices of the baby-bound set with a Freaklabs purchase that puts your money to good use? The outfit's got a monster mash FredBoard up for order that splices together an Arduino and breadboard to make your first brush with homegrown modding a relatively painless affair. Oh, and the proceeds are destined for a Mommy-centric hackerspace -- dubbed Mothership HackerMoms -- in San Francisco that does double duty as a day care for little leg-clingers and a lab for their electronics-inclined parents. These ladies-in-programming currently swap house hosting duties, but with the boost from your potential feel-good donations, could snag a proper venue of their own. Feel like getting in the holiday spirit early? Then click on the source below to bring some early cheer to Bay Area baby Mommas.

Freaklabs' FredBoard gives the gift of hackerspace to Mothership HackerMoms originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 22 Nov 00:04
arduino  breadboard  freaklabs  fredboard  hack  hackerspace  mod  mothership hackermoms  mothershiphackermoms  

3D-printed tail hooks up with Arduino, wags the dog (video)

In the year 3000, surgeons should be able to graft animal body parts onto our willing flesh. But, let's be real, aside from a reanimated Walt Disney (ok, not really), most of us won't live to see that scifi horror-filled day. Filling in, for the time being, is a nifty Arduino hack from the mind of one Artharis that breathes erratic life into a 3D printed tail. Its clumsy flailing is more disturbed-dragon-with-ADHD than aroused puppy, but we'll take what we can get for now. Shame, though, that Halloween's already come and gone, otherwise this would've made for a nice house party icebreaker. Peep the spastic animatronic in motion after the break.

Continue reading 3D-printed tail hooks up with Arduino, wags the dog (video)

3D-printed tail hooks up with Arduino, wags the dog (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 20 Nov 01:29
3d printed  3dprinted  animatronic tail  animatronictail  arduino  artharis  hack  mod  tail  video  

My Keepon: Kinect-ing hackers and goths through the art of dance (video)

If rhythm is a dancer, then My Keepon is a goth. The adorable, Snowman-like (yellow snow, in this case) bot just recently received a wallet-friendly retail debut, so join us in the not-surprised-to-see-this-get-a-Kinect-hack (by way of Arduino) camp. Granted, the lil' guy's moves may be stilted, but he's clearly not the star of this YouTube show. We were more impressed with his gesture-cuing Gepetto's discotheque living room get down. So, do you think you can dance to industrial music and mod this $35 holiday hot toy? Then clearly you need to hit up the source for all the necessary coding bits. But first, be sure to take a gander at the industrial grind after the break.

Continue reading My Keepon: Kinect-ing hackers and goths through the art of dance (video)

My Keepon: Kinect-ing hackers and goths through the art of dance (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 18 Nov 18:12
arduino  beatbots  goth  hack  industrial music  industrialmusic  keepon  kinect  kinect hack  kinecthack  mod  my keepon  mykeepon  video