Remote Control Pellet Gun – With Scope

December 10, 2009 by Mike Szczys 40 Comments

Project Thunderbird is an automated predator and pest control system. It consists of a pellet gun mounted in a motorized base. The icing on the cake is a 60x zoom camera that has cross-hairs superimposed on the picture. This reminds us of the Internet hunting for the handicap we heard about years ago.

In the video after the break you can see how the motorized base works, watch the trigger-pull motor, and observe a demonstration of some target practice. The creator, [Gadgetapodimus], mentions the possible sale of plans and kits as soon as he completes the system. Perhaps it would be better if this was not easy for people to build.

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WiiMote + IPhone Update

December 10, 2009 by Mike Szczys 13 Comments

Using a Wii remote as the controller for iPhone games? Brilliant! We’ve been waiting to see some creative usage of this pairing since we covered it back in August. [ZodTTD] is the person who ported MAME over to the iPhone. Now he’s added support for the Wii remote in Mame4iPhone via the BTstack project. BTstack seeks to add Bluetooth stack functionality to devices that don’t have it or where it is limited (the iPhone).

We’ve embedded video after the break of the WiiMote used to play a MAME game. [ZodTTD] is also the author of nes4iPhone, we hope that’s the next project he will add BTstack support to!

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Bulbdial Clock Kit Released

December 10, 2009 by Mike Szczys 12 Comments

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has just released a Bulbdial clock kit. This has come a long way since their first prototype, featuring three PCBs to carry the 72 charlieplexed LEDs. For accuracy they’ve included an optional header for a ChronoDot precision RTC.

With a great looking face and laser-cut acrylic case available, this may soon adorn our mantle. Time to write that letter to Santa…

Update: [Windell] of EvilMadScientist.com posted some video of the clock in action. We’ve embedded it after the break.

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AC Shield Will Take Your Breath (heart Beat) Away.

December 10, 2009 by Mike Szczys 69 Comments

[Ryanjmclaughlin] came up with the idea of a Arduino shield that uses TRIACs to switch four channels of AC power. The forum thread he started delves into several interesting discussions covering what it would take to convert this for use with 240v power and of course, a debate about safety.

A reader named [Victor] sent this tip to us and mentioned that this shield might significantly reduce the number of Arduino related projects we see. That’s because mixing high voltage alternating current with delicate 5v logic circuitry can be a bad idea. We’re not saying the creator of this didn’t know what he’s doing, but if you don’t you could fry up your Arduino, or your body.

Bendërbrau Now A Reality

December 10, 2009 by Jakob Griffith 23 Comments

It appears to be 5 o’clock somewhere as everyone seems to have only one thing on their mind. [Simon] set out to make his own Bender Brewer from the television show Futurama. But he made sure to include some key functions from episodes in the series. First and most notable Bender’s stomach contains a beer brewing kit, we think a coffee roaster would have been better, but to each their own.What we hackers love best is the ‘brains‘ of Bender, a 6502 processor controlled via remote to play a selection of 15 random sayings, including the infamous “Bite my shiny metal”, well, you know.

Finally, yes, we do realize this project was started and finished about 2 years ago. We like to think we allowed it time to ferment.

[Thanks Leo]