Hasta La Gadget!

We don’t do a whole lot of reporting on ancient weaponry here, because, well, it’s a little dated — but throw in an Arduino and a servo, and you’ve got our attention. Take, for example, this miniaturized trebuchet. Constructed from a series of click-in-place pieces known as Blocklets, the little launcher is basically a standalone slingshot. With the addition of the aforementioned components, however, it becomes a motorized annoyance for anyone and anything that stands in its way. The folks behind the tiny trebuchet tested its capabilities against a sculpture similarly built from Blocklets, but we prefer the challenge of a moving target. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait to get all medieval with this thing, as Blockets haven’t quite made it out of the funding stage yet.

Blocklets’ Arduino-powered trebuchet could be your cat’s worst nightmare (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 08:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This, friends, is a work of art. Above is a stunning, fully-functional recreation of the original Donkey Kong arcade cabinet — and it’s only 8.25 inches tall. The accomplished modder Bender posted his handiwork on the Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum and it’s sure to wow even the most cynical of folks. At the heart of this build is a hacked up GamePark GP2X Wiz running MAME, but it’s the attention to detail, including the printed vinyl decals and light-up marquee, that really pull this (supposedly world’s smallest) 1/8 scale project together. Check out the gallery below and the pair of lengthy demo videos after the break. En garde Mr. Heck!

[Thanks, Brian]

Continue reading World’s smallest Donkey Kong cabinet delivers authentic arcade experience for tiny fingers (video)

World’s smallest Donkey Kong cabinet delivers authentic arcade experience for tiny fingers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, you could opt for a laser tripwire that puts intruders on blast via Twitter, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity of the latest security system to come from Instructables user EngineeringShock. You’ve seen this setup before: a group of mirrors are strategically positioned to bounce a laser beam across an open space, ensuring that even the most nimble of invaders — excepting MacGyver, perhaps — will set sirens blaring. Consisting of a programmable keypad, a laser and detector, a series of six carefully aligned mirrors, and an LED-equipped siren, the system does Hollywood-style security on a budget — the siren being the most expensive element at $20. If you’re looking to lock your stuff down like they do in the movies, follow the source link for full instructions, or check out the video demo after the break.

Continue reading Laser tripwire does Hollywood-style security on the cheap, precious jewels not included

Laser tripwire does Hollywood-style security on the cheap, precious jewels not included originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Practical or not, there is no denying the nerd-gasm inducing wow factor of Microsoft’s Surface. Of course, Surface is expensive — like, unless you’re a millionaire you’re probably not buying one for personal use expensive. There are some DIY solutions out there, but designer and developer Seth Sandler has come up with the cheapest and easiest yet. Built from about $400 worth of material (some of which you probably have lying about your home / apartment / dungeon), the MTbiggie brings big-screen multitouch to the masses. Like the hacker’s previous homebrew multitouch device, the MTmini, there’s nothing particularly difficult to find here. All you need is a couple of chairs, a mirror, a projector, an infrared webcam (which you can easily hack together with some old film negatives and cardboard), a big sheet of paper and an equally large piece of clear acrylic. Just set it all up according to the instructions in the video below and in no time you be finger painting and playing Angry Birds on a screen that dwarfs your iPad — and possibly your kitchen table, too.

Continue reading MTbiggie is a DIY Surface for the masses (video)

MTbiggie is a DIY Surface for the masses (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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