RSSArchives: July 2007
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July 10, 2007
OpenMoko: $300 Linux-powered mobile phone
Brian writes -
OpenMoko, a project to create an open, Linux-based smartphone, and FIC (the manufacturer) have started shipping a phone for developers who want to play around with OpenMoko and get a jump start on application development, the Neo 1973, which features:Openmoko Products - [via] Link.* 2.8" VGA TFT color display
* Touchscreen, usable with stylus or fingers
* 266MHz Samsung System on a Chip (SOC)
* USB 1.1, switchable between Client and Host (unpowered)
* Integrated AGPS
* 2.5G GSM - quad band, voice, CSD, GPRS
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Micro SD slot
* High Quality audio codecThe basic model is only $300, but you can get the Neo Advanced for $450, which includes JTAG support and more.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 10, 2007 02:00 AM
Cellphones |
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Maker Faire Austin: "auditions" this Sunday!
Here's a reminder from David...
Maker Faire will descend on Austin on October 20-21 at the Travis County Fairgrounds. It's our first full-blown Maker Faire outside of the Bay Area and it's sure to be a DIY extravaganza of tech, science, art, craft, and family fun. Are you a maker or crafter who would like to show off your project at the Faire? The call for makers is now open with proposals due by midnight, August 15. Also, we'll be hosting a Maker Faire "audition" this Sunday, July 15, at Austin Children's Museum from 1pm to 5pm. To request a 15-minute post, email Maker Faire director Sherry Huss at sherry@oreilly.comMaker Faire - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 10, 2007 12:00 AM
Announcements, Maker Faire |
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Sew Useful contest
REMINDER: The Sew Useful Contest, a joint project of Etsy and Instructables just extended their deadline to July 16th, so there's still plenty of time to get in on the act! Bre and I will be among the judges.
Entries must be "useful" as well as posted on Instructables and Etsy. What counts as useful, you ask? The contest guidelines say: "We are keeping the definition of 'useful' loose because we want to see what you come up with. In general, we take 'useful' to mean something that makes life easier for humans. This could be a tool, a modification of some existing object, or an item that has some practical function." More info on the contest page - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 10, 2007 12:00 AM
Crafts, DIY Projects |
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July 9, 2007
Li-ion Life Extension
Spicy Gadget Rolls has some basic tips on extending the life of Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries, commonly found these days in cellphones, laptops, mobile media players, etc...
Battery Storage - If you plan on not using the Lithium battery for prolonged periods of time, then you'll want to have the charge level at 40% and place the battery in the fridge (not freezer). Storing the battery at 100% charge level applies unnecessary stress and can cause internal corrosion. On the other hand, if the charge is too low, the battery can become permanently unusable, due to battery self discharge. This is why manufacturers recommend storing your Lithium battery at 40% charge, rather than either extreme.
4 Tips to Extend Your Lithium Battery Life [Via] -Link
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 9, 2007 11:00 PM
Cellphones, Computers, Electronics, Gadgets, Mobile |
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HOW TO - Make your own USB LCD controller
ch424 writes -
This is a guide for making an LCD that connects to your computer using USB, primarily intended to be external. You can see mine here. To make the board smaller, it doesn't have the GPOs.Make your own USB LCD controller! - Link.This thread should also be used for suggestions on how to improve the circuit, add new features, and fix bugs in the firmware.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 10:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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PowerBook earrings
Wow, these homemade PowerBook earrings are really nice - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 08:00 PM
Arts |
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Skull-A-Day
Designer Noah Scalin designs and blogs a skull every day. He uses lots of recycled materials like sugar and plastic spoons and shredded woven receipts - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 06:00 PM
Arts |
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Belt floor mat
Here's a great idea for a (re)make - a floor mat made from old belts... [via] - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 04:00 PM
Crafts, DIY Projects |
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Super-Yano
Philipp writes -
Super-Yano is an interactive robot I build based on a modificated electronic doll. He is used to tell childrens stories and is capable to speak with text-to-speech, to hear with speech recognition and to see with face detection made with OpenCV.Super-Yano - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 02:00 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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The Brushbass
Brokenjoe writes -
Here`s a wacky little contraption that I put together that allows me to play a beat while playing the stand up bass using a snare brush through my fingers. Lightning Chance used to use something similar back in the fifties on the Grand Old Opry shows when they wouldn`t allow drummers there. His was screwed right to the belly of the bass and also obstructed him from going up the neck. My addition to this was to come up with a removable one that had more spring to it like a real snare and to also put in a condenser mic/pre amp that I can send to the P.A at festival gigs.It takes a while to get the hang of the brush being through the fingers but it`s worth it. At first I used it all night on duo and trio gigs playing every kind of music just to get used to it but now I`ll just pull it out for two or three songs a set for effect. It`s turned up higher on this video so you can hear its tone. Normally it would be a bit lower in level.Brokenjoe's site (Thanks Phil!) - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 12:00 PM
Made On Earth, Music |
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Art with toothpicks
There's something about toothpicks lately... here's a pretty nice collection of (more) toothpick art... - [via] Link.
Related:
Toothpick engineering - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 11:00 AM
Arts |
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Carpet sample projects
Here's are the finalists (and people's choice) from a contest using carpet samples. Best of all, you can dowload a PDF for instructions on how to build most of the items. Thanks ansley - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 10:00 AM
DIY Projects |
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HOW TO - Make a monster quartz halogen bike light
Dan writes -
It was a dark and stormy night...and the 3-watt generator lamp was sporadic, cutting out altogether each time a whiff of snow happened to come between its roller and the tire. "There's got to be something better," the mad cyclist thinks to himself as he squints to make out the faint halo of light cast by the 3-watt bottle dynamo generator.HOW TO - Make a monster quartz halogen bike light - Link.That mad cyclist happened to be yours truly, and the above situation real to life--and the inspiration for the MONSTER Quartz Halogen Bike Light!
The cost of this project was somewhere around $100. I say 'around' because I already had some of the hardware!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 09:00 AM
Bicycles, DIY Projects, Electronics |
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HOW TO - Make conductive glue
Mikey77 shows how to make your own conductive glue and then glue a circuit on clear plastic or any surface... Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 08:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Soy wallets
Soy wallets has (you guessed it) wallets from soy milk containers, they're for sale - but the instructions are at the bottom of the page... Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 07:00 AM
DIY Projects, Green |
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Heathkit schematic diagram archive
Goodness, this is one of the best sites ever - a very large archive of Heathkit schematics... Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 06:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Kits, Retro |
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Flat screen TV quilt
TVs are getting so big that they need quilts made for them when they get cold... actually, it's an entry in the Sew Useful contest, a TV cover to keep the dust off... Here's how to make your own - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 05:00 AM
Crafts, DIY Projects, Instructables |
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I am not a bomb - talking solar lamps tell you they're not bombs
R. Stern writes -
Inspired by the January Boston ATHF bomb scare, Rees Shad and I have created some publicly-installed solar lamps that proclaim, "I am not a bomb" in one of 12 languages. They are on view in the Kingston, NY Peace Park through October as part of their sculpture biennial. These Declarative Lamps begin speaking and blinking at dusk, and they use the current air temperature to determine how often they speak, much like the way crickets chirp. We've made available our materials list, code, and circuit schematic for public use.Sternlab - Link.
Source and schematic included, outstanding work R. Stern & Rees Shad.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 04:00 AM
Arts, DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Scrap built Dxmaxion
Bishopthirteen writes -
I've always loved building vehicles from found bits. I grew up at the top of a steep hill so engines were never a consideration until I moved to West Oakland (think a paved dry lake bed with stop signs). This is my first homebuilt "car" not based on a bicycle drive system.Scrap built Dxmaxion - Link.Great salvage opportunities around in this part of the Bay Area. Still lots of industrial flotsam and jetsam about. Most cities have been scrubbed clean of anything interesting or useful, not West O! Just yesterday I found a box of solenoid valves and pressure-stats, Two weeks ago I found a commercial grade weed whacker with a broken string feed mechanism and a running 24cc motor, Score!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 03:00 AM
Made On Earth, Transportation |
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Grow crystals in a cup
From Pop Sci, Theodore Gray on making bizmuth crystals -
When I was a teenager melting elements in my parents' basement, I noticed that cooling lead would sometimes form a snowflake-like pattern on its surface. Snowflakes are crystals, and I had never thought of metal as crystalline. Metals are shiny, malleable things. You can't bend a crystal into a coat hanger!Grow Crystals in a Cup Melting and cooling bismuth reveals the secret crystalline life of metal - [via] Link.But most metals are crystalline, at least at the microscopic level. For example, iron and its alloys consist of a mixture of microscopic crystal zones interlocked with one another. The difference in properties between cast iron and high-carbon tool steel or the nickel-iron superalloys used in turbine blades are largely the result of the various sizes and shapes of the constituent microscopic crystals and what's in the space between them. Quenching (fast cooling) and annealing (slow cooling) are nothing more than ways of controlling the size of the metal's crystals. In general, the slower a material is cooled, the larger its crystals can grow.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Jul 9, 2007 02:00 AM
DIY Projects, Science |
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