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Design Challenge: Hung Jury

February 12, 2007 by 26 Comments


We’re not really hung, but it is taking a while for us to decide just who get the title. While we decide, here’s a couple more entries remind you what it’s all about.

[Razvan] sent in this excellent entry. (I’m hosting it on my personal server since he didn’t have one)
The writeup could be a bit clearer, but the design is pretty sweet. It features a mega avr brain and a microchip ethernet controller with a software based USB interface. It’s a pretty intriguing design – lots of possibilities for ethernet controllable projects.

[Tom D] sent in this rolling codes garage door opener. This will step through all the garage door opener codes for garage doors made before 2003.

Cheap Function Generator

January 5, 2007 by 5 Comments


I’m inclined to put up [nuxie1]’s function generator how-to because he also submitted a very nice Design Challenge entry. The generator is based on the cheap XR2206 IC which will generate functions at up to 1Mhz. Definitely handy to have around.

His Design Challenge entry was really over the top. It’s another USB PIC programmer, but he laid out three different desings. A full-on SMD, a home build SMD and a through hole board. Nice work.

We’ll be announcing the winner of the Design Challenge in another week and a half or so – we got quite a few entries and it takes a while to really review them.

DC Entries: Relay Board, PONG

January 4, 2007 by 95 Comments


I’ve got a couple more design challenge entries for ya. (The first one made the entry deadline, but he had to repost it to another web host – no whining about how it was posted on the 26th)

[Joe]submitted his Parallel port relay board. He’s still working on the software to drive it, but the board looks good. He suggests cutting a parallel cable to make the input. (I’ve done it, it’s a pain) I’ll suggest soldering the inputs directly to a solder style DB25 – or add some edge traces so that a cheap solder style connector can be attached directly to the board.

[Andrew] built and submitted UPONG – Pong on a LED dot matrix display. It reminds me of the pong hat. He’s even put up a video of the game in action.

DC Entries: LVP/Logic Probe And A Wireless Antenna

January 2, 2007 by 16 Comments


I’m sick today, but finally getting some entries up. [Albert] designed this board which can be either a low voltage PIC programmer or, if you lack a programmer to get the initial flash data on the PIC, the through hole components make a logic probe. He rounded out the board with a silk screened logo and a prototyping area. He was also kind enough to provide an eagle library with the Hack-A-Day logo.

Our second featured entry of the day: [Pablo] put together a simple Hack-A-Day 2.4ghz antenna. He built and tested it – It functions nicely as a directional 2db antenna. His proposed use: limit your neighbors access to your AP by aiming the unetched backside at them.

Design Challenge Deadline

December 26, 2006 by 8 Comments


Just an official heads up – the deadline for the Design Challenge is up. We recieved some great entries and we’ll be reviewing them on Hack-A-Day as we wind up to our announcement of the winner. (Yes, if you submitted an entry, you’ll get some coverage) Thanks for all your efforts!

Design Challenge Prize Update Delta

November 29, 2006 by 12 Comments


OK guys, I can finally announce all of the prizes for the Hack-A-Day Design Challenge! I’ve been waiting to get things in hand before announcing them all – Everything’s arrived, and it’s a pretty sweet haul.

  1. Fabienne’s Hack-A-Day iPod Nano
  2. MAKE Controller
  3. MAKE Daisy mp3 player kit
  4. SUMO Omni Beanbag
  5. 120 LED Assortment Package

If you’re busy, maybe you just don’t know how sweet some of this stuff is.

Fabienne kindly consented to give up her very own Hack-A-Day engraved iPod nano. It’s been used and the inside thoroughly inspected, but it’s otherwise unmodded.

MAKE gave us one of their new open source MAKE controllers – I opened up the one they sent and it’s pretty sweet. The 55Mhz Atmel SAM7X CPU is on a daughter-board, and the main board has terminals for every connection you could want, along with USB, Ethernet, CAN, Serial… They also sent along one of their new Daisy MP3 player kits. Unlike the controller, this one has to be put together.

Andrew over at sumolounge.com hooked us up with one of their SUMO Omni bean bags. This thing is awesome. It’s the biggest bean bag I’ve ever seen. (I may have to buy the winner another one, my daughter has been going nuts over it )

Finally, [Alan] of Alan’s Electronic Projects sent us a set of his 120 LED assortments along with a handy resistor pack for using them with 5vdc to get things going. The set even includes some 13000mcd white LEDs for making your own portable tanning device.

How do you win all this sweet stuff? You send in a design! You’ve got until December 25th!