Clipmarks | rmowery's Hardware Hacks collection

Horizontal desk for in-bed internet surfing.

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:52:36 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.aboutcolonblank.com

Horizontal desk for in-bed internet surfing.

Theres only one use for this...can anyone guess?

Im not sure how i would feel about a monitor hanging over my head like that!

the ergopod 500 via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: bed, desk

Tags: horizonatl desk, internet surfing, in-bed desk

Check this OUt! Wii!

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 01:39:27 GMT

clipped by: gawyn210
clipper's remarks: very cool

Clip Source: www.engadget.com

The Wii Laptop!

It's the Wii laptop! We spent the last few weeks (including much time spent over the holidays evading relatives) slaving over this bad boy and finally it's complete. Check out the features:

16:9 widescreen LCD, 7-inch diagonal.
Stereo sound
Gamecube controller port
Built-in short range Sensor Bar
Ports for using original Sensor Bar and A/V output jacks (for use on external display)
Built-in power supply and compartment for power cord
Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.7 x 2-inches

Starting next Tuesday we'll be doing a multi-part How-To with detailed instructions for building your own Wii laptop, as well as loads of photos of the construction process. But for now check out the gallery for more detailed photos of the unit, and click on to see some video of the Wii laptop in action.

[Big ups to our man Ben Heckendorn! -Ed.]

Gallery: Wii laptop

Download video
MP4 (H.264) - VGA, QVGA

Tags: wii

No-Contact Jacket defends women against aggressors

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 20:37:03 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: news.softpedia.com

The greatest advantage this self-defense solution has to offer is that it can effectively and immediately deter contact with the wearer and provide a critical life saving opportunity for escape. Moreover, it's quite fashionable, so it can be worn on a daily basis, and also has a special key-operated safety system, so that the user won't switch off the defensive device by accident. No word on the pricing yet, as the jacket is still being developed, but it will certainly enjoy quite a high level of success in the future, considering what it has to offer.

Despite the fact that this jacket looks quite innocent (and quite trendy, if you ask me), it packs quite an electric punch. Thus, when activated by the wearer, 80,000 volts of low amperage electric current pulses just below the surface shell of the entire jacket, preventing any unauthorized contact with the wearer's body. When a possible aggressor touches the jacket, the powerful electric current interrupts his/her neurological impulses, which control voluntary muscle movement, and inflicts a high amount of non-lethal pain.

solutions have been developed in order to address it. And one of the most interesting (and fashionable) products from this category is the No-Contact Jacket designed by Adam Whiton and Yolita Nugent, a wearable defensive jacket that can really help women that find themselves in unpleasant situations.

Tags: self-defense, technology, no-contact jacket

sub-$100 PC - Running Puppy Linux

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 20:15:21 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: linuxdevices.com

A Bangkok-based company is shipping a tiny, sub-$100 PC capable of running Puppy and other lightweight Linux distributions. NorhTec's MicroClient Jr. measures 4.5 inches square, draws 8 Watts, and has a 166MHz Pentium-compatible processor with three integer units. It targets thin-client, kiosk, and electronic signage applications.

NorhTec's MicroClient Jr.

The MicroClient Jr. appears to the smallest of several extremely small, energy efficient PCs and servers offered by NorhTec, which in four years of operation, has supplied PCs to such big-name clients as McDonalds of Canada, according to its founder, Michael C. Barnes. Barnes says he built the company specifically to produce sub-$100 PCs, explaining, "When I founded NorhTec, I knew that in a short period, computers would drop below $100.00 USD. When that happens, it will shake up the industry because none of the major players are set up to afford their infrastructure selling computers at $100 each."

The MicroClient Jr. saves cost in part by booting from CompactFlash, rather than a hard drive. Barnes explains, "We have been selling a product called the MicroServer General Purpose for four years now. The unit was revolutionary when it was introduced, but the price point is a bit too high because of its reliance on hard disks. Most of our customers use very little drive space, and we were spending $80.00 just to boot the system."

Tags: linux, sub-pc, puppy linux

Build RC sub in your home

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:29:43 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: web.ticino.com

The Submarine Base in Switzerland

by Enrico Braglia

Clip Source: web.ticino.com

The scope of this project, started in the year 2000, was to build a very simple and cheap RC Submarine model.

Submarine fans have now the opportunity to build and use simple, easy to work material and build something that really works.

TECHNICAL DATA:

Dimension: 38-40 cm long, 24 cm wide, 18 tall
Weight: ca 4-5 kg
Autonomy: 40 minutes running period
Test Dive: 1.70 m

Tags: subs, rc, autonmous, auv, diy

Unmaking Motorola's Q

Fri, 21 Jul 2006 15:33:02 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.businessweek.com

Unmaking Motorola's Q

What's inside the cell-phone maker's answer to Research In Motion's BlackBerry, and how much does it cost to make it?

The smartphone wars have a new entrant: Motorola (MOT). And as they battle to get consumers pecking away at a handheld with their thumbs, Research In Motion and Palm can't help but take notice.

Released earlier this year to fanfare, Motorola's Q is aimed squarely at helping the cell-phone maker win business from RIM (RIMM) and Palm (PALM) among a highly coveted constituency: hardcore wireless messaging users (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/7/06, "Motorola's Quirky New Smartphone")

If it's anywhere near as successful as the RAZR and SLVR phones that preceded it, the Q will probably help Motorola put price pressure on RIM and Palm and could force RIM to add features it has previously eschewed.

WHAT'S INSIDE. According to market research firm iSuppli, which has done a tear-down analysis of the Q, it costs Motorola about $158 to build the phone. That includes components and assembly but excludes other expenses such as marketing, distribution, and licensing fees to Microsoft (MSFT), which makes the phone's Windows Mobile operating system.

Tags: motorola, q-phone, cell phone, cell phone break down, technology

Wireless Guitar Hero

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:59:12 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.flickr.com

Wireless Guitar Hero

Wireless Guitar Hero mod.

Build pics and completed guitar.

16 photos | 4 comments

Photos are from between
19 Mar 06 & 16 Apr 06.

Tags: wireless guitar, guitar mods, hardware hacks

Convert XBox to Xbox Media Center in 30 min.

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 14:56:09 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.productwiki.com

Microsoft Xbox

How to Go from Xbox to Xbox Media Center in 30 minutes

So you've heard rumors of, or perhaps seen friends with, a pimped out Xbox running Xbox Media Center. They are streaming their favorite TV shows, movies, mp3s, and pictures all to their kickass home theater, and now you want some of that action. This guide is written to help you get from a standard Microsoft Xbox to a Xbox Media Center in a relatively short time with the least amount of headaches.

I've compiled a step-by-step guide with a complete parts/software list for everything you'll need to get, to know, and to do, so that you can consider yourself amongst the XBMC elite. I have a set up a discussion here for those of you with any questions about this guide or to answer any problems you may encounter.

Tags: hack, mod, convert, xbox, media center, streaming

An iPod is an iPod is an iPod -- until you hack it

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 07:03:37 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: www.boston.com

An iPod is an iPod is an iPod -- until you hack it

By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff | February 13, 2006

Modifications for everything from browsers to cellphones

We are all hackers now. At least, we can be.

Americans have built our lives on a foundation of silicon and software, with computers in millions of homes and digital music players in millions of shirt pockets. They're our gadgets. Why shouldn't we hack them?

Tags: ipod, hardware hacks, hacking, mods

XBox Headtracking system

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 03:20:15 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: Cheap hack for an xbox vr system

Clip Source: dissidentsplayground.blogspot.com

XBox Headtracking system....

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Last week, I was driving home and thinking about servos, the basic stamp and a few other things when ,as is the way the mind works, I recalled a simple "robot" my friend built based on the basic stamp that used 2 photoresistors to track the brightest light in the room.

Inspiration struck. Out of nowhere, came an idea that I found brilliant. I had wished there was a headtracker system for the xbox ever since it came out. Current console systems have a ton of rendering power and being an old school geek, wondered why there was no one exploiting the power of these systems for vr. I have a HMD and gaming on it is great, but I have always longed for a head tracking system to make it truly immersive.

Tags: vr, xbox, head tracking, immersive