Items Tag › RIT Make Club Idea Stream

I posted to hackaday.com

Building a better water rocket launchpad

http://hackaday.com/2010/07/30/building-a-better-water-rocket-launchpad/

School will be starting again in a few weeks but it’s not too late to enjoy a little time with your kids. This water rocket launcher lets you do just that. Built using the frame from an old grill, a soda bottle takes its place on the upturned PVC pipe. There’s a connection for your garden hose that allows you to inject water into the bottle. From there, a compressor connection pressurizes the bottle in preparation for launch. Watch it happen in the video after the break. That bottle could use some fins and a nose cone but there’s no denying the delight the kids are enjoying when they chase after the downed craft.

If you’ve already got a compressor and some empty 2-liter bottles you might also pick up some extra PVC to make this pressurized water cannon.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- PVC
- bottle
- launcher
- 2-liter
- pressurized
- water rocket
July 30 2010, 2:13pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Arduino Space Program

http://hackaday.com/2010/07/14/arduino-space-program/

With the recently proposed cuts to NASA, our friends across the pond (in Northampton UK) decided to take action with a space program of their own… at least at a miniature scale. NortHACKton, a hackerspace in Northampton decided to host a rocketry day consisting of rockets powered by chemical reactions, pressurized water bottles, and even one that employed an Arduino controlled launch system, akin to a few we have seen in the past. It essentially consists of a countdown and automated ignition system. Schematics and source code are available for those adventurous enough to embark on missions of their own.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- nasa
- arduino hacks
- space
- rocketry
July 14 2010, 4:15pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Fankart and the HolyF***k!ted fan

http://hackaday.com/2010/07/14/fankart-and-the-holyfkted-fan/

Inspired by a ducted fan project to simulate lunar landers he had seen recently, [Charles Guan] decided to do the next logical thing and make a ducted fan driven shopping cart. The first iteration had a bare prop mounted to the front of the cart. Steering was done by mounting a servo to the front wheels. This ridiculously dangerous shopping cart can be seen in the videos buzzing around the halls and parking lots of MIT. The second iteration that has the ducted fan drive seems not only slightly safer, but somewhat quicker as well. He does mention that the prop shape isn’t really optimal for a ducted design, so expect future revisions to be everything you would expect from a fan powered shopping cart.

He has built a more practical mobile shopping cart, if there is such a thing, called Lolriokart. This thing probably deserves its own post as well as it is a fully drive-able shopping cart. You can see a video of it in action after the break.

[via Makezine]
- Tags:
- robots hacks
- Toy Hacks
- rc
- radio control
- prop
July 14 2010, 8:56am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Nerf sentry turret

http://hackaday.com/2010/06/18/nerf-sentry-turret/

With exams behind him [Adam Greig] had time to make a Nerf sentry gun. It’s actually quite easy to pull everything together. He’s got a netbook running Motion, an open source motion sensing program for use with a webcam. When movement is detected an Arduino, connected via a USB cable, actuates a servo to pull the trigger of the gun. The turret itself has seen a battery upgrade that increases the firing speed. It’s fun to see hardware prototyping done with a few pencils and a fist full of cable ties. Check it out after the break.

This particular toy, the Nerf N-Strike Vulcan, has become quite a popular starting point for turrent projects. We’ve seen one that uses a motorized base, and another that was part of a final project at Cornell.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- webcam
- netbook
- gun
- sentry
- nerf
- motion
June 18 2010, 2:12pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Great ball contraption

http://hackaday.com/2010/06/15/great-ball-contraption/

The idea of the Great Ball Contraption is to take modules from many builders and combine them into one large machine. The modules need to find some way of moving LEGO soccer balls and basketballs from an input point to an exit are that passes them onto the next module. Some of them sort the balls, but in the end the eight-and-a-half-minute video above shows the orbs going around and around. That’s just fine with us, it’s no secret that we love machines that are overly complicated and may be completely useless.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- LEGO
- rube goldberg
- nxt
- useless
- mindstorm
June 15 2010, 2:00pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Monster Chess

http://hackaday.com/2010/06/14/monster-chess/

Over 100,000 Lego pieces, 4 people a year to create, and a 12 foot by 12 foot chess board make this the largest most awesome Lego hack we’ve ever seen. Take that Lego Printer.

For a mere $30,000 you too can have such a setup. Not a lot of information is out yet, but we do know all the pieces are remote controlled via a PC with LabVIEW and a total of 38 NXT controllers are used. Oh, and of course you can see it live at the 2010 Brickworld. Check out a video of a replayed game after the jump.

[via Geekologie]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- LEGO
- pc
- set
- chess
- labview
- giant
- monster
June 14 2010, 2:05pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Pressurized PVC water gun

http://hackaday.com/2010/06/11/pressurized-pvc-water-gun/

Hackaday’s [Caleb Kraft] has branded today “kiddie d-day” after seeing this PVC water gun follow close on the heals of the LEGO sniper rifle. This is a great summer project if you don’t mind letting the kids use the quick connect on your air compressor. It’s really just a ‘T’ made of PVC with two valves for air and water management and a soda bottle on the third leg as a reservoir. In the short clip after the break you can see that you don’t get a lot of shooting time out of each charge compared to the DIY Super Soaker, but this build is also a lot less complicated.

[Thanks Frogz]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- PVC
- water
- gun
- compresser
- soda bottle
June 11 2010, 12:00pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Seven-six-two millimeter. Full plastic jacket.

http://hackaday.com/2010/06/11/seven-six-two-millimeter-full-plastic-jacket/

Minifigs beware, something’s afoot. This LEGO sniper rifle is in talented hands to clean up those problem areas. [Jack Streat] put together this fascinating build as well as the delightful demo after the break. The bolt pulls a 1×4 block out of the eight-round magazine and loads it into the chamber. A pull of the trigger flings it with surprising accuracy. Want to be the coolest parent ever? Forgo the store-bought toys this year and put one of these together for your kid. Just don’t turn them into Private Pyle (NSFW).

[Thanks Gabe via TBT]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- LEGO
- full metal jacket
- rifle
- sniper
June 11 2010, 8:27am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

LEGO printer built without NXT parts

http://hackaday.com/2010/06/02/lego-printer-built-without-nxt-parts/

[Squirrelfantasy] built a printer using LEGO pieces. It’s not a Mindstorm project but instead depends on some type of development board and some auxiliary components on a protoboard. We couldn’t get a good enough look to tell exactly what makes up the electronics so start the debate in the comments. We feel this is a printer and not a plotter because the stylus moves on just one plane while the paper feeds past it but that’s open for debate as well.

Guess this answers the question of why aren’t we building our own printers? Some folks are.

[Thanks Haxorflex and many others, via DVICE]
- Tags:
- peripherals hacks
- Toy Hacks
- LEGO
- printer
- pen
- plotter
June 2 2010, 11:00am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

RC car taunts man’s best friend

http://hackaday.com/2010/06/02/rc-car-taunts-mans-best-friend/

[Arkos] gutted an RC car from his childhood and made it into a dog-taunting remote platform. An Arduino replaces the original circuitry with a Bluetooth module for connectivity. He uses an Xbox 360 controller and has added a small speaker to act as a siren. But for our money it’s the camera that makes this hack. It streams video back to a laptop and because it’s mounted on a couple of servos the left stick controls where the lens is looking. The next evolution should replace the Arduino for a standalone microcontroller but what he’s come up with as a first prototype is delightful. See Fido run in terror after the break.
- Tags:
- arduino
- Toy Hacks
- camera
- rc
- bluetooth
- xbox 360
- car
June 2 2010, 9:02am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Hoverboard comes to life

http://hackaday.com/2010/05/29/hoverboard-comes-to-life/

This installation by artist [Nils Goudagnin] is a recreation of the hoverboard from Back to the Future II. We would like to see inside that plinth. We’ve seen levitating magnets before, but this is particularly stable. He says he is using lasers and a control system of some kind to stabilize it. Just to guess, we’d say that the lasers determine the distance of the board and an array of electromagnets below is adjusted to keep it level. Then again, we might be over thinking this. Even though it can’t be ridden, we’d love to have one around the office just to look at.
- Tags:
- art
- Toy Hacks
- magnet
- useless
- hover
May 29 2010, 9:10am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

BAMF2010: Spy TRAKR – no lasers, $14,861 cheaper

http://hackaday.com/2010/05/24/bamf2010-spy-trakr-no-lasers-14861-cheaper/

Maybe $15K for an elaborate balancing telepresence robot is a bit out of one’s league. In that case, another Bay Area Maker Faire exhibitor — Wild Planet — has you covered. Faire attendees got a hands-on sneak preview of the upcoming Spy Video TRAKR, a video-transmitting radio-controlled toy that’s programmable and extensively hackable.

The TRAKR has an impressive pedigree. It’s a collaborative effort between three successful and creative technology companies: Wild Planet, makers of the Spy Gear toy line; MOTO Development Group, designers of the Flip Video camera; and Making Things, software designers for the Make Controller.

So just how hackable are we talking? The Spy Video TRAKR is intended right out of the box to use downloadable apps, and allows development of new programs in C. The controller and vehicle each contain their own ARM9 processor, and the ’bot features 8 megs of RAM, an SD card slot and USB client and host (yes, host) ports. And that’s all with the cover still on. Pop the lid, and you’ll find links to online schematics and neatly-labeled breakout headers for deeper exploration.

The Spy Video TRAKR is expected to ship in October with a target price of $139 or less. Additional photos after the break.
- Tags:
- video
- robots hacks
- maker faire
- Toy Hacks
- remote
- rc
- audio
- tank
- car
- toy
- radio control
- makerfaire
- spy gear
- transmit
May 24 2010, 11:00am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Composing music with the Force Trainer

http://hackaday.com/2010/05/18/composing-music-with-the-force-trainer/

In the ongoing quest to make the Force Trainer useful [Hunter Scott] developed a music composition platform for your mind (channel Jack Black’s voice for the last half of that sentence). Using the Force Trainer’s serial port [Hunter] feeds the data stream into a computer via an FTDI cable and uses Processing to make the music. It’s good, and the demos on his site are worth the click, but we still can’t get enough of the shocking video from back in March. But we digress, let [Hunter] walk you through his setup in the video after the break.
- Tags:
- Music
- Toy Hacks
- digital audio hacks
- processing
- ftdi
- force trainer
May 18 2010, 1:00pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Nerf sentry gun build in progress

http://hackaday.com/2010/05/12/nerf-sentry-gun-build-in-progress/

[John Park] is documenting his build of a Nerf Sentry gun. So far, he’s rigged the trigger and set up the motorized base. He’s documenting the process in fantastic detail with great photos along the way. If you want to see what it will be like when it is finished, check out these other Nerf sentry guns that we’ve featured in the past.
- Tags:
- arduino
- Toy Hacks
- sentry
- nerf
May 12 2010, 9:53am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Forget the Rovio, drive a taxi with your mind.

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/29/forget-the-rovio-drive-a-taxi-with-your-mind/

While browsing through flicker this morning, we spotted this interesting image. Two radio controlled cars hooked to Arduinos. What was going on? What is [knolleary] doing with them? We couldn’t find any information so we clicked through to his personal site. What we found was a quite interesting story about how he set up a race between two taxi cabs being controlled by the Emotiv headsets for the BBC. Yeah, forget driving a Rovio around with your mind. We’re still a bit curious about the two bumper cars in the picture. We can see that his tests were done on a blue radio controlled mini, so what are the bumper cars for? Did any of you catch this on the air? How well did the taxis drive? Was he using the facial expressions or the concentration?
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- radio controlled
- rc
- transportation hacks
- eeg
- emotiv
April 29 2010, 9:06am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Mind controlled rovio

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/28/mind-controlled-rovio/

[Robert] at Extremetech was going to write a review of the Emotiv EEG headset but found the bundled software lacking. He decided to write something to really show off what could be done with an EEG in your home. He is now controlling his Rovio with his mind. He had already written a new control program for the Rovio, so redoing the same program with the EEG controls would give him a great comparison. If you recall from the mind controlled TV, meditating on a single thought can be cumbersome for quick controls. Instead, he used facial expression recognition. Maybe this should be called “face controlled Rovio” instead.
- Tags:
- robots hacks
- rovio
- Toy Hacks
- eeg
- mind
April 28 2010, 4:00pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Puppet Circuits

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/28/puppet-circuits/

This isn’t a specific project, so much as a pointer to a budding new site. Puppet Circuits is the project of [Raphael Abrams], one of the co founders of NYC Resistor. As you can probably guess, he has been posting about the circuits he uses in his animatronic puppets. I faces all kinds of problems since may of the systems are to be worn and have to endure some pretty rough treatment and still perform well. Very interesting stuff to read about.
- Tags:
- wearable hacks
- robots hacks
- Toy Hacks
- animatronics
- classic hacks
- puppets
April 28 2010, 10:00am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Improving a motorized toy

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/17/improving-a-motorized-toy/

[Dan Fruzzetti's] daughter was delighted to get a motorized vehicle from her Grandparents, but [Dan] was unimpressed with the stock features. The lead-acid battery supplied remarkable life between charges, but the vehicle only had one feature: a go button that routed juice to the bipolar motor. After the break we’ll look at his improvements to the drive train, steering, and cosmetics.

After cracking open the top hatch he wired in a double-pole double-throw switch that reverses the polarity of the motor. This way the switch to the left of the steering wheel can be toggled to shift from forward to reverse. The little red button above that switch controls the horn he added into the mix. Although not pictured here, he did some work on the steering column to increase the rotational limit of the steering wheel, which improved the ability to turn and steer.

The finishing touches were more cosmetic. The photo above shows the addition of two red LEDs for tail lights and at the top you can see the LEDs added to the decals of headlights. [Dan's] improvements cost pennies but they make this Power Wheels knock-off so much more fun for his daughter.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- Power Wheels
- reverse
- steering
April 17 2010, 3:30pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Warthog laser tag

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/12/warthog-laser-tag/

The Warthog from Halo is one of the most beloved video game vehicles. [Tim Higgins] brings the fun to life with his laser tag Warthog game. It uses Barbie Power Wheels toys as a base and adds laser tag weaponry. Xbox 360 controllers are used but just like in Halo, you can’t control the gun and the vehicle at the same time. We’ve encountered [Tim's] love for water-based amusement before and this did originally start out with a water cannon powered by a wind-shield washer reservoir.

Take a look at the videos after the break as well as his recent post for information about the hardware. His choices for controller circuitry are way overpowered, sourcing an Eee PC to do the heavy lifting. This is because the choices he made were for easy development and not economy of components. A PC has no problem connecting to Xbox 360 controllers, and the modular control boards mean no complicated circuit design or arduous soldering were necessary. In the end, this looks like a ton of fun and we give him bonus points for repainting the pretty pink plastic that comes standard with these models of children’s toys.

Slide show of the project throughout development

Demonstration of the finished system

[Thanks Tim]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- xbox 360
- barbie
- powerwheels
- halo
- laser tag
- warthog
April 12 2010, 12:02pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Hacking the MindFlex, more!

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/08/hacking-the-mindflex-more/

Reader [Eric] sent us a powerfully informative, yet super simple hack for the MindFlex toy. Don’t worry, it’s not another worthless shock ‘game’, And it’s using an actual interface instead of the built-in LEDs.

With two wires for the serial protocol, and an Arduino, you’ll be able to view “signal strength, attention, meditation, delta, theta, low alpha, high alpha, low beta, high beta, low gamma, high gamma” brainwaves. While it’s not medical grade, it’s a lot more intuitive than previous interfaces.

The original intent was for a system called MentalBlock, but we’re wondering what would you do with brainwave data?
- Tags:
- arduino
- Toy Hacks
- serial
- toy
- brain
- mindflex
- shock
- brainwaves
- mentalblock
- waves
April 8 2010, 4:19pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

LEGO gearbox – seven speed plus reverse

http://hackaday.com/2010/04/08/lego-gearbox-seven-speed-plus-reverse/

We know LEGO is a very versatile medium to build with but this is beyond what we considered possible. Seven speeds and a reverse gear were built into the gearbox for this LEGO vehicle. It’s not completely an original design, but adds to the five-speed design found in a ten-year-old LEGO set. See it demonstrated in the video after the break. The design uses a sequential gearbox; shifting is accomplished by clicking the stick up or down depending on how you want to shift. If you’ve got enough parts on hand you can build this using the assembly photos that [Sheepo] posted.

Can’t get enough of the gears? Check out this model of a double clutch transmission.

[Thanks James]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- LEGO
- gearbox
- sequential
April 8 2010, 12:09pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

LEGO automatons

http://hackaday.com/2010/03/26/lego-automatons/

Here’s a collection of little LEGO oddities. Some of them exhibit a purpose, such as this interesting take on a line-following robot. Others, like the four seen above, are just automatons built to bring a smile to your face through their motion. There are dozens to choose from, with several pictures and a video of each. See the clips of these four after the break. Oh, and don’t worry, we didn’t find any LEGO iPhone docks, just cleaver mobile creations.

[Thanks Richard and Juan]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- robot
- LEGO
- automaton
March 26 2010, 1:39pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

DIY Super Soaker

http://hackaday.com/2010/03/20/diy-super-soaker/

With summer just around the corner you should try out a build like this constant pressure water gun that [JLspacemarine] put together. Similar to the commercially available Super Soaker toys, this isn’t just a squirt gun but includes a water reservoir as well as a pressurized air chamber. Pumping up the air chamber allows for a constant stream when the trigger is depressed. [JLspacemarine] used a combination of hardware store items such as PVC, ABS, springs, hose clamps, and valves to bring this all together.

[Thanks Danukeru]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- water
- gun
- super soaker
March 20 2010, 11:07am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Steam powered tank

http://hackaday.com/2010/03/12/steam-powered-tank/

This steam-powered tank is really something of a steam-electric hybrid. Steam provides the locomotion, but an electrical system provides the remote control and steering. A full boiler will provide 10-15 minutes of operation which you can see in the video after the break. Before you leave a nasty comment: Yes, we realize this project is from several years ago. It’s new to us and the completion date doesn’t diminish the novelty of this well-executed build. This is the quality and uniqueness we’re used to seeing from [Crabfu].

[via Gizmo Watch]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- rc
- tank
- steam
March 12 2010, 1:30pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Dr. Boardman’s Color Conundrum

http://hackaday.com/2010/03/08/dr-boardmans-color-conundrum/

We feel like trumpets should be sounding. Someone took the overused project of connecting RGB LEDs to a microcontroller and produced something useful. [Paul] created Dr. Boardman’s Color Conundrum which works much like a simple mechanical coin-op game you might find at a carnival. When switched on, a random color is displayed by the ping-pong ball covered LED on the left. The player then manipulates three knobs to color-match the two lights.

Inside you’ll find a minimalist set of hardware. An ATmega8 polls the three potentiometers and uses them to mix the appropriate user color. Everything is wired-up using prototyping board and draws power from two AA batteries. He’s using a random seed stored in EEPROM and increments it every time the uC boots up. This keeps the input color different for every game.

Fun and simple, it’s not going to make your guests marvel at the complexity but [Paul's] come up with a unique game that we think has marketing potential.
- Tags:
- led
- Toy Hacks
- rgb
- atmega8
- color conundrum
March 8 2010, 2:14pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Using Mindflex to shock the heck out of people

http://hackaday.com/2010/03/04/using-mindflex-to-shock-the-heck-out-of-people/

We love to see eloquent hacks but this isn’t one of them. [Aaron] and his fellow sadists are using a Mindflex game with an electric shocker. If your brain is idle you’ll be fine, but too much activity inside the noggin and you’re in for nasty shock to the arm. Take a look at the video (bleeped but probably NSFW) after the break.

We’ve seen the Mindflex before, they’re using its interface in the same ways we’ve seen the Force Trainer used, by tapping into the LEDs. The shocks are provided by a Qkit, so hopefully there’s enough engineering behind it to keep the ‘contestant’ safe.

Hey, isn’t that the Tron Guy?
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- game
- mindflex
- shock
March 4 2010, 12:10pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Bring the crane game home

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/24/bring-the-crane-game-home/

Everyone’s familiar with the quarter gobbling crane games. More often than not there’s a child nearby begging a parent for more quarters so they can try their hand at the toy-snatching claw. [Marc.Cryan] put his quarters to a better use by building a home version of the crane game.

[Marc] installed a gantry in an archway of his house. The crane trolley rides on this gantry and uses a spool to raise or lower the tether for the claw. Winning copious style-points, he used the case of an old mouse to form the claw. An Arduino controls the different motors in the system and a toy was repurposed to act as the controller. As you can see after the break, it’s more fun than the cinema-lobby version of the game and your kids can play with it for free.
- Tags:
- arduino
- Toy Hacks
- claw
- gantry
- crane game
February 24 2010, 10:39am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Sukhoi Su-27 Jet build throws down

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/18/sukhoi-su-27-jet-build-throws-down/

This no model, but a fully functioning RC jet. The Sukhoi Su-27 was the Soviet Union’s counterpart of the F15 and this 1/6.5 scaled version measures eleven feet long and is fully controllable. As if the 80-page build log wasn’t enough, the flight video after the break is nothing short of jaw-dropping. The test flights end in smooth landings but with all the time that went into the project that’s got to be nerve-wracking.

[Thanks M4r1hu4n3 via Fishkin]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- rc
- model
- jet
- su-27
February 18 2010, 1:10pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

The Mini-Markade

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/16/the-mini-markade/

We love arcade games. Who doesn’t? We feel that the “arcade” feeling just can’t be replicated in any other form factor than an arcade cabinet. [Moslevin] must feel the same way too. He has built, what could possibly be the worlds smallest arcade cabinet. Aside from a coin mechanism, it is fully functional. It is an ATMega328p running his own custom software. The games he has available are Tetris, Invader, and Breakout, all coded by himself as well. We’ve seen small arcade cabinets before, but none this small.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- arcade
- tiny
February 16 2010, 11:00am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Adding words to Catch Phrase

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/16/adding-words-to-catch-phrase/

[Brandon Meyer] spared no expense in modding the Catch Phrase game to use custom word lists. The altered version of the game, normal sold for around $25, now comes in at a whopping $230! That’s because the internals were gutted and replaced with an Arduino, 20×2 LCD display, and some other interesting bits. The device now features an SD slot for storing your own lists and a USB port for programming.

At first glance we were hoping some simple EEPROM hacking had unlocked the secrets of the device but that wasn’t he case. We’d love to see some more economical versions of [Brandon's] prototype. Perhaps reusing the original LCD, replacing the Arduino with the ATmega168 that makes up its core, and using a diy SD cradle for a card reader.

So yes, this version is a bit of overkill but still very nicely done!

[Thanks Zoidberg]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- game
- sd
- usb
- catch phrase
- word list
February 16 2010, 10:00am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Hexacopter

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/15/hexacopter/

Quad copters have been pretty popular for the last few years, but this one is new to us. Take the same basic layout, but bump it to 6 rotors. Then you’ll have the hexacopter (google translated). With 6 rotors, built in GPS and stabilization and a camera mounted on the bottom, this thing is pretty well equipped. You can see how agile and stable it is in the video above. We know it isn’t necessarily new, but it is new to us. Of course, you don’t have to stop at 6 rotors. You could always just continue on to 8.
- Tags:
- robots hacks
- Toy Hacks
- hex
- copter
- octo
- quad
February 15 2010, 12:35pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

HUD for real life capture-the-flag

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/11/hud-for-real-life-capture-the-flag/

If you’ve played any of the Splinter Cell games you’ll remember the PDA that [Sam Fisher] carried around with him. What if you could have one of your own when playing capture-the-flag? [Brad] has created the ZephyrEye as an electronic command and communications device for real-life games.

Each player carries around their own unit. The ZephyrEye has a GPS module, Xbee module, LCD screen, and control buttons. This allows a player to setup one of several different games, map out the game field including base locations and flag locations, and monitor a time limit and scoring. Other players can join the game in progress. The best part? The GPS modules report tracking to each handheld and act as radar for your team and the enemy team. We’ve got a couple of demo videos after the break.

Words can’t describe how delighted this would have made us back in the day. We don’t play outside with the other neighborhood kids anymore (insert dirty-old-man joke here) but that might change just because of this device. We may end up joining [Barney Stinson] for some amazingly awesome laser-tag games after all.

[Brad's] posted hardware information and source code so that you can use to throw together a dozen or so units. We think the next version should incorporate a wearable display.

[via Tom's Guide]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- xbee
- gps
- gps hacks
- classic hacks
- radar
- hud
- zephyreye
February 11 2010, 1:00pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

PicAxe LEGO tank

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/10/picaxe-lego-tank/

[TomTheGeek] built a LEGO tank with a PicAxe controller. Locomotion is supplied by a Lego Power Function motor controller. He cut an LPF extension wire in half so that he could patch into the PWM signals without altering the motors themselves. You can make out the control circuitry and a small breadboard in the tank’s turret. [Tom] added a laser pointer to the tip of the barrel but we’d like to see an IR LED. The tank is controlled by a infrared remote control and adding TV-b-gone functionality to the toy would create something of a Rube Goldberg feature for turning off the tube. But alas, there’s no programming space left for that as the PicAxe 08M is limited to 256 bytes.

There’s a video after the break of this little demon tracking its way around the room. This is a nice addition to the other LEGO tank we saw a while back.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- ir
- LEGO
- tank
- PICAXE
- 08m
February 10 2010, 4:36pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Altoids upstaged by gift card tins

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/07/altoids-upstaged-by-gift-card-tins/

Nothing Earth-shattering here. Just, dare we say it, really cute!

The venerable Altoids mint tin has become an icon of the maker culture. Browsing through past articles on Hack a Day, Adafruit or Instructables, you’ll find project after project for which these pocket-sized enclosures provided just the right fit. Eminently practical, affordable, but the aesthetics have occasionally left something to be desired.

We recently stumbled upon these nifty gift card holders that resemble miniature versions of current-generation game consoles. They might be the perfect housing for your next microcontroller project…

These were acquired from our local GameStop retail store and unfortunately do not appear to be available online. Each will set you back $2.99 — about a buck more than the mints, and without the added benefit of fresh breath. Such is the price of style.

The shapes are varied, but all are a bit larger than the traditional Altoids tin, allowing ample space for a battery pack, breadboard or microcontroller setup. As with the mint tins, of course you’ll want to insulate your project from the interior metal surface. A bit of contact paper or even some index cards are usually sufficient.

In addition to the Xbox 360, Wii and Playstation 3 tins depicted here, portable consoles — the PSP and Nintendo DS Lite — are also available in miniature form.
- Tags:
- misc hacks
- Toy Hacks
- wii
- xbox
- ps3
- case
- enclosure
- altoids
- box
- mint
- tin
February 7 2010, 7:41am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Propeller takes Step-a-Sketch to a new level

http://hackaday.com/2010/02/04/propeller-takes-step-a-sketch-to-a-new-level/

[Mpark's] propeller controlled Etch-a-Sketch is well built and very accurate. He was inspired by the Step-a-Sketch project and he’s carried that design through to a stunning conclusion. The driver board was built around a Parallax Propeller P8X32A microcontroller. But this isn’t just a serial controller board for connecting the hardware to a PC running CNC software. He’s included TV out and a keyboard port so that programming can be done on the chip itself.

In the video after the break you can see how precise the plotting is on the Etch-a-Sketch. It is well mounted but also benefits from some software compensation for the toy’s imprecise controls. [Mpark] has also included an erase function that tilts the frame upside-down a few times. This is used not only to erase a drawing but to hide the line created when moving the stylus into its starting position.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- cnc
- propeller
- etch a sketch
- cnc hacks
- stepper
- classic hacks
- p8x32a
- propetcher
- Step-a-sketch
February 4 2010, 11:10am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

The UltimateSIMON

http://hackaday.com/2010/01/30/the-ultimatesimon/

[Simon Inns] designed a circuit board to retrofit an original Simon electronic game. This hack is immediately a win because he made sure that his design required no modification of the original case. The new PCB has many improvements. It moves the device from using 2 D-cells over to a 9 volt battery, the incandescent bulbs were out swapped out for three LEDs per button, and the use of tactile switches makes the buttons a lot more responsive (but does require a bit of modification to the colored button covers). Under the hood there’s a PIC18F2550 controlling a serial LCD chip and handling input monitoring and sound generation. The video after the break is safe to watch at work, there’s no swearing involved this time.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- pcb
- pic
- game
- simon
- 18F2550
January 30 2010, 5:00pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Happy meal toy scavenging

http://hackaday.com/2010/01/28/happy-meal-toy-scavenging/

We’re sometimes shocked at the electronics included in ‘disposable’ items. For some reason (our tech inclinations?) we’ve been getting those audio greeting cards from relatives and it kind of kills us to see the PCB, batteries, and speaker in what would have otherwise been a fully recyclable card. Now we’ve got several sets of those guts waiting around for our next project.

[David Cook] cracked open another disposable item, an Avatar action figure that came as a Happy Meal prize. What he found inside will actually be useful. There’s a battery holder for the three coin-cell batteries, A blue LED (for those blue LED hacks our commenters are so fond of), and a piezo speaker. There are some other discrete components that may be of use to you but the first three are certainly a boon for those that are junk scavengers like us.

Has anyone else found some goodies inside these types of free toys? We’d love to hear about them in the comments. But for now we’re just glad to see the first good thing to come out of that annoying market saturation that accompanied the movie release.

Incidentally, [David's] h-bridge writeup is our go-to reference for building quick motor controllers from parts on hand, or that can be purchased locally.

[Thanks Gron]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- toy
- avatar
- happy meal
- salvage
- scavenge
January 28 2010, 2:39pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Foul-mouthed game will get you in trouble

http://hackaday.com/2010/01/25/foul-mouthed-game-will-get-you-in-trouble/

[Fridgehead] modified his Simon Says game to include a dirty word for each lighted button. This is a real good way to teach kids to swear and to get child protective services to pay you a visit all at the same time. The hardware has been modified to use an Arduino in tandem with an ISD audio chip. These chips can record and playback sound. Although [Fridgehead] could have made it say anything he, choose four words you won’t say in front of your mother. We should warn you not to play the video after the break if you’re at work or it’ll be your boss that comes after you, not your disappointed mom.

As we said before, these videos are Not Safe For Work due to foul language.

Simon Swears in action

Simon Swears: the guts
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- Language
- arduino hacks
- nsfw
- simon
- simon says
- swears
January 25 2010, 2:00pm | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Trashplane

http://hackaday.com/2010/01/24/trashplane/

[Flyboy258] shows us that hobby R/C airplanes can be built from trash relatively easily. A bit of old tarp and a simple frame work as the body. The rudder is made from old foam packaging. It seems to fly pretty well considering the lack of official design, or aerodynamic features.

[via Makezine]
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- airplane
- radio controlled
- rc
- airoplane
January 24 2010, 8:52am | More »
I posted to hackaday.com

Billy Bass with selectable clips

http://hackaday.com/2010/01/20/billy-bass-with-selectable-clips/

[Will] enjoys giving hacked items as Secret Santa gifts and this year he decided to augment a Billy Bass. These gag items have become a popular hack to use as a prop or to read your Twitter updates to you. Right of the bat he scrapped the original PCB and sent it to the gift’s future recipient as if he were a kidnapper extorting a family. He then set to work replacing the guts with a pair of PIC 18F452 microcontrollers. One uses power transistors to control the movement, the other controls an MP3 that handles the sound clips. The interface has some LEDs for added effect and uses a dial to select each sound clip which is displayed on a 4×20 character LCD.

The project has several voltage headaches as the motors operate at 6v and 4v, the microcontrollers and LCD display at 5v, and the MP3 is looking for 1.5v. That’s for voltages supplying this Frankenstein’d schematic. But he pulled it off, as you can see in the video after the break.
- Tags:
- Toy Hacks
- pic
- twitter
- 16f452
- billy bass
- secret santa
January 20 2010, 4:00pm | More »

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