Computer Hacks

Voice Controlled Hex Bugs

  Check out this interesting project which uses some remote controlled Hex Bugs. By adding a computer, an IR Toy from our friend Ian and an Arduino Jim Choate has created a way to add voice control to these cool little bug toys. The voice commands are deciphered by custom software running on the computer which was written in C#. If you are interested in having a look at the

Ben Heck goes over some CPLD and FPGA basics

Ben goes over some basics of CPLD and FPGAs. If you need a ton of power and a microcontroller just won’t cut it, it might be time to move up to a CPLD or an FPGA. Watch as Ben shows us some results of the first few Hello World like programs he runs on an Altera CPLD. Looks like there would be a steep learning curve to become proficient in

Hacked Gadgets gets another cold call from Scammers called Global IT and Global PC Protection - Part 3

You think these scammers from Global PC Protection (they often call themselves Global IT) would have me on their do not call list after the fun we had with them in Part 1 and part 2. I figured that would be the last we ever heard of them. Well to my surprise I got another cold call from one of their agents warning me that my computer has once again

Siri Start my Car - iPhone Vehicle Voice Interaction

  It was a great day when we could start our cold car remotely. A bit of trivia, the first remote car starter was produced by Canadian company here in Winnipeg called Kraus.  Times have changed! In this hack Brandon Fiquett uses Siri in his Apple iPhone 4S to command his car to start using voice commands. Lots of the heavy lifting has been done by Viper in this case

Larsen Scanner used to Indicate Computer Status

Mike Szczys from Jumptuck has put his larsen scanner to good use by using it as a status indicator on his computer. He is interfacing it to the computer using the parallel port which seems to be a dying port these days. “I decided to finish up my Cylon Eye (Larson Scanner) project by adding it as a status indicator for my computer. I record over the air programming and

BIG DIY LED Matrix Build

Martin Landwehrmann from Germany sent in a ton of great build pictures of this BIG DIY LED Matrix and an English description on what André Zibell, Tobias Mc Fadden and Martin have been working on. By the pictures you can see that this creation wasn’t a simple task to put together but the results are great! Link More Video Links: Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Video 4 Video 5