An attempt to replace multiple RFID cards with a single hacked-together tag

rfid-multipass

It's kind of a convoluted title, but [Hudson's] attempt to replace multiple HID Prox cards with one AVR chip didn't fully pan out. The project started when he wanted to reduce the number of RFID access cards he carries for work down to just one. The cards use the HID Proximity protocol which is just a bit different from the protocols used in most of the hobby RFID projects we see. He ended up … [Read more...]

Communication protocol for an indoor helicopter

propel-execuheli-ir-protocol-revealed

There's a special type of satisfaction that comes from really understanding how something works at the end of a reverse engineering project. This grid above is the culmination of [Spencer's] effort to reverse engineer the IR protocol of a Propel ExecuHeli indoor helicopter toy. The first thing he looked at was the three different controller channels which can be selected to allow multiple … [Read more...]

Brute force finds the lost password for an electronic safe

brute-force-an-electronic-safe

[Teatree] tells a sad, sad story about the lost password for his fire safe. The electronic keypad comes with a manufacturer's code as well as a user selected combination. Somehow he managed to lose both of them, despite storing the user manual safely and sending the passwords to himself via email. He didn't want to destroy the safe to get it open, and turning to the manufacturer for help seemed … [Read more...]

Land speed baby carriage record set at 53 mpg

53-mpg-baby-carriage

Let's face it, you'll never break the motorcycle land speed record without a stellar engineering team and some serious corporate sponsorship. But this build proves that individuals can still set other speed records. [Colin Furze] rode his motorized baby carriage over the 53 mile per hour mark to set a the world's record. We were surprised to learn it only took him about one month and $750 to build … [Read more...]

Laminated wooden case brings a dropped coffee grinder back from the junk heap

coffee-grinder-fix

Instead of giving it up for dead, [Suprise Pink Mist] fabricated a replacement case for the motor and blade of his broken coffee grinder. The original enclosure was made of plastic, which didn't survive being dropped. There isn't an image of what those plastic parts looked like, but we have to think they were nowhere near as neat as the replacement. The first step was to cut a set of plywood … [Read more...]

Award clock put to good use as a bench meter

award-clock-turned-voltage-meter

The motivation industry turns out these type of award trinkets by the millions. Here's a way to actually put the thing to use. Instead of displaying time, the clock dial serves as the readout of a voltage meter. When we first saw this post we assumed that the hack used some type of coil injection to drive the hands. But it turns out that this is mechanically driven. The image above shows the … [Read more...]

Building a tool to bend small metal tubes

tube

[Joel] is setting up a really nice workshop. Included in his list of machinery are the staples of any workshop; a lathe, miter saw, containers full of organized screws, and a manual mill converted to a CNC machine. [Joel] wanted an oiling system for his mill, and like any good maker decided to fabricate his own. This required bending very small diameter brass tubes, something doable by hand (or … [Read more...]