Andrew writes- “I started this project when I had an idea to use a Mac to switch a solenoid on/off to control sprinklers around the house. Unfortunately I never took it that far, but I have been able to control a few other things, like a model train around the Christmas tree. Here I have documented how I did it.” Link.
MAKE was nominated in the best crafts blog category for the 2006 bloggies. Thank you so much to everyone out there who nominated us, and now that we’re up there – head on over and vote for MAKE! Today is the last day to vote!Link.
CK sample of PSP Hack the book fame has a great how-to on using the eLoader to run homebrew on the PSP – “The solution isn’t in the form of a downgrader, but rather in the form of an eLoader (EBOOT loader) that lets you use Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories to run homebrew on a PSP with version 2.0, 2.01, 2.5, and 2.6 of the firmware. Not all homebrew will run via this method, but there is a rather easy to read compatibility chart and I’m sure more things will begin working in future releases of the eLoader.” Link.
Greg from DIY has some tips on mouse modding “…there may be some interest in modding a mouse, so it is important to understand how they work. You may want to control the cursor for some sort of a project. A rollerball mouse has has a ball that rolls on the desktop when you move the mouse. This movement turns a wheel that has small spokes in it. There are two different infrared LEDs, and two different infrared detectors per wheel, and there are two wheels per mouse. One wheel controls up and down, and the other one controls left and right.” Link.
If you know Flash, you can make games for that slick little U10 “The iRiver U10 is a new portable media player from Reigncom Ltd. whose entire user interface is implemented in Flash Lite 1.1. This means the player itself is embedded in the operating system. The device has the ability to play back Flash SWF files that you transfer to the device using the included USB cable. The device’s unique form factor and UI make it particularly well suited for simple Flash games. The device has a four-way navigational control built into the display screen. To press Up, Down, Left, or Right, you actually squeeze the edge of the screen, which produces a slight tactile click and sends a keyPress event to the Flash Lite player.” Link.
BBC’s article on turning that old record collection to MP3s “With all the talk of MP3 and digital formats, it is easy to forget that music started off as analogue, on records. Chris Long shows how you can drag those magic vinyl masterpieces into the digital age.” [via] Link. Also check out what our Makers posted about this here.
Great Maker project for CD burning automation – “Building some sort of gadget that changes the CDs in my cd tray is something I have often thought about. Mostly in the context of ripping my CD collection or burning a backup of my 5 gig photo collection. My first thought was to come up with something extremely simple, with no electronics. Ideally, the motion of the cd tray would trip some sort of mechanism that would eject the CD from the tray and insert the next one. After months of thinking, I still hadn’t thought of a mechanism that had a hope of actually working.” Link.
