Dec 22

Modder mods new fangled wireless keyboard to look like old timey one

Posted in: hack, Hacks, keyboard, mod, mods, peripheral, Peripherals, Today's Chili, wii
Before you laugh awkwardly at the weird sense of nostalgia this keyboard dredges up in your mind, let us introduce you to its wonders. Apparently modded by a Dutch man or woman courageous enough to admit that (like us) they prefer the pretty much extinct, giant, tactile-as-all-get out keyboards to newer, more streamlined models, this mod takes away the only gripe we ever had with such peripherals — namely, their wiredness. The enterprising DIYer’s taken a Logitech wireless Wii keyboard apart, mapping all the key codes along the way, thrown in a little basic soldering, wedged everything into the old keyboard and voila! Pretty magical, right? Well, okay — not really, but still — we sort of dig it. There’s a before shot after the break, and hit the source link for the poorly machine translated how-to.

Continue reading Modder mods new fangled wireless keyboard to look like old timey one

Modder mods new fangled wireless keyboard to look like old timey one originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 17

Starlight 64 stakes its claim for ‘world’s smallest’ N64 mod

Posted in: diy, gaming, hack, mod, nintendo, portable, Today's Chili
Until that iPhone N64 emulator guy makes with the goods, it looks like folks wanting the full Nintendo 64 experience “on the go” are going to have to turn to the generous talents of the modding community. Claiming to be “officially” the world’s smallest (we don’t know who the sanctioning body is for this title, so we’ll let him duke it out with the N64Mini guy), YouTube member spiritwalker47’s portable console is quite a number: featuring a 5-inch display, polycarbonate case with all the necessary controls, and a presumed battery life of three hours or so, the Starlight 64 is perfect for all your portable retro gaming needs. In addition, this guy has a docking station that throws composite video, S-Video, and up to four controllers into the mix. Ready to see the thing in action? Of course you are. Video’s after the break.

Continue reading Starlight 64 stakes its claim for ‘world’s smallest’ N64 mod

Starlight 64 stakes its claim for ‘world’s smallest’ N64 mod originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 16

Intel announces Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge winners

Posted in: CoreI7, intel, mod, Today's Chili
Well, you know Intel just wasn’t going to let NVIDIA have all the fun with its casemod design contest, and after a few weeks of voting, the chipmaker has now announced the winners of its own Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge. Not surprisingly, there are a few familiar cases among the winners — including the lovingly crafted Mission-style PC casemod and the OS Xbox Pro (deserved winner of best video) — but there’s also plenty of designs we haven’t seen. That includes the Best in Show winner from modder “Duck,” whose fire engine red system pictured above uses dry ice cooling to allow for overclocking up to 5GHz, and the boombox mod from jj_sky5000, which won the award for best creativity. Hit up the link below for a closer look at those, and the rest of the winners.

[Thanks, Jeffrey]

Intel announces Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge winners originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 14

Barnes & Noble Nook torn down and rooted — but still respected

Posted in: Android, barnes and noble, barnes noble, BarnesAndNoble, hack, hacking, Hacks, mod, nook, Today's Chili
Barnes & Noble might be pitching the Nook to the literary set, but it turns out the Android-based dual-screen reader is pretty hacker-friendly as well: both the OS and filesystem are stored on a microSD card. That means the newly-formed crew at nookdevs has already managed to root what they describe as the “generic” Android 1.5 build that’s hidden under the Nook’s navigation UI, and they say the device can do “everything a rooted Android phone can do.” That’s certainly intriguing, especially since the Nook has a data-only AT&T 3G modem and WiFi to go along with that capacitive touchscreen and E Ink display — can you say “potential”?

[Thanks, Andy]

Barnes & Noble Nook torn down and rooted — but still respected originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 08

UK man builds life-sized Dalek, furthers intergalactic evil

Posted in: diy, hack, mod, remote control, RemoteControl, robot, Today's Chili
Sci-fi fandom and the DIY ethic go hand in hand — and for evidence, you need only look at the large number of Star Trek and Star Wars-themed projects we’ve seen in this space over the years. Still, few of them have achieved the scope of the full-sized Dalek that Rob Bosher built for about £700 (roughly $1,140). Powered by an electric wheelchair and constructed mostly from wood, this guy can be piloted via remote control and even features working lights, a moving eye (a reconstituted magic eight ball) and a voice modulator for the creepy, alien order to “exterminate.” When not trying to slowly (very slowly) populate the earth with a robot army bent on universal conquest and destruction, Bosher hopes to use his project to make money for regional charities.

Continue reading UK man builds life-sized Dalek, furthers intergalactic evil

UK man builds life-sized Dalek, furthers intergalactic evil originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 07

Chumbophone proves that even Chumby can go retro (and like it)

Posted in: diy, hack, mod, phone, Retro, Today's Chili

For the seasoned DIYer, there’s hardly anything that can’t be done with a set of Chumby Guts. For a seasoned DIYer with a set of Chumby Guts, an old clock, a few brass horns and a Dremel tool, there’s absolutely nothing — save for spare time and determination — standing between him / her and a homegrown masterpiece such as the one you’re peering at above. Etsy member AbrahamBook’s latest creation is a WiFi-enabled widget monster that is shoved within a half vintage, half steampunk-styled enclosure. The Chumbophone doesn’t actually seem capable of making calls via the integrated horns, but we’d sure love to see a version that was. Not that we’re trying to force any ideas down your throat or anything…

Chumbophone proves that even Chumby can go retro (and like it) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 07

N64Mini makes claim to ‘world’s smallest’ portable N64, is still rather husky (video)

Posted in: hack, mod, portable, Today's Chili
N64Mini makes claim to 'world's smallest' portable N64, is still rather husky (video)

The N64 has been dead for two Nintendo console iterations now, but the dream for the portable version the company never created still lives on. We’ve seen plenty of homemade creations, but the latest from modder Zenloc claims to be the world’s smallest at 120 x 200 x 50mm. As it turns out it isn’t, the Retro 64 mod from earlier this summer is slightly smaller, but you’d need particularly large pantaloons to mistake either as pocket-sized. Sadly this one has ditched its D-pad in the quest to shave off a few inches, but we think it otherwise looks quite nice, and the modder hopes you will too, as he’s put the thing on eBay — humorously listed as “refurbished.”

Continue reading N64Mini makes claim to ‘world’s smallest’ portable N64, is still rather husky (video)

N64Mini makes claim to ‘world’s smallest’ portable N64, is still rather husky (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 03

In-wall USB charger is as cheap as it is ingenious

Posted in: charger, diy, hack, hacking, homebrew, mod, modding, power, Today's Chili, usb

What you’ll require here is about 30 minutes’ endurance, a $10 budget, and a good reason why you’d want to swap some good old versatile wall plugs in for USB-only power outlets. Once you’ve got all that sorted, it’s a quick skip to the source link, where you’ll get step-by-step instructions on converting to “the future” of power distribution. And hey, just to help you justify all that expenditure of effort, we’ve got a whole category devoted to the cornucopia of most awesome devices you can power via USB. Kudos gained for clever design, kudos lost for relatively redundant outcome.

In-wall USB charger is as cheap as it is ingenious originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 07:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 03

DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art

Posted in: diy, hack, Hacks, mod, mods, Today's Chili

We’ll freely admit to having a love / hate relationship with Christmas lights and decorations. The sheer gaudiness of it all often turns our “bah humbug” nature inside out, revealing the awe struck “inner child” we hear so much about from people like Martha Stewart and Oprah. Regardless, an artful DIYer’s taken the outdoor Christmas lighting game to the next level. Making use of an ioBridge IO-204 module, an Arduino Wave Kit, an Arduino Duemilanove board, solid state relays, and the Oracle Application Express for connectivity, he was able to get his internet controlled light and music show on the road. Check out the final results — which feature 3,300 mini lights, 3 spotlights, an LED Rope, 4 LEDs, and one magical reindeer — in the video after the break. Hit the source link for full instructions if you want to get in on the holiday action yourself.

Continue reading DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art

DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 02

Phone-O-Scope brings SLR lenses to the iPhone the hard way

Posted in: diy, iPhone, lenses, mod, Today's Chili
We’ve seen a few iPhone camera mods and even the odd off-the-shelf case with interchangeable lenses — but why buy new lenses when you already have some perfectly good ones for your SLR camera? That’s the thinking behind this so-called Phone-O-Scope built by camera modder Bhautik Joshi, at least, which makes use of an always handy laser pickup from a CD player, some PVC pipe couplers and, of course, duct tape to let you attach any regular SLR lens to your iPhone. As you might expect, however, the end result isn’t exactly flawless, but the Bhautik does seem to be happy with the “fuzzy, Holga-like images” he’s able to get with the rig. Judge for yourself after the break, and find the details for building your own at the link below.

Continue reading Phone-O-Scope brings SLR lenses to the iPhone the hard way

Phone-O-Scope brings SLR lenses to the iPhone the hard way originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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