Posts with «mod» label

Gaming classic Snake gets charmed by geeks with flutes and Arduino (video)

Nerds. Where would we be without their idle tinkering? Still pushing stones, we gather. But were it not for those breakthroughs, both high and low, us common folk would never know the charm of seeing the classic game Snake played with the use of ordinary recorders. No, not a tape or video recorder -- we're talking flutes here and, naturally, Arduino. With the aid of a hacked-to-bits Nokia 6110i, mobile engineering collective Kitchen Budapest was able to program directional controls for the retro title in Max/MSP (music software) via pitch detection, paving the way for one-note recreational fun. Eager for a peek of this flautastic feat in action? Then jump past the break to gaze at a slickly produced video tour of this novel, nostalgic hack.

Continue reading Gaming classic Snake gets charmed by geeks with flutes and Arduino (video)

Gaming classic Snake gets charmed by geeks with flutes and Arduino (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Apr 2012 05:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 05 Apr 11:55
arduino  flute  flutes  gaming  hack  kitchen budapest  kitchenbudapest  mod  nokia 6110i  nokia6110i  recorders  snake  video  

Arduino hack turns Space Invaders alarm into Gmail Notifier (video)

Glaswegian engineer Grant Gibson spied a Space Invaders alarm clock being flogged off cheap ($5) and decided it deserved hacking. When activated, the battery-powered unit scuttled left to right, old-school style as it roused sleepy gamers but Mr. Gibson added a little Arduino magic to turn it into a moving Gmail notifier. Stripping out the battery compartment, he installed a USB-powered Arduino Nano, programmed to poll his email and activate the motion whenever he received a new message. The system is ripe for customization, it can be set up to alert when a front door bell is pushed or a notification received on Twitter -- which you'll be allowed to try as he's included all the details on his blog. The project (including the Nano and Alarm Clock) came to $20 and three hours of his time, which we're understandably impressed by. Head on past the break to see the thing in action and then fling yourself (highland-style) down to the source link to learn how to build your own.

Continue reading Arduino hack turns Space Invaders alarm into Gmail Notifier (video)

Arduino hack turns Space Invaders alarm into Gmail Notifier (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 06 Feb 22:04
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Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn't very useful (video)

Who knows why tech tinkerers do what they do. We're just happy to see those idle hands try the untested. Like this latest Arduino hack from modder Michael of Nootropic Design, who's seen fit to rig a 16 x 32 LED matrix up to an Android phone for use as a secondary display. The outputted video, downscaled via OpenCV software to an appropriate resolution and 12-bit color, is admittedly unimpressive, as it chugs along at a paltry four frames per second. But that's not the point of this can-do experiment -- it's all about the possibilities, however blurry and pointless they may be (although, we're sure Barbara Walters would beg to differ). Ready to see this modjob in motion? Then head on past the break for a brief video demo.

Continue reading Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn't very useful (video)

Arduino hack gives a second screen to Android phones, isn't very useful (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 25 Jan 14:28
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Roll up, roll up for the magical mystery Arduino tour

If this news isn't as obvious as John Obvious: Professor of Obvious studies at Cambridge University: we love Arduino 'round these parts. Phil and Limor of Adafruit Industries took a tour of the Italian foundry's Turin factory and took a gallery of pics (and video!) on the way. It's a great insight into how the building process works for the modding tool, and you can head on down to our source link to check out the gallery in full -- we've also included a direct link to the video as the guys walk down the production line in our more coverage link. We're so good to you, you know.

Roll up, roll up for the magical mystery Arduino tour originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 13 Jan 13:44
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Hacker builds allegedly pointless data network out of Lego train set

How can we appreciate bullet-quick SSDs and fiber networks without pausing -- at the year's end -- to appreciate where it all came from? We should think back to before the birth of modern computing, even before the telegraph, to a time when bits of data were forced to travel everywhere by train. A hacker named Maximilien has now recreated that locomotive golden era using Lego, Arduino and Linux, and what his system lacks in bandwidth it more than makes up for in historical relevance. A USB flash key is borne by miniature railway carriage from station to station, stopping at each one to unload or pickup information and thus creating its own barebones networking protocol. Click the source link to appreciate the full museum piece.

Hacker builds allegedly pointless data network out of Lego train set originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 27 Dec 14:19
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USB Biofeedback Game Controller lets you play Mario with your guns (video)

Those gun-show tickets you've been offering out to everyone (that nobody ever takes) can suddenly do a lot more, thanks to Advancer Technologies. It's developed an Arduino-based plug-and-play bio-feedback game controller that uses EMG (electromyography) sensors to monitor the electrical activity in your skeletal muscles and turn them into game controls. For example, a bicep twinge represents jump, a gripped fist means run forwards -- as long as you've sufficient definition for those two to be distinctive. Check out the must-see muscle action after the break, or see how it's done at the source link.

[Image courtesy of Dreamworks]

Continue reading USB Biofeedback Game Controller lets you play Mario with your guns (video)

USB Biofeedback Game Controller lets you play Mario with your guns (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget 16 Dec 16:07
advancer technologies  advancertechnologies  arduino  arduino mod  arduinomod  brian kaminski  briankaminski  electromyography  emg  hack  hackers  instructables  make  mod  modding  super mario bros. 3  supermariobros.3  video  

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  

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
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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