Hackaday Links: December 27, 2009

Brain Controlled Game

If you’re a fan of biometrics this game is for you. It uses a homemade EEG to facilitate simple control. This is along the same lines as the Force Trainer hacks but this homebrew hardware is fun to look at. The success of the project can be seen in the video of a simple game they developed.

RF Camera Remote

[Jonny] wanted to trigger his Nikon camera remotely but was unhappy with the functionality of the IR remote. He hacked together an RF remote and receiver that still uses the IR functionality of the camera, but allows for the geographic freedom of Radio Frequency. Not as advanced as some we’ve seen but it meets his specifications.

CNC Mill

[Jan] tipped us off about a CNC mill that her friend made. The machine turned out beautifully even though very few tools were used to produce it. We love to pour over these builds so if you’ve done one, document it and send it in.

Neutering the On Demand Button

[Dan] hated his Comcast remote because the On Demand button could be hit by mistake. This was usually when trying to unpause live TV. The remainder of the show couldn’t be viewed just because the On Demand menu launched. Simplicity is king. He fixed this by placing two small paper rolls between the button and the circuit board. This way the button can still be used but only if you press pretty hard.

8 thoughts on “Hackaday Links: December 27, 2009

  1. That button reminds me of the AT&T button on AT&T phones, that I always accidentally press when going for another button (my brother’s phone has it where the OK button should be). Then it starts charging data when all I wanted to do was confirm. Damn useless specialty buttons.

  2. not much data on the CNC…

    It looks really nice, but I don’t see this design as the most accessible of all.
    Seems like a lot of precise work is done.

    And too bad, I don’t own an Oxy set or a micrometer …

  3. disabling the on demand button you need to remember that remote may be cable co property and you may not be able to modify it without permission from the cable co.

    however there are remotes on ebay you can get but the downside is if your cable co constantly changes boxes every year or 2 then you may get a new remote.

    another option is they make universal remotes costing hundred$ that look more like a cell phone or pds than a remote with their lcd displays and touch screens.

    if you do decide to modify the cable co remote you may want to ask them if.

    1. you could buy that remote (they may sell replacement remotes or just charge you for replacement remotes)

    2. give you some broken remotes you can experiment with.

    i dont know how your remote is but you could be able to take some hanger wire or an old bike spoke and bend a loop to fit around the button and tape it in place so it will make it more difficult to push the button thereby you dont have to modify the remote.

  4. The remote thing just happened to me. I figured it was just because I was adjusting to a new cable company. Good to see I’m not the only one thinking of a way to disable it. Good idea, I may have to try it despite ejonesss warnings…

  5. The best part of the remote hack was that nothing had to be damaged, glued, or otherwise permanently modified. And even if it is the cable company’s remote, it’s my prerogative to make it jive with my (wife’s) lifestyle as long as I remember to undo it before I return the device :P

    btw those other three look way more time consuming (and magnificent, the lot of them) than mine was.

  6. My daughter was always hitting the record button on our remote so i bought one on ebay for $5, put a piece of duct tape between the button and the circuit board, painted the case pink and told her it was her own special remote.

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