Wireless headphones can be a wonderful way to help clear up the clutter inherent in most desktop PC systems. However, after plugging a wall wart in, and the headphone jack into the computer, the number of wires used has actually doubled. After [Parker] found an old set of JVC 900 Mhz wireless headphones (and a generic 900MHz transmitter), he cracked open the case to see what he could do with them. Realizing that the transmitter used a 12V DC source, he powered it with an unused floppy connector (which provides +12V, +5V, and two ground lines). He also wired…
Hack
Internal Wireless Headphones
Hack
Pong on your wrist
[John] wanted to take a pong clock and put it in a wristwatch form factor. Take an afternoon and pour over his detailed build logs. This multi-year project is done with meticulous cleanliness that makes us jealous. He’s milled the case and buttons himself, achieving a professional look that equals or surpasses the quality of some commercially available “gaming” watches. The project centers around an OLED display driven by a TI MSP430F2013 processor. Don’t miss the video after the break covering prototyping, PCB work, case milling, and the watch in action. Currently, this is the third generation of development…
Hack
Frankenstein has a thing for coin-op
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 shows the monster, the other shows the bride and the good doctor. Sprinkled throughout the case are analog dials, lamps, and other laboratory bits. [Doug] tops off the design by concealing the power switch inside a book of Frankenstein’s lab notes which is tucked…
Facebook
Social Ad Summit One Day Discount
We’ve finalized our agenda for the upcoming Social Ad Summit in New York City being held on October 5th. For today only we are providing all interested attendees with a discount of 50 percent off. The event is bringing together marketers, publishers, ad networks, and industry executives. As this space is constantly evolving, we think it’s important to bring together the current leaders and other participants to discuss the trends and the future of marketing on the social web.
If you are interested in attending the event, you can use the discount code “onedayfifty” to get 50 percent off via…
Hack
Tear your iMac’s insides out
Saying that [Ian] had some overheating issues with his iMac G5 would be an understatement. After losing three hard drives due to heat he decided to do something about it. The first step was replacing the thermal paste with Arctic Sliver. The solution for the hard drive was a little more unorthodox.
[Ian] picked up a 320GB Western Digital Caviar Blue drive because of its very low noise rating. He used rubber grommets to mount it outside the case and ran SATA data and power extension cables through a quarter inch hole to the motherboard. He mentioned to us…
Business
USB group says iTunes can block Pre
Apple now has the support of a USB industry standards group in its battle to keep the Palm Pre from using the iTunes music service.The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) said in a statement Tuesday that Apple can block the Pre from connecting to iTunes. The group issued a letter to both companies warning Palm that further attempts to use iTunes would violate the group’s policy.The voice of the USB-IF is strong in this case since the group is responsible for issuing Apple the hardware vendor ID that lets its devices connect to iTunes via USB. Palm has used this process…
Hack
New Wii drive hardware emulation
The Wii-Optical-Drive-Emulator (WODE) makes it possible to load Wii and GameCube ISO files from an SD card or USB storage device. This hack uses the ribbon cable for the optical drive to connect to the Wii, requiring no soldering. The WODE is based on an ARM9 processor, runs Linux, and features a backlit LCD screen and 4-way center click joystick. Storage can be hot plugged and then an ISO selected using the stick and LCD display. Selected ISO files appear in the game channel as if an original disc had just been inserted into the drive.
The developers claim…
Hack
Introduction to FTDI bitbang mode
It was an interface that launched a thousand hacks. Near trivial to program, enough I/O lines for useful work, and sufficiently fast for a multitude of applications: homebrew logic analyzers, chip programmers, LCD interfaces and LED light shows, to name a few.
Today the parallel printer port is on the brink of extinction (and good riddance, some would say). Largely rendered obsolete by USB, few (if any) new peripherals even include a parallel connector, and today’s shrinking computers — nettops, netbooks, media center PCs — wouldn’t have space for it anyway. That’s great for tidy desks, but not so…
Business
The Informant Review
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for languageGenre: ComediesTheatrical Release:Sep 18, 2009 WideBox Office: $10,545,000Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Tony Hale, Thomas F. WilsonAdapted by Scott Z. Burns and based on Kurt Eichenwald’s book “The Informant,” Steven Soderbergh cranks out another film for Warners starring Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, a dubious corporate exec turned whistleblower, apparently the highest level whistleblower in known U.S. corporate history.As a biochemist brought into the business side of things at agricultural conglomerate Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), he gets tied up in a mysterious extortion plot which leads the ADM higher ups…
Hack
Defocusing LED Clock
[Dennis] has created a well-documented and very beautiful clock in his latest project. This clock stands out from the other clock projects we have covered with its unique display. The seven segment LED displays mounted on a sled that moves them back and forth behind an array of fiber optic lenses, effectively taking the display out of focus at certain points. Currently, a Dorkboard controls the sled, moving it at random intervals. The case is machined and polished aluminium, the top buttons are ball bearings.
Hack
Eee PC NAS
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 the hard drives, as well as a 2 line LCD to display RAID information and server status. The entire project is wrapped up in a custom made Plexiglas enclosure with case fans to keep the whole thing cool. While this may not be the first…
Tech Support
A Free Reverse Cell Phone Search To Find Out Who Owns Any Number
Thanks to the technology available nowadays, you can instantly discover the full name, address and even background information about anyone by having only their phone number. This is done by using a “reverse cell phone search” – let’s take a closer look at how this is done.
As you might imagine, this type of service will usually cost a few bucks, but there is a way to get the same information for free.
With the phone number you want to get details about, go to Google and type in the number. Use the following format: “555-555-5555″ (make sure to include…
