Comments for Hack a Day

Comment on Fisher-Price Record Player plays Stairway to Heaven by 0xfred

0xfred — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:42:48 +0000

Warning… There’s a plinky-plonky version of the Star Wars theme on the way. Star Wars fans aren’t too fussy, right?

Comment on DIY solar collector boost your hot water system by Gerry

Gerry — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:30:19 +0000

check out http://www.builditsolar.com for many more diy projects with solar power, some even with performance analysis.

Comment on Fisher-Price Record Player plays Stairway to Heaven by PKM

PKM — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:21:51 +0000

“Of course, this Instructable wouldn’t be complete without a video demo of Stairway *plinking* out of this record player.”

FTFY

Comment on Hackaday Store: It exists again by Eirinn

Eirinn — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:33:55 +0000

The price is fine if it’s quality rubber print. The good kind will never crack, the bad kind will crack within 10 washes.

Comment on APC Android computer isn’t a Raspberry Pi by Eelco

Eelco — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:54:47 +0000

Hi,

Just found a link to the specs of the processor (http://www.wondermedia.com.tw/en/products/platform/soc/wm8750/).

A first look reveals:
- ARMv11 core – Basically slower than Cortex A8, comparable to RPi.
- 1080p decoding engine – Maybe some licensing limitations, but the specs say full 1080p
- Nothing about the GPU.

It seems to be one of the CPU’s that powers the cheap android tablets, but it could be interesting to see how it stacks up against the RPi (which I will receive at the end of june).

Comment on Build a levitating bed for under $1000 by j0z0r

j0z0r — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:35:50 +0000

So… What if you were sleeping in this and the polarity of the earth shifted? I mean, prolly nothing. But maybe it would flip over and crush you..? Or rocket you out the ceiling?

Comment on Rebuilding a fried fan motor by Kaj

Kaj — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:15:24 +0000

I have to admit, I’m a bit behind the PIC & AVR curve – I want my understanding of basic logic gates to be better first.

So, when I encountered an interesting problem to solve:
“Build an Break-Beam IR detection system that will turn on a 12V computer fan for approximately 20 minutes”

I used a 555, coupled to a simple photo-transistor & 2N2222 dark sensor.
No doubt, it could have been a little smaller with uController – but I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel either.

Comment on Rebuilding a fried fan motor by Kaj

Kaj — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:09:37 +0000

So very true.
The (unspoken) rule in my home growing up has been “If you want X as a hobby, you have to be able to fix it.”

Oh, camera shutter is sticky? Learn camera repair.
Tube radio doesn’t work? Restore it.
Car doesn’t start? Diagnose.
Motorcycle missing license plate bracket? Fabricate one!

Come to think of it, the only reason I can afford all of these darn projects is because I do the work myself!

Comment on Grab your iron and add GameCube back to the Wii by the dude

the dude — Fri, 25 May 2012 06:34:06 +0000

nice one! didn’t know that they removed the gc ports (still on 1st gen..), further more the wii graphics havent improved that much since the gc.. (well for mario-(kart/stuff) at least)
great hack! (gonna check if i can find me some gc controllers)

Comment on [Jeri] builds a c64 bass Keytar by Kaj

Kaj — Fri, 25 May 2012 06:29:48 +0000

Well, she did get picked up to start Valve Software’s new Hardware R&D department, so at least she’s working for a cool company.
…
Up next, Jeri demos her working Portal gun…

Comment on Arduino tells you how rough your last mountain bike ride was by Jack Madden

Jack Madden — Fri, 25 May 2012 06:04:19 +0000

My arse bones tells me how rough my last bike ride was

Comment on DIY solar collector boost your hot water system by dhon_

dhon_ — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:44:39 +0000

Evacuated tube (heat pipe) solar water heaters fix this problem passively. Once the temperature in the heat pipe gets too high, the fluid stops condensing and the heat pipe effectively stops conducting heat to the water pipe.

Comment on Building a travel trailer from the ground up by Hackerspacer

Hackerspacer — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:29:28 +0000

The trailer started its life as a Super Duty Harbor Freight utility trailer that [ioan] managed to put together in a day.

That was their first mistake….

Comment on Man, stranded in the desert, makes a motorcycle from his broken car by DaveO

DaveO — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:34:06 +0000

You guys are all wrong. My dad crashed his twin-engined plane in the desert and managed to construct a single engine plane from the parts and fly to safety. Oh wait a minute… that was a film. This story is bulls**t too. Great build though.

Comment on LayerOne badges stop bullets; drive away by joe

joe — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:20:26 +0000

@macegr:

Time to switch to KiCAD if they won’t upgrade you to version 6 for a reasonable price?