Misc Hacks

4030 Articles

Arduino Switch Box

December 4, 2008 by 12 Comments

arduino_switch

When you’re prototyping a new project, sometimes all you need is a switch. The folks at oomlout were tired of constantly having to rewire things, so they built a universal switch box for the Arduino. It has five potentiometers plus three switches. They’ve put together a software package that monitors the switches and can show you a live view of the knob positions. Have a look at the video below for a demo.

The writeup actually hints at what we can only assume is the next kit they’re releasing: a robot arm. Continue reading “Arduino Switch Box” →

Ponoko Launches Subscription Manufacturing

December 1, 2008 by 1 Comment

reprap

Ponoko is an on-demand manufacturing service. You submit your design and they’ll cut it out of one of their many materials. The site is built so you can sell your products or designs directly. They recently took a major step with the introduction of Designmake Prime. It’s a monthly subscription based service with many benefits. It lets you submit DXFs for evaluation instead of their standard EPS or SVG. You can request any material you want and they’ll provide direct support. You also get priority in manufacturing queues. While they’ve always offered an à la carte service, this new move puts Ponoko directly in the role of a traditional manufacturer. Offering manufacturing as a service shows their intention of former a relationship with their customers, but at the an individual level, which most manufacturers can’t approach because of scale.

Ponoko first came to our attention when RepRap published an acrylic version of their machine.

[via Fabbaloo]

Real Life Gears Of War Lancer For Zombie Fighting

December 1, 2008 by 56 Comments

zombie_saw

[SOC] posted this crazy real life Lancer, like those found in Gears of War, on the AR15.com forums. You are seeing it right, that is a chainsaw bayonet attached to his assault rifle. We thought these were pretty cool, but this thing actually works. It can be seen on an AR15, pictured above, as well as a giant shotgun. We think the shotgun one would be better fitting for zombie hordes. Barney Fife seems strangely fitting for this picture. Check out a video of it in action after the break.

Continue reading “Real Life Gears Of War Lancer For Zombie Fighting” →

Nintendo 64 Crammed Into A NES

December 1, 2008 by 17 Comments

more_nintendo

[Matthew] sent us this Nintendo 64 stuffed into an NES. He did a great job really, everything looks nice and tidy. the presentation is decent with only the game ports visible on the front to tell you its not stock. The accent lighting on the side vents is not overpowering. Overall this was a really well done mod. Just like the Nintendo 64 in a Wii mod, this only plays Nintendo 64 games. OK guys, lets get some mods going that don’t involve cramming one Nintendo product into another Nintendo product.

Parts: 133MHz-16.2kHz Programmable Oscillator (DS1077)

November 28, 2008 by 23 Comments

cover

The DS1077 is a 5volt, 133MHz to 16kHz programmable clock source. The internal frequency divider is configured over a simple I2C interface, and the chip requires no external parts. Not bad for under $2. We used the Bus Pirate to test this chip before using it in a project. Grab the datasheet (PDF) and follow along. Continue reading “Parts: 133MHz-16.2kHz Programmable Oscillator (DS1077)” →

Lockpicking Operation Game

November 26, 2008 by 6 Comments

img_8708

[Moritz Waldemeyer], a favorite artist of ours, has a brand new project. He went wanting to design a 3D version of the game Operation. The piece he ended up with is called Keyhole Surgery. It’s essentially the laparoscopic version of operation. The player guides a metal key through the passages of a translucent block while attempting not to touch the walls. A counter on the side displays how many hits it has detected. The player with the smallest number wins. We love the modular potential of this project: the number of layers could be increased, the order could be changed, and more.