Tag: Open Source

Last year Adafruit showed us how to make the PiGRRL, a Game Boy-inspired handheld NES and MAME emulator. Now the electronics shop presents the Pocket PiGRRL, a multi-console emulator with a case that’s inspired by the Game Boy Pocket.

It’s long been known that you can manually figure out the combination that unlocks any given 40-digit Master combination lock. But hacker Samy Kamkar discovered that the three numbers that open such locks are related to each other.

A few months ago we checked out a custom made 3D printer that folds into a suitcase. If you don’t have the time or skills to build your own, check out the TeeBot. It’s built on the same idea – a portable standlone 3D printer – except you’ll be able to buy one.

Like mobile devices, single-board computers or SBCs are getting smaller and more affordable at a rapid pace. One of the latest in the long line of SBCs is the C.H.I.P., a tiny computer with an even tinier price: $9 (USD).

We’ve seen a laptop and a tablet that are both powered by the Raspberry Pi. Tyler Spadgenske completes the gadget trinity with the Tyfone, a 2G cellphone based on the versatile computer. The Tyfone has a 3.5″ TFT touchscreen, an AdaFruit FONA GSM module, a 5MP Raspberry Pi camera and a 3D printed case.

UberBlox Systems has designed the industrial equivalent of LEGO Mindstorms. Uberblox lets you make machines such as 3D printers, CNC mills and robots using modular parts and controllers that are based on Arduino or Raspberry Pi.

Japanese company Plen Project recently unveiled the next version of its Plen hobby robot. Plen2 is not only more affordable than its predecessor, it’s open source too. Plen Project will even release the 3D files for its parts, so you can print it in any color and even modify it if you want.

Kegan Holtzhausen’s custom modular controller for Kerbal Space Program has his fellow Kerbalnauts over the Mun. He calls it the Psimax CS40 Telemetric Joystick. Adjust your pocket rocket’s pitch and read on. Kegan used a Retex Abox enclosure to house the controller’s modules and then 3D printed the top plates.

Software engineer David Titarenco is working on Game:ref, a small device that identifies mouse-based gaming cheats – such as auto-clicking or aimbots – used in FPS, MOBA, RTS and other competitive games. If it works as planned, it could help secure LAN tournaments and discourage the use of software cheats in online games.

It may not be as cool as Iron Man’s transforming briefcase armor, but Jean-Luc Guillemette’s Case-Rap is still a cutting edge suitcase. This portable 3D printer is ready to print within seconds of unfolding. Jean-Luc based the Case-Rap on the Mendel 90, one of the many spinoffs of the RepRap 3D printer.

We’ve already seen a netbook based on the Raspberry Pi. Here’s a DIY kit for a Raspberry Pi tablet. The PiTablet consists of Psy Labs’ PiTouch 10″ touchscreen, an acrylic case, a USB power pack, a remote control, a Wi-Fi module and the necessary cables.

The jagged crossguard lightsaber seen in the Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens teaser had many folks scratching their heads. Instead of debating the plausibility of a fictional weapon in a universe where the Force and sarlaccs exist, the folks at 3D printing store Le FabShop gave in to the geek side and 3D printed a replica of the weapon.

Pet locators are nothing new, but Eric Tsai’s homemade dog tracker not only tells him where his dog is, it can also tell him if and where it’s pooping. Or if it’s just sitting down somewhere.

Looking for a geeky twist for your Halloween decorations? Michal Janyst is onto something. He used two 8×8 LED modules and an Arduino Nano to give his jack-o’-lantern a pair of animated eyes. Here’s Michal’s crazy-eyed pumpkin: Ride a broom to Michal’s blog for the parts list, schematics and links to the software and code you need to emulate his hack.

Despite its creepy name, Dev Joshi’s invention isn’t a Halloween prop. The Headless Ghost is a niche peripheral that tricks a computer into thinking that a display is plugged into it. It’s for people who remotely connect into headless machines, i.e.

Many companies restrict access to certain apps and other software features to prevent people from goofing off. Redditor AyrA’s employer went further than that – his work computer has an application that monitors running processes. But smart slackers are tough to beat.