Building LED walls on the cheap

leds

Around this time last year, [KopfKopfKopfAffe] was enlisted as a set designer and was told to build some sort of light effects for electronic music parties. The budget for the project wasn't much at 200 Euros, but he did manage to build decent 5x5 RGB LED matrix that is fully controllable by a computer. [KopfKopfKopfAffe] didn't have the time or money to wait for manufactured PCBs, so a bunch … [Read more...]

Play hide-and-go-seek with infrared LEDs

scavenger

Although we're sure they exist, we wouldn't want to meet anybody that can't look back fondly on the halcyon days of youth that included playing hide-and-go-seek. Some kids never grow up and continue the tradition with geocaching or orienteering, but that sense of limitless discovery wanes over time. [Kurt] came up with a small scavenger hunt beacon that brings back the unending wonder that … [Read more...]

Replacing a phantom limb with a Kinect

Ogre

Nearly everyone has heard of phantom limb syndrome. It occurs sometimes after a limb is amputated, but the mind of the patient still thinks that the limb is attached. Generally regarded as a mix-up in the wiring of the damaged nerves, a phantom limb can be very painful. [Ben] has been working on a way to alleviate some of the pain and frustration associated with a phantom limb and fortunately … [Read more...]

Electronic candle protects sleeping infant

electronic-temperature-candle

[William] developed this temperature candle as a tool to help keep babies safe as they sleep. It seems that ambient temperature has an effect on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This device is meant to alert you when room temperature is outside of the recommended envelope. The board hosts an eight-pin PIC microcontroller (12F683P), a temperature sensor, RGB LED, and a push button. The round … [Read more...]

Speedier hard disk option for your Mac Mini

speeding-up-mac-mini-hard-disk

[Andrew] was left wanting by the slow hard drive in his 2011 Mac Mini. He set out to add a 10,000 RPM drive and we think he did a great job of pulling it off. Luckily he also took the time to document the process so you can try it yourself. As with a lot of Apple products, a big part of this hack is just getting the darn thing apart without breaking something. Once that's done, you're got to do … [Read more...]

Robotic Etch-a-Sketch Draws Grayscale Images

Untitled

[Patrick] decided to make a computer controlled etch-a-sketch. While the idea is not that new, there is always a different way to accomplish a goal. An Arduino is used to control a pair of stepper motors which were sourced for pretty cheap, and even came with their own driver. Next a stand was mocked up using foam board, which helps determine where all the parts should live. Next was a way to … [Read more...]

DIY Windows 8 Tablet

Untitled

[hackitbuildit], from instructables, has brought us a a DIY windows 8 tablet. To make the tablet, an old laptop is used that meets the minimum requirements of windows 8 preview, a touch screen conversion kit, and of course the software itself. The laptop is first prepared by removing the casing around the screen, and if you just go by the pictures it kind of looks like he is ripping it apart! … [Read more...]