Author: Mike Szczys

6403 Articles

RepRap Wedge

August 27, 2009 by 36 Comments

reprap_wedge

Generation 2.0 of RepRap, the self replicating 3d printer, is approaching realization. Code named “Mendel”, the new design will be wedge shaped rather than a box which offers a few benefits. The overall design is smaller than the original RepRap but the printable area is larger. This means more functionality with less building material. With each new generation of this project the assembly gets easier and total parts price drops making the RepRap available to a much wider audience.

The RepRap blog has put forth some design specs, a picture of the assembled prototype, and has links for general assembly information (ZIP). We won’t see a finished version of this released for a few months but so far it looks like a big leap forward.

Hard Rock Radio

August 26, 2009 by 16 Comments

rock_radio

[Guus] sent in his project where he put a radio inside of a rock. He started with a 1970’s car stereo and encapsulated it in cement by wrapping it in duct tape, building a wooden form around it, and pouring in the wet cement. Three ports are included on the back for power, antennae, and speaker. He included an outline of how he did this but we’d love to hear some tips on how he made it look like a rock and not just a brick of concrete.

HTPC Inside A Cellular Phone

August 25, 2009 by 13 Comments

htpc_carphone

Reader [Jani] always wanted to throw a PC into an old school cell phone. He based this around the extremely small Commell LS-371 motherboard which measures just 146×101 mm (~5.9×4 in). He found room behind an existing access door for a DVI connector and audio in/out.  He even incorporated an OLED screen, secondary sound card for “speakerphone”, and a WiFi connector into the handset. Things start to get interesting when he decided the SSD was too large and needed to be removed from its case. The one thing that seems to be missing here is an IR receiver for a remote but since he plans on running XBMC, he may already be setup to use another option such as an iPhone to act as a remote interface.

Arduino Based Synthesizer

August 25, 2009 by 11 Comments

cheap_fat_open

[Jacob] is working on his final project for the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.  Based around Arduino, the quality and quantity of his build notes make this a fascinating read and there are several examples to listen to.

The project features a brilliant idea for input:  He uses a 1/8″ TRS connector (mini-jack) whose tip is the input to the DAC of the Arduino. There are conductive pads in the shape of a keyboard that you touch the tip of the connector to in order to complete the circuit. Alternatively, the other two conductors on the connector deliver power and ground for easy interface with external controllers. He built an example controller that uses an LED and photoresistor to alter the signal returning to the Arduino. Put your hand in front of the light and the sound changes.

[via Arduino: blog]

Fritzing, Go From Prototype To Product

August 25, 2009 by 21 Comments

fritzing

Fritzing is an open source project designed to help you move from a prototype to a finished project. Aimed at those basing their projects around Arduino, you start by building your physical prototype, then recreate it with Fritzing software’s graphical editor. From there you can generate a schematic, PCB artwork, and PCB production files.

[thanks CH]

Passwords On Floppy Disk

August 25, 2009 by 24 Comments

floppy_password

[Wehrdo] has posted a guide with an extremely low-tech solution to password management. He literally put the passwords on a floppy disk in the form of paper glued to the magnetic film. For those that still have some floppy disks around, this is a zero cost hack. We wouldn’t recommend this for state secrets, but for those prolific forum registrations it’s a great idea.