Check out this Computer Controlled Room Ambilight Controller that Mike built. I didn’t realize that there was an open source program that would perform the same screen analysis as the Phillips Ambilight system, this gives me some ideas… Video after the jump. “What it basically does is, it waits for info from the PC through the RS232 interface and then controlls the brightness of the different collors. I then wrote
When building microcontroller projects it’s often desirable to connect them to a computer. Most RS232 computer ports are able to read 0 and 5 volt TTL data levels however there are some computers that require voltage levels that are closer to the true RS232 spec. Most people use a MAX 232 chip when there is a need to follow the spec. correctly, but it’s possible to build your own circuit.
Richie Burnett has a Induction Heating Demonstration that is worth having a look at. Richie has also done extensive work with Tesla coils, make sure you have a look at those also. “Induction heating is a non-contact heating process. It uses high frequency electricity to heat materials that are electrically conductive. Since it is non-contact, the heating process does not contaminate the material being heated. It is also very efficient
Our Danish friends David Pedersen and the guys from AC/KW got together and built a CNC machine from scratch. There are lots of videos and pictures of the build on the site. Have a look at the 3D Hacked Gadgets logo, this machine does a great job! “The CNC mill has been built from scratch. We’ve even made our own controller board to drive the stepper motors that power the
Long time Hacked Gadgets reader Chris Rybitski sent in this cool Graduation Cap LED Hack. It uses a blue LED to add some electronic goodness to a plain old Grad Cap. By the way, congratulations on graduating Chris! “I used three button cells from a light up bouncy ball to power the high intensity blue LED. Then I hot glued the batteries to the inside of the cap. To turn
If you like cutting edge gadgets then you need to get your hands on a Wi-Fi radio, but what if you have a love for antiques? Alinke used a vintage radio housing and modified a Wi-Fi Radio to fit inside. At first glance it looks like an antique, well until you spot the LCD display anyway. 🙂 “I found a local vintage radio dealer in town. He’s a real purist
We have all seen these floating globes in the novelty stores and online. How would you like to build one? J. Hodgie has put together an article that will walk you through the required steps to make your own. The code for the Atmel ATMega168 Microcontroller is also provided. “It is much like the floating globes you can buy, except it works by balancing the forces of permanent magnets with
