PS3 Wireless Visual Interface

December 29, 2009 by Mike Szczys 26 Comments

[Technott’s] at it again, this time extending the Playstation 3 with a wireless interface. This handheld isn’t actually a PS3. It provides a wireless connection to your PS3 to receive audio and video, as well as to manage controller data. Think of it as a wirelessly tethered handheld that allows you to play Playstation when your wife is watching the Real Housewives. This is similar in size to his Xbox 360 WVI but the case shape and appearance are a big step up (not that we disliked that one). We’ve embedded a video tour of the device after the break.

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Zilog In A Matchbox

December 27, 2009 by Mike Szczys 19 Comments

Now you can have a Zilog computer in the form factor of a matchbox. The RamBlade is a tiny PCB that uses a Parallax Propeller IC to implement the CP/M language. The OS is stored on a microSD card, with a four-pin serial interface (3V3, GND, SO, SI) that allows operation via a terminal program.

Smaller and more resilient than building your own from ancient logic chips, we see this a way to get a whole new set of people interested in this old technology.

[Thanks Oldbitcollector]

Freerunner With Android, New Case, Battery

December 27, 2009 by Mike Szczys 6 Comments

[Dennis] got snowed in after the biggest storm in the history of the state hit. Like any good hacker he didn’t let the time go to waste. He decided to dig out his Neo Freerunner to give it a decent battery and a new OS.

The original battery for the Freerunner has a controller board integrated into the package. [Dennis] pulled out the board and attached it to a portable DVD player battery. After running it through a discharge cycle with another hack of his, the board learned the new battery capacity. The larger battery plus a fast-charger from SparkFun required a larger case. He made it happen by combining a 2.5″ HDD case with the original body courtesy of some JB weld. The final portion of the hack was to load up Android which is as simple as untarring the package onto an SD card.

It’s a bit big, but the battery will last and he’s got an open platform. Nice work!

RFID Control Concept

December 26, 2009 by Mike Szczys 3 Comments

That’s not a smoke detector, it’s an RFID detecting puck. [Eric] and [Brent] have been working on this concept to produce a virtual knob. When the device detects an RFID tag it vibrates, then the puck can be turned like a virtual knob, an accelerometer picking up the motion data. The build is rounded out with a XBee module for connectivity and housed in a printed case.

The video after the break shows the device controlling colored lights. There is a different tag for each color and when the reader is over one of them the puck can be rotated to turn brightness up or down. We foresee a lot of great uses for this. Turn it into a thermostat for public places by adding a character display to the mix. A tag can be affixed to a wall, when you want to change the thermostat setting just hold the puck over the tag and turn until the screen displays the desired temperature.

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Hacking The OnStar GPS V2

December 26, 2009 by James Munns 20 Comments

[Andy] has provided us with his new guide to hacking the OnStar GPS. Previously, we have covered a way to grab the GPS data from an unused OnStar system, however in recent years GM has added much more complex systems, which make it harder than swapping out a serial line. For the new version, [Andy] has figured out GM’s Controller Area Network (CAN), which they call GMLAN. He has also done most of the software snooping and sleuthing, and has mostly solved GMLAN’s method of announcing GPS data. There is sample code available to convert this information into generic latitude and longitude.

Unfortunately for the project, (and very fortunately for [Andy]), he has a child on the way and new job responsibilities, so he is offering up his results to the HaD community to finish up, double check, and provide a good how-to for everyone else. To anyone who decides to pick up this project and run with it, let us know!

Reverse Engineering Off-brand Media Players

December 23, 2009 by Mike Szczys 14 Comments

[Marcan] picked up this device on the cheap and is working to reverse engineer the controller. This media player is an off-brand Chinese model that can be had for the low-low price of $33.97 with free shipping. That’s worth it just to scavenge the parts for other projects, but the challenge here is to hack the controller because a datasheet was never produced for it. Warm up your logic analyzer, check out the wiki, and you can be pounding away at this ARM926EJ-S based system in no time.

The call to arms comes from [Marcan’s] blog. You may remember him as the guy who is working to solidify iPhone sync in Linux or… what else did he do? Oh yeah, he had this little project called the Wii Homebrew Channel a while ago. Get involved and you can learn from some folks who really know what they’re doing.

[Thanks Mr. Seeker]

Home Made Panoramic Camera

December 21, 2009 by Caleb Kraft 6 Comments

This one is from way back in 2002, but we didn’t see it till today. This is a hand built panoramic camera. The film is laid out across the back of the case, and when taking a picture, the lens assembly rotates to expose the film. It is a very nice looking design. The brass body is quite reminiscent of the recent one posted here. On the site, you’ll find not only the build log, but a full explanation of all the math behind the design. It is a very interesting read, even if you have no plans on building your own.

[via Make]