tech.nocr.at » controller

Super Mario Bros – Backwards

Frank — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 02:52:46 +0000

As a true gamer you must have already finished the original NES version of Super Mario Bros. You have probably already finished it in a variety of ways like fastest game, collecting all the coins, or killing all the turtles. Why not try beating it in reverse as well.

Much like reading in the western world, the original game was played from left to right. Hacker JJ decided playing Super Mario Bros the traditional was was boring and went about reversing the horizontal deflection coil wires of an old CRT TV which produced a mirror image.

Play the game backwards wasn’t enough, he also swapped the buttons on his NES controller just to get the full experience. I wonder if this is how people play games in the UK

[Link to Backwards Mario]

Super Mario Bros – Backwards originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/23. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

PSP Phone Caught On Video

Frank — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:24:10 +0000

Last week we showed off some video of the yet to be announced PSP Phone (which has been dubbed the Xperia Play). Now we have stumbled on some video of the actual unit in action.

Funny enough the above video shows the unit running an Android app called ROM Buddy PSX, which is a PSOne emulator; which I doubt will be built into the phone. The game play looks real smooth and the controllers seem quite responsive, a definite plus.

Regardless, the more I see this phone in action the more I want one. I would scratch my Android itch and allow me to play my PSP games. Killing two birds with one stone.

PSP Phone Caught On Video originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/10. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY: Mini MAME Cabinet

Frank — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:47:14 +0000

We have showed you in the past how you can build your own MAME arcade cabinet, but if you are lacking space for a monster arcade machine this mini MAME cabinet would be perfect for you.

Modder Ed had an old netbook lying around and decided to slap this together as a Christmas gift for some family members. Using an Asus eeepc 901, some Happ Controls buttons and a joystick, and an iPac 2 Player controller Ed drafted up some plans and started cutting.

The mini cab runs Maximus Arcade which an awesome front-end for multiple game emulators, not just MAME. It makes running a cab a snap; it installs on Windows and does everything for you including auto starting and hiding the Windows interface.

Check out the video of the mini MAME cabinet in action. I don’t have the space for a full size cab in my house with all the kids toys but I defiantly have space for this.

DIY: Mini MAME Cabinet originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/09. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Fling iPad Joystick

Frank — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:54:30 +0000

It’s no surprise that the iPad has taken off as a mobile gaming platform. The only downside to all that mobile gaming is the lack of a physical joystick. Virtual on-screen keyboards are okay for certain games but if you are into any type of sports or driving games using the virtual joystick can be a major pain. Ten One Designs aims to change all that with Fling, a tactile game controller for the iPad

You simply stick it onto the screen of your iPad using its removable suction cups, and you end up with a real analog stick. It’s made our of transparent flexible resin so you can see through it, accept when you are using your thumb on it but the same can be said for the virtual joystick.

The unit will run you about $25 and comes with its own microfiber case that can be used to clean the screen. Ten One is accepting pre-orders of the Fling starting January 6th.

[Ten One Desgins' Fling]

Fling iPad Joystick originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/04. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Video Of The Playstation Phone

Frank — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:51:02 +0000

We talked about a Japanese newspaper reporting on the details of the new PSP Phone last week and now we have stumbled across some nice and clear video of the unit running. YouTube user “xxmajstor” displays this Android powered beatuty. More reason to drop my iPhone and move to the new PlayStation Phone

This video is of the Sony Ericsson ZEUS-Z1 “PlayStation Phone”. The unit looks like it has L and R shoulder buttons and a volume control right in the same location as the PSP-Go. The slide out features some game controls including the reported “touch strip”. If the video wasn’t enough, pay close attention to the presence of a PlayStation controller icon on the screen.

Video Of The Playstation Phone originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2011/01/02. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Ben Heck Show Is On The Air

Frank — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:14:31 +0000

You by now already know who Ben Heck is. We have featured his awesome mods time and time again here on tech.nocr.at. Ben now has his very own internet TV show. The Ben Heck Show started airing yesterday on element14 and is pretty cool. In his first episode, Ben builds an Xbox controller for a gamer who only has one hand and starts work on his Xbox 360 laptop mod which will be stretched out over a few episodes. Definitely a must watch.

[The Ben Heck Show]

Ben Heck Show Is On The Air originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/09/14. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Sonic Screwdriver Wiimote

Frank — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:17:24 +0000

Playing Dr. Who in a game is cool, but playing one while using a Sonic Screwdriver is even better. Later this fall the Wii will be getting a title called Doctor Who: Return to earth and the BBC has teamed up with a peripheral maker to create a Sonic Screwdriver Wii controller.

Playing the game which will feature the likeness of the current Doctor (Matt Smith) and his sidekick Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) should be fun whilst holding the infamous Sonic Screwdriver. I bet it would be even better if you could get a Tardis in your living room as well.

[Via Official Nintendo Magazine]

Sonic Screwdriver Wiimote originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/09/07. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

NES Controller With Android

Frank — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:31:18 +0000

Now that mobiles phones have advanced to the point that they are great gaming machines why not have a proper game controller to enjoy them? That’s an itch that hacked Sk3tch just had to scratch. By hacking together an original NES controller, an Arduino and a blueSMRF Bluetooth module he was able to use the controller via bluetooth and even demo’s the hack by playing Super Mario Brothers 3 in an emulator in the video after the break.

He says that the mod it Alpha at best, but from the video it looks great to me. All he needs to do now if slap everything together in a nice case or better yet, find a way to put all of the components in the NES controller itself.

NES Controller With Android originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/09/03. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Arduino Powered RC Lawnmower

Frank — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:04:25 +0000

As a male who owns a home with a lot of grass there is nothing more I hate then cutting the grass on a hot sweltering day. Since my son is only three and he can barely reach the mowers handle I’m SOL with getting him to do it.

Maybe I should build this awesome radio controller Arduino powered lawnmower? I can just sit in a lawn chair and drink a beer while the Lawnbot 400 does all the heavy lifting for me. I would quickly become the envy of all the males who live on my street. Check out the video of it in action after the break.

This instructable will show you how to make your Arduino into an R/C interface that you can use for just about anything requiring remote control. I will also show you how I built an R/C lawnmower using my Arduino, a cheap R/C transmitter and receiver pair, and a couple of electric-wheelchair motors from Ebay. I have used this interface to control anything from basic LED’s to Bipolar stepper motors, mini-robots, lifeless R/C cars from the thrift store, and even a 100lb lawnmower (all with appropriate motor controllers). It is very flexible and easy to change and very simple to set up.

[Link to Lawnbot build tutorial]

Arduino Powered RC Lawnmower originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/03/18. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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DIY ROV Submarine

Frank — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:54:00 +0000

This yellow submarine isn’t exactly the same one as John and Paul sang about but it is an extremely impressive DIY ROV submarine with built in camera.

Made completely out of PVC pipes with some pumps tossed in to help it move and sink, this project and easily be put together by anyone with some spare cash and time.

The entire sub is controlled by an Atmel Mega32 microcontroller. The video fee and system control is fed to the surface using a cable (they say that wireless video as well as leak detection and torpedos is a future add-on).

This is a great project that will bring you hours and hours of fun.

[Link to DIY ROV Submarine]

DIY ROV Submarine originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2010/03/16. 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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DIY: Star Trek Bluetooth Communicator

Frank — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:15:24 +0000

How could a week go by without us talking about some sort of Star Trek reference or gadget? Now if you really want to ~~be singled out as a dork~~ show your love for Star Trek why not build yourself this bluetooth Star Trek communicator? I’m not talking about those wussy TNG communicators, I’m talking about the old school plastic molded with mesh screen original series communicators. (Check out the video after the break).

Makezine has a great detailed write up on build your very own super geeky handset.

I thought it would be fun to have a Star Trek: The Original Series Bluetooth communicator for a cellphone. I worked with Dave Clausen to hack one together from a toy Star Trek communicator, a Bluetooth module, and a microcontroller.

If you pair this us with a phone that does voice dialing then you could easily walk around town with you phone nowhere to be seen. Imagine all of the ~~beatings~~ looks you will get as you walk down the street talking into this iconic device.

[Link to Make a Star Trek Bluetooth Communicator]

DIY: Star Trek Bluetooth Communicator originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/11/07. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Open Source DS Bluetooth Adapter

Frank — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:58:31 +0000

Gordan Savicic and Gottfried Haider of DSbrut have just released their open source bluetooth adapter for the Nintendo DS. The adapter will allow the DS to interface to other bluetooth devices like GPS units and keyboards. This should really open up the homebrew scene.

Almost two years in the making, we’re happy to finally release our DS Bluetooth adapter. The tiny Slot-1 cartridge allows you to hook up the Nintendo DS wirelessly with other devices such as GPS-receivers, robots and so forth. Today we’re making all materials of the project openly available, including the schematics and a GPL-licensed software library for the Nintendo DS, because we believe in open hardware design and want to encourage collaboration in the hardware hacking community.
In our design, we use a tiny ATmega168 microcontroller to make the Nintendo DS speak to the RN-41 Bluetooth SMD module by Roving Networks. Using this piece of hardware the Nintendo DS can scan its neighbourhood and establish connections to other Bluetooth devices (supporting SPP). The module can also be remotely connected to, allowing for a range of interesting applications. We also developed a software library for the Nintendo DS, making it easy to use this new Bluetooth interface.

[Link to Open Source Bluetooth DS Adapter]

Open Source DS Bluetooth Adapter originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/20. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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Black Wii For The Brits

Frank — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:41:11 +0000

Those lucky kids across the pond in the UK will be getting the limited edition black Wii on November 6th, bundled with Wii Sports Resort no-less. Nada for us Wii loving fans here in North America. Just more proof that Nintendo does not love you.

The limited edition bundle will include a Wii-mote, nunchuk, MotionPlus peripheral, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. We here on our side of the Atlantic will be getting the black Controller Pro though.

That’s okay Nintendo, if we want a black Wii we can just spray paint our current units. Not as if it will look good or anything like that and don’t even get me started on the possibility of streaking. Come on Nintendo, can’t we just get the black Wii too. Pretty please?

Black Wii For The Brits originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2009/10/20. 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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SNES Controller Mod For The PSP

Frank — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:48:15 +0000

A crafty hacker received a request to adapt a SNES controller to a PSP. The requester has limited use of one hand which made the PSP controls to difficult for her to use, but she had no problem playing with an SNES controller.

Born from that request is this clean mod. A port in the back of the PSP allows for the SNES controller to function. The neat thing is that the SNES cable and connector on the back also act as a “stand” for the PSP so you could comfortably sit back and enjoy your favorite PSP game.

[Link to SNES PSP Controller Mod]

Sometimes the PSP’s controller just, well, sucks.

SNES Controller Mod For The PSP originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/10/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

LED Hard Drive Clock

Frank — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:03:09 +0000

There have been many “Clocks” built out of old hard drives, but this one has to take the cake. Ian Smith this super cool clock from an old hard drive he had laying around. By using some tri-colour LEDs, a PIC microcontroller, and some simple vision techniques he has built something that not only functions as a clock but as a pie chart by the looks of it.

The platter has a slit cut through it so that as the disk spins the illumination of the LEDs shine through. Due to the speed (5400 RPM or about 90 revs a second) the eyes are tricked into seeing a colour. So by turning the LEDs off and on at just the right time you can make this thing display a clock, pie chart, or any other circular art you can think of.

[Link to LED Hard Drive Clock]

LED Hard Drive Clock originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/10/20. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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.

250GB NES Cartridge

Frank — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:32:52 +0000

This one is perfect for all you retro gaming fans. NES Cartridges have been repurposed to be many things; ash trays, gaming consoles, even coasters, but now a crafty modder has jammed in a 2.5″ 250GB SATA drive inside with a usb controller. Although this isn’t the worlds smallest portable hard drive, it is one of the coolest.

If you want to bump up your geek cred then you can actually purchase this one for $180 on Etsy

250GB NES Cartridge originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/10/06. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Atari 2600 + Guitar Hero = Atari Hero

Frank — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:31:18 +0000

What happens when you smash an old Atari 2600 and a Guitar Hero guitar together? The Atari Hero of course. Conner over at Slippery Brick has done just that. This crazy casemod is a real beauty. The guitar is wrapped in a custom circuit board pattern, and in place of the strum bar is a tiny (i mean real tiny) LCD screen so you can enjoy all of that 8-bit action. If that wasn’t enough for you, he also embedded the fire button in the neck of the guitar and added a custom joystick and paddle controller right into the body.

It took Conner about 2 months to build this slick casemod and by the looks of it it was totally worth it. The unit plays any classic Atari 2600 game you can throw at it. The whole thing is powered by a couple AAs. I wonder how much game time you get with only two AAs powering an LCD and the Atari itself. Probably not that much.

Now if someone could only jam a 360 or PS3 into a Guitar Hero guitar so that you could play Guitar Hero on your Guitar Hero guitar. A boy can dream, can’t he?

[Link to Atari Hero]

Atari 2600 + Guitar Hero = Atari Hero originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

NES Controller Sockets

Frank — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:18:06 +0000

Been hacking up various old NES units just to get a hold of the controller connectors for your mod projects? Look no further because for the very first time you can buy the controller connectors by themselves. Parallax has just released a 7-pin socket connector that is compatible with the classic NES. For just $2 a piece you can now start the process of jamming your classic NES in everything from a toaster to a pack of smokes (now that would be impressive).

[Via Make]

NES Controller Sockets originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/27. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY: WiFi Robot

Frank — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:01:46 +0000

Jon Bennett has created a WiFi controller robot that can be controller via the internet or from a computer up to 500m away. The robot is built from an RC car that he picked up at a thrift store, a Linksys WRT54GL router running the Open-WRT firmware, a network camera. The bot can be powered by two different type of micro-controllers: the PIC microprocessor or an Arduino. You can use whichever one your are more comfortable with. If you follow Joe’s guide, it shouldn’t cost you that much to put together. Check out the video after the break of the bot in action.

The goal of this article is to give a high-level overview of the project and provide some implementation details of the software and electronics. It is not meant to be a step-by-step how-to guide, but there should be enough information for someone with motivation and some background knowledge in electronics and software to be able to make their own Wifi Robot. All of the source code is being released under the terms of the GNU GPL v2, so by all means, use the code, and improve it!

You sure could have a lot of fun with this project. Maybe at some image processing code so that it can figure out where the sidewalk ends and can make it’s own decision to turn right or left.

[Link to WiFi Robot]

DIY: WiFi Robot originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/21. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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DIY: Laser Tag System

Frank — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:52:30 +0000

Remember all the fun you had as a kid playing with that Laser Tag system your parents got you from Consumers Distributing? Well you can now relive all of that excitement including point the laser at someone’s eye with the DIY Laser Tag system.

The homebrew system uses a few cheap laser pointers stuffed into a toy gun and a PIC16F628A micro-controller that connects up to a peizo transducer which produces different beeps. It even has a 5 pin header on the device that can be connected to a programmer fo in-circuit programming.

[Link to DIY Laser Tag System]

DIY: Laser Tag System originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Oscilloscopes Hacked To Run Tetris

Frank — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:53:03 +0000

Sure, you could always use a scope to do some trouble shooting or displaying various electrical signals, but why would you ever want to do that when you could play tetris on a machine that costs a1000x the cost of an original GameBoy.

Created by engineer Lars Pontoppidan, this hack essentially uses the ATMega 32 micro-controller so that you can play the classic block stacker on an oscilloscope. The addition of an Atari digital joystick to control the game is a nice touch. Check out the video after the break.

Oscilloscopes Hacked To Run Tetris originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/15. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Xbox 360 Wireless Interface

Frank — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:04:11 +0000

A crafty hacker on the benheck forums decided that building a portable Xbox had been done so instead he decided to build a wireless video interface for his Xbox 360. The device acts more like a “thin client” and streams whatever his Xbox is playing. The unit has a 1.2GHz A/V receiver and the guts of a wireless controller. It’s powered by two 2600mAh batteries running at 7.5V and even has it’s own built in charging circuit.

It’s a crafty build and great for playing Xbox games while wondering around the house. Plus, it will keep your girl friend/wife off your back for hogging up the TV.

Xbox 360 Wireless Interface originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/15. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Super Genintari – 4 Game Stations In One

Frank — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:43:43 +0000

Big retro gamer? Emulators no fun? The wife upset because you have 8 consoles hooked up to the family TV? Well then the Super Genintari is just right for you. The Super Genintari combines 4 classic arcade systems into one unit. An Atari 2600, NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis are rolled into one package.

You can have all 4 system cartridges plugged in at once and it only requires a single AV cable, which makes switching between Sonic and Super Mario Brothers a breeze.

The whole box measures about 14″x10″x5″ and is made entirely of transparent bronze acrylic, formed and shaped on a homemade strip heater. All of the openings for the buttons, cartridges and controller ports were carefully cut with a cordless Dremel. The face buttons are clear acrylic domes with each system’s logo epoxy glued in place and back-lit with orange LEDs when pressed. The entire system is incredibly easy to hook up, consisting of only one standard power cord and one A/V cable. It’s a little on the large size considering the room needed for all the boards, cartridge connectors and built-in transformer, and there’s also the fact that I refused to use clone systems since I wanted 100% compatibility and faithful reproduction. (No Yobos, Super Joys, etc.)

[Link to the Super Geintari]

Super Genintari – 4 Game Stations In One originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/11. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

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NES In A Toaster: The Nintoaster

Frank — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 02:48:28 +0000

I love hardware mods. The idea of taking one thing and then using your imagination and hands to make it unique unlike anything else truly is an art form. This crafty hacker took an old NES and put it inside of a toaster. I just hope nobody at his place tries to actually toast bread with it. Video after the break.

I had an awful lot of people suggesting that my previous project (the Super Genintari/Leviticus) looked like a toaster. I then discovered that I had an extra NES and toaster laying around and knew what had to be done.
Ripped all the main guts out of the toaster and replaced them with an NES board, some orange LEDs, AC adapter and controller ports. Kept the front lever functional as the main power on/off switch and the crumb tray just for fun. Composite audio/video jacks are on the rear of the unit. The temperature knob does nothing.

[Link to Nintoaster]

NES In A Toaster: The Nintoaster originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/09. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY: PSX to USB

Frank — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:40:05 +0000

Here’s a great project to make use of your old PSX controllers that you might have laying around the house. Izuna posted some details on building a micro-controller that is using an ATmega8 chip to convert the signal from a PSX controller to USB.

Sure, you can buy an extensor and cut the cable, but you can also buy a PSX to USB adapter for cheap if you want. This is not the point, the point here is make something yourself (and if you have the rights tools beforehand, this is cheaper than buying the adapter [At least I think it is in Brazil]).
[…]
The circuit is very simple, the Atmega8 do all the work, there is just some resistors and zeners to meet the standards for USB protocol, the oscillator crystal and some filtering caps

[Link to USBJoy]

DIY: PSX to USB originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/09/05. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

How To: Build A Giant Floor Mat NES Controller

Frank — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:42:51 +0000

Who need’s Wi-Fit when you can get some aerobic exercise 8-bit style. Put your feet to work with this giant floor mat NES controller. Here’s what you will need to get the job done.

an NES system and controller (of course)
3×5 foot piece of cardboard
46 feet of insulated wire
a roll of aluminum foil
clear packing tape
32 sheet of construction paper
some grey, red, and black felt
soldering gun
patience and time to watch this video

Just image playing Track and Field on this bad boy. I’m sure you’d get a better work out than you would on the Wi-Fit.

How To: Build A Giant Floor Mat NES Controller originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/30. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DIY: USB Switched Power Strip

Frank — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:26:23 +0000

Instructable user toymotorhead cobbled together this USB controller power strip to ensure that his devices turned off automatically when he shut down his computer as well as turn them on once he turned his computer on. All-in-all he spent about $30 on the contraption.

The unit consists of a solid state relay, some fuses, and some transient voltage surge suppressing diodes. The unit is also isolated from the motherboard to protect his computer from any unwanted nasty power spikes. The unit current just switches the power supply off and by by measuring the current of the usb connection and doesn’t use any fancy software to control the unit.

It’s a fairly easy project to build, but remember, your working with some high voltage here so make sure to take all precautions necessary so you don’t fry yourself.

[Link to building a USB switched power strip]

DIY: USB Switched Power Strip originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/18. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

NES PC Casemod

Frank — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:20:18 +0000

Here’s another NES mod, not quite like the “Wii in an NES” mod that we featured a few days ago, but this “PC in an NES” mod is a stealthy and slick one never-the-less. At first glance you would see nothing more than the beloved 8-bit gaming system some of us grew up with, but under the hood you will find a fully functional Windows PC load with emulators so that you can play original NES games and games from other consoles.

The modded console hides a four-port USB hub that snaps cleanly to the original NES expansion port on the bottom, allowing for a variety on non-NES controllers to be connected as well as having the original NES controller ports rewired to work with the PC’s USB system. To really keep this modded system truly old school, the unit can only be connected via composite video, maintaining that old-school blurry image that concealed some of the graphic flaws of older games.

To get an idea what went on with the design, you can read up on the mod here.

NES PC Casemod originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/17. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DVD/NES Mod

Frank — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:40:57 +0000

I’ve been dying to actually put my old NES up on the entertainment unit but when you try to explain the gameplay and graphics to your wife and kids when you already have a Wii and 360 hooked up, well, you can imagine.

Now if I slapped my DVD player into it then they would have no choice but to use it (can’t pull my wife away from her House Season 2 DVD’s).

The owner thought just the same thing, why not slap a DVD player into it. He even hacked the DVD player remote and slapped it into an NES controller. Sweet. Video after the break.

DVD/NES Mod originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/06. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

PS2 Hack Simulates Fatigue

Frank — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:20:44 +0000

I’ve sure seen my fair share of console game controller hacks, but never one like this. The guys at Near Future Laboratory have been working on a hack for a PS2 controller that will making gaming more “realistic” by simulating fatigue. By wiring in the ever versatile Arduino platform to the PS2 controller’s DualShock 2 analog stick and some crafty code they were able to tweak the output signal ever so slightly so that the longer you play, the slower your character moves.

Crazy, yes I know, but if they could only cause you fatigue the longer you play … What am I thinking, maybe they should give all of us bigger boosts of energy so that we can play longer!

Link – Near Future Laboratory

PS2 Hack Simulates Fatigue originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/08/02. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Activision Files For DJ Hero Patent

Frank — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:12:22 +0000

The maker of the popular Guitar Hero franchise has recently filed for a trademark for the name â€œDJ Heroâ€.

The trademark makes reference to software to be released with a special controller, leading us to believe that we might soon be rocking out to an Oakenfold or Van Dyk techno track on a Xbox 360 enabled turntable.

What will they come up with next? Why not car wash hero? With a real scrub cloth?

Activision Files For DJ Hero Patent originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/19. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Build Your Own Witness Camera

Frank — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:39:08 +0000

Looking to beef up security around the house or office? Looking to catch them kids who are messing up the front of the house? Why not build your very own Witness Camera?

“The Witness Camera is a combination of a VGA CMOS camera, a passive-infrared movement sensor, a 1 GB SD-card (or bigger), and an AVR Mega32 microcontroller implementing a solid-state time-lapse recorder. It is a compact, complete, self-contained surveillance system designed with home users in mind. It can be installed in minutes wherever there is a mains plug, and it is affordable because of it is built using an handful of inexpensive parts.”

[Link via Make]

Build Your Own Witness Camera originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/08. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Use An NES Controller On Your PC

Frank — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:00:36 +0000

Hacked Gadgets has a great how to in their forums on getting an original NES controller wired into your PC. Why would you want to play Castlevania with the keyboard when you could smash some buttons on the original NES controller?

â€œInstead of just playing the old NES games on a PC using a keyboard or modern joystick why not wire in one of the original NES joysticks and play the games like they were meant to be enjoyed! He wired the joystick into the parallel port and wrote some custom interface software using Free Basic.â€

There is a complete write on including all the software you need to get it going here.

Use An NES Controller On Your PC originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/29. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

USB Controlled Colour Changing Light

Frank — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:50:32 +0000

The guys over at DYI Life have an awesome project to light up your life, a USB colour changing light controller. This little circuit will mix the light from high-powered LEDs to create more than 16 million colors. You can either hook it up to a USB port for complete control of your personal light show or allow the smooth auto-fading crystal to cycle the colours for you.

This is definitely not for beginners (although I think any beginner should be fine if they take their time and follow the detailed steps), but its a great toy to have for parties or to add some super cool lighting to your decor.

All you need, including detailed step-by-steps and project files are available at DYI Life.

USB Controlled Colour Changing Light originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/26. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

White PS3 On It’s Way

Frank — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:38:50 +0000

With absolutely now added benefit outside of the aesthetic one, the ceramic white PS3 is on itâ€™s way to North America. According to an FCC filing that has surfaced, the white PS3 with matching controllers and a 40 GB hard drive should hit the market anytime soon.

This will put a dent into the PS3 case modding industry. I guess big box hardware stores will take a hit on the sales of metallic white paint.

Unknown yet as to the date of arrival or price, but if I had to guess Iâ€™d say mid March with a price tag of $399

[Via Engadget]

White PS3 On It’s Way originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/22. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

How To: Upgrade Your Old Mac To Run OS X

Frank — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:22:24 +0000

Now that the 24th anniversary of the Mac is upon is, and now that Macworld is literally just around the corner, why not a fun and cool hack to get that old 512k Mac you may have lying around or sitting in the closet put to good use?

The hack allows you to still use the original Mac 512k keyboard and mouse, and by using an Atmel AT90USB162 to create a standard USB HID device the keyboard and mouse appear as standard USB devices, as will any modern USB deviceYou don’t even have to spend countless hours coding drivers for the custom micro-controllers that make it all work, it’s available right on the site.

[Via Hackaday]

â€œThis is a Macintosh 512k which I upgraded to run OS X by replacing the innards with a modern Mac Mini and various supporting components, including a grayscale CRT monitor, an LS-120 floppy disk drive, and a microcontroller-based USB device that interfaces the Mini to the original keyboard and mouse. Why? Mainly because I wanted to experiment with creating a custom USB device. Also I guess I wanted to waste hundreds of dollars and countless hours building a semi-useless computer with a 9 inch black and white screen and no arrow keys.
The most interesting part of the project for me was the circuit that allows the old original keyboard and mouse to be used with the Mini. It is based on an Atmel AT90USB162 microcontroller, which is basically a standard AVR ÂµC with a special coprocessor dedicated to USB signaling. It comes with a C library that makes it relatively easy to create USB devices like HID keyboards and mice, speakers, storage devices, etc.â€

How To: Upgrade Your Old Mac To Run OS X originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/14. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2008 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Mac | Explore more in: ac, AVR, bra, cat, circuit, computer, control, controller, drive, ds, ea, hack, ical, id, ir, irc, key, keyboard, keys, Mac, mac 512k, mac mini, make, mini, mod, monitor, mouse, nda, os, os x, pen, proc, rc, rim, scale, signal, speakers, tor, ui, usb, useless, white | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

MacHeist – 12 Days Left

Frank — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:56:56 +0000

The uber-ly popular MacHeist is back, and you only have 12 days left. For those of you who don’t know what MacHeist is, it’s a way to purcahse a bunch of apps together at one low price.

Based on the number of packages that are purchased more applications are unlocked for your loving. For example once they hit 5,000 bundles sold they will unlock CSSEdit. As for Snapz Pro and Pixelmator we will only know the number of bundles require after the 5,000 for CSSEdit has been hit.

Confused yet? I was, but if you stroll on over to macheist.com you’ll get a better flavour for how all of this works. It has been greatly successful in the past and you get some awesome software for $49. At the time of this release here are the packages that are already available.

1password – Password Manager
Coversutra – iTunes Controller
Cha-Ching – Money Management
iStop Motion – Stop Motion Video
Awaken – Alarm Clock for your Mac
Speed Download+ – Download Manager
AppZapper – App Uninstaller
TaskPaper – Task Management
CSSEdit (5,000 buys) – CSS Editor
Snapz Pro (Locked) – Screen Capture
Pixelmator (Locked) – Image Editor

If you haven’t jumped on this great bundle of software then do it now. I want my Pixelmator.

MacHeist – 12 Days Left originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/01/11. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Gen-X Genesis and NES in One

Frank — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 19:01:14 +0000

Sure, nowadays you can probably find knock off NES and Sega Genesis gaming units at most electronics shops or kiosks at your local mall. Hell, you can even purchase units that are little more than joysticks with A/V cables attached to them and play all of the good old NES classics. But, if you grew up in the 80′s like I did with both the NES and the Genesis (I even have a vextrex somewhere in the closet) you miss the old nostalgic feel of blowing the dust of our the cartridges and slamming them into your unit just to get them to play.

Enter the Gen-X Dual station. The console has two dedicated slots which support original cartridges from the classic 1980s gaming systems. Word on the street is that itâ€™s compatible with pretty much any Genesis or NES game you can throw at it, including Japanese titles. The system comes with everything you need, including a pair of controllers and A/V cables. While you canâ€™t connect an original NES controller, the ports are compatible with SEGAâ€™s original controllers.

Expect to dish out about $60 for the old time feel which is still cheaper than most titles today.

Gen-X Genesis and NES in One originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/12/31. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

Best of the week – Aug 27 – Sept 2

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

How To: Make a USB Air Conditioner (Frank)
Free File: SpaceMonger (Rob)
How To: 360 Controller with a PSP (Frank)
Network Magic: Easy Mac and PC networking (Frank)
How To: Build a Night Vision System (Frank)
Image retargeting (Rob)
Microsoft puts the smack down on AutoPatcher (Rob)
Hidden Flight Sim in Google Earth (Frank)
Apple and NBC get divorced (Frank)
iPhone goes *poof* during Unlocking (Frank)

Best of the week – Aug 27 – Sept 2 originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/09/03. 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

Nintendo Mouse

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

Is there anything the awesome NES controller can’t do? This awesome little hack project can be done with a cheap old mouse and an old NES controller. I wonder what else you could stuff in an NES Gamepad. An MP3 player? A camera? An entire cheese pizza?

Nintendo Mouse originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2007/08/10. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

DigialDJ’in – Denon’s DN-HC4500