Long-time MAKE reader Adam Ben-Dror carefully reskinned a 2.4 Ghz cordless phone handset with a 90-year-old candlestick telephone. A DTMF converter in the base preserves the function of the original rotary dial. Calls are begun by lifting the earpiece and ended by hanging it up. As Adam writes, “the only sign that anything has been altered is the missing cord.”
The XBee XB24-Z7WIT-004 Series 2, from the Maker Shed, improves on the power output and data protocol over the Series 1. It takes some time to set up the ZB family of modules but when you do they allow reliable point to point, mesh, and compatibility with other ZigBee compatible networks.
With short range wireless technology becoming increasing prevalent in the various cards we hold in our wallets, Serge Negrashov decided to make his own radio frequency shielded wallet to block any potential wireless data snoops. He used extremely strong Kevlar-Nomex as the fabric and painted the inside with silver epoxy to give the wallet its shielding quality. If you’re looking for a budget version, he says that regular epoxy with a layer of tin foil might work as well. What do you think of RF shielded wallets? Better safe than sorry or overboard paranoia?
The XBee Internet Gateway (XIG) is a Python script for Digi’s ConnectPort wireless to ethernet gateway which lets you connect your XBee wireless modules to the internet fairly easily. Jordan Husney, lead programmer of the XIG project, has started releasing a series videos all about XIG and what you can do with it. In the first video, Jordan introduces XIG and walks through the process of setting up the gateway. The XIG is also discussed in Rob Faludi’s Building Wireless Sensor Networks and is a core component of my own Networked On Air Light project. If you’re looking for a way to put your project online using wireless mesh networking, be sure to check out XIG.
Our friends over at iFixit recently tore apart a Motorola Droid Bionic to check out what’s inside. Surprisingly, the new 4.3″ handset was a breeze to strip down, with only eleven screws to get down to the board.
FabFi is an open-source, FabLab-grown system using common building materials and off-the-shelf electronics to transmit wireless ethernet signals across distances of up to several miles. With Fabfi, communities can build their own wireless networks to gain high-speed internet connectivity—thus enabling them to access online educational, medical, and other resources. [Via Ponoko]
YaNiS EOS is a free app, currently in beta, written by “Manis,” a physics student at the University of Luxembourg. The hardware stack consists of an Arduino, a USB host shield, and an SPP-compatible Bluetooth module.
