Hackaday Links: July 31, 2011

links-tough-earbuds

Indestructible earbuds We're still waiting for our [Lt. Uhura] style earbuds. But until then, can we interest anyone in a set that will stand up to some abuse? Solder Pot Scavenger [Felicitus] says we should get a solder pot and use it to scavenge for parts. His method looks pretty easy and it's cheaper than buying a rework station for this purpose. Smartphone … [Read more...]

Do you have what it takes to make lumber keep time?

wooden-clock-plans

[Frank] sent in a link to this fantastic wooden clock. The design was dreamed up by [Clayton Boyer] and he's got full-sized templates for sale on his site. We've marveled at his creations in the past, having featured his useless machine that was made from wooden gears. This "Bird of Paradise" clock steps up the complexity quite a bit, creating a timepiece without a case to show off the beauty of … [Read more...]

Monitoring the world’s DNS status using a display straight out of WarGames

dns-status-map

Nothing says Cold War like a map of the work with LEDs embedded in it. Throw in some analog dials for good measure and you've got a piece that would be comfortable mounted next the WOPR in everyone's favorite '80s-computers-run-amok movie. We think [Dima] really hit the mark when building this status panel for OpenDNS datacenter monitoring. [Dima] works for OpenDNS and wanted to make something … [Read more...]

Commodore 64 USB controller adapter for your PC

commodore_64_controller_usb_interface

[Frank], like many people, has a soft spot in his heart for the Commodore 64. He prefers to play his C64 games on his computer nowadays, but likes using his old school Competition Pro rather than some modern controller with remapped buttons. The only problem with using the controller is that his new computer doesn’t have any ports that accommodate its 9-pin D-sub connector. The VICE emulator … [Read more...]

Parametric script makes laser cutter designs a snap

parametric-scripting-for-laser-cut-parts

[Tinkerer] bought a small cupboard from an antique store to fit nicely into his kitchen decor. After getting it home, he realized that some of the cubbyholes had originally housed drawers. The originals were long gone but this provided an opportunity for him to make the replacements seen above. The first design approach that popped into [Tinkerer's] mind was to draw the pieces in an editor like … [Read more...]

AVR programmer modelled after the MkII – uses LUFA

mkII-clone-schematic

Here's a new option for building your own AVR programmer. It's called the MkII Slim and the diminutive size makes it live up to its name. The design is rather spartan, using just three chips; a voltage regulator, a MAX3002 level converter, and an Atmel AT90USB162 as the main microcontroller. This chip has a built-in USB module, foregoing the need for a separate FTDI chip. The firmware is built … [Read more...]

R/C Hexababy is guaranteed to give you nightmares

hexapod_baby

For this week’s hack, [Dino] was working on a mechanical cat toy, but the project fell apart towards the end for some reason or another. With time running out, he had to come up with something on pretty short notice, using whatever he happened to have on hand. Luckily he picks up some seriously weird stuff at the local thrift store and had a disembodied doll’s head kicking around for this last … [Read more...]