Make: Online: iPod Archives

iPod Archive: iPod

August 20, 2009

Dinosaur iPhone dock

There's something oddly appealing about charging a mobile phone on the back of a dinosaur. Heck, even mentioning that to someone sounds absurd. Yet here we are; iPhones and dinosaurs living together in harmony. What a fun dock mod. Though, if I were building a similar dock I'd go for the plastic pineapple.

[via iPhoneSavior]

August 18, 2009

Autonomous bot uses iPod for serial display

From the MAKE Flickr pool

Flickr member DEFNET's autonomous four-wheeler sports an iPod to display serial data -

This is my autonomous robot. It uses an Arduino to control it, an ultrasonic sensor, and an iPod displays output data through the serial port.
It drives using two servos modified for continuous drive. The servo for the sensor does not presently work because using the default code library I can only control two servos.
When it gets too close to a wall it backs up, turns to look both ways, and chooses the way with least obstruction. All while outputting distance and decision information to the serial port.

Awesome contrast between the cardboard enclosure & iPod Touch! Have a closer look on the project's photo page.

August 14, 2009

Spying on the biggest iPod ever (Jalopy style)

With iPod rumor season upon us (videocams? microphones for VoIP calls!), it's time to gaze back fondly on those quaint iPods of yestermonth. And the quaintest has got to be Mister Jalopy's World's Biggest iPod hack, as seen in MAKE, Volume 04.

Who doesn't love MJ's fat little iPod (is that a 3rd Gen?) grafted into a lovely 1940s radio cabinet, complete with a Panasonic turntable and Mac mini to rip old vinyl to MP3s, and the original working radio buttons hacked to control the iPod. Journalist and author Kurt Andersen, the host of public radio's Studio 360 (and former editor of Spy magazine), recently visited Mister Jalopy's Garage for an interview and grabbed this video of the World's Biggest iPod in action.

More at Hooptyrides.com.

August 13, 2009

Cree emitter LED flash/video light for iPhone 3GS

This quick and dirty improvised iPhone flash/video light from Andreas Ødegård consists of a 3V battery and a high intensity Cree emitter. Sure, it's just an LED flashlight with a doc connector mount, but then again it was built in under 10 minutes with electrical tape, spare parts, and a hot glue gun. The result seems to knock the socks off your run-of-the-mill super bright LED mini-array.

A similar hack that pulls power from the iPhone dock connector can be found in the book iPhone Hacks.

In the Maker Shed:

iPhone Hacks

August 10, 2009

Personalized MakerBot-printed iPhone/iPod dock

Here's something for someone that has everything: a personalized MakerBot-printed iPhone/iPod dock. Made to order, the doc features a sturdy lower housing made from 5MM plywood and a custom top housing personalized with your initials or, if you choose, the standard "BotMade" logo.

[via Etsy]

July 30, 2009

Coconut headphone mod

Check out this clever headphone mod. Maker Iwan Roberts reconditioned this pair of headphones using coconut husks and some twine as a gift for a friend. They're perfect for listening to a MAKE Podcast and rugged enough to bring along on the occasional three hour tour.

[via ben grainger]

July 16, 2009

Quick 'n dirty lasercut iPhone stand

MAKE contributor Tod Kurt created this nice little iPhone/iPod stand from four pieces laser-cut acrylic scraps.

It is made of four slices of 1/4″ acrylic (actual width 0.22″). The top two slices have an oval opening just snug enough to fit the iPod connector and keep it in place with friction. The third slice has a channel for the cable to escape out the back, and the bottom slice keeps the cable from falling out and provides some pushback when the iPhone is inserted. It's held together by four 1″ 2-56 machine screws with nuts. I was a little concerned with the nuts scratching the table, so I've since added little hot glue feet to the bottom of each nut.

Quickie Laser-cut iPhone/iPod Dock

June 27, 2009

iPod birthday cake

Looking for the perfect birthday cake for an Applephile? You couldn't go too far wrong with a cake like this cake from April Julian. No screen polishing needed here.

June 23, 2009

Wood & brass iPod Mini

Instead of letting it fall by the tech wayside, Josh D recased his old iPod in lovely wood & brass -

My finished wood ipod mini. This has been such a fun project for me. It's handmade (with special thanks to my 8yr old dremel) from Australian red cedar, Camphor Laurel for the clickwheel, brass plates, brass screws and the guts from the first ipod i ever had.

[…]

I wanted to not use any glue at all with the wooden shell, and fortunately i was able to secure it all together just using the brass screws. Especially because I'd like to be able to replace the ipod's battery in the future, and possibly add a higher capacity flash hard drive.

The wooden clickwheel is simply stuck down on the sensor with very thin double sided tape.

More pics in the Flickr photoset.[via Boing Boing Gadgets]

May 28, 2009

Audio breakout cable for iPod/iPhone

Jesse Rutherford writes:

Have you ever wanted to plug in a professional studio mic to your ipod touch/iphone? There may be a commercial solution, but I couldn't find one. Even if there is one, I figured I could build one cheaper than a ready-made one. You could also use this for a line-in (my original reason for the project), but the source really needs to be taken down to mic level from line level for good sound quality.
The hardest part was finding the 3.5 mm 4 conductor plug (found it at Jameco). The soldering to the plug was a bit tricky too. I needed a cable with at least 4 conductors inside, and I wanted to build this for next-to-nothing, so I used some CAT5 ethernet cable I had. CAT5 has 8 conductors, so if you know of any other common cable with at least 4, you can use that.

Audio breakout cable for iPod/iPhone

May 22, 2009

iPod sequencers make their own music

With so many older iPods gathering dust it's nice to see some of the very capable hardware being put to good use -

Widget and Hans stayed up til 2am hacking up some iPod sequencers at NYC Resistor. We are using pdPod on iPodLinux. You can hack your own iPods too, as part of the re-ware project, we are trying to make it easy: http://re-ware.org

This project was on hand for last night's Handmade Music event, busting mad mario beats throughout the night - good stuff. [via NYCResistor]

May 13, 2009

How-To: Use SlingPlayer iPhone app over 3G

Folks looking for a little tube time with the new SlingPlayer iPhone app whilst bounding about outside of their Wi-Fi comfort zone can breathe easy again. Sebastien over at iPhone Download Blog has posted a short tutorial explaining how to get the SlingPlayer app to run over 3G and Edge networks. It's assumed you've already purchased all relevant products and services and don't mind taking the extra steps necessary for true ownership.

Use a SlingPlayer over 3G

May 11, 2009

Introducing the iPendant

Flickr member Mandiberg shows off a product sure to top holiday wish lists this year -

If you take a bunch of those ubiquitous iPod headphones you have sitting around from all of your broken iPods, and your ex-GF's broken iPod, etc, and weave them together, you can make something really quite nice. Gold plate the shuffle for a broach, and its really nice. Especially b/c it actually plays music. Working on a little pre-amp splitter so all 12 speakers will work at full volume. Props to Clara Jo for assistance.

Take a closer look over at the elegant iPendant on Flickr.

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 1, 2009

GPS on iPod nano

Using a GPS reference board and an Atmel ATMEGA324 microcontroller, engineer Bengamin Kokes has created a prototype GPS peripheral for his iPod nano. To display coordinates, the device uses Advanced iPod Remote commands to send a 4-color image to the iPod screen, a technique Kokes picked up after seeing it implemented in an Alpine car stereo.

iPod GPS [via Hack a Day]

Remote viewing on the cheap with an iPod touch

Not quite the Stargate Project, but then again, you're not going to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars in the process. This quick introduction to setting up and monitoring a webcam on an iPhone or iPod Touch shows just how easy it is. Though some of the components in this tutorial are platform-specific, you could easily swap them out with ready alternatives.

How to View your Webcam on your iTouch or iPhone

April 30, 2009

John Park's earbud owl

Check out this sweet little earbud owl our very own John Park made, using the Epilog Zing laser cutter he's been playing around with, and an "owl wrap" cord manager file from Thingiverse. He was probably going to post it here eventually, but I beat him to it [cue: childish taunting sounds].

Laser cut earbud owl

Quick n' dirty no-sew iPhone cozy

The holster for my iPhone broke recently and I've been reduced to carrying the phone around in my pocket. I sort of like this as a change, especially not having to worry about the case getting in the way of the keyboard area or the camera lens. But the phone is getting dinged up inside the garbage scow that is my pocket.

So I could use one of Lenore's no-sew (can't sew) iPhone cozies. With little more than some iron-on adhesive tape, some lightweight fabric, and a few minutes, you can fashion yourself a sleeve that'll at least protect your phone from car keys, little Leathermen, loose change, and the other indignities of an over-crowded pocket.

Super quick no-sew iPhone cozy

April 21, 2009

Make: Repairs - iPhone front panel glass

Make: Repairs is a new, periodic column we're launching today, written by Kyle Wiens and the fine folks at iFixit.com. As you probably know, iFixit is the go-to source for Apple-related do-it-yourself repair info and parts and for gadget first-look teardowns. Kyle, Luke, and company are in a unique position to know what the common complaints and sticky-points are in DIY personal tech repair. In Make: Repairs, they'll provide answers to some of these more commonly-requested or gnarlier repair questions. When we asked them to come up with an idea for the first installment, they thought the iPhone front panel replacement was a natural. They say it's their most-purchased part and it's a slightly finicky repair.

So, without further ado, let's replace some iPhone glass.

Replacing the iPhone front panel glass
By Kyle Wiens and the iFixit crew

Imagine this scenario: You're late for a meeting. Making matters worse, you discover that your bike tires are extremely low. As you're hastily pumping away on the tires, The Boss buzzes your iPhone 3G. He usually doesn't call your personal number, but this time, it is personal -- his butt's on the line, since you're bringing the presentation to the meeting. You're juggling too many things in your head, including the virtual beating you're going to get for being late, all the while not realizing that the sweat on your hands is sliming your phone. In a split-second, it happens: your iPhone squirts out of your well-oiled mitt and begins an up close and personal conversation with Mr. Concrete. The result? A cracked iPhone 3G screen! (not to mention an even-more furious boss when you finally get to work). While we can't help you get a new job, we can show you how to fix your cracked iPhone 3G screen.

The first thing to know is what part you actually need to replace. On the original iPhone, the glass, touchscreen digitizer, and LCD display were all inseparably glued together. Fortunately, Apple changed this design and the iPhone 3G front panel glass is not glued to the LCD behind it. This is great news, because most of the time when you break the glass, the LCD itself is fine. The front panel is available for sale separately and is a bit cheaper than the LCD itself (see parts and tools listed below).

Opening the iPhone 3G is definitely simpler than the first-gen phone. The original required a wide array of tools (including a dental pick) to remove the back panel. Apple's designers decided to be nicer with the 3G, but weird tools like suction cups (see how it's used below) are still needed to make the opening procedure easier. Removing two Phillips screws and a small pull with the suction cup will open the 3G. Don't pull too hard, however, as several cables still hold the two sides in place.

Disconnecting the display assembly from the rest of the 3G is as easy as 1-2-3 -- literally. Apple was nice enough to number the black ribbon cables "1," "2,″ and "3," allowing for a no-brainer disconnecting procedure. However, people attempting this at home should be careful to not break any connectors while removing them.

There are six screws that prevent the display from being separated from the front panel. The screws are very small and have #00 Phillips heads. An injudicious flick of the wrist will misplace them forever, so take care to keep them in a safe place. Scotch tape is your friend. We like to tape each set of screws down to a sheet of paper and write down where they came from.

Read full story

April 19, 2009

Re:Collect, magic RFID bracelet of remembering

Rahul, a sudent from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London, sent us info on a project that a group of MA design studies students are doing, called Re:Collect. It's an RFID bracelet that keeps track of common items you might carry (phone, keys, iPod, etc) and flashes, beeps, and vibrates when these items are out of range (i.e. when you leave them behind). Above, a student shows a mock-up of the product and its packaging. It's not clear from the email where this is in the development process, in terms of it becoming a real product, when, or how much it would cost. Maybe Rahul will chime in with Comments and let us know.

Re:Collect