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Archive: Electronics
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February 22, 2007
Wireless/Wii Hack for SNES and NES controllers
A MAKE reader sent in this Wireless/Wii Hack for SNES and NES controllers - Take original NES/SNES controllers, add an iPod battery, an RF chip and a 16F84A microcontroller and you'll have wireless retro controllers that work with the classic console titles on an un-modded Wii - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 22, 2007 08:11 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Gaming |
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Guitar Hero + Commodore 64
Continuing with Commodore 64 theme this week, Toni is hooking up Guitar Hero to a Commodore 64 -
This is the (future) home of my Shredz64 project - an attempt to built an interface to connect the Playstation Guitar Hero controller to the Commodore 64 computer, and then build a guitar-hero like game on the C64 utilizing this controller.Why do this you ask? I recently attended the TPUG Commodore convention in Toronto Canada, and I found hundreds of people still very much interested in the Commodore 64 and expanding its capabilities, even today. I saw some awesome demos of people building network adapters, online games, MIDI interfaces, and other cool stuff for their C64s. I fell in love with the idea - I love the C64 and I love hacking around with software and hardware alike, so I figured this would be the perfect project! Around the same time I had also read about Jeri Ellsworth and her amazing work and success with recreating the C64, and I was just really inspired all around. If all goes well, perhaps I can present my little project at next years TPUG conference!
Toni's SHREDZ64 Project! - [via] Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 22, 2007 12:17 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Music, Retro |
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February 21, 2007
LCD display with ethernet interface
Guido writes -
Originally I wanted to write the next article about a weather station based on the avr web server. Based on a request from a customer I decided then to develop this circuit first. The weather station comes next. There are a number of interesting aspects/problems here which could also be useful for developing other circuits.
- Most LCD displays want 5V. The avr web server uses 3.3V
- The simple "switch on/off a relay" circuit which was the only function provided by the avr web server until now did not require HTML-forms. I used simply 2 URLs http://baseurl/password/1 for switching on and http://baseurl/password/0 for switching off. This does not work anymore for the display as we want to type a text into a web page which should then be shown on the display. What is needed is a needed is a proper decoding of HTML form data.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 21, 2007 08:04 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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SheekGeek educational kits
SheekGeek has a lot of great educational robotics kits for all ages...
Picture here, The W.A.S.P -
The W.A.S.P Original Robotic Kit is designed to help introduce children age 12 and up to robotics, electronics, and mechanics.SheekGeek Educational Kits - Link.The name W.A.S.P stands for "Wiggling and Spinning Photovore" which describes the action and the type of the robot in the W.A.S.P. robot kit. A photovore is a light-seeking robot. The W.A.S.P photovore robot wiggles towards a light source and spins in circles when it finds the brightest spot.
The activity of the W.A.S.P is very reactive. It will follow the beam of a flashlight closely allowing the user to control where they want the W.A.S.P to go. The W.A.S.P is also very quick (especially with new batteries). It can travel 5 feet in 5 seconds!
Setup of the W.A.S.P is great for beginners. The circuit is very simple and many of the pieces are everyday, recognizable items like chenille stems/pipe cleaners and cable ties.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 21, 2007 05:27 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Kits, Robotics |
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If you can't buy it, build it: Wanky the safety cat
Mike sent in this awesome Wanky the safety cat project -
When I got my first beater car as a proto-hoon of 16, my dad had some excellent advice, straight from the Midwestern heartland where he learned about wrenching: "Son," he said, squinting at my barely-running Corona, popping the top on his can of Old Milwaukee, and taking a mighty swig, "You need to get yourself a JC Whitney catalog!" He knew the address by heart: JC Whitney, Chicago, Illinois, so that's what I wrote on the postcard requesting my first catalog. Soon the first of many wonderful pulp-paper treasures appeared in my mailbox, straight from the City Of The Big Shoulders......and the thing that caught my attention, each time I scanned its wondrous pages, was the Winky The White Cat listing. Soft, Fluffy... and Safe! Red Eyes Flash Warning!
I wanted Winky for my car, to keep me safe with his soft fluffiness and his acrylon-like fur. But I was young and foolish, worried about image. What would my friends think? Could I blast Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables on the cassette and still sport Winky in the back window, all the while keeping some semblance of coolness? Sadly, a victim of teenage peer pressure, I couldn't bring myself to buy Winky. A few years later, JC Whitney stopped carrying him. Winky was no more.
Now, 25 years later, I realize that all is not lost. Yeah, I can't buy Winky (not a real one, anyway), but I can make my own!
If You Can't Buy It, Build It: Wanky The Safety Cat - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 21, 2007 03:07 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Retro, Transportation |
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Quick and Dirty D to A on the AVR: A timer tutorial
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has an excellent tutorial on controlling analog devices with an AVR microcontroller -
So you've got a microcontroller and you want to use it to control something analog. That's a common task, and a number of good solutions exist, depending on exactly what you need to do.Most microcontrollers do not include built-in digital-to-analog conversion (DAC) hardware, and external converters cost money. There is, however, a quick, easy, and cheap little trick of a solution that can be played by averaging a digital output.
This is a short tutorial on making useful (but crude) analog output signals with a low-cost microcontroller. The analog signals will be made by averaging a digital pulse width modulation (PWM) output from one of the counter/timer units in the microcontroller, and do not require any dedicated digital to analog conversion hardware. We will first introduce some aspects of the counter/timer and discuss how it can be used to generate the pulse width modulation signal. After that, we'll implement the scheme on an AVR microcontroller and use it to make a simple and slow little function generator circuit.
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories - Quick and Dirty D to A on the AVR: A timer tutorial - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 21, 2007 10:57 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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Keybot - an electronic keyboard robot
The keyboard robot can use the keyboard of another computer -
A keyboard robot is a device that allows one computer to operate the keyboard of another computer. It also allows a computer to control its own keyboard. It can even be used to control a network of computers if a multiplexer is added.The Keybot can do many things that cannot be done any other way. It can do something as simple as set the CMOS settings during a power up of a computer. It can do something as complex as linking many computers & programs together for artificial intelligence. It does not require knowledge of those computers nor the program languages used.
This report includes all the information needed to build your own Keybot. It also includes control software written in QBASIC. The Keybot project is inexpensive to build but it requires you to have some electronic knowledge and soldering ability.
Keybot - an electronic keyboard robot - [via] Link.
Schematics included.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 21, 2007 09:12 AM
Computers, DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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XBOX Xbot
David made a bot to do all the button mashing for him -
So what's the xBot? It's an automated Xbox 360 button pusher to get Perfect Dark Zero's two most tedious achievements: 1000 Death Match Games and 1000 Dark Ops Games worth 30 gamer points each (60 total). Both of these Achievements were successfully obtained by the xBot without having to sit there and push buttons for 40-50 some-odd hours. While it's running its course, nothing needs to be touched. Except for the occasional checking if I got my points.Why, you may ask, did I build such a thing? Because I can!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 21, 2007 09:09 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Robotics |
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Use a Commodore disk drive on a PC
Till has perhaps the most comprehensive documentation for connecting a Commodore disk drive to a modern PC - source & schematics are all there....
The xu1541 is the modern way to connect cbm iec bus devices to todays USB equipped PCs and it is meant to replace the printer port solutions based on the so-called original x1541 cable. The xu1541 interface allows you e.g. to attach a VC1541 disk drive to your desktop PC as depicted below. This allows for easy transfer of disk images from and to the old units and helps you preserve your ancient data.The xu1541 is a proprietary interface. It does not transform the vc1541 into a standard usb mass storage compliant device. Instead it provides a means to send low level iec commands forth and back via the usb. PC software developed to support this interface may then directly access the disk drive and the contents of a disk inserted. It should also be possible to access other iec devices like printers. Currently e.g. the CVS version of the opencbm software supports this interface.
xu1541 - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 21, 2007 08:09 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Gaming, Retro |
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February 20, 2007
DIY iTrip Amplifier
Cody writes -
I purchased an iTrip off eBay for $30 shipped. I wasnt expecting it to work good due to the many negative reviews I have read about it. I started off by pulling the antenna out of the case for a better signal. It did increase the performance, but not enough. I found this article and decided to make one. First off, Radio Shack was only good for2 things, battery snaps and a battery. I purchased everything from www.allelectronics.com. The article linked above describes using a 12v car adapter, I wanted to make it portable so I am using one 9v battery. I had a 12v 200mA AC-DC adapter, it fried 3 transistors so I dont recomend that. T Here is the part list for www.AllElectronics.com, but keep in mind that the resistors and transistors have small minimum amounts for purchasing...
cparsell - iTrip Amplifier - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 20, 2007 01:38 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Wireless, iPod |
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| Comments (1)
February 19, 2007
Maker version of a car alarm - The Tesla anti-theft fevice: Eye of Sauron
Goodness, this is incredible -
How about a "Sauron's Eye" for your car? My wooden counterweight is on fire here at the top of the coil. It's quite safe to be in the car although my son was apprehensive. This was a hire car (as I don't own one) and it still works. I did get extra insurance "in case".
Tesla_coil_sparks - [via] - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 19, 2007 01:38 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Transportation |
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| Comments (3)
February 18, 2007
HOW TO - Build your own heart monitoring device, a simple ECG
Refik writes in and shows you how to to build your own ECG device & heart monitoring system -
This article should teach you how to build a simple heart monitoring device, ECG/EKG (electrocardiograph). In the United States and Worldwide million's of people are losing their life because of heart failure. It is a disease that comes with diabetes, stress and etc. Before I continue to explain what I did, I would like to WARN you! 500mA (miliAmps) on 220V will completely destroy your nervous system (so run it from battery supply), check everything twice and you are responsible for it on you own.How to build your own heart monitoring device, a simple ECG - e-dsp - Link.
Related:
- DIY ECG Electrocardiograph kit - Link.
- Low cost ECG Tester - Link.
- EEG & EKG schematics - Link.
- Homemade Electrocardiograph - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 18, 2007 02:32 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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| Comments (4)
HOW TO - Build your own $10 light meter (visible, IR, UV...)
Arleigh wrote in looking for a cheap way to make a UV light meter, here ya go--
Parts cost around $10.00 US. Gain switch has 5 positions, each an order of magnitude more sensitive from very dim room light to very bright sunlight. (Slight modifications allow extends sensitivity an extra factor of 1000, and neutral density filters can be used for bright light.)Sensitive from mid-IR to mid-UV. With filters can look only at UV, IR, Visible, individual colours, polarization, etc. Easy to build with tools at home - just use a drill, saw and soldering iron. Works with any cheap multimeter Permits quantitative measurements for an enormous number of existing experiments (eg. 1/R 2 law, efficiency of different light sources, polarization of light sources, emission spectra etc.)
Index of /~toombes/Science_Education/Light_Meter - Link (doc & PDF).
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 18, 2007 09:45 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Science |
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February 17, 2007
Dump-O-Matic
Markus has a ton of greats projects spanning decades on his site, but here's a really fun one -
Kids are cruel. And geeks will be geeks. Given those two facts, the only thing that is better than lurking on a balcony above the tent that your sisters have set up directly beneath, waiting to tip a bucket of water on their heads as they emerge, is to automate the process, or at least make it remotely controllable. And thus we bring you the dump-o-matic.Markus Wandel's Projects - Link.Not much needs to be said that isn't obvious from the pictures. The solenoid once triggered the slide advance in a slide projector. The container is a tobacco tin.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 17, 2007 01:48 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics |
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February 16, 2007
diyAudioProjects.com - DIY Audio projects
diyAudioProjects.com has several DIY (do it yourself) audio projects for the electronics hobbyist and woodworker. Pictured here, the 12AX7 line level tube preamplifier kit. Thanks Giovanni!
DIY Audio Projects | diyAudioProjects.com - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 16, 2007 10:31 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Kits, Music |
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| Comments (2)
Electronic junk cell phone charms
Jher sent in this link about a Japanese cellphone toymaker that hand makes this widgets from spare electronics parts... Super easy and fun to re-make...
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 16, 2007 05:30 PM
Cellphones, DIY Projects, Electronics |
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| Comments (0)
Hot soldering action (videos)
"thelastnameavailable" posted up a few nice surface mount soldering videos - if you're in to soldering, then this is for you.
YouTube - thelastnameavailable videos - Link.
More:
- HOW TO - Salvage surface mount components - Link.
- Using SMT components in your electronics projects - Link.
- HOW TO - SMD soldering (Surface mount devices) - Link.
- Surface mount component remover - Link.
- Quick helper for surface-mount soldering - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 16, 2007 03:41 AM
Electronics |
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Linear stepper motor controller kit
This looks interesting... a linear stepper motor controller kit, open source, for CNC machines...
- Open Source! Circuit Diagram, PCB (Board) Layout, and PIC Software all available online. (Kit/PCB sales support PICList.com) Also: user code modifications.
- Standard step + direction inputs easy connection to a parallel port for up to 7 units.
- Use with standard CNC programs like TurboCNC or Mach 3.
- Uses standard Unipolar (5 to 8 wire) stepper motors. Not for Bipolar (4 wire).
- Complete tutorial and FAQ explains How the board works, how to assemble the kit and how to power it up! Runs from your regulated +5v supply.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 16, 2007 02:37 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Kits |
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| Comments (2)
February 15, 2007
Make a simple tilt activated switch
Frank writes -
It's a 3 position SPDT switch that closes (on) when tilted. Made with 3 pieces of plastic, a washer, and three machine screws + nuts. I made this switch as a hack for a cheap r/c car controller, inspired by the wiimote controlled car.I just realized, this can also double as a pedometer or a shake sensor
instructables : Tilt Activated Switch - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 15, 2007 07:46 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables |
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| Comments (7)
HOW TO - Measure muscle sounds - Part 1: Electronic board
I see a MIDI project on the horizon. Operon from the openprosthetics group writes -
This is a step-by-step guide on how to make your very own prototype acoustic myography sensor. That means a sensor you can use to measure muscle sounds. What is this good for? well... it is a more affordable alternative to the electrodes used in powered prostheses (specially if you make your own). The short paper below describes briefly how this sensor works and the diagram illustrates how it is built.
instructables : Measure Muscle Sounds! Part 1: Electronic Board - Link.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Feb 15, 2007 05:42 PM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Instructables |
Permalink
| Comments (0)
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