Hacks

The Innovative Necessities of War

The Innovative Necessities of War

Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo The MRAP (mine-resistant ambush-protected) Overhead Wire Mitigation Kit was a top Army invention in recent years. You’ve all heard the amazing stories of soldiers hacking on the battlefield — the stories of fox hole radios, scrap armor, and anti-IED tech (that must constantly change as IED tech itself adjusts to […]

Replacing a Pricey Dishwasher Controller with an Arduino

Replacing a Pricey Dishwasher Controller with an Arduino

UnaClocker writes: This is the problematic dishwasher I have. The control panel on the front of it died, it failed from corrosion getting into the laminated plastic PCB that it’s made up of. Not really repairable, just meant to be replaced, except that it’s a $150 part. From what I could find online, it seems to be a common failure, so why buy an overpriced part that’s just going to fail all over again?

Roll Your Own RFID Tags

Roll Your Own RFID Tags

Beth’s prototype design, here, uses 100 turns of AWG 40 magnet wire, an ATtiny85 integrated circuit, a couple of surface-mount capacitors, and a duct-tape substrate sealed under a layer of clear packing tape. She reports that “the read range is practically indistinguishable from a mass-produced RFID card.”

Cellular Wall Printer

Cellular Wall Printer

Ever have the desire to print out a text message in large dot matrix lettering on a wall? If so, Liat Segal from Sweet Tech Studio has the device for you. Comprised of seven servo actuated felt markers controlled by an Android handset via an IOIO board, the Cellular Wall Printer allows you to manually […]