[Travis] sent in his oh so simple(why didn’t I think of that) syringe logic probe. that he put together for his version of the sump logic analyzer. Real probes tend to be pretty expensive. With some effort, you can probably fit an led/diode/resistor in there and make a simple 5v logic probe. If you’d like a nice logic analyzer, Spartan-3 board that it’s based on is only $99.
classic hacks2836 Articles
Interfacing Your Laptops Onboard I2c
[ladyada] ran across this excellent hack by [phillip]. Apparently there’s a clock, data, 5v and ground connection available in most modern video connections. (He even notes HDMI cable pins) He wrote some drivers and can now control i2c hardware directly from the PC Mac. [Ladyada] notes that most laptops use an i2c bus for extra sensors as well. For now, the code only works on Mac OS X.
Pocket Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy (Wikipedia Style)
[PKM] decided to breathe new life into a Psion 5mx handheld. He slapped linux on it, added a wikipedia dump to a CD card, and voila: pocket wikipedia. It’s the closest thing to an actual hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy I’ve ever seen. So long and thanks for all the fish!
Smart Car Sensing With RF
In order to tell his home automation system that he’s home, [Jim] mounted a RF transmitter in each of his cars. When the car is on, the transmitter is powered up. The house picks up the transmitter signal when the car arrives or departs. With that information, he was able to set up some stateful rules that can be activated when people arrive or depart. Some people prefer to use APRS and read vehicle location from the transmitted GPS coordinates, but this is a bit cheaper and doesn’t transmit your position to the entire world all the time. The useful range is about 100 feet, so this can work even if you have to park in the street.
Human Sync Optical Tachometer
[Jared] sent in this optical tachometer by [Mike Freeman]. The write-up and code requires a free registration, but if you’ve got a use for it, it’s probably worth the hassle. The zip archive includes a nice writeup in PDF format, and the code needed for the pic controller. The tach was built specifically for model helicopters. The user looks through the viewfinder and adjusts the pot on the side until the spinning helicopter blade visually stops turning.
Hack An Etch-a-sketch
using an etch-a-sketch is hard, hooking it up to a mouse might seem harder, but in the end, likely more appropriate and accurate. here comes the electr-o-sketch–hack a mouse to control and draw on the classic and ever present etch-a-sketch.
How To Make Your Own Lava Lamp
i’m going to try and make the first ever usb lava lamp, at least i think it’s the first, but before i got started, i needed to see if there were any resources on the chemical formulas and the actual construction–turns out there’s a one stop site that has it all.
