tech.nocr.at » battery

DIY: Rechargeable Battery Tester

Frank — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:07:00 +0000

Rechargeable batteries are a blessing, especially if you own a ton of electrical devices that use AA’s. The problem with them is that they don’t last forever. Like every other battery, NiMh or NiCd batteries loose some of their capacity with every charge/recharge. That can lead to some headaches, especially if you’re relying on some juice only to find out that you only have 5 minutes of it.

You could sit around with a multimeter and check each battery every time you use it, but then again you have a life, or could build yourself and automated battery capacity tester like Instructables user BrianH did and make your life a lot easier.

BrianH has a full write up chocked full of details on building this simple circuit that drains any AA battery, 3 at a time, and records it’s useful capacity in milliamp hours. All packaged up in a nice wooden case.

[Link to Automated Battery Capacity Tester]

DIY: Rechargeable Battery Tester originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/09/03. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Wind Up Batteries

Frank — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:29:18 +0000

We have seen many green projects around these parts and wind up energy products like flashlights are nothing new, but why not wind up batteries to power any gadget?

Designers Yeon Kyeong Hwang & Mieong Ho Kang have come up with this concept design for a battery that can be recharged by twisting the battery itself. By using a built-in spiral spring wrapped around a generator, friction is created which in turn is converted to energy for the built in Ni-mH battery.

While the idea of free energy is great, you would have to twist this thing a whole lot to build up enough juice, not really practical. Maybe if there was a kick-out crank for leverage, but until then I’ll stick with my solar charger.

Wind Up Batteries originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/02/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Thunderstorm: Battery Powered Super Soaker

Frank — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 03:04:39 +0000

Sure, a good old water gun fight can get the blood pumping. Nailing someone right in the head with ice cold water is a great stress reliever. The only thing that can put a damper on all that fun is the pumping action that is required to keep the enemy at bay. The Thunderstorm aims to change that.

The Thunderstorm Super Soaker uses 4 AA batteries to provide a continuous flow of water without the need to pump. Simply pull the trigger and work on aiming, not pumping. It also makes reloading easier. The unit comes with “magazine clips” that store ten ounces of water. Load up on a few clips and you are ready to smell the sweet scent of victory.

The Thunderstorm should hit store shelves this coming spring and will run you about $15. Each additional “magazine clip” will ding you around $4.

Thunderstorm: Battery Powered Super Soaker originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/02/15. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY: Solar Battery Charger

Frank — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 07:32:56 +0000

Here is a super easy and super cheap way to build a solar battery charger. You will need nothing more than 2 solar panels, a battery holder and a blocking diode.

The project is dirt cheap, usually running you no more than 3 or 4 bucks and is a great way to experiment with solar power. The unit will trickle charge your NiMH rechargeable batteries and can usually charge 2 AA’s fully with about one full day’s worth of sunlight. With some tweaking you could add a USB port to the design so you can keep your iPhone or other gadget that uses a USB connection fully charged all the time.

Check out Instructables for a parts list and a complete project breakdown.

DIY: Solar Battery Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/02/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Kensington’s PowerLift Backup-Up Battery

Frank — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:33:09 +0000

I was just talking to someone from Steam TV Networks about the need for a sturdy dock that can hold up a tablet or phone, something that keeps the device propped up when using it to watch video. Kensington has release just such an item built for the iPhone.

Kensington’s new PowerLift is a sturdy dock that also contains a 1,200 mAh lithium-ion polymer backup battery. This bulky yet small unit is perfect for those long flights; prop it up on the fold out tray and you can enjoy countless hours of media goodness. 20 additional hours of music playback, 5 additional hours of video and even an extra hour and a half of FaceTime.

The unit also has a built in USB cable, perfect cable management, and it has some LEDs to let you know where the charging level is at. Its up for pre-order on Kensington’s site and will run you about $50.

Kensington’s PowerLift Backup-Up Battery originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

AA Battery / USB Flash Drive

Frank — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:48:10 +0000

Are they batteries or are they USB flash drives? OR are they both? These clever batteries also double as USB flash drives. The neat thing is that they charge the battery side of the mutant while using the flash drive.

Now, the next time you need a flash drive you can reach for your batteries or the next time you need some batteries you can reach for your flash drives. I know, it’s like a modern day Spork!

At this point these are nothing more than a concept, a good one at that, but still a concept.

[Link via Yanko Design]

AA Battery / USB Flash Drive originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Review: eLocity A7 Android Tablet

Frank — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 04:18:35 +0000

I’ve been playing with this surprisingly fast Android tablet for about a week now and so far I am impressed. Stream TV’s eLocity Android 2.2 powered tablet might not be an iPad killer, but it sure puts up a good fight.

The solid 7-inch tablet is powered by NVIDIA’s dual core Tegra 2 processor, comes with Froyo out of the box, is rooted by default and can output a crazy amount of video formats at 1080p via it’s included HDMI port. Although it shows some impressive stats in the video arena, the eLocity does more than that. 4GB of internal storage, a USB port and a MicroSD expansion slot coupled together with the super beefy Tegra 2, the A7 acts more like a powerful computer in your pocket than a PMP.

Not only is the video playback smooth and crisp, this is the only Android device I have ever used that can actually do Flash well. Even when you are on a website with multiple Flash ads watching a video, the A7 came through without a single hiccup. Mix that in with the fact that the device is rooted out of the box, you have one powerful device that is open and free, unlike the “other” guy’s tablet. The only problem I have seen so far is the unit’s battery life. I’ve been able to get about 4 hours out of it with moderate use and only about 2.5 hours of video play. This is more than likely due to the processor as the dual core Tegra 2 could easily power a full size laptop.

The unit doesn’t come with the Android Marketplace out of the box, but a crafty hacker has already created an alternate ROM that offers the Marketplace as well as Ad Hoc networking support. The eLocity A7 is currently WiFi only, by using the Ad Hoc network you can tether your unit to an existing smartphone’s 3G connection. Stream TV is toying with the idea of partnering up with a carrier and offering a 3G model.

At time of print there still is no word on any accessories for the unit, but it does have an expansion port on the bottom that will probably be used for a dock at a later day. A dock would be greatly welcomed, the fact that it can do 1080p without a problem makes this device a perfect addition to your home theater setup.

If your looking for an alternative to the iPad and don’t want to pay a monthly cost for something like the Galaxy Tab, Stream TV’s eLocity A7 is perfect. Priced at $350 it’s a great deal for such a powerful little unit.

[Link to eLocity A7]

Review: eLocity A7 Android Tablet originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Electroluminescent iOS Charger

Frank — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 05:18:25 +0000

I can’t begin to count the amount of iPhone chargers I have. Multiple ones from Apple, knock off units I bought because I left them at home, I even have an awesome unit from iGo that can charge two USB devices from it’s internal battery. But I bet that none of them are as green or as cool as this unit.

The Visible Green Charger will reduce standby power by up to 85% when your iOS device is not in use. The awesome electroluminescent cord will light up and flow quickly to indicate that your iOS device is charged up to 65% and will slow down as the device’s battery starts to fill up.

The Visable Green Charger will retail for $40 when it hits store shelves later this month. Currently the device only supports iOS devices but the company behind the unit, Dexim, hopes to expand it to other gadgets that can take a charge through USB.

[Link to Visable Green Charger]

Electroluminescent iOS Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/10. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Homemade Conductive Play-Doh

Frank — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:20:51 +0000

Here’s an awesome idea. Let’s take some homemade Play-Doh, change the recipe around a bit and make it conductive. You could make all sorts of cool circuits, like say wrap some of it around a cell phone to act as an insulator and then try to bring it on a plane. As someone who once shut down a major airport with a home made battery powered usb charger I don’t recommend bringing the cell phone wrapped Play-Doh experiment on a plane.

Squish Circuits, as they are refereed to, were developed at the University of St. Thomas by undergrads Samuel Johnson and AnnMarie Thomas and essentially are nothing more than homemade Play-Doh recipes that make the Doh either conductive or insulate.

With a small battery pack and something else that can use that power like a small motor or an LED you could make tons of fun circuits.

You can find both the conductive and insulating recipes here.

Homemade Conductive Play-Doh originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Boost USB Port Voltage

Frank — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:49:16 +0000

Most larger gadgets that recharge via USB require at least 10 watts of power like Apple’s iPad. The iXP1-500 dongle claims it will allow devices to recharge from underpowered USB ports.

I’m not quite sure how they accomplish this for $5, but I assume it must have some sort of capacitor inside that stores juice from these underpowered ports and then sends it down the USB port.

XMultiple Technologies (the makers of the iXP1-500) say that its “100% guaranteed to work”. Hocus pocus or simple electronics? I’m not sure, but if anyone out there gets one be sure to let us know.

Boost USB Port Voltage originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/20. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Replace Batteries With USB Power

Frank — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:32:24 +0000

If you can avoid using disposable batteries then you should. Landfills are full of them and we are doing nothing more than killing our environment by using them. I know that rechargeable batteries are better, but there is always the hassle of having to recharge them and then you eventually have to toss them out as well.

When Apple recently released their desktop trackpad I was surprised to see that it was using batteries as opposed to USB power. Apparently others thought the same thing and did something about it.

Markbog over at the MacRumors.com forums did just that. He crafted together a battery size dowel and stripped down a USB cable to make it all happen.

I’m assuming the trackpad must have a voltage regulator or voltage step up since 2 AA batteries only give off 3V and the USB power spec if 5V. Either way, it seems to be working just fine for him.

Replace Batteries With USB Power originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/20. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Affordable P1 Jr Pico Projector

Frank — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:10:12 +0000

Projector technology has really come a long way from the days of lugging 30 lbs projectors around. In recent years we have seen the advent of some really small units but nothing that was ever affordable, until now.

Claimed as “the world’s smallest LCOS pico projector” the P1 Jr comes with it’s own battery, external AV connectors so you can hook up a DVD player or iPhone and it has an SD card slot so that you can use it’s built in mp4 player to watch some video.

With it’s 10 lumen LED light source you are only going to be using this thing in a very dark room, but for $119 you really can’t ask for much.

[ AAXA Technologies P1 Jr Pico Projector ]

Affordable P1 Jr Pico Projector originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/08/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY RJ-45 Cable Tester

Frank — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 05:14:00 +0000

Cable testers can be super expensive, but if your trying to trouble shoot a cable drop or run then you know how valuable one can be.

Our favorite kids over at Instructables have a great how to on building your own on the super cheap. A quick trip to your local big box home improvement store and your favorite electronics store (hell even radio shack should it all) and a few bucks is all you will need to build this.

Besides your basic DIY hacking tools you will also need the following …

8 LED’s
20cm of Cat5 Cable
9V Battery Clip and Battery
Wall Mount Box
2 RJ-45 Female Jacks
220ohm Resistor
Female RJ-45 Mount Plate

Once you have all your components assembled head on over to Instructables and make your way through all the sets.

DIY RJ-45 Cable Tester originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/02/21. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Vega Tablet With Android 2.0

Frank — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:57:00 +0000

With all the hype surrounding the “maybe possibily” release of the Apple tablet, other possible tablet like devices have been over shadowed. Take this uber sexy looking Innovative Converged Device called the Vega.

The Vega will be offered in 7, 11 and 15-inch models and will all run Android 2.0 software. The largest of the bunch will have a 15.6-inch resistive screen that supports a resolution of 1366 x 768, come with a Tegra processor, 512MB DDR DRAM, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi (no N), and Bluetooth 2.1. The built-in 512MB NAND Flash storage can be expanded via MicroSD cards. It’ll weigh about 45 ounces and have a battery life of around 4 hours.

Look for them to hit tier one cell phone carriers sometime in early 2010. No pricing is available on them yet, but the company does say that they intend to let them go for little cost, so it looks like the carriers might be subsidizing them.

Vega Tablet With Android 2.0 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

iControlPad: Gamepad For Your iPhone

Frank — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:13:06 +0000

Since the release of the iTunes app store the iPhone and iPod touch have really been pushed as the next great portable gaming platform. Game developers have really started to push the limits of the device but the one major stumbling block has only been the “touch only” interface.

The iControlPad looks to change all of that. It’s a case for your iPhone that offers dual analog nubs, a gamepad controller and of course a few buttons. There is also an internal battery that charges your iPhone while you play.

Bad news is that you will need to jailbreak your iPhone to use this since it’s not an official Apple licensed product, but the iControlPad is supported by some of the biggest devs like the boys that make all the cool emulators. If you’re interested in the device, you can can place a pre-order by signing up at their site.

iControlPad: Gamepad For Your iPhone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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mPower Illuminator: A $250 Flashlight

Frank — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:59:06 +0000

You might be wondering why you would spend $250 on a flashlight, especially since you can pick up a cheap one at a dollar store for, well, a dollar. There are two reasons you would do so. One would be because you are filthy rich and really don’t care how much you spend and Two, hmmmm, well you decide for yourself.

The mPower Emergency Illuminator was designed by the Porsche Design Studio (so far not worth the $250).
It comes with what the company calls “groundbreaking battery technology”. The unit has dual battery barrel’s. One barrel holds you run-of-the-mill batteries and the other holds the “mPower Reserve Battery” that has a minimum shelf life of 20 years from activation. The user chooses when and where to active it. (still can’t see why I would pay $250)
A built in USB port for charging other gadgets (Maybe. Actually, nope. Still not worth it)

So as you can see, you’ll have to be filthy rich to justify this purchase, or just an idiot.

[Via DVICE]

mPower Illuminator: A $250 Flashlight originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

USB Boobie Warmers

Frank — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:26:10 +0000

I have seen my share of of really weird USB devices, but a set of breast warming pads that work off of USB? Just imagine plugging in your bra to your laptop as you are working at your desk.

I’m not sure how much good this will do you while your out and about, where keeping your boobies warm might be what you want, but then again you can always have a battery pack or solar panel on the back of your jacket to power it.

[Link to USB Breast Warmer]

USB Boobie Warmers originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/05. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Fuel Cell Charger

Frank — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:25:28 +0000

We have all heard about how fuel cell technology will revolutionize the world of power since they are instantly recharged with a small shot of methanol. Toshiba finally releases a practical fuel cell charger for real world geek use; a gadget charger.

Toshiab’s Dynario charger uses as little as 50 ml of methanol to recharge itself in about 20 seconds. This really is the first stab for them at consumer commercial fuel cell chargers and they have only created 3000 units that they plan to sell for $328, plus another $34 for 5 cartridges.

This is still a far cry from being affordable for common use, but it is a first step in easing power issues for all of us geeks.

[Link to Toshiba's Dynario]

Fuel Cell Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/04. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Batteries For The Web 2.0 Generation

Frank — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:59:22 +0000

Seriously, why has no other company come up with the idea of creating sexy looking batteries? We have gradients on every web 2.0 website out there, why not some colour on our batteries too?

Well first off, most devices that use batteries keep them hidden so nobody will ever see the flashy looking skin to your powercell and secondly, does it really matter? DC power is DC power. It’s doesn’t matter if it comes from a black and copper Duracell or a Volta.

[Link to Volta Battery Packaging]

Batteries For The Web 2.0 Generation originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/03. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Build An Annoying Beeping Thing

Frank — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:24:30 +0000

I’m always up for a good practical joke, especially the kind that involves electronics and can drive people mad. Get your soldering guns out kids, this is a good one.

The Annoying Beeping Thing is a simple circuit board that is powered by a single 9-volt battery and outputs a high-pitched whining sound through a tiny speaker or piezo buzzer.

As you can see from the pictures above it’s hidden inside of a transformed but this thing is so tiny that you can practically hide it anywhere. Make sure you don’t let the joke run on too long as it might really get on someone’s nerve who might not think it’s all that funny. Check out the video after the break of it’s construction and to hear it in action.

[Via Make]

Build An Annoying Beeping Thing originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/02. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Nintendo DSi Get’s Bigger

Frank — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:14:42 +0000

The Nintendo DSi just got a whole lot bigger. The DSi XL was officially unveiled yesterday by Nintendo. The new handheld is a lot bigger, which is one of the things that fans have been asking for. Instead of dual 3.25-inch displays the bigger brother will now come with 4.2-inch displays. It might not sound like a lot, but if you do the math that’s close to 30% bigger. The unit weighs 314g which is 100g more than the DSi and the overall size is 161 x 91.4 x 21.2 mm.

Besides the size and the new battery that claims to offer 13-17 hours of game play when minimum brightness is used, everything else stays the same. The DSi XL will cost about $220 in Japan where it will be available November 21st. The rest of us shmucks will hopefully see the unit sometime in 2010. It would have been nice to have this unit in time for the holiday season, but like most decisions that Nintendo makes wil releases, North America is always last.

Nintendo DSi Get’s Bigger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/30. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Phaser Boasts 300mW Laser

Frank — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:15:23 +0000

Since you can’t walk into to your favorite weapons store and pick up a phaser just yet, hacker Luke decided to build his own. He picked up a toy phaser from Amazon for about $20 ripped out the internals only choosing to reuse the trigger, top switch and battery pack.

The phaser contains two laser diodes which were pulled from a 6x BD-R burner. I sure hope that the burner was broken since purchasing a unit just for the sake of pulling the diodes out to put in a toy gun is very expensive. The two diodes are mounted on a swiveling carriage which can be turned 180 degrees to switch between the diodes. A boost driver is used to bump up the 3v that the batteries provide to 7v to drive the diodes.

Although you won’t be killing Kingons with this unit it does make one cool looking toy. Remember, don’t go firing it in peoples eyes, that will hurt. Check out the video after the break.

Phaser Boasts 300mW Laser originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/26. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY: Build A Solar Power Station

Frank — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:36:06 +0000

Why lug around a generator when you could go green and build yourself a portable solar power station? Okay okay okay, so you’re not gonna the the juice out of this thing that you would out of say a 1500 watt gas generator, but if what you require is less than 400 watts of power then this is perfect for you.

The portable power unit has a solar panel that charges a 12 volt deep cycle battery which then in turn feeds a 400 watt inverter. This will also save you money in the long run. Besides the initial investment in the hardware there is no operating cost to use it. The only thing you require is sunlight, which last time I check is still a-plenty. Especially during the day.

[Link to Portable Power Station]

DIY: Build A Solar Power Station originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

B&N Nook Officially Released

Frank — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:30:16 +0000

Barnes and Noble today officially revealed today their e-book reader, the Nook. So what does it have to offer? It measures 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches and it weighs only 11.2 ounces. It comes with two screens, a 6-inch grayscale e-in display and a 3.5-inch colour touchscreen that sits just under the main screen. It’s got 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity as well as AT&T 3G support. It comes with 2GB of internal storage (that doesn’t sound like a lot, but in reality that should hold about 1500 ebooks), microSD card support for additional storage, what they claim is a battery that only takes 3.5 hours to charge and will give you 10 days of usage, headphone jack, USB connectivity and MP3 player support.

Not only does the Nook let you read your favorite books but it also lets you take notes, highlight passages, listen to music, and create your own screen savers. They will also offer e-book lending and free Wi-Fi when your inside a Barnes and Noble store.

All of this sounds like a Kindle killer but there is one small problem. Not only do we not have Barnes and Noble stores here in Canada, it doesn’t look like the device which can now be pre-ordered for $259 will be offered to us Canadians. Looks like i’ll have to make a trip into Buffalo to pick mine up once they hit store shelves.

[Link to Nook.com]

B&N Nook Officially Released originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/20. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Sega Gen Mobile

Frank — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:36:30 +0000

Do you remember the Nomad? Sega’s first attempt at a portable gaming device that allowed you to play Sega Genesis games? No? Let me refresh your memory. It was big, bulky, had terrible battery life and cost almost $200 and that was 10 years ago.

In today’s world you can pick up the Genmobile for under $60. It isn’t made by Sega but the AtGames Gen Mobile is fully licensed. As well as playing classic Genesis and Mega Drive cartridges, the Gen Mobile comes with 20 built in games including Sonic Spinball, Golden Axe and Altered Beast. It also has TV out so you can play all of these classics on your TV.

If your not into the tiny 2.5-inch screen you can also grab the Gen Core. It’s by far the smallest complete Genesis system ever.

You can head on over to Stone Age Gamer and pick up the Gen Mobile for $54.90 or the Gen Core for $39.99. If you want to expand your 8/16 bit game horizons why not look at the Gemie X760+.

Sega Gen Mobile originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/17. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

iPhone Keyboard, Sort Of

Frank — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:12:18 +0000

Not quite ready for mass production or very easy to build, but if you really really really have a problem typing on your iPhone or iPod Touch you can build one of these “keyboard for your iphone” adapters.

By using an Arduino, a 9 volt battery, an iPhone breakout board, and a PS/2 keyboard, Ben Kurts built this keyboard adapter for his iPhone. The Arduino reads the keyboard input and converts it to a serial signal which is then pulled in by the iPhone via VNC. Not exactly a clean way to get it done but you can be rest assured that you’ll be one of the few people around who has an external keyboard for his/her iPhone or Touch.

iPhone Keyboard, Sort Of originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/16. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Nuclear Battery In Your Pocket

Frank — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:30:16 +0000

Yep, you heard me correctly, a nuclear battery. Researchers at the University of Missouri have created super tiny nuclear power sources that can be used as batteries. Dead gadgets and XBox 360 controllers will soon be a thing of the past.

The secret to these tiny power plants is the use of new liquid semiconductors instead of solid ones. Don’t think you can run out and pick a set up at Radio Shack just yet. The current focus is on powering nano electromechanical systems not your digital camera. Which in my opinion might be a good idea. We have all heard of cell phone and laptop batteries exploding, imagine if something goes wrong with one of these. You’ll have a lot more to worry about than burn wounds.

Nuclear Battery In Your Pocket originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/08. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Drill Powered Outboard Motor

Frank — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:15:11 +0000

This is a ridiculously simple way to create a drill powered outboard motor. Another crafty Instructables user shows us how he uses his cordless drill to power his boat. The drive shaft is a 10 mm wire rod that is connected to a right angle drill which drives a 3-blade propeller.

Drive time might be limited since running a drill at full tilt for prolonged periods will quickly drain your battery so you’ll have to extend it’s life by adding an external battery. Then all you will need is some solar panels to change that external battery and you’ll be set.

Drill Powered Outboard Motor originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/08. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Pedal Powered USB

Frank — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:23:25 +0000

Most people who own gadgets that are USB powered have a billion different charging cables. A USB cable to use with your computer, a few wall warts to change your stuff at home or at the office, a car USB charger, hell, some of us even have battery powered altoid tins to charge our iPod’s and Cell Phone’s. What about the poor folk who ride their bikes everywhere they go? Do we have something for you.

Now you can build this not so easy and somewhat complicated device that will charge your gadgets as you pedal around town. Originally created by a group of guys using a grant from MIT. The device, which was originally planned to charge your mp3 player as you run ended up evolving into a bicycle based charger.

If you want to attempt this yourself, you’ll need about $275 and some advanced knowledge of electronics. Although this project isn’t for the faint of heart, if you ride a bike all the time you can charge everything you have on you. Plus, it’s super green and allows you to do your part to help mother nature.

Pedal Powered USB originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/05/14. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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DarthCast

Frank — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:26:11 +0000

Looks like Ben Heck has been raising some crafty apprentices. Only a few months after Ben Heck Forum member hellraizer churned out an impressive portable Nintendo 64, he has struck again by crafting an handheld Dreamcast using a Lazer Doodle shell like he did with the N64.

Inside the chassis he jammed a Dreamcast, Quantam controller, PSOne LCD screen, power supply and what must be some serious battery power. All-in-all you get about 3 hours of game play, which is better than what I get on my PSP. Check out the video after the break.

[Link to DarthCast]

DarthCast originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/10/16. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

T-Mobile G1 – First Official Android Phone

Frank — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:27:08 +0000

It’s official and it’s here (okay, not in Canada just yet). The first official smart phone running the most anticipated OS since the iPhone, Google’s Android. With a beautiful screen and full QWERTY keyboard, what more can you ask for. Read on for all the details and watch the video for an in-depth look at the OS. Then decide what you think.

Screen – 3.17″ 65K colour touchscreen that runs is HVGA (480×320)
Battery - 5 hours of talk time, 130 hours of standby time
Camera - 3.1 MP
Networks - GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi/UMTS/HSDPA and built in GPS
Storage - 1GB MicoSD pre-installed, Support for up to 8GB
Dimensions - 4.60″ x 2.16″ x 0.62″

T-Mobile G1 – First Official Android Phone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Chinavision’s Projector Cellphone

Frank — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:45:12 +0000

3M just announced that their MPro110 tiny projector would hit the market in late September. This was awesome news for people who are on the road a lot and have to lug around projectors to do presentations. But did you know that Chinavision is already selling a tiny projector? Built into a cell phone no-less.

The Projector phone is a tri-bank unlocked GSM phone that come with all of the features you would expect in a smartphone. Touch screen, camera, bluetooth, microSD card slot, and a 640×480 projector that claims to project images up to 46″ in width. Check the video out and judge for yourself just how good the image is.

The phone isn’t small by any stretch, and comes with the worst “wanna-be” iPhone OS I have ever seen. You get a 1800mAh battery which should provide you with up to 3 hours of talk time and about 2 hours of projector use. For $370 you really can’t go wrong if your on the road and traveling light means something to you.

[Link to Projector Phone via OhGizmo!]

Chinavision’s Projector Cellphone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Meet The Peek

Frank — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:00:24 +0000

Meet the Peek, a $100 device that will deliver you your email anywhere you can get cell coverage for $20/month. Think of it as a poorman’s Blackberry. This looks like the perfect device to pick up for some fun hacking projects.

OS – Peekux
CPU – CPU is an embedded 104Mhz ARM7 that is part of the Texas Instrument Locosto chipset
Bands – US Triband GPRS (800, 1800, and 1900 Mhz)
Data – GPRS (Packet Data standard in GSM)
Memory – 8MB of user memory
Display – 2.5 inches (320 x 240 pixels (QVGA), 65k colors)
Dimensions – 4.0 x 2.7 x 0.4 in (102 x 68 x 10mm)
Weight – 3.8 ounces (109 gm)
Battery Life – 4-5 days under typical usage

I hope they decide to roll out this device in Canada. I’d love to get my hands on one and make it do something it’s not supposed to do.

Meet The Peek originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Apple Sept 08 Event: Wrap Up

Frank — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:30:48 +0000

Now that the “Let’s Rock” even has come and gone, let’s take a look at what Apple has brought into our laps.

HD TV Shows

Right off the bat Steve announced the arrival of HD TV shows to the iTunes store. The shows will cost you $2.99 a pop (instead of the $1.99 you pay for SD shows), but unlike HD Movies, HD TV shows can be watched on your computer, not just an Apple TV. Also, after a much publicized breakup, NBC is back. I wonder if they came back on hands and knees.

iTunes 8

The newest version of the worlds greatest music management software was also released today. A new Pandora-like “Genius” feature is now included that can generate playlists of songs that go together based on a seed song you pick. I’ve been playing with this tonight and my Genius seems quite stupid, but I’m sure they will smarten him up in the next update.

New Nanos

We all saw it coming. Kevin Rose let the world know a few weeks ago that the “Zune” like nano would make an appearance at todays event, and it did. The new nano is “the thinnest iPod” ever made. It has an oval, tapered shape with a black wheel. The new Nano can also create Genius playlists on-the-fly without the need to connect to iTunes. You will also get a built in accelerometer like the iPhone and Touch so that you can view Cover Flow art, photos, and video when turned sideways.

New iPod Touch

The new touch has the same 3.5″ display but is thinner with a tapered stainless steel back. The touch will also gain integrated volume controls on the side and a built in speaker. You will also be able to channel the Genius without the need of iTunes. The new touch is rated for 36 hours of music and 6 hours of video. 8GB for $229, 16GB for $299, or 32 GB for $399.

OS 2.1 for iPhones and iPod Touches

Rolled into all of the excitement today, Steve also announced the arrival of the 2.1 firmware for both the iPhone and iPod Touch. The major update includes fixes for better battery life, dropped calls, backing up speed, and general bug fixes.

One More Thing

The was no “One More Thing”. Too bad, I was hoping a rev on MacBook Pro’s since my son spilled a full bottle of water on my MacBook Pro yesterday. I guess I will have to go out now and just buy whatever the local Apple store has in stock.

Apple Sept 08 Event: Wrap Up originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/09. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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How To: Make A Water Gun Alarm Clock

Frank — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:20:07 +0000

Having trouble waking up in the morning? If you are anything like me then anything short of an earthquake just doesn’t cut it. I know that shooting yourself with a water gun to wake you up might not be the smartest of ideas, but then again you could always keep some soap near the bed and shower at the same time.

To build your very own Water Gun Alarm Clock you will need the following …

battery operated alarm clock
motorized water gun
some 16 gauge wire
wire strippers
voltage relay switch
breadboard circuit
soldering gun

You could really clean this design up if you have some soldering skills by soldering the wires right to the relay switch, but you have to have some nimble hands to make sure you don’t short anything out.

How To: Make A Water Gun Alarm Clock originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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USB Pen Charger

Frank — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:45:16 +0000

With almost every gadget from your cell phone to your camera being charged via a USB connection, why not have the ability to charge these gadgets in your pocket, your shirt pocket to be exact.

The charging pen is a fully functional ballpoint pen that can also function as a cell phone and usb charger. It only needs a single AA battery to provide your phone or iPod with an extra 100 minutes of usage. It comes with a variety of connectors to charge almost any cell phone or USB device.

You can pick up the One Battery Mobile Charger Pen at the Gadget4all store for $19

USB Pen Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/30. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Leaked Shots: Asus N10

Frank — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:44:26 +0000

The N10 is Asus’s next gen EEEPC. The N10 will feature the same Intel Atom N270 processor that the previous EEEPCs had so we can expect equal or better battery life and appears to be constructed out of high quality plastic with a glossy finish.

The biggest improvement is a gorgeous 10.2 inch display with a glossy coating on the screen instead of the anti-glare coating that most users complained about. Other improvements include a bigger hard drive, 320GB to be exact, and the addition of a thumb-print reader.

Speculation lead us to believe that this unit will hit store shelves with a price tag of somewhere between $500 and $640. I’ll be waiting….

Leaked Shots: Asus N10 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/28. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Nokia N85

Frank — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:59:48 +0000

Yummy Yum!. Nokia has just unveilled the N79 and N85 (pictured above). The N85 has a 2.6″ AMOLDED screen, GPS, 5 megapixel camera, is N-Gage compatable, 8GB of microSDHC storage, WiFi, and a battery that claims to go for 28 hours when listening to some tunes.

The N79 replaces the N78, similarly bumping the cam to the big five em-pees with a dual-LED flash, GPS, 4GB microSDHC storage, WiFi, swappable back covers, and a 24-hour music playback battery life.

These are all good and great but when will we actually see something that will knock off the iPhone?

Nokia N85 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/26. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

iPod 2 iPod Transfer

Frank — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:06:44 +0000

Have you even run into a friend who has a song on their iPod that you have been dying to find? Unless you’ve got some time and they have their computer with them then your SOL, unless you have the iPod 2 iPod Transfer Device handy.

This device allows you to quickly and easily transfer music, video, and pictures from one iPod to another iPod without the use of a computer. It automatically recognizes when you plug in iPods (either Mac or PC formatting) on either end, and it can transfer a three-minute song in five seconds and a 30-minute video in three minutes. The device can also transfer any files when the iPods are set to “disk drive” mode. Its rechargeable battery provides up to 1 1/2 hours of operation during transfers, and includes an AC adapter that recharges the device in four hours; iPods are recharged while connected.

You can pick up this piece of pleasure at Hammacher Schlemmer for $99.95

iPod 2 iPod Transfer originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/26. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Solar Powered NES, Genesis & Gameboy Emulator

Frank — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 04:52:07 +0000

I’m a huge old school gamer. NES, MAME, Super Nintendo, Gameboy, you name it (I’m really showing my age here), so much so that I must have gig’s of roms (all legal of course) and emulators on every machine that I own. Well, this portable media player is right up my alley.

The EM-SOL2GIG is a solar powered media player with a twist. It can play MP3s and MP4s as well as emulate the NES/Famicon, GameBoy Color, and SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis. It’s also got a built in text-to-speech system so you can have all of those e-book read to you, instant audiobook.

The portable unit offers a 320×240 display and is about 1″ thick. The large solar panel can also be used to charge other gadgets as well as the unit’s internal battery.

You can pick up this unit over on Amazon for $169.99.

Solar Powered NES, Genesis & Gameboy Emulator originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/24. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Charge Your Batteries While You Walk

Frank — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:21:21 +0000

Everyone has seen solar gadgets that provide juice to electronics or charge batteries up, but these units require you to be in a good source of sunlight for hours on end just to get a bit of juice. While some people might be outdoors most of the day, the majority of people aren’t in the woods for hours on end.

This little gadget put a spin on the idea of alternate energy. The M2E Power charges up a set of batteries by using kinetic energy. Strap this little unit to your belt while your walking or running and it will collect energy from your movements.

There still is no news on availability or pricing, but this is a great idea on harnessing some of that kinetic energy you produce every day.

[Link to M2E Power]

Charge Your Batteries While You Walk originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Stretchy Fabric USB Connection

Frank — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:03:06 +0000

Ever wonder how to carry current in fabric? Me either, but if you have ever wanted to make your own e-style vest with all of the wires hidden this is perfect. Imagine having your iPod in one pocket, a battery pack in another, and your headphones all connected together with the wiring sewn right into the fabric. Plusea on on Instructables has put together a detailed write-up on making a USB cable partly out of stretchy cotton fabric. If the idea of having an e-style vest doesn’t rock your boat you could always wire up a jacket that shocks you every now and then, if you are into that kind of stuff of course.

[Link]

Stretchy Fabric USB Connection originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/15. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Portable Cell Phone Jammer

Frank — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:45:46 +0000

Nothing drives me more insane that people who wonder around in public places yapping on the cell phones at sound levels that could make you deaf. This little device will easily quite your immediate area from those idiots who think their phone conversations should be broadcasted to the whole world. I would like to mention that this is illegal pretty much anywhere in the world, but it’s almost worth the risk.

As you can see from the picture this device is about the size of an iPhone, but don’t let the small size fool you, this portable cell phone jammer will create a field of cellular silence that’s 32 feet in diameter. The Jammer blocks most frequencies including GSM850, EGSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900, CDMA800, WCDMA/CDMA2000, PHS, DECT and even 3G. You’re only going to get about 1.5 of jamming from the battery, but that should be good enough for your bus ride to and from work everyday.

At a price of $246 you’ll be spending more money to block an iPhone than to actually purchase one.

[Hand-Held Portable Cell Phone Jammer]

Portable Cell Phone Jammer originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/14. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

In Car Mircowave

Frank — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:28:27 +0000

Because putting on make-up and texting on your cell phone isn’t enough while you drive, you can now heat up your burritos too!. Maplin, which is something like a British Radio Shack, has rolled out a portable microwave oven that can be run from your car’s lighter socket. This might just be perfect for tailgaters and truckers, not to be strapped into your front seat so that you can heat up yesterdays leftovers while you are driving.

The instruction manual reads … “It is advised that you start the vehicle prior to using the microwave to improve cooking times and prevent the car battery from becoming discharged.” Translation: This sucker uses a lot of juice.

You can pick it up right now for around $180

Maplin

In Car Mircowave originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Thanko USB Charger

Frank — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:43:40 +0000

Thanko has just release their new USB charger that will charge almost everything from cell phones right up to gaming consoles. It comes with a huge handful of adapters to charge almost any gadget. You can even charge the battery on your video or still camera by simply removing the battery and adjusting the terminals on the Thanko charger to match the battery.

Itâ€™s got all of the standard indicators to let you know when stuff has been fully charged. The Thanko USB charger can be picked up in Japan for about $18.

Thanko USB Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/15. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Spore Gets Release Date

Frank — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:29:30 +0000

The much anticipated Spore finally gets a release date. After what seems like years after it was announced, Spore will hit shelves on September 7th of this year.

You will be able to pick it up for the PC, Mac, DS, and mobile platforms. Iâ€™m hoping like many other people that spore will also come in an iPhone flavour so that I can waste even more of my precious battery.

Spore Gets Release Date originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/13. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Apple Entering The Gaming Market?

Frank — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:38:31 +0000

On February 5th of this year, Apple filed to protect and amend their trademark in relation to â€œhand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer gamesâ€.

Click here to view the trademark application

Could this mean that Apple is getting into the handheld gaming business or is this a simple extension of their patent to cover gaming on their iPods? Remember that Apple posted a job in September of last year for a â€œGame Producer/Designerâ€. This too might just be for the iPod line of games, or it might be their continuing effort to take over the world.

Apple Entering The Gaming Market? originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Massive iPod Headphones

Frank — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:58:34 +0000

I have a hard time keeping my white ipod earphone or my Shure E3â€™s. I find them to small to keep in my eye, they slip out all the time, maybe I need a set of these to pluck into my ears. The 500xl speakers look just like the plain headphones everyone gets with an ipod, except 500 times the size.

They are battery or AC powered and can get audio via USB or mini-jack your pick.

[Via WorldWideFred]

Massive iPod Headphones originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

How To – Make Printed Circuit Boards

Frank — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:04:02 +0000

Printed circuit boards are rugged, inexpensive, and can be highly reliable. They require much more layout effort and higher initial cost than either wire-wrapped or point-to-point constructed circuits, but are much cheaper, faster, and consistent in high volume production. You can generally make a project a lot smaller by using a circuit board just like we did on Digital Underground when we built the Altoids USB Battery charger.

MAKE has an awesome write up on various methods of creating your own printer circuit board. Personally I have always been an etch man myself, but some of these other methods are quite interesting as well. Like using UV light and a milling machine.

Link to article

How To – Make Printed Circuit Boards originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Handheld Gaming Powerhouse

Frank — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:55:50 +0000

I love me my portable gaming (yes the English was bad on purpose). I always have my DS and PSP stuffed into my backpack (along with every other portable gadget I own) just incase I am stuck somewhere and I have to kill some time.

I can already play NES and Gameboy games on my PSP if I choose by way of some crafty home-brewed software, but what I canâ€™t do is play them in the park on a nice sunny day without killing my battery.

This portable gaming device not only plays games from the three classic Nintendo systems, it runs on the power of the sun (hence my whole park and sun analogy above). Right out of the box this unit can handle NES/Famicom, Gameboy and Gameboy colour titles, as long as you can get the ROMs onto an SD card which the unit uses to store the games. Iâ€™m sure if you use Google in a crafty manner you too can figure it out.

Along with all the retro-gaming fun, the Mobile Power Station plays most popular audio and video formats. The unit features a 3.5â€ colour display, 2GB of built in memory and an SD slot for up-to another 2GB. Did I also mention that the unit can also display (or speak) e-books, has a built in voice recorder, and even a tiny LED flashlight. Heck, it even has a USB out so that you can use the solar cells to charge other USB devices.

What are you waiting for? Grab one from Chinavision for $123.

Handheld Gaming Powerhouse originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2008 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Gadgets | Explore more in: ac, audio, avi, battery, book, car, case, chinavision, display, ds, ea, emulator, flash, flashlight, game, gameboy, games, Gaming, gba, gbc, google, handheld, house, id, led, light, mobile, nes, nintendo, os, portable, power, psp, solar, time, tiny, tor, ui, usb, video | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Improve Your Cell Phone’s Battery Life

Frank — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:09:05 +0000

Cell phone batteries generally fail on you when you need them most. You know, when your on the road traveling and can only charge your phone at night when you get back to your hotel room.

Wikihow has a great article on how to make your cell phone battery last longer. You can increase time between charges by turning the phone off at night when you go to bed, not using the vibrate function on your phone, and not searching for a signal when there obviously isn’t one to be found. You can prolong the life of your battery by fully charging a new battery before you use it, keeping the battery cool by not leaving your phone sit out in your purse in an overheated car, and by cleaning the battery contacts on both the battery and on the phone itself.

Most new batteries donâ€™t suffer from the same pitfalls that their predecessors did like charging memory, or burn out when overcharged, but most of the tricks in the article can help you squeeze the most juice out of that battery.

[Via DIYLIFE]

Improve Your Cell Phone’s Battery Life originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/21. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Cordless Drill Battery Charger

Frank — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:23:12 +0000

Here’s a great video showing you how you can use your cordless drill as a hand crank charger for batteries. You just never know when your stuck in the woods and need to charge up your batteries for your flashlight. Looks like I will be putting my cordless drill in the truck of my car just in case something like this is needed, lol.

[metacafe]http://www.metacafe.com/watch/967302/crank_charge_your_batteries/[/metacafe]

Cordless Drill Battery Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/09. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Skype for the PSP?

Frank — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:12:15 +0000

Are all of the rumours true? Will my PSP once again become a usable device (actually I do use it quite frequently to watch video, it has an awesome battery life and great screen). Seems like this screen shot was snapped from Sony’s 2008 CES website and it’s something that is definitely not out yet. Also, you need to keep in mind that there has also been some confirmation earlier last year via a decrypted firmware that Skype was on it’s way to the PSP. If I had to put my money on it then i’d say hell ya.

Skype for the PSP? originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/03. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

EEE PC Goodies

Frank — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 04:29:11 +0000

I’m a huge fan of the ultra portable and ultra hackable Asus EEE PC. In a few upcoming Lab With Leo Laporte TV Episodes i’ll be showing off a few of those hacks, so I was extremely delighted to find out that some cool accessories have been announced for my new favorite machine.

The range will consist of a mouse, headset, travel adapter, and a choice of 2 battery extension packs. There are multiple colour choices for the mouse and headset, but it seems that the travel adapter and battery pack will only be available in white which really sucks since my EEE PC is black. I know you can get mice and earphones from any old place, but will they match your super cool EEE PC?

Prices and shipping haven’t been announced yet, but expect to see these on your store shelves in early 08.

EEE PC Goodies originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/12/30. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Duracell Mobile Charger

Frank — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:50:55 +0000

It was only a matter of time for battery companies to get in on the business of charging you gadgets on the go. With that said Duracell has launched it’s Mobile Charger for charging any devise that is powered by USB.

Link: iLounge

Link: Duracell Press Release

Duracell Mobile Charger originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/10/04. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Best of the week – Sept 17 – 23

Frank — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Mac Errors (Frank)
Unofficial Linux Support For New iPods (Frank)
Make it all portable: Thinstall it (Rob)
VMware goes flash with 3i (Rob)
Wii to get Turbografx Titles (Frank)
USB 3.0 to promise 5 Gbps (Frank)
6V Battery hack (Frank)
NES Clone – Good cheap memories (Frank)

Best of the week – Sept 17 – 23 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/09/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

GSM Phone Line Interceptor

Frank — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This tri-band phone and room interceptor is capable of monitoring just about any landline call, regardless of whether they are incoming or outgoing and transmitting conversations to your location via GSM. It is smart enough to detect voices in a room automatically, using its extremely sensitive microphone to transmit the ongoing conversation. The internal li-ion battery has a 72 hour standby time and a talk time of 3 hours per charge.

This is some scary ass sh%t, almost CIA/NSA style equipment. I give it a thumbs up and think that everyone paranoid person should own one.

GSM Phone Line Interceptor originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/09/21. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Best of the week – Aug 6 – 12

Frank — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

iPhone unlocked, almost (frank)
Flashlight that will make you puke (frank)
Daily Free File – Coconut Battery (mike)
NES controller for your iPod (frank)
NES on your iPhone (frank)
Multi-Touch Macbook (frank)
Blackjack, Save $840 a year (mubix)
Facebook source code leaked (frank)
Robotic Bartender (frank)
Laptop battery hack (frank)

Best of the week – Aug 6 – 12 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/08/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2007 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Tech News | Explore more in: ac, battery, book, control, controller, ea, ebook, facebook, flash, flashlight, Gaming, hack, hacking, images, iphone, ipod, jack, laptop, light, lock, Mac, macbook, make, nes, os, phone, rc, robot, security, touch, unlock | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

Great Laptop battery hack

Frank — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The one thing I love about the web is the amazing things you stumble across and the many things you learn. I stumbled across this laptop battery hack when I was trying to figure out what to do about the dead battery on my old Toshiba laptop that my wife and kids use from time to time. Forget about forging over $100+ to get a replacement battery, this little video will show you hoe to do it for less that half of that. Not only will you look good by saving money, but it will make you a hero for doing it yourself.

Great Laptop battery hack originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/08/12. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Bluetooth Adopts New Core Version

Frank — Unknown, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The board of directors over at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced the adoption of Core Specification Version 2.1+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate). The new spec is set to make device set-up faster and increases batter life of bluetooth devices.

Other key enhancements include…

Improved Pairing – The new pairing process enables all consumers to quickly setup their bluetooth devices. “Man in the middle” protection eliminates the possibility for an undetected middle man intercepting information.

Enhanced Power Optimization – The 2.1+EDR upgrade offers further optimized power consumption through a feature called Sniff Subrating which increases current battery life by up to five times in many devices like mice, and keyboards.

Link to press release

With all of these new snazzy improvements porn via bluetooth is only a step away.

Bluetooth Adopts New Core Version originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/08/01. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

9V Battery Flashlight

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

How ridiculously simple and effective is this. Three super bright LED’s are housed in a small plastic cap that attaches directly to a 9V battery. There is also a small power button that allows you to leave the light connected without draining the battery.

The 9V battery flashlight will be available in October for about $10. The only fear I’d be having is losing the damn thing.

9V Battery Flashlight originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Sugar powered batteries

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Last week we saw the urine powered batteries now from one of the worlds largest battery manufactures, Sony, we see a battery that generates electricity from sugar. The device works off the same principles found in living organisms. Test batteries show the ability to produce 50 milliwatts – currently the world’s highest level of power for a passive-type bio battery. You’d need 4 of these to power you mp3 player or cell phone, but this could be a great advancement for people who have pace makers, convert carbohydrates directly from the body to power up your ticker!

Sugar powered batteries originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Urine Powered Batteries

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I’m all for finding better ways to protect our environment. I recycle, I proper dispose of dangerous chemicals, and I make sure that all of my used batteries are properly disposed, but this one has to take the cake. The NoPoPo batteries are actually powered by urine. Apparently a single urine powered AA battery can power a flashlight for about 20 hours. The battery comes with a plastic pipette that allows you to inject urine into the battery chamber.

I guess drinking all that beer might just have good effects on our environment, the more you drink the more you can power. My fear with that line of thinking is that the more you drink the harder it also becomes to use the pipette properly, nevertheless you can’t win them all. The urine powered battery from NoPoPo is available only in Japan.

Urine Powered Batteries originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Small Fry 1,000,000 Volt Mini Stun Gun

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

It’s small and packs a serious punch. It’s called the Small Fry and don’t mess with it. It can shoot out 1,000,000 volts and can easily barbeque someone. It comes with a rechargeable battery system (at least it’s environmentally friendly) and a safety button to prevent accidental discharges that could kill you. You can pickup this power house for $79.95

Small Fry 1,000,000 Volt Mini Stun Gun originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

How To: Portable Cell Phone Jammer

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to shut those people up who ride on the bus or subway with you? You know, the people who decide that everyone around them should be annoyed by their conversations. Here’s an awesome project that let’s you build your very own personal cell phone jammer. This project is recommended for advance hobbyist only. There is quite a bit of tiny soldering involved.

An internal lithium-ion battery provides up to 2 hours of jamming (two bands, such as cell) or 4 hours (single band, such as cordless phone, GPS, WiFi, bluetooth, etc). The battery is rechargeable via a mini-USB connector or 4mm DC jack (a common size). Alternately, 3 AAA batteries may also be used.

Please remember that this is for educational purposes only, FCC and CRTC regulation make this type of device highly illegal.

Link to article

How To: Portable Cell Phone Jammer originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Changing traffic lights

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I’m a bit of a skeptic about these whole “Making elevators come fast” or “Changing Street lights quickly” kind of hacks. KipPlay has brought us some interesting videos in the past that have been quite useful, like the Laptop Battery Hack and the Hack Your Remote Control video, but this one leaves me guessing so I put this to you to see if this hack actually works. I haven’t been able to get it to work in the streets of Toronto but maybe some of you out there might get it to work in your town(s). Post your success in the comments section.

Changing traffic lights originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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6V Battery hack

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I go through AA batteries like it’s going out of style. With all the audio equipment we need to power when we shoot Digital Underground, AA batteries are bought by the box. The problem is that it gets very expensive. This little hack will net you 32 AA batteries from a 6V battery. Why spend $20+ for a box of AA’s when you can get 32 of them for about $5.

6V Battery hack originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Coolest Altoids Mod Ever

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I’m a freak about modding Altoids cans (see here) but this altoids mod takes the cake. Greg Sanders has created a masterpiece. Using an old genesis controller and with TV out capabilities you can play the 1984 cult classic PC game “Rogue”. And to top it all off it runs off a single 9 V battery. It is highly unlikely to cause epileptic seizure because it has no flashy graphics.

Now if someone can only get Leisure suit Larry running on it I’ll go and build one for each installment of the series.

Link to Gregs Portable Battery-Powered Roguelike Video Game

Coolest Altoids Mod Ever originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

USB Mini Battery for instant power

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Like I’ve said in the past, there is nothing like a good solid usb charger to help you along the way when you have no electrical outlets available to you to charge all that electronic goodness, which is why the USB Mini Battery from Brando gives you portable, instant power whenever there is no power outlet in sight. It is compatible with the iPhone, a variety of smartphones, digital cameras, cellphones, portable media players, the iPod, MP3 players, CD players, and even portable game consoles like the PSP and Nintendo DS and DS Lite. Just make sure there is a USB charging cable compatible with the device you’re going to charge before picking the USB Mini Battery up. The li-ion battery has a capacity of 2200mAh, and measures 70mm x 35mm x 21mm, making this an essential portable item to bring on your travels. It retails for $36 a pop.

USB Mini Battery for instant power originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Pandora’s Battery: Un-Brick your PSP

Frank — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

The PSP has by far been the most hacked and modded portable console ever. The PSP has seen quite the share of hacks over its very short lifetime, but this latest hack from the kids at N00bz could very well be the biggest ever, promising to do nothing short of unbricking all bricked PSPs. They key to it all is to turn an ordinary PSP battery into a so-called “service mode trigger battery.

To make one of your own, you’ll of course need a spare battery, as well as a working homebrew-enabled PSP to get it up and running. Once you have that, and after running some software on the PSP and on a PC, you should have a battery and memory card combo ready to bring any bricked PSP back up and running with the v1.5 firmware.

There’s a detailed write up on the n00bz site here.

Pandora’s Battery: Un-Brick your PSP originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 1999/11/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.