Using a cellphone LCD as auxiliary Linux display

cellphone-lcd-as-Linux-display

[Neil] is driving this Siemens A60 LCD using a parallel port on his Linux box. He likes this module because it has an integrated LED back-light, controller IC, and the pads are large enough for a human to solder. He notes that the screen runs on 2.9V, which matches the forward voltage of the LEDs used as back-lights. This means it is possible to use one f the LEDs as a shunt to drop  incoming … [Read more...]

More EL chemistry: Luminescent ink

making-EL-ink

[Jeri Ellsworth] continues her experiments with electroluminescence, this time she's making EL ink. The ink she's looking for is Zinc Sulfate in a solution. The process she chose is to re-dope some glow powder so that it can be excited by the field around an AC current. In her video (embedded after the break) she talks about the chemical properties she's after by detailing a cubic lattice of … [Read more...]

Machining an SLR camera from scratch

hand-milled-SLR-camera

It took us a while to stop drooling long enough to write about this amazing machining project. [Denis MO] made a single-lens reflex camera from scratch. The banner image above is not the finished product, but just one step in the production chain. [Denis] has been thinking about doing this project for 25 years and finally took the plunge. From the start, the only parts he planned on NOT making … [Read more...]

Propeller Platform prototyping board gets an upgrade

propeller-platform-usb

[Nick] over at Gadget Gangster has a new version of his prototyping hardware for Propeller microcontrollers, called the Propeller Platform USB. A little more than a year ago we looked at the last version which was larger, used a DIP processor, and came unassembled. The new version does come assembled because of the migration to surface mount components (which may take some of the fun out of it if … [Read more...]

Hacking TVs in 1954

shaddap already!

This gem was published in Mechanix Illustrated magazine in may of 1954. AT that time, a remote control was the stuff of science fiction. This article shows the modern man how to modify his television to include a fancy button to stop all noise. This button, affectionately labelled the "SHADDAP" was marketed as a way to relieve the pain of long winded commercials. Basically, it cut the connection … [Read more...]