Daily Photo Aging Project On Steroids

September 19, 2008 by Caleb Kraft 15 Comments

We’ve seen those videos where people take a picture of themselves every day. [Dan Hanna] took it to a much further level. He built a camera rig and took pictures of himself for 17 years. That is not a typo, 17 years. The rig consists of a ring that holds two cameras opposing each other. He centers his head facing a target that he increments around the ring every day before taking a picture. The ring can be split into 4 sections for portability. Check out the low resolution video after the break.

Continue reading “Daily Photo Aging Project On Steroids” →

No More Updates To Wii Backup Loader

September 19, 2008 by Caleb Kraft 20 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yBTsNwOO1I]

You can now play backups on your Wii without a mod chip. A beta version of the bootloader made by [Waninkoko] has been leaked onto the net. Keep in mind that it is unfinished, so your results may vary. All you need is the bootloader and a legal copy of Zelda. After a few patches and some installing, you’re ready to play backups, no mod chip necessary. We covered this before, but there is a twist this time. Unfortunately, [Waninkoko] states that this project has been officially abandoned, probably due to the leak. Apparently crackers get hurt by leaks too.

[via Gizmodo]

Open Source Neural Activity Monitors

September 19, 2008 by Ian 4 Comments

Yesterday we linked to an OCZ Neural Acutator Interface teardown. Several in the comments wanted to know more about the sensor electrodes. Check out the OpenEEG project and OpenEEG mailing list for information on sensing, amplifying, and recording brain activity (EEG). The OpenEEG project maintains an open source Simple ModularEEG design. Two other open source variants of the ModularEEG are the MonolithEEG and [Joshua Wojnas’] Programmable Chip EEG BCI. All three projects use Atmel microcontrollers, with designs in Cadsoft Eagle.

Brain activity is measured using passive or active electrodes. Passive electrodes require a conductive paste to make proper contact with the skin (examples: 1, 2). Active EEG sensors don’t need conductive goop because they have an amplifier directly on the electrode (examples: 1, 2, 3).

[via anonymous reader, comments]

How-To: Web Server On A Business Card (Part 1)

September 18, 2008 by Ian 34 Comments

For years, Microchip PIC microcontrollers dominated; PIC16F84 hacks and projects are everywhere. The 8-bit 16F and 18F lines are supported by several coding environments and easy-to-build serial port programmers. Microchip’s 16-bit PIC24F is cheaper, faster, and easier to work with, but largely absent from hacks and projects.

We recently used a Microchip PIC24F microcontroller in a mini web server project, but didn’t find many introductory references to link to. In this article we’ll cover some PIC 24F basics: support circuitry and programming options. We’ll also talk about our favorite features, and how we figured them out. Our next article will outline a web server on a business card based on the PIC 24F.

Continue reading “How-To: Web Server On A Business Card (Part 1)” →

Crabfu Challenge Winners Announced

September 18, 2008 by Caleb Kraft 5 Comments

The Trossen Robotics Blog has announced the winners of the “Crabfu challenge”. The challenge, issued by [Crabfu] was to make a robot that was full of character. It didn’t have to have a purpose or be autonomous, it just had to be full of character.

The first place winner, pictured above, won us over when he “blinked” a few moments into his video. Strange how something so simple can add so much life. Continue reading “Crabfu Challenge Winners Announced” →

Archos 5th Generation Hacked, Bigger Drive Possible

September 18, 2008 by Caleb Kraft 6 Comments

Over at the ArchosFans.com forums, [grond] has posted some screenshots of his cracked archos 5th generation. Using a custom bootloader, they’ve unlocked the ability to swap hard disks as well as some hidden plugins. The plugins seem to be used mainly for dev tools, like core dumps and screenshots, but this opens the door to possible future homebrewed plugins.

[via Engadget]

OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator Teardown

September 18, 2008 by Ian 16 Comments

m8ta fun did an extensive teardown of OCZ’s Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA). OCZ’s computer/mind interface is actually a fairly straight forward design. An analog front-end cleans and amplifies the ‘neural’ signal with a few op-amps before feeding it to a 24 bit analog to digital converter (ADC). A USB enabled PIC microcontroller reads the 24bit parallel ADC output through a common 7400 series parallel to serial adapter IC. The device has an ICSP programing header (top right), though it’s not yet clear if the PIC can be read or written.

[Thanks, joeyo]