Posts with «modding» label

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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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
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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
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