Make: Online: Gadgets Archives

Gadgets Archive: Gadgets

June 8, 2009

DIY teardowns at iFixIt.com

One of my favorite things at this year's Maker Faire was iFixIt's repair area. They had obviously worked their butts off to create a really cool environment conducive to teaching people about fixing their own cars, home appliances and electronics gear. They had awesome displays, like physical exploded view "diagrams" of handheld devices, using the actual parts in a stacked cube of Plexiglas. Really clever. Oh, and they had a Trebuchet that launched T-shirts. They're a really great group of folks, too, very passionate about what they're doing. I gave their booth one of my Editor's Choice ribbons. Well deserved.

On their website, their latest project is the launching of a site where users can post their own teardowns. If sites like Instructables offer a means by which anybody can post how to make something, this is a system for how to post about the process of unmaking things. It's exciting to think how a resource like this can be used by people to learn about the goings on inside the tech they use, what parts are involved, how to replace them, etc.

Kyle explains the new site:

We use a powerful home-grown documentation tool to write our repair manuals. Over the years that software has developed into a fast and efficient way to publish the Mac teardowns that we create. Our hardware teardowns and analysis have become world-renowned for providing a first look inside new hardware. Tons of people have asked us to publish their teardowns to our audience. This demand helped us realize the importance of releasing this platform for everyone, so we spent the last year polishing our tool and making it robust enough for anyone to create teardowns free of charge.

In the past we've focused primarily on Apple devices, but we've recently expanded and published a number of non-Apple teardowns. Our recent teardowns of the Nintendo DSi, Amazon Kindle 2, and Dell Adamo were massively popular and have been viewed by
hundreds of thousands of people.

The deviation from writing Mac teardowns foreshadowed today's epic announcement. We hope that people use our flexible teardown platform to create teardowns of devices of all kinds, not just Apple products.

We keep our website running fast. Over the course of dozens of large traffic events, we've learned a thing or two about handling large spikes in server traffic. Thanks to cloud computing and Amazon EC2, today we're able to dynamically scale our capacity to
meet demand.

Writing a teardown is simple, and we wrote a step-by-step guide to show people how it's done.

We are also proud to announce our first user-generated teardowns. Using our tool, PhoneWreck.com has published their detailed cell phone teardowns and circuit analyses in our easy to understand step-by-step format.

T-Mobile G1
BlackBerry Bold
BlackBerry Curve 8900
BlackBerry Storm
HTC Touch Pro
Motorola Krave
Nokia N95
Samsung Omnia i910
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

All of these teardowns are immediately available online.

We are absolutely thrilled to be launching our new site. This platform has been a labor of love for a long time, and we're excited to see what tinkerers all over the world create with it. Join us, and show the world what's inside your gadgets!

iFixit Teardowns

June 7, 2009

Palm Pre teardown

The iFixit fellas waited in line all night at the Sprint store to snag a new Palm Pre so they could reduce it down to its constituent parts. They're geek like 'at.

Then, PhoneWreck took over and did a thorough analysis of the Pre's innards.

See their component diagram at the end of the teardown.

PhoneWreck's observations:

There are some pretty interesting things that popped up on the Pre's PCB's. This is the first production device we've seen on the OMAP3 (Open Media Applications Processor) platform. OMAP3 is powered by the 600MHZ ARM Cortex A8, PowerVR SGX 530 (GPU), 430MHz C64x, DSP and ISP (Image Signal Processor) and was clearly designed to pack a punch - Dr. Wreck thinks we're going to see this processor popping up in future netbook endeavours.

On the connections side we see the usual wifi/bluetooth combo going to Marvell and CSR with the W8686 and 63823 respectively. We also see the BaseBand win going to Qualcomm with the heavily integrated MSM6801A platform. The OMAP3 PMIC comes loaded with a USB tranceiver and Audio codec which even further reduces the overall board density of this device. We're not fully sure - but it looks as if the Pre's cool new multi-touch Touch Screen Controller win went to Cypress Semiconductor with the CP6944BA device.

PhoneWreck's full analysis is online here.

Palm Pre Teardown

June 5, 2009

Android on OMAP

Android seems to be popping up on everything these days. Netbooks, set-top boxes, embedded devices, washing machines, E-Ink displays, you name it. Of the many available solutions out there it seems that some folks are having great success with OMAP-based solutions such as Gumstix and the Beagle Board. The combination of low power and high performance delivers reasonably efficient Android-based solutions that fit well in tight spaces.

One thing that impressed me in the above videos is Android's ability to adapt to the display. Full-screen web browsing seems right at home on the Beagle Board connected to an external monitor.

June 3, 2009

DIY iPhone Stylus

With such an elegant interface that begs to be touched, you might wonder why anyone would bother using a stylus with an iPhone, but there are times when such an implement comes in handy. When you find yourself in such a situation don't bother grabbing your old PDA stylus. You'll need something that works with the iPhone's capacitive touch screen like this handy DIY iPhone/iPod touch stylus pen.

May 16, 2009

Jimmie's uglified camera

[Photo from Connors934 on Flickr]

The other night I noticed Jimmie's camera amidst the rubble of a circuit bending melee. It stood out for how intentionally ugly it was. He said that it was done in preparation for a trip overseas, where he wanted to make sure he kept his camera. After taping it up and otherwise camouflaging it, he developed a shooting technique where he folded our the screen, set the shots up, then held it up to his eye while shooting to make it look like a film camera. Film cameras, he figured would be of little or no interest to those with sticky fingers.

It reminded me of Rick Polito's article in MAKE, Volume 11 U-G-L-Y Your Bike. Mostly, I just try to keep my camera low key and dislike carrying a dedicated camera bag, what do you do?

Update
Jimmie has posted some additional information on his blog:
http://blog.jimmieprodgers.com/

Back in 2005 I went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to do some volunteer work. Within the first week my camera was stolen. Being that I was volunteering in some of the communities there, I spoke with some people about it. They said that all digital cameras are worth money, but none of the film cameras are unless it's an SLR.
One of the other volunteers had this model of camera, and I thought
that with the LCD closed, it almost looked like a film camera. So I
bought one in the US, had it shipped over, and then I covered it in
tape and sharpie marker.

May 13, 2009

"See-through" PSP wallpaper

This is cute. It's a wallpaper image of the innards of a PSP to make the PSP look see-through. A great companion to the clear PSP faceplate. Offered by the online repair shop Tech Restore.

See-Through PSP Screen by TechRestore

May 9, 2009

Solar powered hearing aid

[Photo from Godisa]

Approximately 10% of the world population has a disabling hearing impairment, and 80% of them live in developing countries. The most expensive part of a hearing aid is the battery, which needs to be continually replaced. The Solar Aid solar-powered hearing-aid battery recharger, developed in Botswana, helps those with hearing disabilities afford to continue in school and participate in economy activity. More than 7,000 units are in use in South America, Central America, Africa, and Asia. And because batteries are generally expensive everywhere, Godisa intends to make this affordable technology widely available not just in the developing countries but also in the United States and Europe.

[Via the other 90%]

May 8, 2009

MV CoilMaster Mark1 Coil Gun

Alan Parekh, of HackedGadgets, writes

Daniel Eindhoven sent in his latest creation, this is one killer looking coil gun!
"Fully semi-automatic, up to 14 shots.
Capable of delivering over 18J kinetic energy, and speeds up to 110km/h! (42 gram projectiles). It's a single stage gun, using a 8800uF(4×2200) capacitor bank with max 400v (704J). Max shot efficiency is 2.8% but reaches almost 4% at lower voltages.

Charge time for 300v (12J kinetic energy 396J capacitor bank) is 8 seconds for the mains connection,
and when using the internal batteries about 90 seconds. It also has a Digital voltage display.

Coil overheat after 14 shots at 300v.
Total weight: 5 kilogram.
Total spend: ~~ 100 Euro
Construction time: ~~40 Hrs"

[via HackedGadgets]

May 7, 2009

How-To: Make a solar iPod/iPhone charger

Building on the original MintyBoost USB charger kit, this Instructables how-to will walk you through the steps of adding a Lithium Polymer battery pack and small solar cell. The extra capacity and added convenience of solar make this modification a must have for off-grid mobility.

MightyMintyBoost [via Gizmodo]

May 4, 2009

Beautiful OLED synth/controller interface

Currently in beta, the OP-1 from Teenage Engineering, is an ultra-portable synthesizer and USB controller with an acute attention to detail. In addition to the gorgeous design, it packs a motion sensor and FM radio for increased mixability. Check out the interface, which has been described to "inspire not to control."

OP-1 [via Digital Tools]

April 26, 2009

G1 PhoneTar

Photo from Connors934 on Flickr

Do you have a phone with a touch screen? Have you tried out some music applications and found the thing a bit awkward to hold? Last year I saw some people messing with guitar application on their phones at the Boston Fab Lab and it got me thinking. When I finally got around to getting a phone, making a PhoneTar was up high on the list of things I 'needed' it for. I did some early testing with the laser cutter for sizing and fit, and the project sat for a while.

When I saw the video of "Kids," the project got reactivated.

Mine is the G1 model of PhoneTar, and though I haven't found many instrument apps for it, I have found that it works fairly well as a stabilizer when taking pictures. It can also work on the dashboard as a way of holding the phone while showing maps, but it would need a way different profile for that.

Want to give it a try? Here is a zip file with the Open Office Draw document I used to cut the part and a pdf of it as well: PhoneTar-G1Tar.zip

To turn it into an iPhoneTar, iTouchTar or possibly a BerryTar wouldn't be too hard, you would need to get measurements of your phone, and change the size and possibly the location of the hole. Different models will have alternate locations for the headphone jack as well.

Looking into the future for the project, I see a need for the right hand to do something. A module down there for strumming or touching contacts would be nice, and could probably be connected to the phone with bluetooth or usb. It would also be nice to have a sound scoop behind the speaker so that it directs the audio towards the audience. A mounted amplifier would be festive as well. It could also be configured for use with the Arduino and Drawdio, both of which can be found in the Maker Shed.

This is not intended to be about a finished project, but rather a step in the Design Process. It does work, but there are many ways it could go from here. My hope is to stir you to action (if you are so inclined) and imagine a new way of seeing your music, phone or other devices. If these ideas gets you thinking, give it a shot and let us know what you come up with!

April 24, 2009

Maker Revolution this weekend in Cambridge

Jimmie has this followup on his announcement for Maker Revolution in Boston this Saturday and Sunday:

The event can pretty much be summed up as a two day extravaganza of makers, hackers, and artists getting together to share cool things they've made, and how to make them. There will be installation art pieces, workshops, and talks. You'll be able to both see an Arduino in use for an art piece, purchase one, and even learn how to use it. There will be workshops as well, so you can learn to circuit bend, or build your own TV-B-Gone with the inventor, Mitch Altman. The Makerbot will also make an appearance, and Bre Pettis will be on hand demonstrating rapid prototyping and how it can change your life.
A number of Boston area makers and artists will also be presenting,
showing off some of the their works. This is a good way to find out
about things going on in the area, and how you can become involved.
From building music and sound installations, to designing your own
video games, and even trying a shot of your own DNA. There is sure to
be at least one art piece or talk that you will find interesting. It
is also very conveniently located just a few minute's walk from the
Kendall T stop.

Watch here for updates! If you are going, add your photos to the MAKE Flickr pool.

Posted by Chris Connors | Apr 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Announcements, Arduino, Arts, Computers, Crafts, Culture jamming, DIY Projects, Education, Electronics, Events, Gadgets, How it's made, Kids, Makers, Music, Open source hardware, Robotics, Science, Something I want to learn to do... | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

April 20, 2009

GeekCycling at the MIT Flea Market

Where do you get that special something for that special project if you aren't quite sure what it is or where to get it? Why the MIT Flea Market, of course!

The MIT Radio Society, in conjunction with the MIT UHF Repeater Association, the MIT Electronics Research Society, and the Harvard Wireless Club, sponsors a Swapfest on the third Sunday of each month, April through October. This is a place to buy, sell, and swap amateur radio, electronic, and computer equipment. Hams and non-hams alike are welcome.

I spent the day on Sunday looking through bin upon bin of connectors, resistors, capacitors, transistors, LEDs, antique electronics, and more. Over the course of the morning, I bumped into a few friends and made a few new acquaintances. My original quest was to get some birthday schwag for a party later in the day, but eventually, I started shopping for my own hardware needs. I could have gotten more, but three trips back to the car seemed to be enough.

It is refreshing to see so many people looking for supplies and tools to do creative projects. These days, people who have extra 'treasures' adorning their caves can jettison their surplus in more ways, but there is fortunately still a way to sell and buy in person. There was definitely a healthy exchange of ideas and the excitement of a great unanticipated find was definitely in the air.

What is your all time best find at the MIT Flea or similar tech-styled exchange? Where are the other places you look for and find great supplies and ideas for projects?

April 18, 2009

WEEE Man teaches with technojunk

Image from WEEE Man

WEEE Man is a massive pile of technojunk brought out of the netherworld of the e-waste stream.

As an educational project, the WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) Man site provides useful resources for teachers and students. Their overview is a good place to start on the big picture of the project.

Objectives of the WEEE Directive

to increase reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery, leading to a reduction in the amount of waste going to landfill or incineration

to improve the environmental performance of all operators involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment

to set criteria for the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of WEEE

making producers responsible for financing most of these activities - private householders are to be able to return WEEE without charge

Collin wrote about WEEE Man a few months ago, and there have been features on Treehugger, Hackaday, Neatorama, and Trifter.

Have you made a WEEE boy or WEEE girl? Do you think you could do something to make a change? Give it a try, and tell us about your ideas for solutions in the comments.

April 12, 2009

Circuit face bending

Here's a new twist on art, electricity, biology and music from Tokyo based dj Daito Manabe. His site is in Japanese and English, which helps a bunch.

Redefining the existent media and technologies from unique angles, I have been active in the various fields, such as art, design, and even research and development. I produce the output of sounds, images, and light through analyzing and transforming the numerical values gained from a various sensors and input devices.

This one seems to be an update on Laurie Anderson's album cover for United States Live, which included an early how-to for maker music fun in the liner notes. United States was worth setting up the turntable for another listen.

Check out Becky's intro to Daito Manabe's appearance at Dorkbot NY and Phillip's Pole dance - Strain sensor+ LED experiment.

Thanks Zach!

April 10, 2009

Single-finger text input

Here's a fascinating video demo of Dasher, a single finger interface that allows you to enter text without a keyboard. Single-finger input without a keyboard? Wait, that's my iPhone.

Keyboards are inefficient for two reasons: they do not exploit the redundancy in normal ... all » language; and they waste the fine analogue capabilities of the user's motor system (fingers and eyes, for example). I describe a system intended to rectify both these inefficiencies. Dasher is a text-entry system in which a language model plays an integral role, and it's driven by continuous gestures. Users can achieve single-finger writing speeds of 35 words per minute and hands-free writing speeds of 25 words per minute. Dasher is free software, and it works in all languages, and on many platforms. Dasher is part of Debian, and there's even a little java version for your web-browser.

Dasher

April 7, 2009

Nintendo DSi teardown

Our friends at iFixit.com nabbed a brand-new DSi as soon as it went on sale, and as they are wont to do, they immediately field stripped it down to its nuts and ribbon cables. Here are some of the deets they discovered.

Highlights:

* The DSi's new matte black skin feels rougher than the DS Lite.
The roughness allows for better grip of the system and should be
far more scratch-resistant.

* The overall size and shape are quite similar to the DS Lite.
It's 3 mm thinner but 4 mm longer and 1 mm wider.

* Battery capacity is substantially less than the DS Lite. The
DSi uses an 840 mAh battery compared to the DS Lite's 1000 mAh
battery.

* The Game Boy Advance port is no more. In its place is a new SD
slot and the ability to download DSiWare through Nintendo's
online download library.

* The DSi now includes two integrated cameras. Unfortunately,
each one only boasts VGA resolution (0.3 megapixels). This is
certainly a bit underwhelming considering most mainstream phones
have cameras of at least 1.3 megapixels.

* An experienced hand can completely disassemble the DSi in less
than ten minutes using standard tools. This is the first Nintendo
system we've taken apart that does not require a tri-wing
screwdriver. This should make repairing and tinkering with the
DSi substantially easier. The DSi is definitely not as complex as
an iPhone!

* Nintendo is using Samsung MoviNAND integrated 256 MB Flash
memory and MMC controller. The custom ARM CPU + GPU is stamped
with the revision code 'TWL'.

* Our DSi's components all had manufacture dates around September
2008, indicating that Nintendo has been stockpiling these devices
for quite a while prior to the big North American release.

Nintendo DSi First Look

In the Maker Shed: iPhone Hacks

With iPhone Hacks, you can make your iPhone do all you'd expect of a smartphone -- and more. Learn tips and techniques to unleash little-known features, find and create innovative applications for both the iPhone and iPod touch, and unshackle these devices to run everything from network utilities to video game emulators. iPhone Hacks is exactly what you need to make the most of your iPhone.

This book will teach you how to:

Import your entire movie collection, sync with multiple computers, and save YouTube videos
Remotely access your home network, audio, and video, and even control your desktop
Develop native applications for the iPhone and iPod touch on Linux, Windows, or Mac
Check email, receive MMS messages, use IRC, and record full-motion video
Run any application in the iPhone's background, and mirror its display on a TV
Make your iPhone emulate old-school video game platforms, and play classic console and arcade games
Integrate your iPhone with your car stereo
Build your own electronic bridges to connect keyboards, serial devices, and more to your iPhone without "jailbreaking"

Order iPhone Hacks in the Maker Shed

April 4, 2009

TouchTable map

This is a neat Touchable map via Wired Science. I wonder if Apple has a patent on the multitouch for non-portable applications.

He says it was designed for kids to learn geography, but it appears that the Department of Education was not paying the bill. It's kind of like the interactive LED table from EMS, but way more expensive and militaristic.

March 22, 2009

Even more clipstands!

Paper based designs can lead to paper clip designs. It is good how he has each of the parts he needs ready to show.

Look ma, no pliers!

This one has a good narrative explaining the choices involved.

The video in this one is blurry, but the design is neat, and the subtitles definitely help. Using pliers seems to be a rarity in the clipstand artform.

A search for ipod paperclip gives some decent results, but nothing for G1 paperclip. What's up with that?

So here are a few ideas of ways to hold up your phone for viewing. If you have a better idea, please comment it up. Got a video? Send along the link. Took some photos, did you? Add them to the MAKE Flickr pool if you would.