Hacked Gadgets Forum

January 17, 2009

Tango Electric Car - Good in Snow and Faster than the Tesla

at 3:19 pm. Filed under Complex Hacks, Crazy Hacks, Insane Equipment

 

We have all seen the amazing Tesla, it is a beautiful electric car that has some huge off the line power. When I first saw the Tango I thought it was s joke, but on second glance this Tango has some surprising power hiding under that strange body style. This car is half the size of a normal car but has faster acceleration than the Tesla roadster! Even though the tires are tiny have a look at how well it handles piles of snow. I think the main advantage it has in the snow is the weight from the lead acid battery pack.

"As far as performance goes, the Tango is no slouch. Since electric cars–especially small ones–are generally thought to be slow and weak performers we set out to blow some minds by designing the Tango to accelerate through the standing 1/4 mile in 12 seconds at over 120 mph and travel from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds."

(more…)


January 15, 2009

Beehive Monitoring System - PIC32 Microcontroller Based

at 12:15 pm. Filed under Complex Hacks, Crazy Hacks, DIY Hacks, Electronic Hacks

 

We had a number of beehives on our farm years ago. Monitoring the health of the hives was a big job and when neglected could spell disaster. This Beehive Monitoring System could mean the end of that problem. Have a look below for a short list of system features.

"This project provides a means to monitor honeybee health parameters in a hive, to allow efficient bee management and research on the quality of the colony.
Functional areas monitored by the PIC32 are:
• Outside the hive ambient conditions
• Inside the hive environmental conditions
• Health of the hive (brood size and bee traffic)
• Bee behavior for swarm management, detection / prevention
• Honey production
• Security of the hive
• Self diagnostics (temperature and voltage levels of the system controller, and functionality of sensors throughout the beehive)
There are some hive environmental conditions that can be controlled such as:
• Ventilation
• Temperature (heat or cool)"


January 14, 2009

Electric Trike

at 5:52 am. Filed under Complex Hacks, Crazy Hacks, Electronic Hacks

 

Since this Electric Trike was a school project there were lots of cool tools that were are the disposal of Smegger. By the looks of it the electronics and motors are top notch.
Video after the jump.

"- I used two 12v 32amp batteries - A 75amp 24V speed controller made by 4QD in England- quite pricey but really reliable - 5 LED battery condition meter - Plunger pot for throttle - Lots of cable - Connectors for batteries - Two 24v 300W DC motors"

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January 10, 2009

Granite Speakers

at 11:19 am. Filed under Crazy Hacks, DIY Hacks, What Were They Thinking

 

If you are looking for the best speakers for your heavy metal these Granite Speakers would not be the correct selection, but if you need some speakers to blast your hard rock music then read on. :) Most of the work I have done has been with wood, I can’t imagine the time it would take to work with rock.

"Box dimensions 220 x 350 x 250 mm. Box material 20 mm thick black granite (Nero Assoluto). Weight 35 kg.
Bass reflex enclosure tuned to 45 Hz. Volume 15 L.
Input power 80W. Sensitivity 87.5 dB. Transmission bandwidth 40Hz - 20kHz. Impedance 6 ohm.  "


January 3, 2009

Robot Snow Removal Ideas

at 3:27 pm. Filed under Complex Hacks, Crazy Hacks, Electronic Hacks, Insane Equipment, What Were They Thinking

 

Many of us are currently battling the elements. Clearing snow is a necessary task but it doesn’t have to be tiring. :) There are many contraptions that allow us to use technology to give us a hand. Here are a few interesting ideas that I am sure will catch on…

The one pictured above and in the video is autonomous but I think there is still room for some good remote control designs such as the picture below.

 


December 16, 2008

CNC Machine built using Washing Machine Motors

at 5:23 am. Filed under Crazy Hacks, Electronic Hacks, Insane Equipment, What Were They Thinking

 

Remember the Fisher & Paykel Smart Drive Washing Machine Wind Generator from earlier this month? Well it looks like there is more uses for those motors! How about recycling 3 used washing machines into a huge powerful CNC machine. It takes a bit of work but apparently the 3 phase stepper motor makes for a good and accurate CNC motor.

"The motors from a fisher and pykel washing machine are removed along with the control board. Three motors are required. Connecting the stepper motors to the HM30 machine The hole at the end of the plastic housing the motor spindle, slips over the end of the x,y axis on the mill table. The spindle is shortened and drilled to allow the shaft from the table to slide into the shaft from the washing machine. A tapered pin and hole, hold the two together. The motor is basicly a three phase stepper motor. Good luck finding a driver for it. A driver can be made by using the FETs from the washing machine controller. A PICAxe chip (see Oatley electronics) is programed to take the step and direction pulse’s and energise three outputs for the three coils (5 input/outputs fits on the PICXE08 model, this is programmed with free software on the serial port of the PC). The three outputs are used to drive a darlington pair in the chip ULN2003 (drives up to 8 outputs), this in turn drives our FETs from the washing machine."

December 11, 2008

LUTEC Engine

at 12:09 pm. Filed under Complex Hacks, Crazy Hacks, Insane Equipment, What Were They Thinking

 

Seems like there is tremendous amount of information over at LUTEC Australia PTY describing their technology but is any of it real? I have seen lots of claims over the years form companies like this but none of them have turned out to be feasible.

"In order to gain an understanding of the operation of a LEA (Lutec Electricity Amplifier) it must be understood that there are actually three separate and completely individual events occurring in the one machine. Each of the three is equally important because without one of them operating in a completely synchronistical manner with the others, the end result would not achieve the efficiency levels required. The LEA has been designed to maximize and exploit Events One Two and Three in a synchronous manner so as to produce a highly efficient means of generating electricity. It could be described as a tri-brid system. This harmonious triumvirate result has been accomplished by identifying and controlling the precise timing of input and output voltages; so to allow the separate Events to operate within the same space, using minimal shared components while retaining their original individual effects. Other applications for this technology could be water desalination, hydrogen production, highly efficient motors for plant, pumps, and machinery, or as a more efficient and cost effective drive for anything that turns spins or rotates."

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