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Started in 2004…The Dark Blade looks like it was entirely made from milling lots of metal: the hard drives have o-rings to absorb sound/vibration. The finished project is so amazing, you just need to look at all the pictures and video. [via] Link.

Huh, I didn’t know this was going on…As you might know, Linksys released the source code of the WRT54G firmware under GPL a while ago. Sveasoft (as well as other projects like WiFi-Box) took this code, added some features and patches and released an improved version of the firmware. This worked fine until one day, Sveasoft decided to close their firmware from public access and to charge 20$ from anyone who would want to download the code. So far so good, however since the GPL allows free redistribution of the obtained program (in this case firmware), one of their customers decided to put the firmware binaries on a P2P network, making them available for everyone. I don’t know who this person is, but I thank him for his kindness and in order to help people out, I decided to mirror those files on this website. Link.

You’ve probably seen how that modern circuit boards are all made with the new (or maybe I’m just old?) surface mount technology, or SMT. Well, what’s a guy supposed to do when he wants to salvage SMT components from such “modern” boards? The commercially available hot-air tools are quite expensive, in the hundreds of dollars, some even thousands. Hmm. I wonder if I could make one…why not? The following is a not-yet-complete story of one in the making. Link.

Oldie but goodie- It’s no secret among Mac users: We have been left out of the Media Center PC world. Solutions like EyeTV offered a bridge to turn your Mac into a TiVo like device, but what many of us haven’t realized is that many large cable companies have been providing us with most of what we need to turn our Macs into flexible video recording devices. What’s more, because of the powerful video features built in to Mac OS X Panther (10.3) we can even capture the high quality video and audio contained in HDTV feeds… Link.

This fellow was bored, so he added a USB drive to a toy car. I think the USB drive, being cheap and tiny, is a great way to get into electronics and modding. The devices and subsequent mods are collectable, wearable and personal–this one has wheels. Link.

The cardboard speaker a quick and dirty look at a DIY project- goals: light, cheap, portable, battery powered option, loud, bass, dirt cheap. Wow, this uses all sorts of thrown out speakers, duct tape, card board- our type of project! Link.

Tons of routers, many hacked up and modded from everyday things. Is it hard to build a router? Not really, it just takes time and patience. If you’re already running a router, then you’re probably the type of person to enjoys tinkering with things, so why not try making that router look good? If you’re stuck or need advice, then just search for help here in our FAQs, Guides, and forums. Someone will always try to help you in the forums! If you want to do more of the advanced stuff, then some experience with tools like a Dremal & soldering iron is recommended and basic knowledge of computers & electronics. Link.