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iHacked has a video that shows the method to repair your XBox 360 by allowing the GPU solder joints to reflow. You may have seen the towel method that looks simple but has questionable results. "Generally, the 3rrod error is caused by a solder problem, where points on the GPU/CPU have worked loose – or a temperature problem causing the same result. Following this guide, you should be able to fix these joints, quickly and easily! We have used this process to repair over 10 Xbox360s successfully."
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Robot builders no longer have to settle for low power and hard to maneuver robotic platforms. Parallax has come out with this QuadRover Robot which is based on the powerful Propeller microcontroller. Not cheap, but have a look at what comes in the small package. "This gas-powered robot is built using a Honda 2.5 HP 4-stroke engine and hydraulic power system. It is controlled by a Propeller chip for the ultimate in customizable robots; eight 32-bit cogs at 20 MIPS each create endless programming possibilities. A 64 KB EEPROM leaves 32 KB for non-volatile data storage, and ample expansion ports provide plenty of flexibility for added sensors. Four solenoid valves allow for the hydraulic power to be independently enabled, disabled, or reversed for either side of its skid steer system. The robot can rotate in position by making a complete hydrostatic turn or by braking one side and making an arc-turn, which can be accomplished at low or high speed. Straight-away top speed is up to 14 miles per hour. QuadRover uses a two-stage pump to provide high-end torque for low speeds and lower torque at higher speeds. This transmission provides a more continuous power band than a single-stage pump system. Servo controlled throttle and disk brakes make for precise acceleration and deceleration. The Propeller QuadRover robot ships fully assembled and ready to program. The electronics include a Propeller-powered control board with connections for the included GPS, compass, and 3-axis accelerometer sensors. All you have to do is program, fill ‘er up, and go. Shipping package measures approximately 31”L x 20”H x 25”W inches (include metric equivalent). Robot weighs 89 lbs. (shipping weight 110 lbs.). "
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Congratulation to the last contest winner. No emails this time, we are going to do another Guess what this isn’t contest since the last one was so much fun! Simply reply in the comments what this device isn’t. Have a look at my first comment for an example entry. Below is a pictures of the prize.
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Max from Zedomax made a cool Green Laser Light Show device and in true DIY style there is an abundance of parts that are available from your local hardware store. "This simpler green laser projector was made so I could use it for my next party and I always wanted to make this. Although this laser projector only does one animation, 2 whirpools, I planned to improve upon after making this very basic version."
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Laser Simon is a twist on the original game that we have all played. Anything that uses old NES controllers is a winner in my book! "The game involves two players and a SimonBoard, consisting of five target points. The goal for each player is to hit as many points as possible in the given orders in each of the 10 levels. Players alternate turns with each successive level, ultimately completing all 10 levels. At the start of a player’s turn the board is illuminated to indicate the pattern of sensors to be hit in that round. The player must memorize the pattern and repeat it by aiming and firing the laser at the indicated targets. At the completion of the 10th level, the SimonBoard then calculates a winner; the SimonBoard, the controllers and the computer monitoring the system then display the winner."
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Sylvain Calinon is a postdoctoral fellow who is working on humanoid robot and imitation learning at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland in the Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory . There is also a long version of the video available. "A humanoid robot learning to cook an omelet by whipping eggs, cutting ham and grating cheese. Through the use of a probabilistic model, the robot progressively learns to generalize the skill to various situations." Thanks Sylvain 
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Bruce Land is showing off the hard work of his students in his Cornell University ECE 4760 Designing with Microcontrollers class. I hope you have a long lunch hour since it will take you a long time to go through all 35 projects. I found this Mechanix Motorized Guitar Tuner real interesting. Nice thing about all of these projects is the great documentation. "The Mechanix is a motorized guitar tuner for a standard 6-string electric or acoustic fixed bridge guitar. Named in honor of Megadeth guitar legend Dave Mustaine, the Mechanix is a unique and innovative product which has numerous patent possibilities. Our project may not be the coolest or most unique, but it is certainly the most metal. Traditional handheld guitar tuners are passive; they tell the user whether the guitar string is in tune, sharp, or flat, but the actual adjustment of the tension in the string has to be done by the user. This requires a fair amount of dexterity from the user, particularly when fine tuning is required. Thus, to increase both the convenience and the precision of the tuning process, we designed an active, motorized guitar tuner. The Mechanix responds to the user plucking one of the strings by turning the tuning knob until the string has reached its Standard Tuning note." |
Make it funny, crazy, weird… Just use your imagination. You can enter more than once if you come up with more than one thought. With a short vote the best comment will win the prize. The prize this week will be another one of those cool tiny helicopters. This contest will run from Saturday to Friday (May 10, 2008 - May 16, 2008) . Ending time is based on central standard time.
