Lego Self-adaptive Hand

July 27, 2005 by Eliot 3 Comments

self adaptive hand

I usually don’t feature LEGO projects because there is already a huge community and probably better places to get your LEGO info. That being said, I couldn’t pass this project up. It has an infrared sensor for detecting objects and only uses three pneumatic cylinders. The most interesting aspect of the hand is its underactuated fingers. The built in “mechanical intelligence” allows for shape adaptation even though there are fewer actuators than degrees of freedom. Don’t worry there’s a link to clear that last bit up.

[thanks ator1]

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Linux Home Automation

July 26, 2005 by Eliot 13 Comments

Mister House is a long standing open source home automation project. It’s written entirely in Perl and works on almost any platform. It also supports many different home automation devices like X10. Control is driven through a web interface and has voice feedback and recognition. Lots of extra modules have been developed for this project so you’re sure to find something unique: from voice announced caller ID, to GPS vehicle tracking over FRS.

[thanks Clu]

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Home Theater Amplifier Cooling

July 25, 2005 by Eliot 4 Comments

nad

JT has written up how he modified his NAD T760 to run cooler. The goal is to extend the life of the components. The first test was to add an additional external fan. This is somewhat effective and because it is running at a lower voltage it isn’t that noisy. Not satisfied JT ventures inside and decides to modify the internal temperature sensor so that the built in fan turns on at a lower temp. He makes sure to slow down the fan speed since it is now on when the amp is playing at lower volumes. The end result is a temperature only one degree above ambient.

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PSP External Controllers

July 24, 2005 by Eliot 18 Comments

psp controller

I usually don’t get to run PSP hacks as features because everyone else snatches them up so quick (Is anybody actually buying games?). XyTec found this hack to connect multiple controllers to the PSP. The project uses an ATMega8 microcontroller to monitor the controller’s state and then transmits that to the PSP’s IrDA port. There is a nice discussion of how the communication works. There’s a video demo of the controller being used to play Doom also. The project isn’t quite finished, but it does include source. Time for some two-player emulation.

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Camper Avionics Engine Monitor

July 23, 2005 by Eliot 4 Comments

avionics

A 1976 GMC camper is probably one ot the last things that you’d expect would ever leave the earth. That doesn’t mean it can’t be improved by an engine monitor originally intended for an airplane. The device measures exhaust gas temperature on each individual port, water temperature, engine rpm and speed. Alarms can be set for each input and the device gives vocal warnings when these levels are reached. There are a lot of other gadgets he’s added to his vehicle on the site (i.e. computers, tire pressure monitors, and cameras). So, have a look around.

[thanks Bird603568]

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