collaborative super cheap rf receiver /| transmiter platform?
we could design it to receive gps, wifi, bluetooth, and NOAA weather satellite frequencies. It could be useful for decrypting satelite tv, or whathave you.

Some sort of usb oscilloscope, so there is no need for a crt but instead it can be shown on the computer screen or logged to a file.

A hacking course for beginners, with detailed lessons starting with simple hacks and building up to the (more or less) famous ones.

That, or a cheap O-scope.

#3 is on target. i need a logic analyzer bad. it would probably need to be fpga based unless you can find a real good u-controller.

truly there is only one answer, a fskin gundam of course

I also agree that a quality usb logic analyzer/o-scope would be a great project. Existing standalone scopes/analyzers with respectable specs are prohibitively expensive (at least for many of us DIYers), while the cheaper USB ones only work at low frequencies. It also seems like this project could be nicely split up into several sub-projects – the analog h/w, the data acquisition/usb stuff, and a multi-platform OSS GUI.

#3 got it, a logic analyser;

for what it can do, and how much it costs, this has been the stuff of dreams for me

I’d probably try to to build a machine that makes energy drink. Or somekind of supercomputer that can play crysis

it would be like herding cats, it’s almost a requirement for a hacker to be very independent and making leaps of logic that others won’t immediately understand. that said, if you could somehow tame a group of hackers, the electronics hobby world really needs a desktop automated system for making circuit boards, especially with plated holes and multiple layers (required for most high speed and bga chips). then someone could make their own logic analyzer that wouldn’t suck from not being able to use the best chips.

I think the most valuable thing we could do is reduce the cost of becoming a hacker. Money comes and money goes… but the amount of time invested to become a hacker is both large and irreplaceable.

I’d like to see a single, unified document that serves as an introduction to hardware hacking. Assuming a knowledge of math up to functions, there’s no reason a sufficiently dedicated person couldn’t be introduced to hardware hacking within their spare time over a few months, and for under 200$.

Dev platforms are also great. I’m happy to see someone got the AtMega microcontrollers to talk to flash memory cards. Maybe we could make an Atmel development board that lets you load programs for the Atmel to compactflash instead of using the STK500 or equivalent? If it could also write to the compactflash in a sane way, and have free pins and analog to digital converters, then we will have successfully reduced the complexity to entering the microcontroller world (yes, I know atmel has some usb flashdrive/microcontroller products, but we can do better). Graduate students around the world would also have a universal datalogger which can be programmed to produce output already in a .csv file, which would be damn cool for us SAS or R users.

+1 on the call for a USB scope/analyser. I’ve been eyeing off CRT scopes on eBay for a while now, but I’m hesitant to buy a piece of old technology. With a USB scope I could do very useful things like take screenshots of waveforms etc. Imagine how helpful it would be if the hardware-hacking blogosphere started posting waveforms of how their circuits work along with their hacks! Unfortunately I haven’t come across any USB scopes which are A. Linux/Mac friendly or B. within my price range. Yay for a community project.

it appears I went over the post limit. or my use of lessthan borked it up
… continued

i would second the scope but it is cheap to get a half way decent digital scope from ebay for sub $150 prices and creating one from scratch involves FPGA hardware tricky coding, soldering and filtering. This is something I did a few years ago and it became more expensive than a cheap scope.

my 2p

not sure if this is what everyone is looking for but Circuit-Test makes a USB oscilliscope. Two channels and I think it comes with the software. http://www.circuittest.com Part Number: DSO-2032

a) Need free hardware? Sign up for freecycle.org. Lots and lots of free hardware being given away. Just be patient.

b) #3 – the o-scope-man – he gets my vote, too.

c) I need someone out there to figure out how to convert multiple cordless phones into a set of personal boom mics for a troupe of improv actors. For Bluetooth ear boom mics, the BT stack on a laptop cannot handle pairing with multiple devices. Someone’s got to figure out how to hack that, too.

Thanks hackaday, ur so kewl.

(/|\) Peace

any chance we could get rid of the 20 comments per page and bump it up to 50?

Honestly, I would like a forum.

For projects, I can think of many things that are made for niche markets and therefore, overpriced. However, it is usually simple enough that someone on their own could figure it out, but a forum would help ;)

I like the idea of #3

What I would suggest, would be a modular controller platform, linux based, similar in size to gumstix or COG, but flexible enough that it could be a cell phone mobo, robotics platform, soft/hardware radio, connected to an FPGA, USB host/slave, maybe an LCD controller, with a code base so someone new to electronics and with minimal understanding of code, could purchase an assembled version, maybe a motor controller “module”, and an I/O sensor interface yet still powerfull enough to interface to something like the PSP LCD from sparkfun, or a cellular module per say, maybe IDE and definately SD interface…
anyways what a wishlist

A modular robotics platform sounds interesting. Something that has easy to use software and hardware modules that can be put together simply.

Definitely a laser show from the tip of the robot’s antenna :D

Perhaps my ambitions are low, but I’d like some software that emulates simple hardware devices (like calculators, speak’n'spells, those cheap handheld game devices, etc.). Let the user lay out circuits in a GUI.

I can see a few uses for this. You can test a hack idea on your computer before dedicating hardware to the project. You could test a device to predict power requirements and bugs. You could circuit-bend. You could see if that device you just made really could run off of solar power, without having to buy solar panels and then discover it can’t.

1.) I would be for a Printed Circuit Board maker that is a little more durable then just ones made from laser/inc printers. Could use a CNC machine as a basis and build from there to deal with copper.

2.) A hack a day guide to getting copper on those through holes your drill on a pcb.

There have been a lot of requests for logic analysers and o-scopes, which immediately reminded me of a series of articles in Electronics now in the late 90s.
here are the stub articles:
Logic Analyser
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9367339_ITM
DSO add-on
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9316289_ITM
Speed doubler
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9320808_ITM

essentially an fpga 40mhz 16 (8 out, 8 in)channel l.a. with simple (dos) software to run it. If I remember right, it was a parallel port device.
The second link is for a two channel 40mhz digital storage oscope addon module. It pluged in where the 16 channel inputs were on the l.a.
Finally the third was a speed doubler for the l.a. (80mhz l.a. but cut channel count to 8 (4 out, 4 in? or was it 8 any way you want?). again, it pluged into the input/expansion connector of the original unit)

The whole set was pretty impressive, and not terribly expensive. I think the main unit would have set you back about $50 to $80 at the time. Kudos to james barbarello for all the hard work!

So, not to burst a bubble, but its been done (and very well I might add).
However, I would like to suggest reviewing this series and then comming up with a vastly updated (esp USB and software) model based on this design (with the same goals.. I.E. speed, channel count and a wide enough voltage range so as to avoid blowing the device if you hook it to the wrong end of your circuit.

As a noob, if ya’ll were to write an ebook on an intro to hardware hacking, i would definitely include a section on reverse-engineering/circuit-bending/chip-salvaging. I say reverse engineering because as I have seen it, the best way to learn electronics (apart from the theory) is to mess with existing electronics, ie mods and hacks.

I thought over various ideas whilst drinking in the bathtub (beer not bathwater) and the only concept I fealt could apply to all levels of “hacker” would be either an electric/hybrid vehicle, or an ecologically friendly home. On the vehicle side it would apply to engineers and tinkerers alike, whilst the home side would be appealing to a wider audience I believe. From waste management to energy usage to lighting to power generation to structure to heating/cooling to even self sufficience.

I feel that to impact the largest audience with the talent available, changing the world is neccesary, and every one needs somewhere to live.

I agree with #3, given todays microcontrollers, building a sophisticated oscilloscope/logic analyzer shouldn’t be impossible, although we might have to throw in external A/D converters, those in the common AVRs and PICs are not nearly fast enough at high conversion resolutions (and seriously, we need more than a maximum of highly exaggerated 10bit resolution of the typical AtMega 16);
Might be a project for a cost effective 16 bit microcontroller which should be programmable in C; given that fact, we should be able to build a custom easy-to-use language which we’ll convert to C-code or whatever to give users the chance to easily develop test cases for their scope.
I’ll have to disagree with #20 in that at least here it is near impossible to get a decent scope for a reasonable price at ebay. Hey- Our Scope could, with a little effort, address external memory to make it a persistence oscilloscope. Imagine the possibilities if we throw in a module for flash memory extensions, USB connectivity or Signal generation!

I think it would be great if there were a wiki-like community with the sum knowledge of all of the different fields represented by each of us, including personal experiences, ebooks, tools, platforms, etc. It would be a great reference for data sheets and schematics.

@27c. Bluetooth isn’t very good at creating a network of more than a few (eight) nodes. ZigBee would be a suitable alternative. Simple mesh networking.

Or the easiest solution would be to go to a music store and get some wireless microphones.

I like the idea of a modular robotics platform, but I feel many people would fall into two camps: PIC and AVR.

I’m sure there is some software out there that does this… but porting between PIC and AVR code would be neat.

I like the USB scope/logic analyzer idea. Even running on a cheap 20MHz micro, it would be sufficiently useful to most all of us. The signals I deal with are never more than 100kHz.

“I like the idea of a modular robotics platform, but I feel many people would fall into two camps: PIC and AVR.”

And this is a bad thing why?

“I’m sure there is some software out there that does this… but porting between PIC and AVR code would be neat.”

Abstraction layers. Instead of banging hardware directly abstract them out. More platforms could be added without anyone noticing. If done right you could have your cake and eat it. Make a good modular platform and use it as a digital storage scope.

I think a simple open source CNC router, about the size of an a4 sheet of paper. Made out of commonly avaialable parts, and with the ability to reproduce it’s self, in a limited fashion. i.e the main structure could be made from perspex, and the router could cut out the required shapes to build another one with the addition ofthe control electronics and stepper motors.

it could be used to route PCB’s and build enclousers, people could openly share projects they have creted using it, and with the same piece of hardware people could reproduce the projects /improve upon them.

Also +1 for the USB oscilliscope. Tht would be hella wicked.

could a SDR(Software Defined Radio) used at least partly to make digital oscope? to a newb like me they seem quite similar.

I third the wiki idea. Lots of people are asking for some sort of place to get started or a dvd? A wiki could be that place. (wiki.hackaday.com?) It could have different sections for getting started on different types of hacking. (ipods, cnc’s pic’s, etc.)

And as bonus, you could get your o-scope ideas on there!

Ok, if someone else will build the hardware for the usb o-scope, I’ll start coding. It would also be helpful if someone fairly competent at frontend coding could make it look nice. I can make it functional if someone else can make it pretty.

Post here a time to meet in whichever IRC channel and server, and we’ll talk about it “in person”

Forget all this I/O panel bogus, lets build some weapons of mass destruction and take over the world!

One project with the most far-reaching implications is the RepRap project already in progress at: http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome
It would be an ideal joint project for the hacker community because:
1) It is already in place.
2) It is DOABLE.
3) It is already modular, so individuals can contribute as they see fit, but teams could take on specific problems and solve them.
4) It presents problems of all types and levels, including hardware and software, both simple and complex.
5) Solving this problem – to whatever degree the community desires, will change the world is many positive, but unforseeable ways.

a thermal/solar water pump

would it be possible to setup a little wiki or something similiar to collect thoughts on these projects? i’m happy so many people are interested in usb logic analyzers/oscilloscopes, because i think they are one of the most important things to debug electronics and microcontrollers, and cheap implementations are rare.
this implementation is cheap, but lacks some important features: http://www.rockylogic.com/products/ant8.html
it is fpga based. a sampling speed of 100mhz or more would be nice.

yeah yahoo sucks, I’d perfer a WIKI database on hackaday :)

A doomsday machine.

By popularity…

1) Hacks for noobs.
2) Oscilloscope / Analyzer watcha-ma-jiggie
3) Real Transformers already.

Where are the flying cars I was supposed to be pimping in by now, anyways?

Another for the logic analyzer/scope. And easily upgradeable so we can teach it to decode waveforms (RS-232, etc) on the fly too.

For those of you looking for an “easy to build cnc” this was on another site last week.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to-Build-Desk-Top-3-Axis-CNC-Milling-Machine/

How about if we try to hack together an electric car? Not a kit but actually a home made car from the ground up.

I really like the logic analyzer bit. (post #3) But maybe we can think one step higher than a logic analyzer/oscope doo-dad.

How about an open-source modular test equipment frame? A large (enough)test platform that can accept all kinds of (open source) inputs feed it to various analysis modules which would output to various module like VGA or DVI or a 2D/3D printer or USB or whatever:

modular input(s) for oscopes, logic analysis, rf analysis, network, wifi, bluetooth, etc. – a couple per frame

multiple, high/low bandwidth analysis modules – say three or so per frame – that compute/render data from the inputs – so if you wanted a 5Ghz scope, we could build plans for it and it simply would be a more expensive ADC/DAC module problem – not a problem with changing the whole unit. Software

multiple high bandwidth outputs – standardize the fram outputs with USB/Serial, Video, DVI, VGA, etc. The module will do the microprocessing to render the ouputs – so an upgrade here would also be a (relatively) minor upgrade. Maybe specs for micro-PC options.

I am game for it. We can use standard communication test equipment protocols and standardize the enclosures for something cheap – NEMA encloseures or similar.

I say we vote on the top 5 ideas – and get started. How long are we planning to accept comments on this?

I would like to see a combination USB oscope, spectrum analyzer, signal generator.

…Let me correct myself. I have 1,500 GB of space, not 600. I think there’s more than enough space for ANYTHING we might want to do. (sorry for double-posting, but it seemed important)

…and zcorp is the same brand as contex, thus proving why I should have *watched* that youtube video *before* posting. I suck at forethought.

I am in a similar position as [sevets], in that I have enough basic knowledge to get me going, but I suck at everything else. There seems to be a lack of intelligent help on the topic of learning electronics without taking a class (for the price of a class, I could buy an o-scope).

robotics would be easier to distribute to different teams – i would love a bot that vacuums/mops my floor, mows the lawn, does laundry, acts as a security device, greets people (recognize IR sigs!), can go up/down stairs, avoids people/pets, heck–sinchuwas up get me a beer!

I always wanted to hack the bluetooth on my Old Motorola razor phone and transmit a video feed of the camera to a remote location, wireless of course. We need a spy hack section on this site. Please. And then a counter-spy section…

Since most DIYers are probably night persons and have a hard time getting out of bed, like me ;), i would suggest an open ALARM CLOCK project.

Some IOs for different sensors and actuators like:
weight sensor beneath the bed, which only turns off the alarm when you get out of bed.
Outputs for different kinds of wake up machinery,
like big 250W lamps above your head, some big electrical bell, etc.
Special features like RC5 (IR) interface for controlling your amp to slowly turn up the volume
of your radio.
Input of heartrate to monitor your sleeping state
in order to only wake you up when you are in the state of light sleep and dont have a hard time getting out of bed.

I really like the idea of the modular robotics platform but the problem that I think is harder is a cheap local telemetry platform.

In my opinion the greatest hindrance to robotics is a detailed positioning system. If you could make a Local Positioning System(LPS) for under 150$ that would be revolutionary.

I’m talking about +- 1″ don’t want to be mowing the neighbor’s flower bed.

My current idea would be to tune to multiple radio stations(6-8) and get power ratings and map the change in power across the area. I don’t know how technical feasible this is but I think that the problem would be a great challenge for the community.