The latest DIY ideas, techniques and tools for digital gadgetry, open code, smart hacks, and more. Processing power to the people!
Spikenzie writes – The USB to Serial project is a break-out board for the CP2103 from Silicon Labs. I was looking for an inexpensive Serial Port solution for my Mac, that I could build into my projects without external adapters. I have the KeySpan USA-19HS, which works very well, but it is too expensive to […]
This hack shows how to add a compact flash memory card to an Apple Powerbook 150 using an adaptor board that allows the card to be plugged into a standard IDE bus. Pretty cool if you are nostalgic about breathing life back into your old laptop-turned-doorstop. Replacing the Internal Disk of a Powerbook 150 with […]
Researchers at Michigan Technological University, Arizona State University and NanoSonic Inc. are working on harvesting the ambient energy of walking and carrying a backpack with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a nylon-like material with piezoelectric properties. This would be great for multi-day hiking, since you wouldn’t have carry heavy batteries to keep your GPS or cellphone juiced! […]
JTAG is a standard for device testing ports found on the PCBs of many devices. Finding the pads and pinouts for these ports allows hackers to gain access to the embedded systems, their on-board debugging tools, etc., effectively providing a back door. But determining the JTAG pinouts can be a time-consuming and frustrating process. To […]
I’m sure we’ll see a cheapo “retail” version of this iPhone light amongst the metric tons of iPhone accessories, but for now here’s how to build your own – [via] Link.
There are a number of these neat n’ tidy multi-device charging station projects floating through the interwebs. This one uses a cheap Ikea storage tub and features switches for each charger. IKEA Power Charging Box with individual switches – Link
Scott Beale of Laughing Squid posted the four-part video series, The World of Arts Cars, on his site. Part 1 is above. If you’re interested, you can find Parts 2, 3, and 4 on Laughing Squid. Scott also has info on ArtCar Fest, which starts today (Bay Area). Weird America’s World of Art Cars Videos […]
