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149 items tagged "home"

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March 08, 2010
14:44
LEDs invade coffee table crevice
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

That’s a lot of LEDs, and a little bit of glass cleaner. [Tobias] spiced up his IKEA coffee table by adding 6144 LEDs. This is a larger realization of SparkFun’s LED coffee table which used 64 8×8 modules. [Tobias] sourced three display boards from Sure Electronics for a total of 96 8×8 modules. These boards [...]
February 24, 2010
10:30
A second life for dead hard drives
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[AndyUU1CC] has put together directions on how he built an Iambic Paddle out of some old hard drives. The iambic paddle is a device for telegraphy. More specifically, it is that piece that you always see people clicking with their finger when they send a telegraph. We hadn’t seen an iambic or “dual lever” style [...]
February 21, 2010
9:01
Controllable LEDs spice up the living room
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Sprite_tm] brings us another great hack by lighting up the living room. Unsatisfied with just replacing incandescent bulbs with an LED alternative he went with strips of LEDs to illuminate the length of a wall. Starting with a seven-meter strip of the lights, he cut it down to fourteen pieces in order to make the [...]
February 20, 2010
12:15
Rube Goldberg FTW
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

This video was on its way to a links post until we saw the game of chess right in the middle of it (bishop to H5). [Tom] and [Ben] put their Master of Manufacturing Engineering degrees to use by jam-packing every conveyance method possible into a Rube Goldberg machine. There’s violin bows, a polo mallet, [...]
February 17, 2010
7:16
Repairing your TV EDID
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Andreas] found that his home theater PC would not boot one day. Oddly, if he disconnected his HDMI cable from his TV, it would boot fine. While most of us would have dug into the PC, he realized that it was a signal from the TV that was incorrect. Luckily, LG had included a full [...]
February 13, 2010
10:00
Propeller arcade
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

This arcade cabinet has been saved from a gruesome death. [Oldbitcollector] picked the broken rig up for $50 and is building a Parallax Propeller based arcade machine. This began back in October and he’s just dropped in a newly painted control panel to replace the NES controller seen above. He pulled the replacement screen out [...]
February 08, 2010
13:42
GuruPlug, the next generation of SheevaPlug
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Meet GuruPlug, an all-in-one server that is now available for pre-order. This is the next generation of the popular SheevaPlug that features some added goodies. The base model sells for the same $99 and appears to have the same specs as the original but for $30 more, the GuruPlug Server PLUS moves to 2 Gigabit [...]
12:07
ez430 home automation
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Oliver] has been doing some work to use his TI ez430 Chronos wristwatch for some home automation. He’s working with a RF controllable lightbulb adapter which operates in the 433 MHz band. A dirt-cheap breadboard-friendly transmitter is available from Seeed Studios and he uses this in conjunction with a computer and an Arduino. Before the [...]
10:46
Built-in hex editor unlocks plasma TV features
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Nick] tipped us off about a guide to unlock extra features on Panasonic televisions. The hack works on the G10 models of plasma TVs and uses the service menu to gain access to the EEPROM memory. With a few quick steps you can change some data with a built in hex editor, unlocking several new [...]
February 05, 2010
12:00
Pipe heating with an ATMega8
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Viktor] wanted a system to keep his pipes from freezing. The common method of using heat tape works pretty well, but can be wasteful. Many people just turn it on for the entire winter. [Viktor] wanted to automate the heat tape’s power so that it only activated during times that the pipes could actually freeze. [...]
February 01, 2010
8:11
Snow blower robot
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

For those of us who are stuck in the middle of a cold and snowy winter, this project will seem like a stroke of genius. [Jimmy Bui] has put together this robotic pushing platform. While it is seen in the video (on the linked page) pushing a snow blower, it seems to be simply bolted [...]
January 31, 2010
13:00
120v switching
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Kenneth] built a 5v controlled power outlet inside of a junction box. We’ve seen plenty of projects that can switch 120v outlets using 5v logic for refrigerator controllers, lighting controllers, or grow systems, but they almost always use solid state relays to facilitate the switching. This iteration uses mechanical relays along with the necessary protection [...]
12:04
Hacking a digital bathroom scale
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Micah] was inspired by projects he had seen of people using the Wii balance board as an input. He realized the balance board was overkill, and pricey for many applications. Since it is basically just 4 weight sensors, he thought, why not just use a scale? Often, only one sensor is needed and they’re really [...]
10:00
Recycled cat feeder
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

I find that I do a lot of fun projects but I’m very bad about documenting them when I’m done. Holidays are for hacking (in my mind) so I usually plan ahead and do something cool during my time off. This project, which I loving call the Autodine-2009, was a spontaneous event over Thanksgiving that [...]
January 29, 2010
13:54
Another take on roasting those beans
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Andrew] takes his coffee very seriously and like any hardcore aficionado he wanted to do the roasting himself. The coffee roaster design uses a heat gun for the roasting and sources an old bread maker as a vessel. As part of the automatic bread making process there’s a little agitator arm inside which keeps the [...]
12:24
Salty LEDs
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Davross] pulled off an LED lighting build for his coral aquarium. The module consists of a wooden body holding a 3×16 grid of LEDs. They are mounted to heat sinks which themselves have cooling fans to help keep those puppies from melting. The system is controlled by an Arduino which allows for almost limitless lighting options. [...]
January 25, 2010
10:00
Face tracking with x10
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

If you are looking to do some face tracking and don’t know where to start, this explanation of how to do it with X10 modules could be pretty helpful. Aside from having, what some could consider to be, the absolute most annoying website ever for a company, X10 also makes modular systems for home automation. [...]
8:41
Automated Super8 film scanning
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

For those of you who have been dreading the day that you have to dig out those old family films in Super 8 format and take them to get digitized, dread no more. Now you could turn it into a cool project. [Photobsen] has posted pictures of an automated system for scanning and compiling the [...]
January 23, 2010
11:50
iPhone look-alike on your kitchen wall
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Ryan] and his wife wanted to have a touchscreen interface in the kitchen to store their recipes and for various music, video, and Internet entertainment. We know where they’re coming from, we’re quite tired or cleaning flour (or worse!) off of our palm pilot screen after baking. The display you see on the wall is [...]
January 22, 2010
11:35
Hack together a Coffee Roaster
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

For most people, making coffee entails taking a couple scoops out of a can of pre-ground coffee, adding water, and pressing “Go” on the drip machine. To others coffee brewing is an artform, and want as much control over the process as possible. For those without an overflowing bank account for a home roasting machine, [...]
January 21, 2010
10:00
Coded entry using your wristwatch
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Ziyan] and [Zach] built a door entry system that uses a code entered from your wristwatch. They’re using the TI eZ-430 Chronos that we saw in November. There is a project box mounted over the deadbolt lever. Inside, the wireless fob waits for the watch to connect. When a watch has connected and the correct [...]
January 20, 2010
6:28
SheevaPlug PBX
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Greg] has been working on a version of Debian/ FreePBX/ Asterisk for people to be able to drop onto a SheevaPlug. If you haven’t seen it, the SheevaPlug is a tiny computer housed in a wall plug. They made some waves when they were announced last year, and we’ve spoken of them several times. [Greg] [...]
January 18, 2010
13:11
The most complicated, and simplest binary clocks.
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

We were going to take a break from posting clocks. Really we were. This one came in the tip line today though, and we just couldn’t pass it up. [Alex] has built, what might be the most complicated clock we’ve seen. At least, it would appear that way initially. This Binary clock shows Hours, Minutes, [...]
8:03
More AVR Tetris
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Ben] built an AVR based Tetris game that uses a TV as the display. He linked his project in a comment from the AVR Tetris project featured last week. His work taps the power of his own tvText library to handle the composite video out. Using a TV takes all of the hardware work out [...]
January 16, 2010
13:26
Wine glass time keeper
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

We’ve seen a glut of time-keeping projects lately. We guess time was the original motivator for technology so we’re okay with it (but we’re not calling ourselves Clockaday quite yet). This clock, or more appropriately this timer, is a homemade hourglass that [Andrei] put together. The finished look is simple but he put some real [...]
8:11
Volt meter clock
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

The Volt meter clock continues our recent slew of interesting clock projects. Though considerably easier to read than the resistor clock, it is in the same frame of mind. Set up to look like the face of an analog volt meter, it almost looks like something official or scientific. Since [Jon] couldn’t simply drop a [...]
January 15, 2010
13:08
Know your resistors… tell the time
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Darren] built a clock that uses a resistor to display the time. Well, it really uses a model of a resistor. This extremely tardy entry in the Hackaday design challenge houses all of the electronics on a PCB the size of a business card. Four RGB LEDs shine up through holes in the wooden base [...]
January 13, 2010
13:00
MythNetVision to cure borked MythTV hacks
» ‎ hack-a-day

Enclosure: [download]

Tags: home entertainment hacks

Another group of developers has stepped up to the plate in the never-ending attempt to integrate online streaming video with MythTV. The new plugin is called MythNetVision and aims to bring streaming and downloading video functionality both easily and legally. That means without violating the terms of service of the providing website. We’ve seen so many [...]
January 06, 2010
15:00
Pong, for real
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

Over at EvilMadScientistLaboratories.com they’ve asked a question that many of us have never thought to ask. What exactly is Pong supposed to be? Instead of assuming it was ping pong like the rest of us, they decided to build a literal physical interpretation. They may have taken some liberty, using solenoids as the paddles, but [...]
January 01, 2010
10:13
Hey man, you seen my turntable around here?
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

It’s all fine and dandy to have a turntable that sounds great, but [Mike] wanted one that looks great too. He build the transparent record player above and loved it for a little while. When his interest in it waned he built another, then several more. They all have some element of transparency to them, [...]
December 31, 2009
13:00
Meat smoker from 55gal drums
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Joel] wanted to use his newly acquired welding skills to make something useful. With tasty flesh in mind he put together this meat smoker. What resulted is incredible, but the fact that he then gave it away as a gift is just amazing. A curved joint between two pipes is known as a ‘fish mouth’. They [...]
December 29, 2009
9:53
Ikea Dioder hack
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Joseph] wrote in to tell us about his Ikea Dioder hack. The Dioder is a lighting system with a silly name from Ikea. It is basically 4 RGB LED bars that are connected to a controller that will cycle their colors in different manners. They aren’t individually addressable, and at $50 aren’t really that great [...]
December 24, 2009
17:04
Choreographed Christmas light show (x4)
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Lucas] is at it again this year. Not satisfied by the computerized systems available on the market, [Lucas] decided to build on last year’s project. To save a bit of cash, he built the setup around Parallax’s low-cost SX28 proto board. The system is capable of controlling 102 channels, with 8-bit dimming. 6 boards control 7 [...]
December 23, 2009
12:00
19th century all-in-one PC
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

…well not quite, but Victorian-styled nonetheless. In the same vein as his previous creation, [Jake] decided to steampunk his new monitor. However, this time around, he managed to squeeze a full pc into the retro case. A custom aluminum chassis had to be designed and safely house the disk drives and motherboard behind the monitor. Since the 350W PSU was a bit too clunky to mount behind [...]
December 22, 2009
11:00
Fix a projector on the cheap
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[j] sent in this nice writeup on how to revive a dead projector. he managed to pick one up for $20 that had a broken bulb. While the prices of bulbs have come down considerably, they can still be a couple hundred dollars. Being resourceful, he decide to just use a halogen bulb that he [...]
9:00
BobLight night light networking
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

It turns out that more than just pictures of women and flashing animations can be found on the X10 website. [Jonathan] based his BobLight project around the MS14A X10 module. The idea for the devices started off as a Christmas gift for his parents in-law. A boblight turns on when motion is detected. It then communicates (through radio) with the other boblights [...]
December 21, 2009
14:11
Four generations of motion simulators
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

We like a good flight simulator but often find the available control schemes lacking. [Roland] not only builds his own controls, but creates full cockpits that add physical motion to the mix. He completed his third generation cockpit last year. It’s pictured above as well as in video after the break. That design uses a [...]
December 17, 2009
15:25
Better temperature readings using an aspirated thermometer
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Unlike regular thermometers that can get incorrect readings because of the sun’s heat, shading, and airflow, aspirated thermometers isolate the temperature sensor from precipitation and the sun, while providing constant air circulation. Take ten 1-wire T2SS boards and combine them with DS18B20s and you’ve got yourself the start of an aspirated thermometer. A foot of [...]
December 16, 2009
8:23
Scan room, explore virtually
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Patrick] directed us to his project for alternate realism. The final goal is to be able to walk around in a space wearing a head mounted display, exploring a virtual representation of that space. This virtual representation could be altered, stylized, augmented and modified in countless ways. It is an exploration in perception, similar to [...]
December 15, 2009
15:50
IntoDream, the ‘portable’ Dreamcast
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

What looks like an absolute mess of wires,5 fans,3 batteries, and other miscellaneous equipment squeezed into a Tupperware box on the left? At first we didn’t believe it, but it is actually [John's] fully functioning slick-looking portable Dreamcast on the right. The system runs Quake 3 for a little over 2 hours, not too bad [...]
December 14, 2009
7:50
New pet, Project 413
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Jacob] sent in his teams final project, Project 413. While sounding like something straight out of an action movie, don’t worry, it’s not the next terminator. Rather a combination of an eBox (in place of an EEE pc), omni wheels, motors, batteries, and the finishing touch – a hamster ferret ball. If this is sounding [...]
December 11, 2009
9:55
Bender keg cooler
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

What? Another Bender project? This almost went in the trash since it looks so much like the bender brewer from earlier this week, we thought it was the same tip. This isn’t a brewer though. This is a keg cooler, made to look like Bender. You can follow the build process to see exactly how [...]
December 10, 2009
11:00
Bulbdial clock kit released
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has just released a Bulbdial clock kit. This has come a long way since their first prototype, featuring three PCBs to carry the 72 charlieplexed LEDs. For accuracy they’ve included an optional header for a ChronoDot precision RTC. With a great looking face and laser-cut acrylic case available, this may soon adorn [...]
December 08, 2009
7:16
Water the tree – there’s an app for that?
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Well no, but [Chris] needed something to remind him when to water the tree. Most folks would use their nifty iPhone to set up a calendar reminder, but why do that when you can purpose a 32 bit microcontroller to do it for you? To detect a falling water level [Chris] attached a two-pin header to [...]
December 04, 2009
8:31
Movie mover: a mobile theater
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Electricunicycle] put together this radio controlled mobile theater system to amuse his neighborhood pals. It is a projector and what looks like an electric wheelchair base. He has managed to fit a decent sound system in there as well, which required a second battery. This is pretty cool, though we could see ruggedizing it a [...]
December 03, 2009
10:00
Internet enabled cat feeder
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

When travelling, it can always be a pain to have your cats cared for. There are some commercial automated solutions out there, but they tend to be pricey, especially when there are two required. These two cats don’t need to worry though. They have an internet enabled monster of a system. The system used is pretty [...]
December 01, 2009
10:00
Joystick controlled alarm clock
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

While it may sound like a dirty joke, turning off the alarm clock with a wiggle of your joystick is entirely possible here. [Sean] was inspired by the light gun alarm clock featured in Make magazine a while back and decided to build something similar. Instead of going the light gun route, he chose to [...]
8:09
Control your tree from anywhere
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

We honestly never thought we would see an internet controlled Christmas tree before, sure maybe a remote controlled claw or online soccer robots, but a tree? Regardless, team [Schwippy] did just that. 5 separate sets of lights are connected to 5 individual x10 modules. The x10s are listening over the household’s AC lines for commands [...]
November 23, 2009
13:19
Cable management for pull-out shelves
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Cable management is a headache for all, and if unmitigated it becomes a playground for cats. [kws103] posted a project a while ago that takes care of the messy wires for electronics on pull out shelving. Channel bracket is used to house the cables and has been articulated in three places to facilitate the movement [...]
November 19, 2009
13:00
Complete the maze, get a gumball
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

This neat accelerometer controlled marble maze adds a level of fun to retrieving a gum ball. You have to first navigate the maze using a controller that has a dual axis accelerometer in it to control the angle of the platform. Though that does look like a wii accessory, there is no wiimote in there. Only after you [...]
12:00
Another stationary bike VR rig
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Shingo] shared his implementation of a stationary bike as a virtual reality interface. This is similar to the Google Street View setup we covered a week ago but goes a few steps further. They patched into the bike computer to pick up rotation of the bicycle wheel and added an accelerometer for directional control. This [...]
November 17, 2009
8:15
Omni-car
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

We stumbled onto one of [Nik Melton]’s projects, an Omni-car. It is omnidirectional, meaning it can go any direction at any time without having to turn. The body was designed by him, then printed with a 3D printer. The control scheme is what interests us though. He has found a simple way to wire it [...]
November 16, 2009
10:48
Tauntaun costume
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Scott Holden] went all out this year and built an amazing Tauntaun costume. The Tauntaun from Star Wars was massive, standing 8 feet tall, and usually carrying a rider. [Scott] wanted to make it the correct size, and ultimately pulled it off. He had to build custom stilts to get the leg angle correct as [...]
November 15, 2009
12:25
Bulbdial redux
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Taufeeq] sent in his “Circle of Light” bulbdial clock. You may remember when we showed you Evil Mad Scientist’s version a while back, and [Taufeeq] did use it as a base but he’s added some of his own little touches. Some of the changes include using a PIC with an RTC chip instead of AVR, [...]
November 09, 2009
14:00
Coaster Controlled HTPC
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

These days, HTPCs are becoming more and more common, however controlling the content elegantly can be a painfully annoying problem. Roteno Labs have come up with a wonderful solution they call the RFiDJ. Similar to the RFID phone we covered earlier, they used a set of picture frame coasters and mounted descriptive pictures as well [...]
9:21
AWE: a robotic wall
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

AWE is an interesting project, where your office wall is a helpful robot. That’s the goal anyway. The wall is articulated and can reconfigure its shape to fit your needs. You can see in their video that they have come up with several specific uses for AWE at different positions. We want to like AWE, [...]
November 06, 2009
14:00
Cold cathode art piece controller
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Andrew] built a light box for an exhibition last year that displayed different colors statically. After showing it off, it went unchanged but future improvements remained in the back of his mind. Recently, he pulled it out again and hacked together a controller to drive the colors individually. He’s actually reusing some of the hardware he [...]
November 05, 2009
15:49
UDK: Make the next Gears of War
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

Ever sat down from a long day of hacking and thought to yourself “I wish there was a cool video game out there made just for me. Better yet, made by me!” Today is your lucky day with the release of UDK – Unreal Development Kit. In days of old, the only solution to satisfying your [...]
11:00
Laser etching fruit
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Ever annoyed by those pesky stickers on your fruit? They never seem to pull off in one piece and they always leave a little glue behind. Well, the industry might be moving away from them in favor of laser etching each piece of fruit. They are using a low energy carbon dioxide laser to etch [...]
November 04, 2009
17:00
Mac Mini – getting a little more useful
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

We’re pretty sure Apple decided to implement an IR sensor in their Mac Mini line simply to mock the user. For those who are unaware, the built in sensor only works with the standard Apple Remote; unless you happen to have a programmable PDA or similar you’re SOL. An alternative solution would be to install [...]
November 01, 2009
11:20
Easy dial telephone
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Taufeeq's] Grandmother needed to be able to call her family members but due to ailing eyesight and memory this was a difficult task. He decided to help her with this by building a telephone that will auto-dial a number at the push of a button. [Taufeeq] built a case to hang on the wall which [...]
October 31, 2009
8:15
Broken TV brought to life in LEGO body
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

After letting it sit around for about 3 years, [Blake] decided it was time to fix his broken 15″ television. A little trouble shooting showed the problem was with the inverter. The backlight would come on for a few seconds, off for a few seconds, then repeat. By freeing the Magnavox 15MF400T from its metal [...]
October 30, 2009
15:34
XBMC running on ARM
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

The XBMC team has posted a teaser showing the current state of the ARM port of this popular open source media software. We’ve embedded it after the break where you can see the package boot up and playback HD video. In it we see that the system is decoding the signal well, but image rendering [...]
October 28, 2009
9:00
Mr. Wake, wakes up and runs
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[isotope] must really hate himself. He has built a torture device of pure evil. Mr. Wake, his alarm clock robot, should be considered a torture device. This cute looking little bot, with its bright and colorful clock and neat plastic tube frame is an alarm clock. As soon as it’s alarm goes off, Mr. Wake [...]
October 26, 2009
8:19
Halloween props: Alien Costume
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[creatrope] sent in this slick Alien costume that he made for his son. The costume does look decent, but not professional. For something tossed together from parts around the house, it looks fantastic. The real kicker, is the fact that it has the retractable inner mouth. The retractable mechanism is constructed from Legos and extends [...]
October 25, 2009
14:00
Extended IR input
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

We’re not sure why [Roteno] prefers to have his TV and cable boxes not face him when he’s sitting on the couch, but to each their own. You may already see many problems with this setup: discoloration from LCD viewing angle, difficulty playing Wii, oh and most importantly – not being able to change the [...]
7:00
Halloween Props: Pie of Sauron
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Richard] combined creative carving with vacuum tube electronics for a unique pumpkin offering. He used the stencil-and-cut method of carving, making use of an inexpensive carving kit for great results. He salvaged an LED module from a flashlight to provide the internal illumination, but it’s the center feature that we like the best. [Richard's] used [...]
October 23, 2009
14:00
Halloween props: Skeleton springs from coffin
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Tony's] trying to scare the kids again this Halloween. This year’s creation is a skeleton that springs up from a coffin. His creepy coffin is built from plywood and in the classic style it gets narrower at each end. Inside, there’s a full-sized rubber skeleton affixed to a 2×4. Pneumatic rams are used to lift [...]
October 22, 2009
8:00
Gear clock
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Analog clocks now a days get no respect. Everyone is digital this, or binary that, and we admit it is nice to look over and see the time promptly displayed. But there’s something about the quiet ticking and ominous feeling you get when around a large intricate clock that you know some serious time has [...]
October 21, 2009
8:00
Bouncy iPhone controlled dance lights
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[John Boiles] introduces us to dimlet, his portable network controlled light dimmer. Inside the box is a fonera 2100 router that is running openWRT connected to an unnamed AVR microcontroller. Right now, he’s controlling the unit with his iPhone. It has three modes of control; a manual “slider” mode, an accelerometer controlled “dance” mode, and a programmable [...]
7:13
Ps3 laptop courtesy of Ben Heck
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Ben Heck] may be the coolest person ever (take that [Adam Savage]). You would think that after producing so many laptop versions of gaming consoles he would grow tired or we would be bored of them. But no! We love each and every new production – including his latest laptop-ified Ps3. Not too much in [...]
October 20, 2009
7:20
RepRap – in space! (sorta)
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

We aren’t exactly sure how or even why you would need to RepRap in space, but we guess their team needed something to do while designing and printing their next version. They figure that if they can print completely upside down in -1G and then upside up in 1G, that 0G hopefully wont be a [...]
October 19, 2009
15:00
Dresser tool chest isn’t as ghetto as you’d think
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

A dedicated rolling chest for one’s tools is among the most indulgent yet worthwhile acquisitions. Having everything mobile and organized for quick access improves efficiency and keeps the shop tidy. But holy living crap, have you priced these things? Even a mediocre setup costs more than the gross national product of some small nations! Here’s a project that tarts [...]
10:08
Shift powered pumpkins
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Garret] and a couple of friends totally stole our idea wanted to light up their pumpkins a bit differently this year. They used some ShiftBrites and all the corresponding shift hardware (who knew there was so much shift out there) to bring their carved orange minions to life. Yes, this could be done a lot [...]
October 18, 2009
14:00
Samsung TV firmware hacking
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Erdem] is leading up the efforts to reverse engineer Samsung TV firmware with a project called SamyGo. Official Samsung firmware uses the Linux kernel, making it a familiar system to work with for many developers. So far they’ve implemented NFS and SAMBA for sharing files over the network, improved playback from USB devices, and unlocked [...]
October 16, 2009
7:13
Animatronic winged demon terrorizes local garage
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Tags: home hacks

Halloween is on its way, and if you’re going to do it right, you’re going to overdo it right. A few days ago we showed you [Jake's] flying Crank Ghost, the idea is simple and creates lovely motion that is sure to scare some small children. But what if you want people leaving your little [...]
October 15, 2009
12:00
Halloween prop: DIY fog machine
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Reader [Daniel] told us about a video detailing how to make your own fog machine. This project uses two disposable roasting pans to create a fog chamber. Inside you will find an upside-down clothes iron to convert fog liquid into a gas. The liquid is gravity-fed from a water-bottle reservoir on top, converted to smoke [...]
October 14, 2009
15:21
Snega2usb preorder now available
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

We’ve been watching the development of the snega2usb since it’s debut on Hackaday. Now it’s grown up and is ready to be manufactured. In the low quality video above [Matthias] shows some of the latest high quality additions to the board. It now has a case, shiny new firmware, production made PCB, and game pad ports. The snega2usb is shipping [...]
October 13, 2009
14:00
Halloween props: flying crank ghost
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Tags: home hacks

[Jake's] projects have become regular features here on Hack a Day. He keeps the Halloween hack-fest rolling with his Flying Crank Ghost. For the ghost he used a store-bought skull but sculpted some hands himself out of Styrofoam. The body is fashioned from coat hangers with a bit of creepy fabric draped over the hole [...]
10:00
Haptic Halluc 2
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

We can not express the childlike glee that we experienced watching this video. We want so badly to have one of these setups. What you are seeing is a half dome projected cockpit with two haptic controllers in the style of a delta robot. This is controlling the Halluc robot which is a hybrid wheeled [...]
8:00
DIY Dyson vac hack
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[James Dyson] may have built eleventy billion prototypes to perfect his famous cyclonic vacuum, but sometimes just one will do the trick. A cyclonic separator is used in workshops to keep larger cruft out of the dust collection system. The airflow inside a separator creates a vortex that flings heavier bits and particles to the periphery [...]
October 12, 2009
9:00
Halloween props: The honking pumpkin
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Tags: home hacks

We see a lot of Halloween projects attempt to scare people. Many of them work with the element of surprise, jumping or flashing lights when triggered. We’ve noticed though, people have come to expect those things. This project is a real sleeper. No one expects a couple car horns to blare in their face when [...]
October 10, 2009
7:51
IR air conditioner timer
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Tom] has an office job in China. His office is cooled by a small single room air conditioner. In an effort to make his office a little more comfortable, he built this IR timer unit. It cools his office down before he gets there so he doesn’t have to wait for it in the morning. He [...]
October 08, 2009
15:00
A Stirring Hack
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Tags: home hacks

[Oleg] of Circuits@Home and maker of the USB Isolation Board and the USB Host Shield has a new, two-part hack for his chemistry set. In Part 1 of this hack, [Oleg] discusses the method he uses to make a stir bar spin and what types of stir bars work the best. Part 2 discusses the [...]
13:41
A modular Halloween with grid beam
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Tags: home hacks

The fantastic Creatrope blog has a great article on quickly assembling animatronic Halloween gags using salvaged electric motors, pvc pipe, and “grid beam” construction. Grid beam is a prototyping and building medium that’s like a giant hippie Erector set. You can’t buy grid beam, but with a drill press, a jig, and some square stock you [...]
12:00
Installing a starscape ceiling
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Tags: home hacks

[Mike Galloway] set out to install a lighted starscape in the ceiling of the baby room. We remember first coming across this type of thing at a Planet Hollywood restaurant at least 10 years ago. We’ve always wondered how difficult this type of thing is to install. This setup involves an LED based illuminator and bundles [...]
11:35
ik-a-sketch collaborative scribbling
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

At this year’s PICNIC conference [Neil Mendoza] and [Edwin Dertien] built a giant Etch-a-Sketch to help bring attendees together. The drawing area is a rear-projection screen, rather than a physical powder based setup, and is surrounded by the familiar red frame with vertical and horizontal control knob. Because the two knobs are too far apart [...]
October 07, 2009
13:00
TV-B-Gone-zilla! Rawr!
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

TV-B-Gone: antisocial nuisance or harmless prank? Whatever your feelings, there’s no denying this device has become a staple of the DIY hacking crowd, as evidenced by the countless derivatives since hatched. This latest mutation crushes them all. [manekinen] from the Polish electronics blog Elektroda (“Electrode”) wasn’t satisfied with high-power TV-B-Gone designs using multiple 5mm infrared LEDs, so he [...]
12:00
Hardware HD decoder in a netbook
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

[banzai] wasn’t happy with the performance he was getting out of his Samsung netbook. He decided it was time to do something about it. He noticed that Dell and HP both sell an optional HD decoder card for their netbooks. After a short search, he found one on ebay for only $24. He had to [...]
October 06, 2009
15:00
Halloween prop: Bigmouth billy bass
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Tags: home hacks

Back in 2001, the Bigmouth billy bass was still relatively new. Hacking one to record and play back both audio and movement was quite a new feat. You can read all about how they pulled it off. Though most of us agree that this could be done easier now, with off the shelf microcontrollers, this [...]
8:00
There I Fixed It: A blog about hacking, poorly.
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Thereifixedit.com is a site filled with dubious innovations. Some of them are cool, some of them are clever, and most of them are terrifying. Anyone who has ever stood in front of a broken household appliance with a roll of duct tape, one screw driver with a bit chipped off the flat part, and determination will [...]
8:00
There I Fixed It: A blog about hacking, poorly.
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Thereifixedit.com is a site filled with dubious innovations. Some of them are cool, some of them are clever, and most of them are terrifying. Anyone who has ever stood in front of a broken household appliance with a roll of duct tape, one screw driver with a bit chipped off the flat part, and determination will [...]
October 05, 2009
10:00
Halloween props: Low cost popup
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Backroads] has put together this nicely detailed writeup explaining how to make a low cost popup prop. He’s using a single pneumatic valve and a home made PVC piston to raise and lower a scary mask. He’s using an off-the-shelf 110v AC valve controller to control the valve. A flickering light, a “screamer” and a [...]
10:00
Halloween props: Low cost popup
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Backroads] has put together this nicely detailed writeup explaining how to make a low cost popup prop. He’s using a single pneumatic valve and a home made PVC piston to raise and lower a scary mask. He’s using an off-the-shelf 110v AC valve controller to control the valve. A flickering light, a “screamer” and a [...]
October 03, 2009
15:00
Office warfare
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

a Ruler, rubber band, and a pen make a bow and arrow? How about tape, a ping pong ball, and a lighter coming together to make a ‘Zooka. We didn’t think such destructive weapons could possibly be made from office supplies, but the famous [John Austin] is here to prove us wrong. He’s been miniaturizing [...]
14:00
Garage door… packet sniffer
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Tags: home hacks

Some type of logger or sniffer exists for almost every form of electronic communication. Your keystrokes, phone conversations, and wireless networks could all be monitored. In this awesome proof-of-concept project, [James] expanded that array to include garage door openers. After receiving a piece of chain mail which stated that criminals have the technology to record any remote [...]
October 02, 2009
11:00
Halloween prop: portable black light
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Joshua] wrote in to show us this great Halloween tip. He wanted to take his 4 foot long black light along with him on Halloween. You can buy portable versions, but he realized he had enough parts laying around to slap together a portable one himself. He pulled the inverter from a scanner light and [...]
October 01, 2009
14:00
TV hack bypasses HDCP
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

Reader [GRitchie] wrote in with an interesting find in his new TV set: with just some minor soldering it was possible to tap into an unencrypted hi-def video stream. HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), used by Blu-Ray players and cable or satellite receivers, normally ensures a DRM-protected link between the device and a compatible display. Any [...]
September 29, 2009
19:05
Batcave-style entrance (on a budget)
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Tags: home hacks

Want to enter your hidden lair in style? Well [Jimmy] simply wanted to create a cool prop for his school’s homecoming dance. This project includes some obvious inspiration from Wayne Manor. [Jimmy] wired up the automated entrance with a 12VDC motor. In order for it to be able to push the door , the motor had to be attached to [...]
September 28, 2009
17:00
The incredible breakfast machine
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Tags: home hacks

A lot of us skip breakfast in the morning, be it because we don’t have time to make something, don’t have the patience, or for some other reason. Yuri Suzuki and Masa Kimura are aiming to make your breakfast a little easier, a little quicker, and a lot more interesting. Their latest project is a Rube [...]
15:02
Halloween props: DMX controlled skeleton
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Tags: home hacks

[scarylady] has posted this video about her setup. The skeleton was rigged up to a rotating base with a single pneumatic solenoid to jostle it. She then goes on to show how she has it all connected to her computer with an explanation of the software setup. Though some of us might feel she could have accomplished [...]
September 27, 2009
16:17
Word clock: tell the time with words
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[drj113] posts his cool word clock. After seeing a similar clock on an industrial design website, he set out to make his own version. He made custom pcbs with the toner-etch method. The front is a solid piece of copper clad board and the light shines through the etched areas. It’s powered by a PIC [...]
September 26, 2009
19:09
Open garage door indicator
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Tags: home hacks

How many times has this one happened to you? Just coming home from work, you walk in from the garage, settle down, and pick up the newspaper. But wait, did you remember to shut the garage door? Presenting the open garage door indicator. [xjc2010] chose the simplest circuit possible, using only a switch to turn on [...]
15:47
Frankenstein has a thing for coin-op
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

The amount of detail [Doug] put into his Dr. Frankenstein MAME cabinet is outrageous! Usually we’re more interested in the guts, but in this case the real story is the cabinet itself. Painted to resemble weathered metal, the effect of dripping water is visible on every rivet. There are illuminated portals on either side: one [...]
September 25, 2009
16:30
140 db alarm clock hack
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Tags: home hacks

This silly little video caught our attention. It is an alarm clock, hacked with two amazingly loud car horns. They are using a laptop power brick to push the two external car horns. The horns are triggered by a relay wired to the internal speaker of the alarm clock. This is a super quick project [...]
September 24, 2009
11:00
Edison cylinder recordings need more cowbell
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Norman] spent three years developing and building his own Edison cylinder phonograph with electric pickup. We’re glad he did, and that he shared it with the world because the product is a thing of beauty. Every part is clean and precise with plenty of room for adjustments to accommodate differences in media. He’s reused the [...]
September 21, 2009
18:53
Six monitors, one video card
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

With most of us utilizing at least two monitors these days in our day to day operations, six monitors, while an awesome thought, might seem a little too excessive. After all, do we really have space for multiple video cards? AMD has a new setup in their testing lab that is running six Dell 30inch displays [...]
11:08
Eee PC NAS
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Hack a Day reader [The_Glu] shared with us a project of his. He used an Eee PC 701 he had lying around with a broken LCD, along with three 1TB SATA drives to create a custom NAS server for his house. The server features a number of other interesting components, including USB2SATA converters to connect [...]
September 20, 2009
11:00
Wireless RGB light bulb
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Tags: home hacks

Want to make the above yourself? [Sprite_tm] did a thorough job documenting the build step by step (complete with pics, schematics, graphs, and links to the parts used). In summary, [Sprite_tm] busted open an Ikea CFL bulb to reuse the housing. Inside, he installed a scavenged power supply, ATtiny44, RGB LED module, and a radio receiver. A remote control allows [Sprite_tm] to [...]
September 15, 2009
8:25
Nixie Plasma ball
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

This one came out over a year ago and we missed it. [Daqq] has made a plasma ball out of a nixie tube. All that was required was the transformer from a cold cathode meant for computers and a nixie tube. He did have to do a tiny bit of modification to the power supply, [...]
September 12, 2009
13:44
Tube amplifier in a PSU
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Niclas] sent us his home made tube amplifier. For the case he used a computer power supply unit, took out the guts and replaced them with the amplifier board. He based this build off of an existing design but took a more minimalist approach. The wooden face plate has an on/off switch, an audio jack, [...]
8:53
Controlling an R/C car with a pic16F84
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

[GuySoft] sent in this project. He doesn’t normally mess with electronics, but decided to give it a try. He chose a fairly complicated project to be his first, but seems extremely comfortable with it. This project was to control his R/C car with a pic16f84. That chip was chosen simply because it was the only [...]
September 11, 2009
8:58
Rock Band drum set remake
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

We’ve seen some impressive mods for the popular video game Rock Band, from new cymbals to an air powered kick pedal, but we cant say we’ve seen someone go as far as the folks over at EDrums. They start off making their own mesh heads, a junction box to connect everything, and then a base [...]
September 10, 2009
9:00
Uzebox video player
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

Everyone’s favorite open source game console, the Uzebox (also cloned as the Fuzebox), just got a new feature hacked into it – a video player. At reduced quality (8-bit color), the Uzebox was able to play ‘The Matrix’ off an SD card @ 30fps plus the audio @15kHz. That’s a pretty impressive feat when one considers it is running [...]
September 09, 2009
17:00
In-depth MAME cocktail cabinet build
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

Recently, a friend of ours got married who is a Ms. Pac-Man fanatic. His best man set out to fulfill the groom’s dream of owning a Ms. Pac-Man cocktail cabinet. The problem is that the unit he was after was selling for $2500. It’s great to buy the real thing (and with guest contributions he [...]
September 07, 2009
16:19
snega2usb update: usb snes and sega cartridge reader
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

When we first posted [Matthias_H]’s USB reader for SNES game carts, it was met with enthusiasm. The snega2usb allows you to play SNES and Sega games on your pc right off the cartridge. The latest revision is even more amazing than the first. [Matthias] has added the ability to read Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges as [...]
September 04, 2009
11:00
Mini MAME cabinet
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

[luis] added to the collection of MAME projects we’ve covered with his mini MAME cabinet build. This is his 5th mini cabinet and features a 5″ PlayStation LCD screen, a joystick, four control buttons, player 1 and 2 start buttons, speakers, and a lighted marquee. The controls are interfaced through an I-PAC and the system [...]
September 03, 2009
18:57
NES on ZipIt
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

Going even further back in time than 4th gen, [Kevin] tipped us off to this project by [Hunter Davis]. It is a collection of software mods for Zipit’s Z2 instant messenging device. Some of them include allowing it to run (ports of) the Fluxbox window manager, FCE Ultra NES emulator, and (most impresively) the Java framework. The [...]
11:24
Guitar Hero strum bar as guitar kill switch
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Ray] had a Guitar Hero controller for PlayStation 2 sitting around. Because he moved on to playing the game on Xbox 360, he decided to cannibalize the older controller for its parts. He removed the strum bar and fit it inside of a mid-1980’s Peavy Patriot electric guitar. Once wired up, it works as a [...]
9:19
Single Tube Nixie Clock
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Tags: home hacks

This single tube nixie clock cought our eye today. After receiving an IN-8 tube from a friend, [Trax] wanted to find some project to show it off. He decided on an art piece that doubles as a clock. Tastefully mounted in a simple wooden box with a pretty inlay, the tube is lit from below [...]
September 02, 2009
19:30
Neo-Geo case mod
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

What do you get when you cross a Neo-Geo and a Sega Genesis? A pretty vintage case mod. [Brett] used a variation of the 16-bit console (known as the Mega Drive II) as the base of his project. With an original Neo-Geo motherboard and a few other components (such as a power indicating LED), the ‘Geosis’ was born. [Brett] [...]
August 31, 2009
16:30
Update: Foundation PC Cooling
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Tags: home hacks

[gigs], whose foundation-based PC cooling project we covered earlier, has posted his initial test results. There was a large debate going back and forth in the comments as to whether or not this would work, and hopefully this should clear most of it up. He used a 150W fish tank heater to simulated his system’s [...]
15:00
Custom cable management
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Tags: home hacks

You would be hard pressed to find a hacker who doesn’t have in some form a rats nest of wires and cables behind their computer desk. [Antoine] decided to tackle the problem and came up with his custom built cable management system. There is little info, but he does say his setup uses Ikea Antonius [...]
August 28, 2009
19:10
Beef up your UPS
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Surferdude] was unhappy with the decreasing life of his aging uninterruptible power supply. He decided to beef it up using marine batteries. He extended the battery connections outside of the UPS case using #10 wire and swapped the two 12 volt gel cells with the heavy duty lead-acid batteries. Doing so upgraded the device from [...]
17:15
Apple TV with Boxee and more update
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

In November, we covered installing Boxee on AppleTV using atv-usb-creator. [Danny] has written a tutorial on installing Boxee, XBMC, NitoTV, SSH access, and external USB hard drive support. His method installs most of the software via the USB patch stick, then uses the SSH support to enable the external drive and install NitoTV. The tutorial [...]
August 26, 2009
18:56
Foundation cooling
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Tags: home hacks

Overclockers are always trying to come up with new, colder, and quieter ways to keep their PCs cool. [gigs] was so dedicated to this, he decided to lay 6 meters of copper pipe to use as a radiator in his new house’s foundation. As of now, the foundation is laid (copper pipes and all), and [...]
15:28
PS3 Slim Teardown
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

The new PS3 Slim has just been released, and ifixit has already posted a teardown. First, they easily removed the included 120GB hard drive, suggesting that upgrading it shouldn’t be too hard. In order to get inside the cover, however, they needed to use a security Torx screwdriver. In the end, the Blu-ray drive turned [...]
August 24, 2009
12:00
210 LED lamp
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Tags: home hacks

Current fluorescent lamps are great for lighting large areas using very few Watts; however, LEDs are far more efficient at producing light and have less of an impact upon the environment considering there is no mercury within them. [Andrew] sent in his team’s LED florescent bulb. The first revision utilized 87 LEDs, but to increase [...]
8:53
Autogiro POV nostalgia
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

This bit of nostalgia really caught our attention. A german hacker or “inventor” as we were called back then, came up with this interesting concept. He would project an image on to the moving blades of an Autogiro, relying on the POV effect to make it appear complete. While this is not the same system [...]
August 21, 2009
14:30
OpenPogo, an alternative to Pogoplug software
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

Many of us heard the news of Marvell’s SheevaPlug plug-in PC being released alongside its consumer solution counterparts. One of the prominent products based on the SheevaPlug hardware is the Pogoplug. The Pogoplug is essentially a no-configuration media server that allows you to plug in a hard drive and network cable to make data readily [...]
August 19, 2009
16:10
Xbox crammed into inch-thick package
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

Reminiscent of [Ben Heck]’s portable and laptop console mods, [Bandit5317] over at Xbox-Scene managed to fit the guts of an original Xbox into a custom-built slim case that measures just 2.5 centimeters thick. In his post, he describes some of the difficulties of cutting down a behemoth Xbox to a third of its original size, such [...]
August 18, 2009
10:00
Teardown of the Barista
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Tags: home hacks

iFixit has done a tear down on the symbolic do-it-yourself Espresso machine, the Starbucks Barista. Believe it or not, there is not a single circuit board in the works. There doesn’t seem to be much to the Barista; A few switches, some solenoids, a heater, and one way spring valve among other things. The assembly of [...]
8:57
The wake up machine
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Tags: home hacks

Meet the Wakeup Machine. It is here to ensure that you are up and ready to go when the time comes. This machine will vibrate your bed, remove the sheets, make coffee, play music, even adjust the temperature in the room for optimal wake up experiences. We like the large heavy industrial look of it [...]
August 17, 2009
16:08
Automated blinds
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Tags: home hacks

Inspired by the multitudes of other automated window blind projects, [John] decided to build his own simpler design. Knowing his Arduino was massive overkill (yes, we hear you all cheering) he picked up a picaxe 08m starter kit. Looking at his very simple circuit, you’ll notice there are no resistors or capacitors. He designed it [...]
7:39
The Happillow project
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Tags: home hacks

[Harandi] wrote to us to let us know about a project he’s working on to improve our nightly rest. This is the Happillow. The Happillow is an alarm clock, as well as a snore relief system. We’re not sure that the snoring bothers us so much, but we’re sure our significant others appreciate that part. [...]
August 16, 2009
17:09
Colored pyrotechnics
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

Regular submitter [Jared Bouck] from Inventgeek.com has sent us this cool project. He wanted to make a fireball cannon, but didn’t want to settle for plain old fireballs.Instead of using a common propane system, he built an alcohol based one so he had a “blank slate” to start with. He then applied some copper chloride [...]
August 15, 2009
9:46
Robert Crumb ghetto hacks
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Tags: home hacks

[Robert Crumb], the celebrated artist who created the commonly recognized keep on truckin, Fritz the cat, and mr natural can be seen here doing a ghetto hack. His record was warped, so he had to melt it in the oven to flatten it out. While [R. Crumb] may not be the epitome of celebrity and wealth, [...]
August 14, 2009
7:14
Logging weight changes
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Tags: home hacks

This is a classic example of a well done hack, simply for the sake of hacking. [Jorge] wanted to be able to chart his weight changes. His solution wasn’t to simply buy a scale that could be hooked to the computer. Those are available and aren’t really that expensive. He could have even used pencil [...]
August 12, 2009
12:55
AVGA: The AVR based video game platform
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

We’ve seen our fair share of AVR projects, but this one’s pretty cool. AVGA is a color video game development platform based on the Atmel AVR family of microcontrollers. As seen in the picture above, one of the AVRs that the project uses is the popular ATMega168. There were several technical hurdles to using the [...]
August 11, 2009
12:29
Dry Ice Cannon
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

sent in his entry into a “creativity contest” at his university. He and some friends put together this dry ice cannon. Take note of the creative mechanism they used to mix the water with the dry ice. A large amount of gas is expelled as soon as the two begin to meet. If the [...]
August 09, 2009
17:01
Neo Geo mini arcade
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Pocket Lucho], the builder of mini arcade cabinets, is back with another build. This time it’s a miniature Neo Geo arcade machine (translated). The build is very compact and neat. He attached the control panel and the PS one display using magnets to make the wiring more accessible. It has video out and second player [...]
August 06, 2009
7:14
Serial hacking with an ATtiny2313
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

[Sprite_tm] automated a portion of serial hacking by sniffing out the baud rate using an ATtiny2313 and FT232 breakout board. The firmware assumes 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit (8N1). This is pretty much defacto among serial ports so it should work well, though some devices do use different settings. The auto [...]
August 03, 2009
17:41
BPSK on 433 MHz European ISM band
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

[WaveRider] is using a type of phase shift keying called BPSK to transmit digital sound and video for remote telemetry. Though a higher signal to noise ratio (SNR) is generally sought after with communications, legal limitations are imposed on total radiated power. To balance the two headed beast, he opted out on frequency shift keying [...]
10:39
Paintball Turret plans released
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Jared Bouck] is on a roll this week. We just covered his Diamond thermal paste and now he’s got more for us. To celebrate the re design of his website, he has released the plans for the paintball turret. As you may recall, we absolutely loved this design when he originally showed it to us. [...]
July 29, 2009
14:52
1-Wire HVAC monitoring system
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

The 1-Wire HVAC monitoring system is for residential Geothermal HVAC systems. This project utilizes the so called 1-wire temperature sensor. A single board computer handles the brunt of the work including web accessible trend data. With access to the underling temperatures, the over all system performance may be gauged. Earlier this year we covered a [...]
12:48
Music Visualizer (oscilloscope)
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home entertainment hacks

The Music visualizer is actually a second build based on an earlier design[Thanks Roger]. The build was influenced by Zyra’s How to make an oscilloscope out of a television. The hack is quite simple, patch the output of an amplifier into the vertical deflection coils of the CRT. This is a good use for that [...]
10:14
Perpetual Ball Roller
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Tags: home entertainment hacks

This interesting little sculpture caught our eye. Called the Perpetual Ball Roller, it simply rolls a ball on a track. It has both manual and automatic modes with variations in the automatic mode to keep it amusing. This is very elegant, and would be fun to have sitting around to play with. The only problem [...]
July 28, 2009
12:02
Rotary DECT phone
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

[Al] sent us over to his Rotary DECT phone project, and we think its pretty cool. He’s attending Hacking At Random, and as usual, there will be a DECT network there. Rather than having a normal DECT handset like everyone else, [Al] wanted something a little homier. He chose to combine the guts of the [...]
July 24, 2009
16:00
Pet-squirting waterwall
» ‎ hack-a-day

Tags: home hacks

Sometimes, pets need to be trained to stay away from certain things. Over at sump.org, his cats needed to be kept out of his room. He used their natural fear of water by creating the waterwall, a motion-sensing device that sprays water. The project is incredibly simple and uses very few components. It is based [...]