NotesToday, an American electronics company can only be exempt from Chinaâs rare earth export quotas by manufacturing within China. So thatâs what most companies, including Apple, are doing. The only other solution is for us to stop consuming so muchâan option that people rarely find appealing. Not as appealing as a retina display, at least.FeedUnfurl
NotesPeople who constantly reach into a pocket to check a smartphone for bits of information will soon have another option: a pair of Google-made glasses that will be able to stream information to the wearerâs eyeballs in real time.EmbedUnfurl
NotesCommunicating with a host computer can allow a simple Arduino-based system to gain access to a wide variety of devices and information. Most people link an Arduino to a host using serial communications across a USB connection with custom code running on the host to send information to the Arduino or receive it in return, but giving your Arduino the ability to pretend to be a keyboard or mouse opens up a whole world of possibilities because it means your Arduino can interact with software that was never intended for external control. That could be desktop software such as a game or a web browser: your Arduino could "type" into a web form and submit it on your behalf, or act as a custom controller for a game!Unfurl
NotesIf you are planning to build a stand-alone system where a small but full-featured keyboard is needed, this simple solution could be useful for you. Unfurl
NotesThe basic idea of GKOS is that you've got six buttons on the back of a device (either a dedicated input device, or on the back of a handheld computing device, phone, etc), one for the index through ring fingers of each hand (or two for each finger if you have a device made for one-handed use). You press the keys in various chords to type, switch between modes, and operate a pointer (when in pointer mode).Unfurl
NotesThe first model of the Raspberry Pi Foundation's low-cost Linux computer will likely be available for purchase later this month. The organization announced today that manufacturing on the first batch is set to complete on February 20.Unfurl
NotesThe kit contains everything â except harddisks â that is needed to build the Evercube: enclosure, motherboard (with onboard CPU and memory), 5-port SATA multiplexer backplane, internal disk scaffold, ultra-silent fan, power supply, wires, clamps, wedges, screws, nuts, washers ... everything. FeedEmbedUnfurl
Notes[Chris] just posted his latest tutorial which shows you how to read position data from a resistive touchscreen. These devices are fairly simple, and since theyâre used in a lot of consumer electronics you can pick one up for a few bucks. This looks like it is overstock for an old Palm device.Unfurl
NotesInspired by the allegedly Windows Android x86 demo with a 23 inch multi-touch screen by Martin Drashkov (see second video below), I decided to give my own version a spin.FeedEmbedUnfurl
NotesI wanted to start gardening, but I knew I wouldnât keep up the regular schedule of watering the plants and making sure they got enough light. So I recruited a microprocessor and a suite of sensors to help with these tasks. An Arduino microcontroller runs my indoor garden, watering the plants only when theyâre thirsty, turning on supplemental lights based on how much natural sunlight is received, and alerting me if the temperature drops below a plant-healthy level. For sensors, the Garduino uses an inexpensive photocell (light), thermistor (temperature), and a pair of galvanized nails (moisture).Unfurl
NotesAdding quality audio to an electronic project is surprisingly difficult. People tend to end up either using low-quality ISD chips (you might get 8Khz sampling rate for 30seconds out of these, if you're lucky!) or mucking around with trying to control a CD or MP3 player. Although it's possible to generate audio direct from a microcontroller using a PWM output, the quality is often low and its hard to fit a lot of music in an EEPROM chip. You can buy an embedded MP3 player board, but they're either expensive or difficult to use!FeedUnfurl
Notes"Welcome to Kegbot!<br />
Kegerator monitor and access control.<br />
<br />
Kegbot is a free, open-source project to turn your beer kegerator into a computerized drink tracker. With Kegbot and our Arduino firmware, you can:<br />
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Monitor exactly how much beer is left in your kegs and track the temperature;<br />
Record the volume of each and every pour;<br />
Set up user accounts to track who is drinking, how much, and all sorts of other nutty statistics;<br />
Use special keys (tokens, RFID tags, barcodes) to authenticate your kegerator users;<br />
Control access to your taps (with special valve hardware) to prevent unauthorized pours;<br />
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... and many other crazy things! "Unfurl
Notes"A fully functional GPS receiver with the ability to display the current location, heading, speed, average speed and maximum speed, the distance traveled, the bearing, distance and ETA for a way-point, and the date and time."Unfurl
Notes"The Professional-DOS Floppy-Speeder from Mikrotronic for the Commodore home computers C64, C128 and C128D and it's peripherals C1541, C1541-C and C1571 was one of the Super-Floppy-Speeders. This class of speeder systems were mostly equipped with hardware modification boards and a parallel cable of course. Well known products are Dolphin-DOS from Dolphin-Software, Prologic-DOS (Classic) from Jann Datentechnik, Turbo-Trans from RoĂmĂśller and Professional-DOS from Mikrotronic."Unfurl
Notes"2.0TB Hitachi 7K2000 Serial ATA 7200RPM 32MB HD & NewerTech Voyager Q Bundle - FireWire 800/400/USB 2.0/eSATA - SATA I/II Hard Drive Docking Solution. Includes cables, Intech Hard Disk SpeedTools & Prosoft Data Backup 3. 1 year NewerTech Warranty. (NWTFWU2ESHDK20T) "Unfurl
Notes"All Mercury Elite-AL Pro models are ideally configured for Audio, Video, Digital Photography, Professional Music, Graphics, General Data and Back-Up applications, and are Prosoft Engineering Data Backup Certified for Mac or NovaStor NovaBACKUPÂŽ for Windows. "Unfurl
Notes"High-Performance 2.5" 5400RPM, 7200RPM, and SSD solutions with up to 64MB data buffers gives you maximum storage in an ultra-portable, totally bus powered design. Stylishly engineered in a sleek, impact-resistant acrylic enclosure, the Mercury On-The-Go Pro incorporates shock-isolation technology to give maximum protection for your precious data inside. The Mercury On-The-Go Pro is a true must-have for users like you who are seeking High-Performance and Highly Reliable storage weighing less than 11 ounces and that is small enough to fit in your shirt pocket."Unfurl
Notes"In early June, 2006 Prophet64 made the bold move of releasing its SID music software on C64 cartridges. This completed the transition of the C64 from a computer system dependant on floppy and/or tape drives, to an independent piece of pro audio studio equipment. Could the union of Prophet64 with the C64 as a musical instrument be further improved upon? I thought so. The following pages explain what I have done."Unfurl
Notes"OpenCBM is a library and a set of command line tools that allow to control old Commodore IEC devices like the famous 1541 floppy disk drive. You can transfer disk image to and from old discs. As modern computers do not provide a IEC connector, OpenCBM allows to control adapters that attach to your PC. Older PCs use parallel port cables (like the XA1541 or XS1541) and newer ones use a USB adapter (XU1541 or XUM1541).
This pages shows you how to use OpenCBM on your Mac. As modern Macs only support USB connectors and no parallel ones, we focus on setting up the XU1541 or XUM1541 devices."Unfurl
Notes"This web site is dedicated to my USB reader for 16-bit games, the Retrode (was: snega2usb). Feed your SNES or Mega Drive / Genesis emulator with games from your original cartridges! The project started as a little proof of concept for myself, but eventually turned out way larger (and cooler!) than that."Unfurl
Notes"What if you can't find a Commodore video cable? If you're handy with a soldering iron, you can make your own cable with parts from Radio Shack. You'll need a 5-pin DIN plug, two male RCA plugs, and two lengths of speaker wire. Shielded cable like RGU-58 would be better, but isn't totally necessary.
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Notes"The following cables and adaptors are discussed on these pages. For a detailed guide on selecting among X1541-series cables, read the cable selection guide on the X1541-series interfaces page."Unfurl
Notes"This is an interface which lets you connect your C64 to ANY standard Tape Player instead of the custom made C1531 device, which can be hard to get today. Also it means you can connect your C64 to any PC with a sound card and let the PC act as a Tape Player with a perfectly clear sound - so there are no Load errors possible."Unfurl
Notes"Device Side Data's FC5025 USB 5.25" floppy controller plugs into any computer's USB port and enables you to attach a 5.25" floppy drive. Even if your computer has no built-in floppy controller, the FC5025 lets you read those old disks. And it's not just for IBM PC disks â it also understands formats used by Apple, Atari, Commodore and TI, among others."Unfurl
NotesWhat? "The OpenOfficeMouse is one of the first computer mice to incorporate an analog joystick and the first to permit the use of the joystick as a keyboard. In the three joystick-as-keyboard modes, the user can assign up to sixteen different keys or macros to the joystick, which provides for easy movement regardless of whether the user is flying through the cells of a large spreadsheet in Calc or on the back of an epic flying mount in World of Warcraft. It is also the first hardware to be permitted to make use of the OpenOffice.org brand in the nine-year history of the OpenOffice.org Community."Unfurl
Notes"I've noticed that as I copy data/install programs on my Laptop, the weight of the Laptop increases. I have a bad back and am medically limited on the amount of weight I can carry so I need to be very carefull not to inflict injury upon myself."Unfurl
Notes"However, one of the world's biggest hardware vendors - whose name every single reader will be familiar with, and whose hardware a good share of you will be using right now - apparently didn't do their homework. When Opera's sysadmin booted up the server to test its web-based administration interface, they came across a single JavaScript statement that managed to piss off everyone up to and including the CTO."Unfurl
Notes"The ultimate cartridge for your trusty Commodore 64! MMC REPLAY, as the name already tells, unites the features of the Retro Replay freezer cartridge with those of the MMC64 cardreader. But MMC REPLAY is much more than those two merged together, there are plenty of new features to be found"Unfurl
Notes"I finished wiring the audio circuitry for BMOW yesterday, which marks the end of wiring for BMOW⌠for version 1 at least! I took the opportunity to reflect on my wire-wrapping odyssey, and took a bazillion photos of the namesake Big Mess oâ Wires before it disappears forever into an opaque case. Itâs really quite a sight. There are 1253 wires with 2506 individually-wrapped connections, and Iâve got every one logged in a spreadsheet."Unfurl